I promise this is the last blog (for a while) on the importance of the local church taking seriously its mission to make disciples. Yesterday’s blog pointed out that Hyundai knew what it was trying to do when it invested three years and $1.1 billion to build a factory in Montgomery, Alabama.

My friend Ron Bennett makes the same point satirically in his excellent book Intentional Disciplemaking. I offer this portion of Chapter Two with minimal comment:

Imagine a businessperson coming to a town to establish a new venture. He buys land and builds offices, warehouses, and production facilities. He impresses the townspeople with his industry, and they become curious.

After months of preparation, when the facilities near completion, a long-awaited “help wanted” ad appears in the local newspaper. Word spreads quickly that this business offers excellent pay and benefits, and needs all skills. The already low unemployment rate plunges to zero as anyone who applies gets hired. You even quit your job to hire on.

When the business opens its doors, all the employees eagerly show up for work. At first, they stand in awe of the wealth of resources amassed in this facility. The warehouse is full of the latest machinery and technology as well as plenty of building materials. Eventually, however, a question begins to sweep over the huge crowd of idle workers. It begins as a whisper and gets louder: “What are we supposed to produce?” No one knows. They forgot to ask, and upper management never announced it.

Finally, you volunteer to approach the owner. A polite, well-dressed secretary ushers you into the owner’s downtown office, and you find him sitting calmly at his glossy wood-paneled desk. “How are things going over at the plant?” the owner nonchalantly asks, glancing over the top of his bifocals while leafing through a stack of papers.

Fine,” you reply with your hat in hand. “We are all impressed with what you have built. We can’t believe the high-tech equipment that you set up, and we are eager to get to work. But we do have one question… What are we supposed to produce?”

“Produce?” responds the CEO incredulously. “Produce? Why, what difference does it make? Just get busy and produce something!”

Jesus wasn’t like Ron’s mythical CEO…

Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.18 – 20, ESV)