I'll Have the Elephant

How do you eat an elephant?

This is a very good question for us today. Too often we try to accomplish too much in short amounts of time. If I remember correctly, the tortoise won the race going slow and steady. Our conventions hand out awards every year that, I believe, promote detrimental movements. I am sure these churches who win these awards are good churches filled with good people. It is the machine that is our problem. We want the exciting. We want the growth. We want big churches, budgets, and salaries. We want to grow faster than the Pentecostals and be earlier than the Methodists. All the while we become distracted from our primary goal: make disciples. This is not a quick, large group process. We as Christ-followers are all capable of making disciples through relationships and long-term strategies.

We must understand that the process is not quick. Jesus took three years to develop his disciples and they still all ran off in times of difficulty. Let us not stress out over similar issues. It will take a while for a person to adjust habits, change patterns, and develop new thoughts about God. Here are two thoughts:

First, a church must have a long-range plan of what a committed Christ-follower is to be. This long-range view extends out 10-20 years. What kind of disciple are we going to make? What is the most God-honoring way to develop others? What types of teaching styles and learning styles will be offered? What levels of development will we offer? How much doctrine? Theology? Missions? Hands-On?

Second, the church process should encourage disciple making opportunities. One church began a new approach to development. The process begins with worship. As people attend worship contact is made with the encouragement to move into a Small Group/Sunday School class. Out of these classes movement into further development and service is stressed. Several development opportunities on Sunday evenings as well as several opportunities for service on Wednesday nights. In this way faith is fed and exercised. Every Sunday School class is encouraged to do ministry that impacts the community [Power Up Your World]. Through impact the church and classes find potential members for their class, but more importantly begin to earn the right to be heard on spiritual matters.

How do you eat an elephant? You do so one bite at a time. Disciple-making takes time. Pick out a small group and begin to assist transformation. As they transform they will change the lives of those around them. Soon their fringe friends find themselves in worship and the cycle continues.