CHAPTER 1
OUSTING THE ELEPHANT OF NONDISCIPLESHIP
Seeking Deep, Holistic Transformation
Perhaps the greatest malady in the Church today is converts to Christ who are not disciples of
Christ—a clear contradiction in terms. This malady affects everything in church life.
—Richard Foster1
“Of course the people in our congregation are growing in discipleship,” I assumed. “After
all, on Sundays they attend Bible classes and worship services and listen to me preach. During
the week they participate in small groups and fellowships. With all of this spiritual nurture, they
must be developing spiritually.”
Yet as the months and years passed, I finally had to admit that other than newer
Christians I could not discern consistent growth in the members of the church I pastored.
In this respect my congregation did not differ from most. “Stunningly few churches have a
church of disciples,” concluded researcher George Barna after an extensive study, even as he
recognized that most churches have programs for this purpose. 2 “Never before in the history of
the United States has the gospel of Jesus Christ made such inroads,” pollster George Gallup
earlier observed, “while at the same time making so little difference in how people actually
live.”3 When asked what has been the number one failure of the Church in the past twenty-five
years, missional leadership specialist Reggie McNeal responded, “To create genuine followers of
Jesus.”4 Our churches may have many dedicated church members, who attend regularly and are
full of zeal, active in ministry, and knowledgeable about the Scriptures. But do we have true
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disciples of Jesus? Though many leaders fail either to see or address this need, nondiscipleship
could be the greatest problem in the Church today, for this negatively impacts everything it seeks
to do.
ACCOMPLISHIHNG THE MISSION
For years I marveled at the spectacular missions launched from the Kennedy Space
Center, and wanted to visit the site in person. During a vacation to Florida I finally had the
chance. From a distant tour bus I gazed at rockets poised on their launch pads. Afterward, I
scrutinized older, decommissioned models, and found fascinating the posted statistics on the size
and power of these behemoths.
Later I reflected on the purpose of all the complex technology, the vast network of
personnel, and the hundreds of millions of dollars spent for each launch of the Space Shuttle.5
Everything focused on one goal—getting the payload to its destination. It doesn’t matter if the
booster rockets and first stage function flawlessly—“Did you see that beautiful lift-off?” Or if
the second and third stages perform to perfection—“Great separation and ignition!” These only
serve as means to accomplish the goal. Even if everything else goes according to plan, unless the
payload reaches its intended destination, all efforts are wasted and the mission fails.
Likewise the Church’s efforts are wasted unless it accomplishes its mission. In the United
States, the Church employs over half a million vocational ministers, millions of volunteer
workers, professionally designed curricula and programs, and hundreds of thousands of facilities.
Altogether it spends $50 to 60 billion per year on domestic ministry.6 These resources provide
the means for the Church to accomplish its purpose. But no matter how competently and
conscientiously people perform their tasks, how attractive and functional the facilities, or how
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smoothly the programs run, the Church squanders these resources unless it accomplishes its
mission.
Our Mission
Jesus gave the Church its purpose two thousand years ago, and it has not changed.
Simply put, his Great Commission calls us to “make disciples” (Matt 28.19-21).7 This purpose
contains two equally important and related aspects: evangelism, which encourages people to
respond to Jesus and enter a new life under his reign as his disciples, and discipleship, which
enables them to grow in this relationship and live out its implications in every aspect of their
lives. The resulting quality of discipleship indicates and determines the effectiveness of the
Church’s ongoing mission in the world. No other factor has greater influence in how it impacts
its members and the world. Both evangelism and discipleship result from the work of God’s
Spirit in which we have the privilege of participating.
This book focuses on our role of spiritual leaders in forming disciples, and does not deal
with evangelism except to consider how the quality of discipleship affects it. It stresses that in
order to disciple effectively, we must aim for more than surface change in beliefs and behaviors.
Instead we need to seek deep transformation and holistic discipleship.
The term disciple describes a person who has responded to Jesus’ claim to be Savior and
Lord, and has consequently made it his or her priority to follow Jesus and become like him in
character, passion, outlook, and lifestyle through spiritual transformation and empowerment.
This includes participating in his mission in the world. Once we become followers of Jesus, we
can have the enabling of God’s Spirit to experience the process of transformation into the
likeness of Christ. The Apostle Paul declares that we “are being transformed into his likeness
with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3.18). This
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results in a growing maturity (Eph 4.13), completeness (James 1.4), and fruitfulness (John 15.2,
8). Paul also states, “We are his workmanship” (Eph 2.10, emphasis mine). The English verb
fails to convey the significance of the tense in the original language, which signifies that God has
started to work on us and continues to do so. The Bible clearly states the command to make
disciples, what enables this process, its objectives, and its ongoing nature.
Discipleship is a lifelong journey in which we never fully arrive. Successes and failures
will mark our pursuit of becoming more like Jesus, but we should nevertheless demonstrate
discernable progress over time. Those who have lost sight of the priority of the goal, whose
passion for it has ebbed, or who no longer strive and progress toward it have compromised
themselves as Christians. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer bluntly stated, “Christianity without
discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.”8
While becoming more like Jesus results from the Spirit’s work, we do not remain passive
in the process. Rather, we must actively cooperate by creating in ourselves the conditions
favorable for his work. Similarly, the work of making disciples belongs to the Spirit, but we must
actively cooperate. Concerning this collaboration Paul writes, “To this end I labor, struggling
with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col 1.29, emphasis mine). This book
describes the nature of our cooperation.
The Big Picture
To effectively tackle a pervasive and deeply rooted problem such as the weakness in
discipleship, strategic leaders need to see the big picture. For this reason, this book provides an
understanding of the overall process of making disciples, as well as a thorough grasp of the
hindrances to it. In addition, it recommends the strategies, insights and tools with which they can
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design the most appropriate measures for their specific context of ministry. In the process it will
show how five major areas of disciple-making indicated here relate to each other:
● Biblical paradigms
● Hindrances
● Motivation
● Means
● The shape of holistic discipleship.
From this discussion I will offer eleven key strategies, one in each chapter, for maximizing the
disciple-making enterprise.
Effecting a significant change involves two essential and complementary approaches—
reducing the forces restraining it and increasing the forces favoring it. Doing one or the other
may result in progress, but doing both together greatly improves the probability of success. This
chapter describes nondiscipleship as the present reality in most churches. Chapters 1 to 4 ask:
What restraining forces keep them mired there? How can leaders minimize these hindrances?
Chapters 5 to 10 consider: What driving forces must they increase to make sustained disciplemaking the new reality? Each chapter of the book proposes a key strategy for disciple-making.
While some strategies primarily aim to minimize the hindrances, all of them work towards
maximizing the process of discipleship.
You can directly implement these strategies, if you seek to personally disciple others,
whether individually or in small groups. To implement these on a church-wide basis or a larger
scale, will create a greater challenge—that of changing the culture of a church or ministry. This
requires additional wisdom concerning the dynamics of change, the development of relationships
of influence, and the ability to persuade and motivate.
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No Generic Process or Quick Fix
I want to make clear from the beginning what two things this book will not do. First, it
will not attempt to create a generic, one-size-fits-all process for making disciples, since every
context of ministry differs. Procedures that work in one situation may not work in another, so
trying to reproduce someone else’s model in most cases guarantees frustration and failure. The
eleven strategies that I propose apply to any context. Plans for implementing them, however, will
take diverse forms depending on your circumstances, resources, and personnel. While I will
discuss options for implementing each strategy, as leaders you will need to determine the
approaches that work in your context of ministry. Moreover, since you cannot develop all of the
strategies at the same time, you must prayerfully decide on which you will focus, in what order,
and by what means.
