Questioning a Fundamental Disciple Making Principle

In the November 18, 2016 eNews Lance addressed the reality that, while the CGGC has paid lip service to having, as its core goal, making "More and Better Disciples," it is not making disciples effectively.

I found his article provocative and I'm blessed that Lance mentioned discipling at all.

I pile the highest heap of praise I can pile up in noting that Lance is an extremely honest man. In the past, the eNews would never have acknowledged even the slightest flaw in our body.  In fact, it would have described a reality in the CGGC that would have made the record of disciples in Acts 1-6 seem pathetic.

Lance's article begins by stating, plainly and precisely, that the CGGC is not effective in making disciples. Thanks, Lance, for your honesty!

This honesty is no small thing. If the cynicism that is core to the CGGC Brand is to be overcome, honest communication from the Mountaintop will help kill it.

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Having said that, Lance makes an assertion about how discipling takes place that is not what I see in the Word.

Lance says, "Disciples of Jesus make other disciples of Jesus."

And, I suspect that that is conventional wisdom in the church today. However, it's not, as far as I can tell, New Testament wisdom.

As I read the New Testament, the truth is that APOSTLES make disciples of Jesus.

The Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John all contain similar versions of Jesus sending followers into the world to make disciples and all of them take place when Jesus is alone with the men He prepared to be apostles. Jesus never sent disciples in general into the world to make disciples. He could have. He would have, I believe, if disciples make other disciples.

The traditional name of the fifth book of the New Testament is THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.  And, that title is accurate.  The book is about Apostles making disciples.

I need to ask the people of our body why we have been failing to make disciples.

To me, the biblical answer is that we are parish priest led, by people who are, for the most part, gifted to be shepherds.

As I read church history, the movements that prospered were those who empowered people to function within their apostolic calling, even if they didn't call those people apostles.

Lance, many of us want our body to thrive in making disciples. I am convinced that we won't succeed in doing that until we both empower APEST and disable parish priest dominated leadership.