Six myths of discipleship

Myth 1: Discipleship is a second stage of Christian experience, after conversion. You can be a Christian but not a disciple.

Many people think of discipleship as what happens after conversion. They think that it’s only after someone becomes a Christian that they ‘disciple’ them, by training them in the disciplines of the Christian life. In a similar way, they might think it’s possible to have church members who have been Christian for years, but never ‘discipled’.

However, the truth is that all Christians are disciples—disciples of Jesus Christ. As such, we are always on dangerous ground when we imply that there are two classes of Christians.

Myth 2: Discipleship is only for the super Christian.

This is similar to the first myth. It says discipleship is only for the super-committed Christian, and not for the normal, everyday Christian. Again, it implies there are two membership levels in the church: a small group of dedicated followers of Jesus and a vast crowd of ordinary believers. Another version of this myth might imply that it’s the ministers and/or missionaries who are true ‘disciples’.

However, the truth is that we are all called to be disciples, wherever we are. And this myth runs the danger of teaching ‘cheap grace’, a salvation that has little impact on our daily lives. Keep reading