What is disciple-making?

Many Christians tend to think about discipleship in non-biblical terms. For some, discipleship is synonymous with small groups and one-on-one Bible studies - weekly meetings filled with touchy-feely questions that have no definitive answers. For others, discipleship is an over-whelming, but optional, task that Jesus has assigned Christians to help new believers grow in Christ.

From a biblical perspective, discipleship is the non-optional, intentional work of every member of the body of Christ to train others to become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Discipleship should be our great preoccupation with the Lord’s Great Commission. True discipleship begins when a believer first surrenders himself to the lordship of Jesus Christ and manifests itself in a burning passion for Jesus Christ to be formed in the hearts of all men. It goes way beyond just attending a Sunday morning church service each week.

The three "C’s" of true disciple-making

When most Christians think about disciple-making, they tend to think about small groups and one-on-one Bible studies. However, the key to effective disciple-making is not the form, but the three "C’s" that must be present for true discipleship to take place.

1.	Content. For the original disciples, it was the spoken words of Jesus as He ministered to them and the multitudes. Their discipleship content was the spoken Word of God. For believers today, it is the written Word of God. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Ro. 10:17).
	a. Does the content of your discipleship curriculum lead you into the Word or away from the Word? b. Does the content of your curriculum lead the students to a genuine faith in God and confidence in the Word or to a greater dependence on teachers and a greater admiration for the human author?
2.	Christ-likeness of the leader. Jesus authenticated His teaching every day by the way He lived. A pastor, Sunday School teacher, or small group leader must believe and live what he or she is teaching. The leader, not the followers, must validate the message that is being communicated (cf. Ja. 3:1).
3.	Commitment. Jesus was never enthralled with the crowd that followed Him. In fact, He often challenged them to consider the true cost of discipleship (cf. Lu. 14-26-32; Jn. 6:52-68). True discipleship was not for the curious, but for the serious.