Second, this book does not propose a quick fix. Implementing these strategies will take
hard work, all the leadership skills you can muster, and persevering prayer. Depending on the
present state of discipleship in your church or ministry, you will need a time frame of several
months to several years to implement the strategies. Their optimal development may require
additional years.
If building an effective disciple-making ministry is so hard and takes so long, why
bother? To sustain such an effort, you must be convinced that God requires faithful leaders to
fulfill the Great Commission regardless of the difficulty, and that this constitutes a lifelong
calling. The good news is that you don’t need to implement all the strategies before seeing
improvement. Naturally, the more strategies that you can implement—and the more fully—the
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better. Even the partial application of one strategy, however, can produce noticeable
improvement, providing momentum for more change.
In the rest of this chapter, I will first take an honest look at the challenges leaders face
when they get serious about making disciples. Next I will explain the need for an approach that
involves deep transformation and holistic discipleship. Finally, I will provide an overview of the
book and state the first key strategy for transforming believers into growing disciples.
WE HAVE A PROBLEM
“Nondiscipleship is the elephant in the church,”9 observes Dallas Willard. Consequently,
“nominal Christianity has become normal Christianity.”10 This problem hinders every effort in
ministry and evangelism, and has grown so enormous that those who open their eyes cannot fail
to see it. Yet removing it poses great difficulty. Richard Foster warns that nondiscipleship may
be “the greatest malady in the church today,” which “affects everything in church life.” Are these
observations overly bleak? Or do these leaders perceive a gargantuan problem that scarcely
appears on the radar of many churches?
Unfortunately, multiple studies validate their conclusions. A recent Lifeway Research
survey evaluated Protestant believers according to seven domains of spiritual formation. Over
the period of one year, only 3.5 percent indicated a net increase in spiritual growth.11 In another
study, researchers asked members from many churches, “What is your evaluation of the overall
effectiveness of the church’s discipleship program?” Only 2.1 percent rated it excellent/very
effective, while 2.5 percent thought it good/effective.12 A third survey found that nearly onefourth of Christians felt that they were sliding backward in their spiritual growth, while 41
percent felt stagnated. These combine for a total of two-thirds of believers who failed to grow. In
addition, this survey found no correlation between the lengths of time believers had been
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Christians and their spiritual maturity. Moreover, 40 percent of pastors did not feel that they
were growing spiritually, and few had any idea how to make a disciple.13 These results agree
with an additional study which found that only 33 percent of congregants felt that their pastors
were very good at leading them into spiritual growth.14
After extensive research into the state of discipleship in America, Barna concluded that in
the vast majority of churches, consistent spiritual growth is rare.15 He lamented the fact that in
their attitudes and actions Christians appear little different from nonbelievers.16 Furthermore,
only 19 percent of adult respondents who claimed to be born again Christians possessed a
biblical worldview,17 and only10 percent of churched youth.18 Years of participating in church
activities had not resulted in the integration of faith and life.
Dissatisfaction with the state of discipleship is not restricted to church members. Pastors
have also begun to recognize the problem. A recent national survey of Assemblies of God
ministers, for example, asked respondents to what degree they agreed with the statement, “I am
satisfied with discipleship in my church.” Twenty-five percent strongly disagreed, and 40 percent
disagreed somewhat, for a total of nearly two-thirds. Only twenty-eight percent agreed somewhat
and just 7 percent strongly agreed.19
Limited Moral Influence
Two realities highlight the need for effective discipleship—the Church’s limited and
declining moral influence, both in society and among its own members, and its ineffectiveness in
evangelism. Regarding the first, a recent Gallup survey found that 68 percent of Americans feel
that religion is losing its influence in society.20
Christians and those of other backgrounds agree that decline rather than improvement has
occurred in the area of morality in recent years, and nearly 90 percent of Americans rank it as an
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area of concern.21 Another study found that only 8 percent of people felt that the honesty and
integrity in this country were improving, while 50 percent saw these declining.22 Forty percent of
adults claim to be born again believers,23 yet such a substantial percentage has apparently made
little impact on the moral tone of the nation. Gallup observed that “religious people in America
tend toward a go-along, get-along approach to daily choices,” and rarely demonstrate the
qualities of “resident aliens.”24 While 84 percent of Americans surveyed said that they personally
knew at least one committed Christian, only 15 percent of respondents thought that the lifestyles
of these believers were significantly different from the general population.25
Barna warns that the American Church’s loss of influence and adherents is occurring
faster than in any other major institution.26 In a survey of evangelical leaders who attended the
third Lausanne Conference in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010, 82 percent of those from the
U.S. indicated that evangelicals are losing influence in this country today.27 Recently, Gallup
found that an all-time low of 53 percent believe that the Church “can answer all or part of
today’s problems,” while 28 percent believe it is “largely old-fashioned and out of date.”28 In
addition, Barna found that only one of six American adults claims that they make moral choices
on the basis of biblical principles. This includes just 60 percent of evangelicals and a meager 20
percent of nonevangelical born again adults.29 Earlier he found that just 9 percent of Protestants
relied on the Bible as their moral compass.30
While the Church has grown rapidly in many parts of the world, discipleship has not kept
pace. The International Consultation on Discipleship, held in Eastbourne, England, concluded
that the similarity between believers and their cultures and the lack of true discipleship result in
the inability of the Church to impact society.31 In contrast, Jesus called his followers to be the
salt of the world (Matt 5.13), meaning that even a small minority of true disciples should make a
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noticeable and positive difference in society. The worldwide expansion of the Church has been
described as “growth without depth.”32 Many global leaders have come to realize a serious
weakness in the Church’s efforts to make disciples. At Lausanne 2010, 4,200 leaders from 198
countries endorsed a Confession of Faith and Call to Action, which repeatedly stressed two
themes, one of which was “the need for radical obedient discipleship, leading to maturity, to
growth in depth as well as growth in numbers.” In the conclusion of this document, these
delegates freely acknowledged, “We lament the scandal of our shallowness and lack of
discipleship.”33
Even within its own ranks, the Church often appears to have little influence. Rather than
demonstrating an alternative lifestyle, Christians generally incline toward the same goals and
lifestyles as non-Christians.34 For example, the proportion of money given for spiritual purposes
is one indication of commitment and stewardship. A major study shows that while the average
American’s income has greatly increased during the past several decades, the percentage that
Christians give has declined. From 1968 to 2001, giving by members in seven mainline
denominations declined slightly from 3.3 percent of income to 3.17 percent, while giving in eight
evangelical denominations dropped significantly from 6.15 percent to 4.27 percent.35 Overall, in
2007 Protestants gave 2.5 percent of their income to churches, which is less than the 3.2 percent
they gave during the Great Depression, though their income after taxes and inflation had grown
by nearly 600 percent since then.36 A recent survey found that just 9 percent of evangelicals tithe,
and only 6 percent of those in the category of nonevangelical born again.37 For all Christians
during the past decade, the percentage of tithers has averaged between 5 and 7 percent.38
In the area of sexual morality, the percentage of born again Christian adults who have
cohabited (25 percent) is not far from of the general population (33 percent). In the future, this
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statistic will likely increase dramatically. While older generations hold more conservative views,
59 percent of born again Gen-Xers approve of cohabitation, compared to 80 percent for the
general population in this generation.39 Moreover, evangelical youth are only 10 percent more
likely to be sexually abstinent than non-evangelicals.40 Furthermore, the divorce rate among born
again Christians (33 percent) equals that of all adults.41
Ethicist David Gushee not only bemoans moral deterioration in society, but the failure of
the American Church to limit this decline among its own members:
We can’t stop divorce in our midst, or abortion, or greed, or internal church conflicts…
We’re rightly concerning about our collapsing families, internet pornography, decadent
movies and music, and the weakening of sexual morality. But we often can’t seem to
prevent the encroachment of these problems in our own Christian families and
congregations.42
Ineffectiveness in Evangelism and Retention
Along with the anemic moral influence of today’s Church, ineffectiveness in evangelism
and retention also demonstrates weakness in discipleship. According to statistics from the most
recent year available, of the 25 largest Protestant denominations in this country, only two are
growing. The others had either plateaued or experienced decline.43 In a major survey involving
50,000 people, the percentage of those identifying themselves as Christians in this country
dropped from 86 percent in 1990 to 76 percent in 2008.44 Of course, many of those who no
longer identify had only minimal association with Christian faith and little practice of it. Of
significance, however, is that fewer people make any kind of identification with it at all.
