Most pastors (if not all) would concur that the Church must return to its disciplemaking purpose. Disciplemaking must be the key agenda of the Church for its long-term health. The first question to ask then is "But why?". Just like the overweight man must have good reasons to help sustain his weight-loss programme, or the athlete must have good reasons to motivate him in his discipline, likewise the Church must re-examine her compelling reasons in order to sustain her disciplemaking efforts in a meaningful way. It is therefore a matter of utmost importance to ask the question "Why?". Why must the Church return to its disciplemaking purpose? Why be a disciplemaking church? Here are ten compelling reasons.

Ten Reasons for A Disciplemaking Purpose –

1. Biblical And Theological Foundation. Let's begin with the most important reason of all. Being a disciplemaking church is overwhelmingly biblical. It is centered upon sound biblical ecclesiology. In the Old Testament, God wanted Israel to be a witness unto Him (Isa 43:10). Israel failed badly in this mission. In the New Testament, God raises up the Church to fulfill this redemptive purpose (Acts 1:8). Thus, Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples "of all nations". It's a biblical call founded upon deep biblical roots to be a light unto the nations. A witness unto the Almighty God. Indeed, a commitment to disciplemaking is essential to the primary calling of the New Testament Church.

2. Heart of the Great Commission. The next compelling reason comes from Jesus Christ Himself. Disciplemaking is a non-negotiable command given by none other than the Master Himself (Matt 28:18-20). It is not given as a mere suggestion. Nor simply as a good idea. It is stated most clearly as a command. Disciplemaking is not something to be regarded as optional for the Church. Making disciples is at the very heart of the Great Commission. It is the will of God and the primary agenda for the world-wide mission of the church.

3. Master-Plan for Evangelism. The call of the Great Commission is not merely to make converts but to make disciples. The Master Plan for Evangelism start with converts but does not end with it. The ultimate aim is for spiritual maturity. Praise God for converts. But we must continually remind ourselves this is where disciplemaking begin, not end. A large part of the New Testament is devoted to growing in Christlikeness. Otherwise the Church can have a temporary impact on community penetration but not the lasting influence of city transformation. There are many Christians (spiritual babes!) but few disciples. "Makes disciples":, Jesus said. Not just make converts!

4. Key To Church-Health. The body of Christ will languish spiritually without true disciplemaking at its heart. We can take many measures of church growth through conventional yardsticks like bodies (congregational sizes) bucks (financial budget) and buildings (facilities). But church health is primarily measured not by how many attended a service but rather by deeper considerations. It examines "what kind" of people attended; how many people have been discipled; and how many are growing in Christlikeness. Disciplemaking is thus the key to the long-term health of the Church. It is therefore worthwhile to use disciplemaking as a benchmark for evaluating the progress of the Church.

5. Genius Of Spiritual Multiplication. In the words of Bill Hull, author of The Disciplemaking Church, "unless the church makes making disciples its main agenda, world evangelism is a fantasy". It is impossible to win the world through mere spiritual addition. God intends the world to be won through the strategy of spiritual multiplication. The genius of spiritual multiplication lies in the premise that God intends every believer to be a disciple of Christ and a discipler of others, who will in turn pass it on to others also. How do we multiply ourselves? It is the role of pastors to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Not merely to do the work themselves (Eph 4;12), That too is spiritual multiplication is action.

6. Heart of A Purpose-Driven Church. Pastor Rick Warren in his excellent book "The Purpose Driven Church", aptly pointed out that there are many driving forces for the Church. Some churches are driven by tradition. Others are pulpit-driven, or budget driven, or programme-driven etc. He articulated that the Church must be purpose-driven. I deeply concur and affirm that there is no purpose more central than disciplemaking. If the Church is not making disciples, then the Church has lost its central purpose. If so, then the Church has lost the meaning for existence because its primary mandate and mission has been compromised. Indeed, disciplemaking anchors the Church to its true mission and purpose.

7. Effective Leadership Emergence. The critical need of the church is leadership. Yet this is an area of its greatest lack. Many churches face a shortage of leaders. Often there is no coherent strategy for leadership development (or for leadership transition) in the local church. I am convinced that mentoring of disciples is the key to the critical need for leadership emergence. Our Lord Jesus developed leadership through disciplemaking: "He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that he might send them..." We must raise a generation of Christian leaders who are spiritually vital, biblically competent, practically authentic. We must produce spiritually qualified leaders who understands the times and makes a significant difference in it. Disciplemaking makes this possible!

8 Relevance To Real Life. True biblical disciplemaking transcends the confines of the classroom and the walls of the church. Its context of learning is in the demanding university of "real life". That's where the rubber meets the road. Many Christians feel that Christianity is a nice ideal but is totally irrelevant and impractical to face the realities of modern life. They live a dichotomized life between Church and the Real World. Disciplemaking brings the relevance of Christianity to the marketplace of life. We do not disciple Christians just for attending church or being good church members. Rather they are discipled to be good students, good spouses, good parents, good employees and employers. True discipleship makes a difference in the homes and workplace. True disciplemaking will bridge the Church and the Real Life dichotomy.

9 Powerful Vehicle For Truth. Someone said that the world attracts many because it is good at telling a lie, that the church attracts few because it is bad at telling the truth. Truth is best communicated through the medium of relationship. Like a legacy being passed on from parents to children, Truth is more effectively passed on in positive mentoring relationships. In a sense, it is built to last. There is a legacy being passed on in life investment. A disciplemaking Church is indeed investing in eternity!

10 Fulfilling the Great Commandment. The Great Commandment is to love God with all our heart and our neighbours as ourselves. The Great Commission is the practical fulfillment of the Great Commandment. True disciplemaking aims for value change. At the heart of value change is the love for God. And one cannot love God without loving others. Loving others expresses itself ultimately in our desire to see them believe in Christ and growing towards maturity in Christlikeness. Thus a disciplemaking Church not only seeks to be true to the Great Commission but in so doing, it is seeking to fulfill the Great Commandment.

Here then are the ten compelling reasons for establishing a disciplemaking church. Such a commitment is biblically and theologically sound. It obeys the command of Christ given in the Great Commission. It holds integrity to the aim of spiritual maturity in the Master Plan of Evangelism. It is the key to church health. It is committed to the strategic genius of spiritual multiplication. Disciplemaking is at the heart of a purpose-driven church. It is furthermore the key to effective leadership emergence. Also, true disciplemaking is most relevant in real life. It is a powerful vehicle for truth and finally, it fulfills the Great Commandment. Go what are we waiting for? Let's GO MAKE DISCIPLES!!

Printed with permission of COMPASS
A discipleship magazine published by
Covenant Evangelical Free Church (Singapore)