Discipleship Matters

Let’s say you are thinking about enrolling in a program at a new training facility. You have heard that they are gearing up for as many students as they can enroll. They are building lots of classrooms and hiring an impressive faculty; but there is something that is troubling you.

As you look over their promotional material there is nothing about their goals for their students. You can’t find anything to indicate that they have clear standards against which they will measure their students’ growth. There seem to be no plans for procedures to hold the students or their instructors accountable for their development. They just promise that everyone who goes through their program will be “better.” You find yourself asking, “Do I really want to sign up for this?”

While most churches have done a good job of promoting the importance of spiritual maturity, few have done a very good job of providing an environment or the resources which encourage folks to see the spiritual growth of children and youth as a lifelong, moment-to-moment process. In most congregations kids receive spiritual teaching when it is convenient for parents or when it fits into their otherwise busy schedule.

In his book, Growing True Disciples, George Barna writes, “Discipleship matters. It matters because Jesus modeled it and commanded it. It matters because discipleship is necessary for the church to become healthy and productive. It matters because we cannot reach our potential without spiritual growth. And it matters because we cannot influence the world unless we can demonstrate faith-based transformation.”

As we work together to help our children be transformed into spiritual champions, we have the great responsibility to help them develop a lifelong habit of continual spiritual growth. Much of this growth is dependent on prayer, Bible study, service and other traditional spiritual disciplines. Still, the most effective discipleship process is the one Jesus used with his followers. He challenged them to view common experiences and everyday circumstances as opportunities to evaluate their passion, perspective, priorities and perseverance to a particular way of life—a life that would please God.

Let us renew our commitment to follow Jesus’ example in equipping those he has called to follow him.