Furthermore, when factoring in population growth, during 2000-07 overall church attendance has
declined by 9 percent.45
These losses have not arisen due to the lack of interest in spirituality. On the contrary,
Americans today seek spiritual enlightenment more than during any period in the past century.46
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Eighty-eight percent of Americans said that their religious faith was important in their lives.47
This openness extends to younger generations. Each year UCLA surveys 100,000 college
freshmen throughout the country for the Council on Higher Education. Recently their researchers
found that 80 percent had interest in spirituality and engaged in discussions of religion or
spirituality with their friends.48 The Church has barely tapped this interest.
At the same time it fails to hold the allegiance of its own young people. Of those who
participated in church activities as teens (81 percent of this age group), three-fourths disengage
spiritually by or during their twenties—no longer attending church, reading the Bible, or praying.
This suggests that too often youth ministry fails to form lasting disciples.49 A youth specialist
observes, “Kids seem happy and willing to attend, and engaged in our ministries, but five years
from now, when they’re in college or post-college, they just really aren’t connecting with real
faith, let alone church.”50 Researcher Ed Stetzer bluntly states, “Too many youth groups are
holding tanks with pizza. There’s no life transformation taking place.”51 While church teens
appear zealous and seem to believe and do the right things, spiritually many just tread water.
Leaders concerned for evangelism rightly stress the need for more culturally relevant
approaches. The missional church movement, for example, recognizes that the need for
contextualized penetration of the community applies just as much in Western cultures as to
traditional mission fields. Doubtlessly, churches need greater understanding of the diverse
subcultures in which they are embedded and to develop strategies and methods that can
effectively communicate the gospel to those whom God has called them to reach. On a deeper
level, however, two problems exist. First, the American Church generally lacks a vigorous
commitment to evangelism, especially for the population within its borders. We see the
phenomenon of a Church that sends missionaries abroad, but does not realize that it exists in the
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midst of a mission field.52 Rather than simply sending missionaries, it must become an outwardly
focused Church in which members see themselves as missionaries sent to their communities.53
Second, the Church often fails to inspire and challenge believers to a quality of life and
servanthood that will attract the spiritually open and seeking. Significant spiritual harvest
remains unlikely until believers advance beyond a diluted, self-indulgent form of religious life.
Too often Christians resemble an audience seeking entertainment instead of an army prepared for
battle.54 Evangelism must be grounded in a Church which demonstrates a positively different—
indeed revolutionary—community under God’s reign. “What the gospel needs most is not
intellectual brokers or cultural diplomats but rather saints in whose lives the gospel is visible,
palpable, and true… The evangelistic invitation is, in the first place, a matter of living beautifully
and truthfully before a watching world.”55
Both of these hindrances to evangelism—lack of passion for the lost and a less than
captivating lifestyle—stem from deficient discipleship. Recognizing this root problem, one
leader bluntly challenges believers, “The gospel offers the world a real alternative, the possibility
of something truly good, for it is of God. The challenge of evangelism may, however, be first a
challenge of discipleship: will we be what we have been called to be?”56
THE NEED FOR DEEP TRANSFORMATION
Surface Changes
Most discipleship programs aim to impart essential biblical truths and Christian practices,
believing that these result in discipleship. Beliefs commonly include a correct understanding
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, along with the nature of sin, salvation, and kingdom living and
mission. Desired practices normally involve: praying, studying the Bible, acting morally,
attending church, engaging in ministry, serving in the community, sharing the gospel, and
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practicing stewardship of time and resources. To beliefs and behaviors we can add attitudes such
as: zeal for God, dependence and trust in him, commitment to the church as the body of Christ,
and compassion for the needy. Also we can include the understanding and skills needed for
living holistically in each area of the Christian life. Being interdependent, these four areas
interact with and influence one another. (See below)
Beliefs
Behaviors
Attitudes
Understanding
& Skills
Though these comprise essential aspects for followers of Jesus, genuine discipleship
requires more. Believers can accept beliefs and standards for living without fully grasping or
taking ownership of them simply by conforming to the doctrines and approved behaviors and
attitudes for their community of faith. Consciously changing beliefs and adopting and repeating
appropriate behaviors do contribute toward transformation but in themselves fall short, for they
fail to achieve the goal of putting off the “old self” and putting on the “new self,” of which the
Apostle Paul writes (Eph 4.22-24). Believers, like most people, may lack awareness of or clarity
about the worldviews they inwardly embrace. As a consequence, we may see surface changes in
people’s beliefs and behaviors as they conform to an approved Christian pattern, while their
underlying assumptions remain secular or pagan. This results in a lifestyle which changes with
circumstances, because it lacks deep roots.57
The failure to understand the need for deep discipleship and to strive for it as the goal of
the Great Commission negatively impacts much of the Church’s efforts in enabling believers to
becoming growing followers of Jesus. Specifically, deep change involves transformation of
worldview, ultimate love, and character.
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Deep Change: Worldview
The Apostle Paul calls for believers to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”
(Rom 12.2). This making of a new mind focuses on the target of internal and substantive changes
rather than simply surface ones. During the past several decades spiritual leaders have
recognized the need to enable believers not only to change their beliefs and practices, but their
worldview as well. Commonly, scholars construe worldview cognitively as a set of deeply—if
often unconsciously— held convictions, assumptions, and images about reality, which
determines how individuals live their lives.58 If surfaced and thoroughly explored, Christians will
find that their worldview likely consists of a mixture of culturally embedded elements and
biblical perspectives.
For example, consumerism, an entrenched worldview in Western culture, deeply impacts
the way Christians live. While many consciously accept the priority of following Jesus, loving
God, and make their goal in life to please him, they often unconsciously make personal
satisfaction the real priority in their lives—along with wealth and success, which they believe
will increase the possibilities for that fulfillment. As a result, they put a premium on using their
abilities, time, and money efficiently toward these ends.59 In reality, then, the achievement of
educational, career, and financial goals surpasses serving God and others in order of importance.
