What Does the Work of an Evangelist Have to Do with Discipleship?
What does the work of an evangelist have to do with discipleship?
Too often I think we separate evangelism from discipleship as if they were two separate but very important ministries. But, let's look at this more closely. When Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and make more disciples he was commissioning them to evangelize those who were not his followers. In other words he was not talking about making his current followers into more devoted disciples.
Once a person becomes a Jesus follower they are considered to be a disciple of Jesus. What happens next (and continues through the rest of life on earth) is a process of growing in this relationship with Jesus through bible study, church attendance, prayer and worship. We sometimes call this discipleship, and while this is true to the extent that we should all grow as disciples of Jesus, it does not primarily define disciple-making as commissioned by Jesus himself.
The process of making disciples is actually an evangelistic effort because we are seeking to help people who are not Jesus followers to become his disciples. Once a person becomes a disciple of Jesus the next step is to teach them how to make more disciples. In other words how to evangelize their friends, family, and other contacts.
At Foundations 4 Living we describe the disciple-making process this way:
"Helping people find their place in God's great story." This is step one and defines a time when a non believer becomes a disciple of Jesus. This happens through repentance and acknowledging who Jesus is and what he did and will yet do.
"Making disciples across the street and around the world." This describes the process of equipping and training disciples of Jesus to help other people find their place in God's great story.
