BY TIM GOFF

HEIR MARCHING ORDERS WERE TERSE, straightforward, and clear. They came as no surprise to the small group of followers. They watched Him serve. The words they heard birthed hope. When He died and rose from the dead, they believed. They were eye witnesses to the resurrected Christ, and they were now being directed to tell the world. It was a mission that would challenge them till they took their last breath. Such a demand would stir their minds as they walked dusty roads and pressed on through difficult times.

The followers of Jesus were entrusted with the task of reaching all people. They were to reach the world with a message of hope. Daydreaming and boredom, small thinking and careless living evaporated as their minds embraced the challenge and the responsibility. Their thinking at every level was stretched, including how they used their time, what they did with their talents, how they used their treasure, even how they took care of their body temple, which was a new concept--that the Holy Spirit was with them and in them.

But what did Jesus really mean when He told His followers to "go make disciples"? What does a disciple look like? And more than that, how are disciples made?

How Disciples Are Made
Conversion is the front half of the gospel commission. We might call the back half the act of "teaching all that Jesus commanded." Who is responsible for the growing and maturing aspects of the faith/conversion experience? It's no secret that the front half of the gospel commission is the easiest to quantify. The "go" part results in evangelism, campaigns, and seminars. Proclamation of the gospel and the teachings of the church are passionately and lovingly shared. But is the work of making disciples over when the new believer rises up from the watery grave of baptism? Obviously not.

After baptism most people are still babes in Christ who have not yet learned to walk. The convert has heard about tithing, but have they been taught the broad implications of stewardship? The convert has heard about the "temple of the Holy Spirit" and the importance of taking care of our bodies, but have they actually begun the journey of healthful living? The convert has heard about faith in God, yet have they explored what it means to put all on the altar and trust God with everything?

When I was in science class back in high school, we learned about osmosis. We experimented, using a cloth, water, and a basin. We placed the cloth in the basin of water and watched how the water climbed up the fabric against gravity. Paper towel companies pride themselves in how much and how quickly their brand can soak things up. People soak in truth as well. But it takes time. Should the training, mentoring, and "teaching to observe all things" be left to chance or osmosis, hoping the new believer will grow and get whatever it is they are supposed to get?

New believers who have some previous knowledge of the Bible and Christian faith are most likely to succeed. But what about the ones who have little or no Christian heritage? Blessed are they that make friends easily. Blessed are they that get invited home often. Blessed are they that do not have doubts or life-gripping habits or histories to overcome. Such is not the case for many. In our haste to swell the ranks of the church, our best efforts, energies, and resources are usually spent in connecting people to the Lord and membership in the body of Christ, but all too often we neglect the mentoring of these newborn babes in the steps of Christianity. What happens after the doctrinal Bible studies are completed or the thrilling evangelism meetings are over? How does the new believer become integrated into the fellowship of faith?

My father and mother are garden people. I have fond memories (memories improve as I age and I forget the weeding) of seeing an amazing harvest coming from our backyard. Dad used to take paper grocery bags of vegetables and greens to work and sell them for a dollar a bag just to get rid of it all!

Dad and Mom knew how to take full advantage of that half-acre lot where our garden grew. He planted melons among the corn to overlap the growing space. They planted pole beans along the fence to save more space. Smaller plants could grow in between the bigger ones. I remember them reading a book called Square Foot Gardening. It was about getting maximum production from your garden. We ate well those years. Seeds were usually planted individually. Some plants required more care than others. The harvest was truly plentiful.

What would evangelism and discipling look like if we were to incorporate a garden model of spiritual labor for others? Instead of just scattering the seed and harvesting what survives the weeds, shallow soil, and birds, we would be careful and intentional about how we planted and where. The soil would be well prepared. Today we would get soil samples first. We would be careful to water each plant regularly. There would be trellises to support the tender vines as they began climbing toward the sunshine. At the right time there would be some pruning as well as training of the vines, carefully attaching them to the support system. A lot of work would be done for each plant, but we know that each plant will eventually produce much at its harvest--huge clumps of grapes, limbs of apples, and rows of sweet corn. The energy and effort spent on each plant will have been worth it.

How can a community of faith assist these new believers to move along in their spiritual growth? What can we do to ensure that new believers grow to maturity? Can we give ourselves permission to spend the time growing and tending a garden?

Creating a Process of Discipleship
for My Church
Pastor Bob and his church board were discussing their evangelistic plans for the new year when Heather, a longtime member of Anytown church, shared her frustration that several people who were baptized in previous efforts were no longer attending. She had participated in each of the meetings, and was excited about the decisions people were making, but now felt some disillusionment that several had drifted away.

