A Disciple-Making Movement in Your ChurchSample

From Myth-Busting to Disciple-Making

Each of us has believed myths to be true at some point in our lives. There are myths in ministry that you and your leadership have believed because you’ve made an assumption.

Somewhere along the way, you assumed too much. But here’s the scariest thing about myths. These mythical beliefs are driving your behavior. And you don’t know it.

The North American church has accepted certain ministry myths, and these myths have stalled disciple-making in the church. They are negatively shaping the church’s culture, vision, and strategy.

When we identify and replace them with disciple-making truths, we’ll get back to the movement that Jesus started.

Over the next five days, we’ll point out a myth you’re possibly believing. The myths are the five fatal assumptions we see prevalent in the North American church. And until you identify the myths that you are believing, you will never change your behavior.

We’ll start with the first myth today: The Engagement Myth (Activity = Transformation)

The first ministry myth is the engagement myth. Its fatal assumption is that activity equals transformation. Of all the myths, this is the most prominent and foundational. This is the starting point for creating a disciple-making culture.

Consider how you measure success or effectiveness in your church. Most adopt the traditional evaluation metrics: buildings, budgets, and butts in the seats. Or to say it another way: attendance, buildings, and cash (the ABCs of church growth). These metrics are often the most concrete and easy to measure. They also are consistent with what successful businesses measure, so it makes sense the church should also measure them.

But when you consider what Christ has called the church to be and do, are these metrics telling us the right things? While program activity is important, we all know it isn’t the same as transformation.

Just because someone shows up each week doesn’t prove they’re necessarily being transformed by the gospel. Jesus knew this as much as anyone. Judas was a part of his inner circle. He would’ve checked every box on the activity scoreboard. He even dumbfounded his fellow disciples at the Last Supper when Jesus said, “One of you will betray me” (Matt. 26:21). Instead of pointing fingers at Judas, each one of them looked at Jesus and said, “Surely not I, Lord” (v. 22). “Lord, who is it?” (John 13:25). Judas had pulled the wool over the eyes of men he’d been serving with for three years. It just goes to show you: It is difficult to measure spiritual maturity. Activity alone can be deceiving.

When Jesus determines the health of your church, he doesn’t count the Christians within, he weighs them. Transformation is more important than activity. Activity is about what you do; transformation is about who you have become. Activity is an important metric to measure, but it is a means to a greater end. And when we make it an end in itself, it undercuts everything we are trying to accomplish. The activity scoreboard isn’t wrong, it’s just incomplete.

We need to change our scoreboard.

When you focus on the transformation first, the right activity will follow, but the reverse isn’t certain.

The same is true for your church. Stop focusing on just activity, because it will never get you the transformation you want. Change your scoreboard from activity-only to transformation-first, and you will finally get the disciple-makers you’ve been looking for.