Converts or Disciples?

 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; al lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Mat. 28:19-20.

With our intense focus on evangelism I cannot remember the last time I heard a message from this text or even heard this verse quoted in a sermon. We're all about preaching and winning souls. But the truth is, we're not just trying to get people to the altar. We're trying to get people to Heaven. The core of discipleship is not just a new convert card, but a life lived in fruitful service to Christ.

I understand that they cannot hear without a preacher. But they cannot grow without discipleship. Church planting flows out of a culture of discipleship in our local churches. 

We need an outward vision for a lost world. But we also need to work to add converts to our church. Getting a thousand people to pray is fine, but not if none of those who pray ever come back.

Note that the Lord spoke of teaching them to observe what I told you. Discipleship is teaching converts so that become real Christians, not just  flash in the pan converts. The church world is filled with whiz-bang believers.

Church planting is not just uber-evangelism but it is training young men to become shepherds of God's flock. Discipleship is the training ground for guys and their wives to learn how to be pastors. To learn how to preach and how to teach and how to counsel and how to plan and how to organize and how to love. 

So are we going to continue to only preach to the nations? Or will we become true discipleship based churches who train our converts on how to be effective in the ministry?