John, the head elder, was a bit defensive, thinking that Heather didn't want Anytown church to do a series of meetings that year. But she explained that she really loved evangelism, being a part of seeing people embrace their beliefs, and the celebration that occurred when people were baptized. Her concern was that the new members barely had enough time to assimilate into church life before the church was doing another series of meetings.

Pastor Bob quietly shared Heather's concerns but didn't want to appear as though he was cooling off when it came to soul winning. He gathered the elders of Anytown church to discuss what they might do to keep new members from slipping out through the back door. It was nearly unanimous that they maintain their evangelism vision for their church. However, they also acknowledged that when it came to assimilating new members in church life, teaching them the fine points of faith and practice was lacking.

Sam, a human resource expert at a nearby hospital, reminded the group that most businesses have their new employees spend several hours, if not days, going through an orientation time. Sam went on to suggest that it would clarify expectations, reveal direction, and offer a Q & A time.

Over the next month the pastor and elders of Anytown church maintained a vigorous dialogue about what it means to "make disciples" and to "teach them all that Jesus commanded." They began by forming a list of all the things that they thought believers would do well to know and experience as part of becoming a devoted follower of Christ. The more they talked about it, the more their enthusiasm grew.

At the next board meeting, Pastor Bob shared with them the discussions and vision for discipleship that the elders were exploring. His report was well received and, as a result, the board chose to appoint a committee with one assignment: to create a discipleship process for mentoring, training, discipling, and connecting their new believers. They concluded that discipleship is a lifetime journey, so they agreed that their process should take into consideration all members of Anytown.

The committee met weekly. They began to understand that all people could be considered to be in one of four groups: (1) seekers, (2) new believers, (3) mature believers, and (4) leaders. Each group had certain needs. Each group could be encouraged to move along in their spiritual growth. Seekers could be discipled to become believers. New believers would be mentored toward maturity in faith and practice. Mature believers could be trained in leadership. Leaders could then be taught to connect with seekers. Thus Anytown church would have a process of turning seekers into leaders who in turn discipled new believers. This made sense to everyone.

As the committee began putting the curriculum together, they came to believe that there are five values or spiritual preparations that all people should have. They concluded that if people could be led to balance their lives in these five areas, they would have the best Christian experience:

1. To cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus.
   
2. To participate in corporate worship--for it was here that Pastor Bob proclaimed the Advent message and the vision of Anytown.
   
3. To obtain ongoing education and training for ministry.
   
4. To recognize their need to give and receive nurture from one another.
   
5. To serve God and others with their God-given spiritual gifts and talents.

As a result, the committee began to design classes that would assist their members and guests in growing in all five areas. Pastor Bob got excited about planning classes just for seekers and developed a class called Alpha & Omega that was an overview of the great controversy and God's redemptive plan through the ages. This was a seven-session class that would eventually spark the interest of several visitors. One of the Sabbath school teachers spoke up and said that if people could understand how the Bible is put together, it would help them to grasp what God was doing. Pastor Bob challenged her to develop a class that would introduce people to how the Bible is organized, how to study it, and how to enjoy doing so. The head deacon suggested that they include a session on Bible study tools and how to use them.

In order to simplify things, they designated numbers to various classes much like a college bulletin:

101 Classes for Seekers: The primary purpose is to encourage seekers to make a commitment to Jesus Christ and to join the Seventh-day Adventist church there in Anytown.

Serving on Church Boards and Committees.

The group was about to break for the evening when the first elder said, "Essentially what we are doing here is not rocket science; it is just a commitment to grow people for God. In our discipleship plan we bring them to Christ, grow them in Christ, train them in Christ, and send them for Christ." The room fell silent. The group had not felt that good about ministry in a long time. Heather spoke up: "I believe that if our evangelistic meetings would follow up with spiritual care like this, the back door of the church might just slam shut."

Closing Your Back Door
Consider the possibilities if there were a plan, a process, or a curriculum in place at your church. All churches don't have to write the same process for making disciples. The key point here is the element of process: seekers are nurtured to become believers; new believers are invited to grow up in Christ; mature believers are encouraged to use their gifts and talents; and leaders in the church are to organize, teach, facilitate, and equip all the others in their spiritual growth.
What does a disciple look like? One thing we know for sure: they're not walking out the back door.

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Tim Goff is an associate pastor at the Forest Lake Academy church in Orlando, Florida.