I made the point yesterday, quoting Dennis Allen in The Disciple Dilemma that car companies don’t build cars. They build plants and equip team members so that they can build cars. I was living in Montgomery, Alabama, when the Hyundai Plant in Montgomery was built over several years and dedicated in May 2005. I watched the dedication on live television. At the time, I thought:

• The governor of Alabama was very excited about the presence of Hyundai. The economic impact today is $4.8 billion. But Hyundai’s purpose is not to improve the economics of the state of Alabama.
• Hyundai employs over 3,000 workers who make a good living at $67,000 – $100,000/year, but Hyundai’s purpose is not to provide a living for workers.
• The workers at Hyundai love their jobs and make friends among their co-workers, but Hyundai’s purpose is not to provide community.
• Make no mistake: Hyundai’s only purpose is to make cars. I toured the plant, and for someone who sits at a computer and pushes pixels around, it was very exciting to watch the process. A square piece was cut off of a giant roll of steel, a press came down, and bam! we have the hood of a car. And away the process went. During my tour, a car came off the line every two minutes. Today it’s more like every 45 seconds. In December 2006, after I moved to Colorado, I bought a 2007 Hyundai Sonata made in that plant. I’m still proudly driving that car.

Of course, while Hyundai is making money making cars, the economy of the state of Alabama improves and the workers make a good living and enjoy community. Focusing on the primary objective brings the secondary benefits along. Forget the primary objective, and the secondary benefits don’t happen.

Jesus said, “Make disciples.” Churches are ostensibly started to that end, but if we’re not careful, we start focusing on “building community,” and providing ministries to serve members, and disciple-making is either assumed or forgotten.

Sorry to repeat from yesterday (actually, not sorry!):

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)

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