Traditionally, evangelical Christians have done a poor job of discipling people post-conversion. I have heard story after story from folks who were intensely evangelized, only to be abandoned once they had prayed a prayer, participated in believer’s baptism, and joined a church. The prevailing attitude seem to be that once someone has made a decision for Christ, they should know what they need to do and do it without too much involvement from other Christians. The biblical witness of the first disciples seems to contradict this idea. How many times did Jesus have to guide the disciples back on track?
This lack of continued discipleship has resulted in many Christians (who are not doubt converted and eternally secure) living lives in defeat and not becoming effective witnesses for Christ. God’s redemptive plan does not end with a person’s conversion or salvation; His plan is for us to participate in His glory and join with Him is his work while we are still on earth. This means that we should be joining God in his plan to seek and save the lost. If a new believer, or an old on for that matter, is not effectively discipled their ability to participate in this work is greatly hindered.
After carefully and prayerfully evaluating this situation, I believe that the reason that we fail to effective disciple folks post-conversion is our disproportionate focus on evangelism and misunderstanding of the process of discipleship. I am not denying the importance of evangelism, but we must see it as part of a larger process and not our overall goal. In speaking with other Baptists in regards to discipleship and evangelism I have often asked the question, when does discipleship begin in a person’s life? Most people have answered that discipleship begins at the moment of a person’s conversion (fig.1). Their reasoning usually is that a person cannot be a disciple until they have been regenerated and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. I understand where they are coming from on this point, but I think that this is the reason that we miss the mark in discipleship. You can disciple someone, join God is His work, as soon as God has begun His work in their life. This work begins pre-conversion and is what leads people to the Savior.
Evangelism must be viewed a part of a larger process, the process of discipleship. When we make evangelism our goal we bring all of our resources to bear upon it and begin to neglect other parts of the work. To me it appears that evangelism is the first part of the discipleship process and both begin at the same point in time, the first time a Christian enters into a non-Christians life (fig.2). This is the biblical example of discipleship. When we see the disciples initial call from Jesus we must understand that this was not their first exposure to Him or the principles that He was teaching. These men would have heard of this man Jesus of Nazareth, of the things He was teaching and doing, and might have even heard Him teach. This initial exposure was the beginning of their discipleship. When Jesus came to them personally was the point in time that God extended His divine and eternal invitation.
We must remember that we are not called or commissioned to make converts or Christians; that is God’s business. We are called and commissioned to make disciples and to teach others about what Jesus has taught us. This teaching must not end at the point that the person makes a decision for Christ, but must continue for the rest of that person’s life. Evangelism is an extremely important part of Christian life, but it is only that, a part. We must ensure that evangelism is an integral part of the overall discipleship process, without an undue emphasis on any part over the others.
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