Making Disciples

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.”  What fascinating words.  This is the Great Commission, the calling of every believer and the heart of the missional life.

Much of the dialog around the missional life has been renewed on the “Go” part.  This is a good thing.  Churches are no longer accepting the idea of “Come and See” or simply remaining attractional.  Pastors are actively looking for ways to send people out.  To go out into the world is to enter the missional field, even if it is simply the neighbor next door.  Go is active, it’s energized, and its the beginning of the process.

But what churches, leaders and pastors struggle with is the “make disciples” part.  What does it really mean to make disciples?  We get that.  We were in those very shoes.  How are we to make something if we don’t even know what we’re making?  We’re sending people, but we’re not quite sure what we’re sending them for.

At Thrive we’ve taken a deep look at this process of making disciples.  We’ve developed a framework for you to plug in to.  We’ve done the homework and tested out what this question really looks like.  And not surprisigly, it looks much like what Jesus did.  It’s a journey into trust with a God who loves us.  It happens in a small community of intentional and like minded people engaging God’s mission of restoration and reconciliation.  It is restorative, forgiving, graceful and meaningful.

The “make disciples” part gives people a story to tell of a God who is actively moving in the world.  It engages them in a journey towards restoration and reconciliation, towards love and trust, towards community and away from isolation.  It offers them a way of love that redeems us from our guilt and shame.

If your church is wrestling with the “make disciples” part, we can help.  Contact us today to get a free digital copy of our leadership manual.