Also, consumerism affects their decisions regarding acquisition of possessions, neighborhood of
residence, use of leisure time, and the church they attend. It even shapes the way churches
minister to them. After enabling soaring growth in weekend attendance to 12,000 in his church,
Pastor Walt Kallestad recognized: “We’d put all our energy into dispensing religious goods and
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services, and as a result we were not empowering our people to transform their community…We
were neither salt nor light—we were mere consumers.”60
In promoting the pursuit of material gratification and creating unsatisfied wants,
consumerism works against the development of Christian virtues such as patience, self-control,
and joy. In addition, it saps the believer’s passion to follow Jesus in costly discipleship, which
includes stewardship of time and resources, proclamation of the gospel, self-giving in caring for
the needy, and pursuing justice for those denied it. A pervasive consumer mentality poses one of
the greatest challenges to a church’s mission of reaching its community. A thorough-going
biblical worldview must replace the mixed secular-spiritual perspectives so common today.
Deep Change: Ultimate Love and Character
Appreciating the need for change in worldview improves our understanding of what
making disciples entails. However, this still fails to go far enough. Jesus commanded his
followers to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind” (Matt 22.37). Since biblically, the heart, soul, and mind all refer to our essential inner
nature, following Jesus requires deep change at the foundational level of our being—in our
instinctual perceptions of reality (Rom 12.2), the disposition of our hearts (Matt 22.37-39), and
our instinctual moral orientation (2 Cor 3.18, Gal 5.22-23). Accordingly, I will define deep
discipleship to mean the process of becoming more like Jesus in worldview, ultimate love, and
character.
Philosopher James K.A. Smith reacts strongly to the common modernist view which sees
persons essentially as cognitive, rational beings. Instead, following Augustine’s anthropology, he
understands humans as “most fundamentally oriented and identified by love.”61 He declares,
“Our primordial orientation to the world is not knowledge, or even belief, but love.”62
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Consequently, we should recognize that “discordant action is a reflection and fruit of disordered
desire.”63 Theologian Steven Land concurs that “Christianity is fundamentally, though not
exclusively, a matter of certain affections, which form the existential core of spirituality.”64
Martin Luther recognized that following Jesus required conversions of the heart, mind, and
purse. (The latter indicates the practical ways we live.) Both John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards
understood authentic Christianity as centering on the religious affections.65 A new disposition of
the heart must come to order the mind, will, attitudes, and actions of believers, providing
motivation to follow Jesus. If this fails to occur, the good things in our lives can replace God and
become “ultimate things” or idols in our hearts.66
Instead of distinguishing the categories of ultimate love and character from that of
worldview, as I do, to provide a more complete understanding of persons at the deep level, some
scholars67 have redefined worldview more broadly to include the emotional and moral
dimension. Rather than attempting, however, to pack extra meaning onto the primarily cognitive
concept of worldview, I will simply consider the deep transformation necessary for growing
discipleship to comprise change in the three foundational, interdependent, and overlapping areas
of worldview, ultimate love, and character. These shape our desires, values, goals, and decisions,
which in turn determine our beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes, along with the efforts we take to
develop the understanding and skills needed for discipleship. Not only do the areas on each level
affect one another, but each level influences the other as well.
Beliefs
Behaviors
Worldview
Ultimate love
Attitudes
Understanding
& Skills
Character
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This book aims at enabling transformation on both the outward and deep levels. This
requires sustained effort through multiple means (See “Part II: How Your Church Can Disciple”
for a systematic presentation of these). None of the aspects are static or fixed, but subject to
change. As believers mature in discipleship, however, the foundational elements become
stronger and less prone to fluctuate, providing greater consistency at the observable level. Here I
will first briefly mention the means which contribute to the transformation of all three basic
aspects; then I will note additional means for each aspect.
Transformation of the Deep Aspects
Three means contribute to the transformation of worldview, ultimate love, and character.
First, believers need to engage regularly in spiritual disciplines—both individual and corporate.
These reduce the distractions in our lives and open us to what God seeks to do in transforming
our lives both outwardly and internally. Besides the classic disciplines, the practices of giving,
ministering to other believers in our spiritual communities, and sharing the gospel with others
also contribute to this growth at the deeper level. (Chapter 9)
Second, belonging to an authentic Christian community greatly contributes to this
transformation (Chapter 8). This means relationship with a community of credible believers who
model love for God and affirm the reality of Christian faith through the quality of their lives.
Relating with believers who seek to grow motivates us to do the same, while mature Christians
inspire us by demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit and fruitfulness in kingdom mission.
Third, our experiences of God (Chapters 5, 6, and 10) motivate us to deepen our
relationship with him, shape our worldview, inspire us to commit to him our ultimate love, and
mold our character. Disciplers often neglect this crucial area of experience. These include:
sensing God’s presence in worship and prayer, receiving his provision for healing and needs,
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experiencing the fullness of his Spirit, and appropriating his enabling to overcome the personal
issues in our lives. These make real to us God’s presence and power. In many countries healing
and answered prayer comprises the primary means by which people become followers of Jesus
and persist in their commitment despite persecution.68 I understand the fullness of God’s Spirit
(Acts 2.4, 4.31) to mean experiencing him to the highest degree of which we are presently
capable (this capacity can grow), making us aware of him as the greatest reality in our lives and
enabling a growing love for him. It also enables the Spirit to work in a maximal way in and
through our lives.
While experience can enable the deep transformation, half of American Christians said
that they had not had a genuine experience of God during the past year. In addition, 80 percent of
those who attend a worship service do not feel that they have experienced God.69 Not only do
spiritual leaders need to encourage the practice of spiritual disciplines and authentic Christian
community, but also to help believers to experience God’s presence, fullness, and power.
Transformation of Worldview
Several additional means contribute to the transforming of our worldview: First, we need
to allow biblical truths to take deep root in our beings, not only through regular immersion in
them and striving to understand them, but by applying them in our lives and experiencing their
reality. Immersion in God’s Word includes the hearing it presented clearly and cogently,
studying and meditating on scriptural truths, and engaging in worship, music, and art—including
film and drama—which help express these truths. We often recognize truth in the process of
doing it. In this way, our experience of truth validates its reality. Jesus said, “If any man’s will is
to do his (God’s) will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking
on my own authority” (John 7.17).
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Second, the regular practice of desirable behavior affects our beliefs; and these in turn
help to shape our worldview, just as our worldview molds conscious beliefs.70 Desirable
behaviors include obedience to God’s Word and Spirit, stepping out in faith, and acting in love
toward others. The reverse also applies. When believers engage in unbiblical behaviors, often
they conveniently develop intellectual problems with Christian faith.71
Third, because worldviews tend to be implicit and unexamined, we need to consciously
bring the elements of our worldview, which have been shaped by our culture, to the surface and
critique them (Chapter 4). This helps us to better understand the underlying assumptions that are
influencing us. Then we can discern their weaknesses and how they must change to correlate
with biblical truth.
Fourth, learning sound reasons for Christian faith and practice strengthens our worldview.
Related to this is the study of competing worldviews in the world, which enables us to better
understand our own faith. This also helps us to develop a knowledgeable commitment to
Christian faith instead of simply accepting it without understanding the options. Believers with
analytical temperaments tend to have more questions and doubts. Instead of ignoring these, they
need to confront and understand the intellectual assaults on Christian faith and develop sound
answers to them (Second part of Chapter 4). This produces resiliency rather than brittleness
when others respond to their faith with skepticism.
