

It is easy for churches to become more focused on programs and numbers than on equipping Christians to make disciples in all walks of life.

Key Points:

  1. It’s easy to busy people so much with “the work of the church” that they aren’t doing the work of making disciples. On the flip side, many people come just to “be fed”.
  2. The job of ministers is to equip churchgoers to make disciples in their own contexts. Ephesians 4:11-12
  3. When a church gets big, it is easy for it to become “program-driven” and drift toward complexity.

Bible Text:

Ephesians 4:11-12 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

More Topics: discipleship culture

Talk About It
  2. Are the people at your church overburdened with the “work of the church?” Explain.
  3. Are there people at your church who are making disciples largely independent of pastoral supervision?
  4. Does the priesthood of all believers mean we should be creating ministries and work for people to do in the church? Or does it mean something else? Explain.
  5. Would you describe your church as “program-driven?” What are the pros and cons of this philosophy of ministry?
  6. Do you think there is “a drift is toward complexity?” Give some concrete examples to support your answer.
  7. “There is a tendency in large churches to use people.” Is this true? Explain.
  8. “People want a pastor.” Given the context in which Keller is speaking, provide examples that both support and contradict this claim.
  9. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.