Jesus Christ gave his followers a commission that we all share: to make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey all he commanded. We can organize this many different ways, but the strategy he laid out must include sharing the good news with nonbelievers, challenging them to fully embrace the identity of being a Christ follower, and then teaching them to obey as we walk with them in following Jesus.
While this mission has just three elements, it is far from easy. Only baptism could be a quick step. Sharing the gospel and teaching each other should never stop. Starting and maintaining the relationships to foster both evangelism and discipleship is also nonstop. How can we ensure our spiritual formation strategies remain healthy when they must be so all-encompassing?
Be Intentional.
Very little outreach or spiritual formation happens if there’s no intentionality around them in a local church. Yes, personal spiritual disciplines that individuals may choose to engage in can be transformative. Yet, we rarely see these become contagious without intentional leadership within a church.
A recent Lifeway Research survey quantified how many churches use different intentional discipleship strategies with adults other than weekly worship services. The most popular is the use of ongoing Bible study groups that meet regularly for Bible study through all or most of the year (94%). The next most common, a pastor-led large group teaching time, is used by just over half as many churches (48%).
Around a quarter of churches utilize one-on-one mentoring in which Bible study and spiritual development are done in pairs (29%) or offer short-term 4–6 week small group Bible studies (25%).
Less than 1 in 5 use short-term 10–12 week small group Bible studies (18%), grief groups (15%), Micro or D Groups in which Bible study and spiritual development is done in groups of 4–6 (12%), recovery groups (12%), short-term 7–9 week small group studies, and Triads in which Bible study and spiritual development is done in groups of three (7%).
Outreach may take place in Bible study groups that always include nonbelievers. Alternatively, churches may emphasize evangelism by inviting nonbelievers to church. For others, outreach is a visitation program or encouraging and equipping churchgoers to share the gospel with people they are building friendships with at work, school, neighborhood or activities. Each of these strategies emphasizes different things, and the typical church employs more than one.
It has become popular in recent years to look at a list like this and criticize “programs.” However, programs are simply a framework for being intentional. By themselves, they don’t ensure people’s hearts or focus is right. But they lead people to repeat healthy practices, and it is up to leaders to call people to align their hearts with the ultimate goal of walking more closely with Christ in our relationships, words and actions.
Discipleship Strategies for Adults
Among Protestant churches:
94% Ongoing Bible study groups
48% Pastor-led large group teaching time
29% One-on-one mentoring
25% Short-term 4–6 week small group Bible studies
18% Short-term 10–12 week small group Bible studies
15% Grief groups
12% Micro or D Groups of 4–6
12% Recovery groups
11% Short-term 7–9 week small group studies
7% Triad spiritual development in groups of three
Emphasize the Objectives.
We asked adult ministry leaders to rank the objectives of their ongoing Bible study groups. We offered six objectives that broadly reflect things mentioned in the first few chapters of Acts. On average, Bible study is the top objective followed by relationships/community/fellowship and intentional disciple-making/equipping.
There is a noticeable difference in emphasis between these first three and the last three objectives of ministry/service, worship, and outreach/evangelism.
Humans are limited in our capacity to pursue things. As a result, if everything is the goal, nothing is a priority. So, discipleship strategies and groups of different kinds must narrow their focus to two or three things they can do well. Then, as many churches do, devote another intentional time and effort to pursue other worthy objectives.
If you review your strategies and realize more than one share identical goals, this duplication probably means your church is neglecting other biblical objectives. Trimming out the duplication will free up leaders and time for a strategy that engages the rest of your objectives.
These focused goals are not just something a pastor or ministry leader should have on a document. Objectives are a vision that needs to be cast regularly to both leaders and participants. Pointing to the destinations keeps people from getting distracted by other good pursuits. Reminding people of the ultimate goals helps prevent the practices from simply being programs.
Casting a vision churchwide for the value of groups also engages churchgoers who only attend worship. On average, adult ministry leaders at churches with ongoing Bible study groups say 44% of worship attendees attend their groups. Those bigger goals of your disciple-making strategy must be communicated as essential, so someone doesn’t assume the Bible study occurring in worship is enough.
Correct the Alignment.
Aiming in the right direction does not ensure you realize your goals—much like steering the wheels of a car in the right direction only works if the wheels are aligned. When the alignment of a car is off, the vehicle drifts to one side and the driver must correct the drift to continue moving toward their destination. So, how does our spiritual formation alignment get off?
As a small group gets established, a natural mission drift tends to occur as the relational bonds strengthen. Fostering relationships and community within a group is of course healthy, since God uses trusted relationships to encourage us to obey and to correct us. Yet ministry leaders notice over time these helpful relationships tend to calcify.
Nine in 10 leaders (89%) say most participants have been in the same group for at least two years. Such a group likely possesses some healthy community, but it also makes it difficult for a visitor to find their place in the group.
How does a church maintain healthy communities while incorporating new people? It requires them to periodically start a new group that incorporates people who are not in one of the church’s current groups.
In the first half of 2024, only 34% of churches started a new ongoing Bible study group. One of the reasons is that you need one or more leaders for that new group, and only 37% of churches recruited a new ongoing group leader in that same time period.
Evangelism ranks last in the objectives of ongoing Bible study groups. Pursuing other worthy objectives leaves little time or energy for outreach. Yet a church’s discipleship strategy must not become completely disconnected from evangelism.
The gathered church reflected in our worship services and most of our discipleship strategies must send people out to be the scattered church among nonbelievers. A church that never engages in outreach is not a biblical church.
The all-encompassing mission Jesus gave us includes both evangelism and discipleship. A healthy spiritual formation strategy must encourage and equip people to participate in the church’s evangelism even if those activities take place apart from spiritual formation groups.