Finally, when God becomes our ultimate love, we grow in thinking like Jesus because we
develop a passionate “focus on knowing and following the will of God.”72
Transformation of Ultimate Love
Besides the three general means mentioned earlier, how can we enable the transformation
of the believers’ ultimate love to center on God? The development of a biblical worldview
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strengthens our ultimate love, just as our ultimate love encourages a biblical worldview. The
deep perception of God’s goodness and love for us and Christian living as truly the life worth
living moves us to love God and desire his kingdom above anything in this world. Grasping the
magnitude of God’s love for us spurs gratitude toward God and a desire to love him back
(Chapter 5).
Second, seductions such as power, approval, and success seek to supplant God as our
ultimate love and become the gods in our lives (First part of Chapter 4). We need to be aware of
these seductions and perceive their ability to provide only partial and temporary satisfaction. We
must see that making them our core passion diminishes, distorts, and eventually damages and
destroys our lives. Consequently, we discard them so that God truly becomes the ultimate love of
our lives.
Transformation of Character
Deep discipleship not only requires a transformation of worldview and ultimate love, but
also character, which we can define as “the inner and distinctive core of a person from which
moral discernment, decisions, and actions spring.”73 Character provides the capacity and
determination to live out moral principles. In contrast, when we lack character, principles and
rules have little influence,74 especially when we face strong temptation or pressure to do
otherwise. While our worldview consists of deep, instinctual perceptions about reality, our
character consists of deep, instinctual responses to the circumstances of life (Chapter 6).
Just as with ultimate love, transformation in this area depends to a great degree on the
deepening of a biblical worldview. This helps to shape our priorities or values, which in turn
generate attitudes and behaviors consonant with them. Our ultimate love also serves to form
values, desires, and goals which contribute to character. In addition, character develops from
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particular actions we choose to take: the ways we respond to the circumstances of life (Chapter
6); the spiritual disciplines we practice, which allow God’s Spirit to transform our lives (Chapter
9); the relationships in which we engage75 (Chapter 8); and the personal issues which we have
identified and overcome to the degree that they can no longer consciously or unconsciously
persist as a major force in determining the choices we make (Chapters 3 and 10). Also, change in
character results from consistently developing habits of virtue through the decisions we make
and the actions we take (Chapter 6). Aristotle observed that repeated actions form habits which
in turn produce virtue. Through the power of habit, especially with the enabling of God’s Spirit,
we have the ability to change the less desirable aspects of our nature to more spiritual character.
For years, scholars understood the influence of genes, parenting, and environment on the
forming of our personality and character. They assumed that the genetic makeup in each
individual was fixed and could not change. Recent research, however, increasingly recognizes
otherwise. Our “environment and experiences can have powerful effects on the way those genes
are expressed.”76 Experiences can actually activate or silence genes.77 Carol Dweck, a research
psychologist at Stanford University, observes: “Something that seems like a small intervention
can have cascading effects on things we think of as stable or fixed, including extroversion,
openness to new experience and resilience… Much of personality is a flexible and dynamic thing
that changes over the life span and is shaped by experience.”78
We know that how we respond to situations determines how we experience them. So the
choices we make in these circumstances can determine what we become. This understanding fits
the scriptural teaching on human responsibility. In biblical terms, when we cooperate with God’s
Spirit through consistent obedience, he can enable us to overcome the natural tendencies of our
“old self” and help us to become more like Jesus (2 Cor 3.18, Gal 5.22-23).
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Deep Transformation
Biblical transformation in worldview, ultimate love, and character enables us to
instinctively: perceive life through the lens of scriptural truth, love God and passionately strive to
honor him, and respond in biblical ways to what happens in our lives—and persevere in these
responses despite adverse circumstances. The reactions of Joseph, as the overseer of Potiphar’s
estate, to the persistent sexual temptation thrust at him by his master’s wife provide a model of
obedience shaped by deep transformation rather than simply outward conformity to a moral
standard, which weakens under stress or seduction. Joseph immediately responds to Mrs.
Potiphar, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Gen 39.9b) The need
to obey God forms the bedrock of Joseph’s worldview, and his passion to honor God reflects his
ultimate love. Both have shaped his character, determining his values and behavior. That he
refuses “even to be with her” (v.10) indicates how Joseph’s character had also emerged from the
consistent practice of right actions.
When transformation fails to occur at deeper levels, the gospel can become distorted into
“Christo-paganism,” in which “the behavior and beliefs are Christian, but the underlying
assumptions, categories, and logic are pagan.”79 One result, as previously noted, is that
consumerism has become a pervasive influence in the Western Church. As another example, a
shocking tragedy occurred during the civil war in Rwanda in 1994, which demonstrated the
consequences which can result when converts alter their surface beliefs and practices without
experiencing deep transformation. This country claimed a mostly Christian population, yet
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events proved that tribalism and the desire for vengeance prevailed over biblical attitudes and
actions. As a result, the massacre of 800,000 people in one hundred days occurred.
While we appreciate every indication of growth in a person’s life, the greater goal of deep
transformation must undergird our efforts in producing genuine followers of Jesus. Shaping
worldview, ultimate love, and character constitutes an ongoing, lifelong endeavor for spiritual
leaders committed to transforming believers into growing disciples.
THE NEED FOR HOLISTIC DISCIPLESHIP
Pursuing deep discipleship should not preclude us from going wide as well. Indeed, deep
transformation makes possible whole-life discipleship. In making disciples, we need to strive for
a holistic discipleship which encompasses each aspect of our lives. The summary declaration
endorsed by the delegates at Lausanne 2010 in Cape Town clearly and unequivocally confesses
the Church’s lack in this area: “We have failed to bring the whole of life under the Lordship of
Christ.”80
Traditional discipleship materials focus on spiritual aspects such as right beliefs and
spiritual practices. 81 While central in following Jesus, the spiritual life comprises only one of
multiple areas that must be considered for holistic discipleship. If Christian faith neither relates
to how we live our daily lives nor addresses major concerns in our world, observers will rightly
perceive such a compartmentalized faith as irrelevant. In addition to spiritual life, contemporary
discipleship materials add selected topics in the areas of practical living, relationships, or
Christian concern.
While this is an improvement, holistic discipleship must include all the important areas of
life. I have divided what it means to follow Jesus into five major categories. While these overlap
and depend on one another, I will discuss them separately for greater clarity and understanding.
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These categories and areas appear in more detail in the final chapter of the book. Here I will only
list the categories and briefly indicate key topics that fit in each.
Spiritual life
Central to discipleship, spiritual life involves loving and worshiping God, trusting him,
and obeying and serving him. Developing a life of prayer and learning God’s Word form the
foundation for this relationship. We must also form a biblical worldview which shapes our
passion, values and priorities. In addition, we need to learn how to cooperate with God’s Spirit in
the lifelong process of minimizing our fallen nature and developing the character of Jesus. As we
open ourselves to the Spirit’s influence, he also empowers us and provides spiritual gifts for
serving God. Embracing him as our ultimate love and recognizing Jesus as Lord over our lives,
we commit ourselves to obedient living and to the Master’s mission. This thrusts us into spiritual
battle in which effectiveness requires the ongoing filling of the Spirit (Eph 5.18), growth, and
renewal.
