The mission of the church is to make disciples – but are we actually doing it?
Talking Points:
- Most churches today are broken – built to minister to crowds, but leaving individuals confused and helpless. Preaching great sermons doesn’t accomplish the goal of discipleship. Matthew 9:35-36
- The biblical solution is empowerment – sending regular people into the world to actively make disciples. The pastor’s job is to equip people to do the work of the ministry. Matthew 9:37-38, Ephesians 4:11-12
- The payoff is maturity for every believer – and a church that is growing and healthy. Growing churches are only healthy churches if they’re built on disciple-making. Ephesians 4:13,16
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Read Matthew 9:35-36. What is Jesus’ emotional state in this passage, and why? How would most pastors feel after preaching to a large crowd?
- Share about a time when someone left your church “confused and helpless”. What did you do about it?
- Make a list of the primary things (a) pastors and (b) people do at your church. Compare this to Ephesians 4:11-12.
- What’s the difference between a growing church and a healthy church? How can you tell if a church is healthy?
- Have you ever seen a church that was built on disciple-making? What is your church built on?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
