Yesterday we considered the promising-to-sad progression/regression of some churches attempting to carry out Jesus’ mission of making disciples:

• Man: Jesus
• Movement
• Mission [I think I would have put Movement before Mission.]
• Monument
• Museum
• Mausoleum

And it doesn’t take long, unfortunately. The first-century Church at Sardis (Revelation 3.1 – 6) had already gone full course:

I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. (Revelation 3.1, ESV)

The building is there. The lights are on. There’s probably activity – “you have the reputation of being alive” – but it’s dead. There’s no disciple-making going on. Such a state was John Wesley’s greatest fear:

I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. – John Wesley in “Thoughts Upon Methodism,” emphasis mine

The Mission -> Mausoleum progression came from Jay Terrell’s article A Mission Not a Mausoleum. Another point Jay made was that disciple-making is local.

I want to be a part of a church that recognizes that disciples are made at the local level. No General Conference has ever made a disciple of Jesus. I’ve never known a Jurisdictional or Annual Conference that has introduced someone to Christ. The local church is God’s Plan “A” to transform this world and usher in the kingdom of God, and there isn’t a “Plan B.” – Jay Terrell

In the Methodist Church the “General Conference” and “Annual Conference” are the denominational and district-level governing bodies. Terrell is saying that disciples aren’t made there. They’re made “at the local level.” With that I agree.

But how are they made? Here’s a provocative quote from The Disciple Dilemma by Dennis Allen.

General Motors, Tesla, Ford and the other car companies don’t build cars. Not one. Boeing does not build airplanes, and Apple does not manufacture iPads and iPhones. What those companies do (by way of their leaders) is articulate a specific mission, build a reinforcing culture to execute on that mission, and organize so people can make the things the companies want to produce. (page 249, emphasis mine)

GM doesn’t build cars…their people do. The “church” does not make disciples in some magical way. Their people do. And if the people don’t, I would question whether or not disciples are being made. Disciples cannot be made just by conducting Sunday morning services. That would be like trying to teach piano by taking kids to concerts. The pastors can contribute, of course, through public teaching, but they ought also to contribute by example, training people who will train others. Paul wrote to “Pastor Timothy:”

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)

Paul also wrote about the church leaders’ job description:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up… (Ephesians 4.11, 12, NIV)

I made this point four years ago in General Contractors or Trade Schools?

Jesus said, “You make disciples (Matthew 28.18 – 20), I’ll build the church (Matthew 16.18).