Many books on discipleship deal primarily with this area of spiritual life. As central and
crucial a role as it plays, however, holistic discipleship requires us to follow Jesus in all the other
areas of our lives as well.
Daily living
This category claims major portions of our lives and involves most of our normal
activities and concerns. Key topics include our understanding, attitudes, and practices related to
work, career, education, ambition, and success. Equally important are money and possessions,
which affect almost every decision we make. Leisure, entertainment, and media consume a large
part of our time and require us to reflect on the appropriate ways we should engage our culture.
Self-development involves the enhancement of our talents and physical, emotional, and mental
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fitness. In our society, this also includes the issue of what constitutes proper time, attention, and
expense to cultivating physical well-being and attractiveness. The values by which we live
permeate all of these areas, for they determine our priorities and shape the decisions we make.
Relationships
While relationships can fall under the umbrella of daily living, these involve so many
important areas that they merit a separate category. Vital subjects include developing the
qualities of Christian community, friendship, relationships with those who do not follow Jesus,
and attitudes toward authority. Essential, of course, are the relationships of family and, for most,
marriage. In addition, our culture has badly distorted the areas of romantic love and sexuality, for
which disciple-makers must enable biblical insight and practice.
Servanthood and Mission
Serving Jesus and participating in his mission lead us to concern for: the spiritually lost,
the materially needy, the emotionally hurting, those denied justice, and the degrading of God’s
creation. This means creatively sharing the good news about Jesus, both individually and as a
community of faith. It also calls for active concern for the practical needs of individuals and the
development of communities. In addition, God calls us to confront societal forces that condemn
people to impoverishment and economic and social injustice. Finally, following Jesus includes
our responsibility to care for God’s creation.
Personal Maturing
For the Christian, spiritual growth and personal maturing closely intertwine and affect
one another. Personal maturing includes: emotional awareness and growth, understanding the
influences in our lives, healing for inner brokenness, cognitive and moral development, and
healthy relationships and functioning. Spiritual resources not only produce spiritual growth, but
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strongly supplement practical resources to enable personal growth. Likewise, as a result of
personal maturing, believers find enhanced ability to grow toward spiritual maturity and
effectiveness. In contrast, those who fail to grow personally seldom make much progress
spiritually. Recently a few authors on discipleship have finally begun to address this vital area. (I
will develop this topic in Chapter 10.)
Holistic discipleship which honors God and produces abundant spiritual fruit requires
growth in all five categories above. Failure to grow in one area negatively impacts our growth
and effectiveness in others. I have known many Christians, for example, who possess a strong
commitment to God. Zealous for his purposes, they actively engage in spiritual service and
leadership and give generously of their finances. Yet they appear to make little positive
difference in the lives of others. Why? Their weaknesses in relationships or their personal
immaturities neutralize or limit the effectiveness of their influence, ministry, and witness.
PREVIEW OF BOOK
A quick preview indicates what to expect in the rest of the book. It will also lead to our
first strategy for serious disciple-making.
Why Churches Don’t Disciple
What has gone wrong that the elephant of nondiscipleship has made its home in the
Church? Will tweaking existing programs produce mature and zealous Christians?
Unfortunately, nudges do not budge pachyderms—real or metaphorical. Quick fixes and
simplistic models fall short. Failure to appreciate the magnitude and complexity of the dilemma
only results in inadequate remedies. The scope of the corrective actions must match the size of
the problem. Chapters 2 to 4 engage three serious areas of hindrance to discipleship, which
leaders must combat if they desire to create an environment conducive to serious disciple-
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making. In these chapters, we will examine the ubiquitous obstacles of flawed ministry
paradigms, personal issues, and cultural subversions.
Motivating Believers
As an additional means of overcoming cultural and personal hindrances and as the first
step to transforming believers into growing disciples, Chapter 5 proposes the essential strategy of
developing strong and sustained spiritual motivation for believers to grow. Motivation is a
missing factor in most discipleship programs, because they assume believers eager to grow in
following Jesus. By its nature discipleship has many inherent difficulties, which already require
such motivation for would-be disciples. Adding three areas of hindrances only compound the
difficulty. Because these obstacles have so strongly entrenched themselves, the strength of
motivation must match and exceed them for individuals to grow consistently in discipleship.
Motivation does not end with the believers’ commitment to discipleship, but must be sustained in
the face of negative and hostile forces. We will discuss six means for such motivation.
Enhancing and Expanding the Means of Making Disciples
Depending on their experience, training, and personal preferences, leaders typically
advocate one or more of three traditional and intentional means of making disciples: the
preaching and teaching of God’s Word, encouraging the practice of spiritual disciplines, and the
employment of small groups and/or mentoring relationships. While vital means for disciplemaking, as currently practiced these often lack the impact they could have. Barna found, for
example, that the average church member cannot remember the topic of a sermon two hours after
hearing it.82 Consequently, any hope of application or life change becomes an illusion. Also, he
found most small groups ineffective for discipleship.83 Chapters 7 to 9 recommend ways of
enhancing these traditional means to make them more effective.
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Intentional means, however, do not exhaust the ways believers develop spiritually. God
also works through the circumstances of our lives, especially when we cooperate with him and
respond rightly to them. In reflecting on my own life, I found that I have grown spiritually
through appropriate responses to life situations as much as any other means. Unfortunately,
except for biographies and autobiographies which describe growing through trials, the literature
on discipleship has neglected this means. Disciple-makers need to show believers how they can
become more like Jesus by cooperating with God’s Spirit in the situations they encounter.
Chapter 6 discusses ten common circumstances which God uses.
As previously mentioned, spiritual growth and personal maturing influence one another.
Because of this, leaders need to develop approaches to discipleship that foster growth in both
areas. This connection will be more thoroughly discussed in Chapter 10. Concerning this subject
also, the literature on discipleship makes scant reference.
Discipleship for All of Life
As indicated earlier, we need to develop a holistic approach to the Christian life.
Churches must avoid the universal tendency to focus on certain favored areas of Christian faith
and practice while ignoring others. The entirety of a disciple’s life must fall under the lordship of
Jesus. Chapter 11 elaborates on the five categories of life in which we need to grow as disciples:
spiritual life, daily living, relationships, servanthood and mission, and personal maturing.
THE FIRST STRATEGY
Nondiscipleship negatively impacts the whole life of the Church, because discipleship
belongs at its heart. It severely diminishes the influence that the Church makes on our culture
and on its own members, and hampers spiritual harvest. This book discusses eleven key
strategies, which will assist you in accomplishing your goal of transforming believers into
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growing disciples. While I cannot prescribe the specific programs or procedures for each
ministry situation, these strategies apply in any context. You must prayerfully decide which of
these you can more readily implement in your situation, what can be achieved with greater effort,
and which must await a more opportune time. Also, you must keep in mind that your ultimate
goal in making disciples is deep and holistic discipleship.
Based on the challenges presented in this chapter, in order to accomplish the goal of
making disciples, we frame as our first strategy:
Make the Great Commission with deep and holistic discipleship
the driving mission of your church.
Churches have many good ministries: worship services, Bible classes, small groups,
children and youth ministries, seasonal programs, and outreach and community ministries. The
list goes on. Often, however, discipleship becomes just one of many programs, which competes
for the time, energy, and attention of members. Consequently, most churches fail to make the
discipling of their members a central focus. Enough hindrances to discipleship already exist
without adding competition from the activities of the church!
