Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Disciple = One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another. Jesus commanded us to make disciples. Unfortunately what happens in many churches is a we only do part of the job in the Great Commission. Some churches do a great job leading people to Jesus. However, they are not led to the next stage. Leading someone to Jesus is only part of the job of the church. Discipleship is finishing the job. What is discipleship? It is more than accepting Christ. It is more than going to church. It is more than attending Sunday School. It is more than listening to a sermon. Discipleship is modeling the teachings of Christ to other believers. Mentoring is a popular word today. Discipleship is more than that. Discipleship is taking less mature believers and helping them grow in their faith. It involves building a relationship with those whom you are discipling. It involves being intentional about helping people grow in their faith. I am passionate about discipleship. I was discipled in high school and in college. I am who I am today because of discipleship. I was involved in a small group setting where I was held accountable and was able to share my heart. That is hard to do in a large group setting like a worship service. Worship is a must. But so is discipleship. Without it we become spectator believers who depend on someone else to feed us. We need intimate relationships with other believers who will help us grow in our faith. A church that has growing disciples is one that is healthy and growing. When a church has healthy disciples it is more likely to share Jesus with others and continue the process. As you can tell--I am very passionate about discipleship!