When we really take the time to sit down and think about it, we can see an amazing vision of what making and multiplying disciples could look like:
- Churches turning outward and serving the communities around them.
- Christians building authentic relationships with those who are not yet followers of Jesus
- People coming to faith
- God doing his healing work in the lives of people
- Gatherings of people engaging in missional work all together
- Groups and churches multiplying and reaching outward
But what’s the barrier? What do we need to do in order to move from vision to reality? We talk about it, we come up with theories and ideas, but what do we actually need to do in the course of a real day? A real week? What does getting there look like?
What we need in practical terms is a clear, reproducible process for making and multiplying disciples. I’ll be unpacking this more clearly in upcoming blog entries, but I believe we need to move away from the one-size-fits-all approach toward something that, on the one hand, is relational and flexible so it can adapt to the needs of the particular individual, and, on the other hand, has a clear goal with an intentional process for getting there.
Too often, our approaches are either relational or strategic. We need something that is both. Only something with both of those qualities will reliably develop disciples who really seize the mission of Jesus and move forward with it.