The Church exists for the purpose of carrying out the Great Commission with its two
complementary components of evangelism and disciple-making. Any valid ministry must seek to
accomplish one or both of these objectives. To oust the elephant of nondiscipleship, we must
dedicate ourselves to making a deep and holistic discipleship the priority in our ministry.
Lim/Transforming Believers/Ch. 1 Ousting the Elephant
For Further Study:
Richard N. Longenecker, ed., Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament.
Michael J. Wilkins, Following the Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship.
p. 31
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Questions for Personal Reflection and Small Group Interaction:
1. Briefly describe your journey of conversion and growth in discipleship. Indicate who or
what most contributed to that growth.
2. Do you have difficulty distinguishing between those who have been Christians for a
shorter time and those who have been for a longer time? Briefly explain.
3. In the section, “We Have a Problem,” which evidence or statistic concerning the
weakness in disciple-making most speaks to you? Briefly explain.
4. Do you agree or disagree with the following claims? Briefly explain.
a. Discipleship is a lifelong journey.
b. Discipleship encompasses every area of life.
5. How do you respond to the call for the deep transformation of believers instead of simply
enabling changes in their beliefs and behaviors?
6. For each of the following areas, briefly share whether or not you feel adequately prepared
for discipleship.
a. Spiritual life
b. Daily living
c. Relationships
d. Servanthood
e. Personal maturing
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1
Richard Foster in Devotional Classics, ed. by Richard Foster & James Bryan Smith (Harper San Francisco, 1993),
18.
George Barna, Growing True Disciples (Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2001), 20. Later, in “Research
on How God Transforms Lives Reveals a 10-Stop Journey,” Barna concludes, “Neither the length of time involved
with churches nor the amount of hours devoted to church-oriented activities bears much correlation to
transformational progress.” Posted March 17, 2011. Access at:
http://www.barna.org/transformation/articles/480-research-on-how-god-transforms-lives-r....
2
3
Gallup is quoted by Rick Warren in the notes for his 2001 seminar, Preaching for Life Change, 3. In many cases, I
cite the results of several surveys, since they provide more credible conclusions when they agree.
Reggie McNeal is interviewed in “Engaging the Church in God’s Redemptive Mission,” Enrichment Journal,
Winter 2010, 39.
4
“Into the Sunset: The Space Shuttle,” in The Economist, July 2, 20ll, 67. NASA reports about $450 million for the
cost of each space shuttle launch, while independent observers calculate it to be closer to $1.5 billion. The latter
figure takes into account all costs in running the program.
5
George Barna is quoted by Tim Stafford, “The Third Coming of George Barna,” Christianity Today, August 5,
2002, 36
6
7
All scriptural references come from the NIV, unless otherwise indicated.
8
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995), 59.
9
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (Harper San Francisco, 1998), 301.
10
Dallas Willard, The Great Omission (Harper San Francisco, 2006), 110.
Ed Stetzer cites this study in “Chicken Little Was Wrong,” Christianity Today, January 2010, 37. A complete
description of this study can be found in Brad Waggoner, The Shape of Faith to Come, 2008. The seven domains
are: 1) learning truth, 2) obeying God and denying self, 3) serving God and others, 4) sharing Christ, 5) exercising
faith, 6) seeking God, and 7) building relationships.
11
12
Thom Ranier, High Expectations (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1999), 129.
13
This study was conducted by Bob Gilliam among almost 4000 attendees in 35 churches from Florida to
Washington, among which several denominations were represented. It is cited by Aubrey Malphurs, Strategy 2000
(Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1996), 24-25.
Quoted by Donald A. Luidens, “Fighting Decline: Mainline Churches and the Tyranny of Aggregate Data” in
Christian Century, November 6, 1996.
.
15
Barna, Growing True Disciples, 20.
14
16
Ibid, 11.
17
George Barna, Think Like Jesus (Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2003).
18
Barna Research Online, posted July 8, 2003
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19
Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research presented these statistics from a 2008 survey at the Assemblies of God
Discipleship Summit in Branson, Missouri on February 2, 2009.
20
American Religious Identification Survey, 2008. This survey is cited by Jon Meacham in Newsweek, April 13,
2009, 36.
The Barna Update, “Barna Studies the Research, Offers a Year-in-Review Perspective,” www.barna.org/barnaupdate/article/12-faithspirituality/325-barna-suties-the-research. Accessed December 31, 2009.
21
22
Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2000), 25.
The Barna Update, “Barna Survey Offers a Profile of How Americans See Themselves,” August 14, 2006. Of
those born again, 94% expressed concern about the nation’s moral condition. In the rest of the population, 80%
expressed concern. This calculates to nearly 90% of the total population.
23
The term “resident aliens” comes from Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon’s book, Resident Aliens
(Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1989).
24
25
David Kinnaman, UnChristian (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2007), 48.
26
George Barna, Inward, Outward, & Upward: Ministry that Transforms Lives (Ventura, CA: Barna Research
Group, 1999), 5.
Pew Research Center, “New Pew Forum Survey Explores Views of Evangelical Protestant Leaders Around the
World,” June 22, 2011, 1. Http://www.info@pewforum.org.
27
28
Gallup is cited in www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/march/ll.16.html.
29
The Barna Update, August 9, 2005, “Most Adults Feel Accepted by God, But Lack a Biblical Worldview.”
30
George Barna, Think Like Jesus: Make the Right Decision Every Time (Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2003),
22.
31
The International Consultation on Discipleship convened during September 1999. This finding is cited by Robert
E. Webber in Ancient-Future Evangelism (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2003), 182.
32
Tim Stafford, Interview with John Stott, “Evangelism Plus,” Christianity Today, October 2006, 96.
33
These statements are found in the concluding section of the Cape Town Commitment: Lausanne 2010.
34
George Barna, The Barna Report 1994-1995 (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1994), 92.
35
John L. and Sylvia Ronsvalle, The State of Church Giving through 2001 (Champaign, IL: Empty Tomb, 2003),
12. Cited in Ronald J. Sider, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005),
20-21.
Empty Tomb, “The State of Church Giving through 2007,” compiled 2009. Accessed at:
http://www.emptytomb.org.
36
The Barna Group, “Stewardship.” Barna defines evangelicals by a stricter standard of belief and practice than
those whom he places in the category of “born again.” Cited by Sider, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience,
21. A more recent study, however, by Christian Smith & Michael O. Emerson with Patricia Snell, Passing the Plate:
Why American Christians Don’t Give Away for Money (Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 2008) found that
37
Lim/Transforming Believers/Ch. 1 Ousting the Elephant
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27% of evangelicals tithe. This study is cited in Rob Moll, “Scrooge Lives!” Christianity Today, December 2008,
24.
.
38
The Barna Group, “Donors Proceed with Caution, Tithing Declines,” May 10, 2011 at:
http://www.barna.org/donorscause-articles/486-donors-proceed-with-caution-tithing -declines.
The Barna Update, “A New Generation of Adults Bends Moral and Sexual Rules to Their Liking,” October 31,
2006.
39
40
Josh McDowell’s statement is cited by Sider, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, 23.
41
The Barna Group at Barna.org, Posted 6 August 2001.
42
David Gushee, “Children of a Lesser Hope,” Christianity Today, November 2006, 94.
