Yesterday I wrote that I believe in 2 Timothy 2.2:

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

Sometimes, in the church world, I think I’m the only one who does. Of course that’s not true, I quoted Jim Singleton, pastor and now seminary professor, just a few weeks ago. A few days ago I was excited to hear (via computer) Dr. Greg Ogden teach a seminar at the European Leadership Forum: Turning Your Church into a Disciple-Making Mission. Here’s a key point he made early on:

Keep laser-focused on making reproducing disciples.

He went on to quote C.S. Lewis:

The church exists for no other purpose but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. -C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, pages 163, 169, 170.

And Greg is clear that he hasn’t made a disciple until that disciple is making disciples. He likes to have a baton-passing ceremony for the people who have completed his 25-session Discipleship Essentials course.

And here’s the point: the men are not just receiving the baton. They have been trained to pass it on. More about that tomorrow.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office. (Hebrews 7.23, NIV) [Bob’s note: best we train folks to replace us: none of us is going to be here indefinitely!]

[Jesus] appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach… (Mark 3.14, NIV)