Issues in Discipleship: Three Articles

Beyond Invite and Invest: A Better Plan for Outreach

Church used to be all about the invite.

Everyone went to church whether they wanted to or not. It was a cultural expectation. All you had to do was invite someone, and there was a very good chance if your church had the right denominational sign on the building that whoever you invited would show up and get connected to the church. The invite worked…and then it didn’t. Keep reading

Disciple-making on Their Turf

Once upon a time, evangelism happened on the church’s own soil. She stood at the center of society. Most unbelieving Westerners had grown up in or around her, and felt some measure of comfort or nostalgia coming to a church building.

Occasionally, we might confront a non-believer on the street corner, or pack them into a stadium to hear Billy Graham, but in general, the work of evangelism has happened in the church’s own space. We invited them into our walls; some would agree to come. We put forward our best speaker to give his best gospel presentation. We’d even bring in a “revival” preacher from out of town. It was a restricted playing field, but it bore fruit in its time.

However, in the twenty-first century, the rules of the game are changing drastically, and fast. Increasingly, if we are to find the lost and win them to everlasting joy in Jesus, we must go find them where they are and engage them with “not only the gospel of God but also our own selves” (1 Thess. 2:8). No longer is it enough to man the church, put out an inviting sign, and wait for the lost to come streaming in. We must go meet them on their turf, out there in the world, and minister there—making, maturing, and multiplying disciples. Keep reading

Discipleship Works—What a Lot of People Miss About Our Role in Our Discipleship

God could mature his people on his own, but he has decided to bring us into the process.

This is part three in a series on scriptural discipleship. Check out the other parts below:

Maturity Is The Goal | Don’t Miss These Three Markers for Discipleship | God Involves Us in Our Own Discipleship. Why? How? Keep reading