Ed Stetzer, “Chicken Little Was Wrong,” Christianity Today, January 2010, 37. Of the 25 largest denominations,
the only two that grew were the Assemblies of God and the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee. In 2011, the
Assemblies of God reported for 2010 an increase of four percent in adherents and 3.3 percent in attendance. We
should note that membership in independent churches and the number of evangelicals in the United States have
grown in recent years.
43
44
The Summary Report of the American Religious Identification Survey 2008 was published March 2009. Research
data from three reports—1990, 2001, and 2008—came from random phone interviews of more than 50,000 adults
each time. See www.americanreligion--aris.org/reports/ARIS-Report_2008.pdf.
David T. Olsen, “Turning the Church Crisis into a Spiritual Revolution,” Enrichment Journal, Winter 2010, 31.
For evangelical churches the percentage decline in attendance during this period was 2 percent.
45
46
George Barna, The Second Coming of the Church (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1998), 5.
47
www.barna.org, June 8, 2009.
48
Justin Pope, “Students Explore Spirituality” (The Associated Press, November 16, 2005).
Sonja Steptoe Bellflower, “In Touch with Jesus,” Time magazine, November 6, 2006, 58-59. This article utilizes
data from The Barna Group YouthPoll, 1995-2006. Also see “Young Adults Disengaging from Church,” at
www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/1448451.html. According to Barna, 81 percent of teens were churched for
two months or more. However, sixty-one percent disengaged spiritually during their twenties. This calculates to
three-fourths of churched teens. A Lifeway Research survey, cited by Cathy Lynn Grossman, “Young Adults Aren’t
Sticking with Church,” USA Today, August 7, 2007, found that 35 percent of dropouts have returned to church, 30
percent attend sporadically, and 34% not at all.
49
Mark Oestreicher is quoted in “What Next?” Christianity Today, October 2006, 74. Cathy Lynn Grossman (see
previous reference) quotes Ed Stetzer’s blunt statement, “Too many youth groups are holding tanks with pizza.
There’s no life transformation taking place.”
50
Ed Stetzer is cited by Cathy Lynn Grossman, “Young Adults Aren’t Sticking with Church” in USA Today, August
7, 2007.
51
Christian Smith (in Rob Moll, “Scrooge Lives!” Christianity Today, December 2008, 27) states that only about
3% of giving to churches and ministries were used for helping or ministering to non-Christians. Moreover, only
2.1% of this money goes to foreign missions, compared to 7.9% during the period 1916-1927.
52
53
Darrell L. Guder, The Missional Church, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998).
Lim/Transforming Believers/Ch. 1 Ousting the Elephant
54
Bill Hull, Jesus Christ, Disciple-Maker (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1984), 10.
55
Bryan Stone, Evangelism after Christendom (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2007), 12, 314.
56
Lee C. Camp, Mere Discipleship (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2003), 192. Italics mine.
57
Ibid.
p. 36
58
For example, George Barna in his book, Think Like Jesus (Brentwood, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2003, page 4),
states: “A biblical worldview is thinking like Jesus…We act like Jesus twenty-four hours a day because we think
like Jesus.”
59
See James E. Pluedmann, Leading Across Cultures (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009), 70.
Walt Kallestad, “Redefining Success: Moving from Entertainment to Worship,” Fuller Theology, News, and
Notes, Fall 2008, 6. Originally published in Leadership Journal.
60
61
James K.A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic, 2009), 46.
62
Ibid.
63
Ibid, …
64
Steven J. Land, Pentecostal Spirituality: A Passion for the Kingdom (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic
Press, 1993), 184.
Ibid, 132. Land states, “For Wesley, the love of God and neighbor was the heart of true religion without which one
was not a Christian.” He quotes Edwards in his Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (ed. J. Smith; New Haven:
Yale University Press, 1959), 120: “There must be light in the understanding, as well as an affected fervent
heart…Where there is a kind of light without heat, a head stored with notions and speculations, with a cold and
unaffected heart, there can be nothing divine in that light, that knowledge is no true spiritual knowledge of divine
things.”
65
66
Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (New York: Dutton/Penguin, 2009), xiv.
67
James Sire wrote The Universe Next Door to describe significant worldviews. In the first edition (Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press, 1976, 17), he defined worldview in strongly cognitive terms as “a set of presuppositions (or
assumptions) which we hold (consciously or unconsciously) about the basic makeup of our world.” By the fourth
edition (InterVarsity Press, 2004, 17), however, he had considerably broadened his definition: “A worldview is a
commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart…a set of presuppositions… which we hold (consciously or
unconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation
on which we live and move and have our being.” (emphasis mine) To the original cognitive component, Sire added
emotional and volitional aspects, which together influence every aspect of our lives.
In his book, Transforming Worldviews (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), missiologist Paul Hiebert also
recognizes the fact that the understanding of worldview normally “focuses on the cognitive dimensions of cultures
and does not deal with the affective and moral dimensions, which are equally important.” (15) (emphasis mine) He
realizes the need to include not only the emotional but also the moral dimension in the deeper level changes
involved in transformation. Seeking to stretch the concept, he defines worldview as “the fundamental cognitive,
affective, and evaluative presuppositions a group of people make about the nature of things, and which they use to
order their lives.” (15) (emphasis mine) Using this expanded definition, Hiebert stresses that “worldviews
profoundly shape the ways people see the world and live their lives.” (14)
68
See, for example, Paul R. Gupta & Sherwood G. Lingenfelter, Breaking Tradition to Accomplish Vision
Lim/Transforming Believers/Ch. 1 Ousting the Elephant
p. 37
(Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 2006), 86: “Most people in India who respond to Christ do so because they have
first experienced the power of God in their lives.” Also see Philip Yancey, Prayer—Does It Make Any Difference?
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 239: “Nepalese church leaders estimate that 80 percent of the converts have
resulted from physical healings.” In addition, Christianity Today (November 2010, 14) reported an official Chinese
survey which indicated that 69% of Chinese Christians converted “because they or their family members had fallen
ill.”
69
George Barna, Revolution (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2005), 31-32.
70
Ibid, 319.
71
Alan Hirsch and Debra Hirsch, Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 2010), 71-72.
72
Barna, Think Like Jesus, 6-7.
73
Terence Anderson, Walking the Way: Christian Ethics as a Guide (Toronto: United Church Publishing House,
1993), 111. Cited by Dennis P. Hollinger, The Meaning of Sex: Christian Ethics & the Moral Life (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Academic, 2009), 226-227.
74
David W. Gill, Doing Right: Practicing Ethical Principles (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 26.
75
See David W. Gill, Becoming Good: Building Moral Character (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000),
chapter 3 for a good exposition on how our communities shape our character.
76
John Cloud, “Staying Sane,” Time magazine, June 22, 2009, 77.
77
Norman Doidge, The Brain that Changes Itself (New York: Penguin Books, 2007), 220-221. Also see Sharon
Begley, “When DNA Is Not Destiny,” Newsweek, December 1, 2008, 14.
78
Carol Dweck, Current Directions in Psychological Science, December 2008. Cited by Sharon Begley, ibid.
79
Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews, 267.
80
Cape Town Commitment: Lausanne 2010, I.A.3, section on “Truth and the Workplace.”
81
For example, see: Greg Ogden, Discipleship Essentials (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), which
deals exclusively with the spiritual life.
82
The Barna Update, August 9, 2005.
83
George Barna, Growing True Disciples (Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2001), 94.