The Profile of a Disciple
The famous author George Bernard Shaw once visited the studio of a sculptor named Sir Jacob Epstein. Shaw observed a huge block of stone standing in the corner of the studio and asked what it was for. “I don’t know yet. I’m still making plans,” Epstein told him. Shaw was astounded. “You mean you plan your work? Why, I change my mind several times a day!” Epstein replied, “That’s all very well with a four-ounce manuscript, but not with a four-ton block!”
It would indeed be foolish for a sculptor to just start hammering away at an expensive block of marble before he had a solid picture in mind as to what it was he was trying to sculpt. But I wonder if we don’t make that same mistake in our churches sometimes. As pastors, we’re very busy “chiseling” away at ministry, but have we ever really paused to carefully think about what it is we’re trying to create?
Jesus, of course, commanded us to “make disciples,” but what does that mean? The word “disciple” itself simply means a learner or a follower, but what specifically does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? If we want to be sure we’re actually fulfilling Jesus command to make disciples, it seems to me we need to begin by asking this fundamental question: What is the profile of a healthy disciple of Jesus? That’s a question I’ve been wrestling with lately, and having studied the relevant Scriptures, here’s my humble attempt at answering that question.
The Profile of a Healthy Disciple
A healthy disciple of Jesus is…
GROUNDED – established in the truth of God’s Word
- Believes the gospel and has embraced Christ as Savior and Lord by faith
- Understands the storyline of the Bible and the basics of the Christian faith
- Knows how to study and properly interpret the Bible
- Skilled in making wise decisions based on biblical principles
- Able to distinguish between biblical convictions and personal preferences
- Able to discern false teaching and avoid unbiblical extremes
GRACIOUS – cultivates healthy, loving relationships
- Quick to extend grace and slow to judge others
- Actively looks for ways to welcome, bless and encourage others
- Extends compassion and kindness to those who are hurting
- Addresses conflict quickly, graciously, and directly
- Seeks and extends forgiveness, pursues biblical reconciliation
GIVING – gives generously of his time, treasure and talents
- Gives of his time to serve others, willing to be inconvenienced
- Gives of his material resources to advance the gospel and meet practical needs
- Understands and uses his spiritual gifts for the good of the church body
- Is motivated by eternal treasure rather than temporal pleasure
GROWING – takes active steps to become more like Christ
- Has publicly identified with Christ through baptism
- Values his church family, prioritizes corporate worship and small group fellowship
- Cultivates intimacy with Christ through regular Bible Study and prayer
- Pursues holiness, battles the flesh, avoids temptation
- Increasingly exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in his life
GLOBAL – embraces God’s heart for lost people everywhere
- Prays for the salvation of unbelievers and the advancement of the gospel everywhere
- Pursues relationships with unbelievers, looks for ways to show them the love of Christ
- Able and eager to clearly explain the gospel to unbelievers
- Embraces a missionary mindset, willing to culturally adapt for the sake of the gospel
- Has a heart for church planting and missions, willing to go as God calls
This list, of course, is not exhaustive, but I think it’s a pretty fair summary of what the Bible teaches about what a mature disciple of Jesus should look like. And the benefits of developing a profile like this are at least threefold:
1. It helps us evaluate our own maturity as disciples of Jesus.
As I read this list, I can see some areas where I’m strong and other areas where I need some work. Since the Scriptures encourage us to be intentional about constantly adding godly virtues to our lives (2 Peter 1:5-8), a profile like this can be a great tool for evaluating our own spiritual health and developing a game plan for pursuing greater godliness in key areas. (Something like this could also be a helpful tool for cultivating healthy discussion and accountability within small groups.)
2. It helps us evaluate the effectiveness of our church’s disciplemaking efforts.
Are we making healthy disciples? Since that’s our number one job, that’s the question we should be discussing regularly with our leadership team. But unless we’ve biblically defined what constitutes a healthy disciple, we’ll never be able to answer that question with any degree of specificity. A profile like this will provide you with a set of criteria for evaluating your congregation’s overall spiritual health in several key areas, and it will reveal where your disciplemaking efforts are strong and where they need more focused attention.
(Warning: Since pastors are leaders and leaders are influencers, don’t be surprised to discover that your congregation reflects your own personal strengths and weaknesses. This is why point #1 above is so important.)
3. It helps us develop ministries with strategic goals in mind.
All too often, when we’re making ministry plans, we start by asking programming questions– Who will teach our adult Sunday School classes? How many small groups do we need? How can we improve attendance at our mid-week service?, etc., etc.
But a far better approach is to begin with the end in mind and then work backwards. Ask the fundamental question first: “What kind of disciples are we called to make?” Then from there, with a clean slate, ask questions like this:
- What biblical content does a person need to know in order to become a healthy disciple, and what are the best platforms for delivering that content?
- What spiritual practices are vital to the growth of healthy disciples, and what kinds of hands-on training opportunities can we provide to help cultivate those practices?
- What relationships are vital to healthy disciples and what environments can we create to help foster those relationships?
When you start seriously wrestling with these questions, you will probably discover that there are some ministries in your church that need to be continued, some that need to be retired, and some that need to be added. But by beginning with the end in mind and by constantly evaluating every ministry with that end in mind, you will help to ensure that you’re actually being a “productive pastor” and not just a busy one.
Have you developed your own profile of a healthy disciple for your church? If so, what does it look like? How have you found it helpful? Please share your comments below.
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