The State of Discipleship
By: Barna and The Navigators
ISBN: 978-0996584326
RATING: 7/10
Summary: This book presents Barna’s research as a result of surveying everyday Christians, pastors, and exemplars (Christian leaders, educators, etc.). The findings are at times helpful (lack of clarity is a HUGE problem) and at times unhelpful (what should be done about that lack of clarity). Regardless the findings are compelling and would be beneficial for American church leaders. This is one of those books that can be used for reference and challenges the status quo of disciple making in the US (systems and programs). Rated a bit low because research was prior to Covid and can only present the common views associated with disciplemaking in US culture during that time.
Chapter titles are: Introduction 1. Defining Discipleship 2. Spiritual Health 3. Discipleship Models 4. Obstacles 5. Commitment 6. Assessment 7. Resources 8. Millenials Appendices
Introduction
Only 1% of church leaders say their church is doing very well at discipling new and young believers. Pg. 9
Church leaders, educators, exemplar pastors, and Christian adults all agree that the two most significant barriers to spiritual growth are the general busyness of life and the lack of commitment to discipleship. Pg. 10
Among all church leaders, 26% say that discipleship is their #1 priority, another 61% say it’s in their top 3 priorities. Pg. 11
Chapter 1 – Defining Discipleship
“What is discipleship? The clearest insight from this study….is that it’s unclear!” pg. 19
The most common phrase to describe the process of spiritual growth is “becoming more like Christ. Pg. 19
“This suggests a sense that there are multiple benefits to discipleship, but perhaps also a general lack of clarity about its purpose.” Pg. 24
“Some provide context that their idea of ‘making disciples’ has expanded from only conversion to growing in Christ, because real, healthy disciples should naturally produce more disciples.” Pg. 25
“The concept of mentoring falls somewhere in the middle: Three-quarters of church leaders and half of Christian adults consider ‘mentoring and being mentored in the area of Christian maturity’ an important goal of discipleship.” Pg. 25
Scripture essential to some to shape their understanding of discipleship: pg. 31-33
Matt. 4:19, Matt. 28:19-20, John 15:8-9, John 17, Acts 2:42-27, 1 Cor. 4:15-17, 1 Cor. 11:11, Phil. 4:6-7, Col. 1:28-29, 1 Thess. 2:3-13, 2 Tim. 2:2, 2 Tim. 3:16, Heb. 10:24-25
Chapter 2 – Spiritual Health
“Christian adults believe their churches are doing well: 52 percent of those who have attended church in the past six months say their church ‘definitely does a good job helping people grow spiritually’ and another 40 percent say it ‘probably’ does so.” Pg. 35
“Church leaders give lower marks. Only 1percent say ‘today’s churches are doing very well at discipling new and young believers.” Pg. 35
“…there is a clear need for more effective discipleship among Christians who are less active in their faith.” Pg. 36
“Typically, more than half of church members are involved in some sort of discipleship group or relationship.” Pg. 37
“The two groups [practicing Christians vs non practicing Christians] also report different motivations for seeking spiritual growth. Practicing Christians are most motivated by a ‘general desire to know Jesus, or God, more’ (46%); ‘a general desire to be more like Jesus’ (41%)…” Pg. 39
“This model of relational ministry is at the heart of The Navigators approach. Navigators go to and live among people right where they are: where they work, live, play and study.” Pg. 42
Chapter 3 – Discipleship Models
“When forced to choose the single method of discipleship they believe is most effective, church leaders select small group formats (52%) nearly two-to-one over discipleship pairs (29%). Mainline pastors are even more likely than non-mainline pastors (47%) to consider small groups most effective…” Pg. 48
“Aside from prayer and time with God, the top three spiritual disciplines pastors believe are essential to discipleship are ‘personal commitment to grow in Christlikeness’ (94%), ‘attending a local church’ (91%), and a ‘deep love for God’ (90%).” Pg. 51
Chapter 4 – Obstacles
63% Difference between church leaders (85%) and practicing Christians (22%) on whether busyness is a major obstacle to discipleship. Pg. 57
59% of church leaders believe that a lack of qualified and willing discipleship leaders is a major obstacle to discipleship. Pg. 57
“Most believers consider themselves inadequately trained, or ungifted to disciple another believer. Spiritual parenting is not promoted or modeled by the leadership in many churches. There is an assumption that the appropriation of biblical knowledge will itself lead to spiritual maturity.” Pg. 60
53% of Christian adults are not discipling because they don’t believe they’re equipped to do so or they haven’t thought about it. Pg. 60
“…overall there are no major structural barriers hindering participation in discipleship in the Church today. Rather, a lack of priority—on the part of Christians and of churches—has produced weak investment in spiritual growth.” Pg. 60
-I’m not sure how we can reach this conclusion. What’s causing the weak investment?
Chapter 5 – Commitment
“If, as the findings show, apathy is the primary obstacle to healthy discipleship, the solution is to make discipleship a priority. In exemplar churches discipleship is not a program or even a “ministry”; it is part of the church’s core identity.” Pg. 65
“Two-thirds of exemplar churches say that the vision or endorsement of senior leadership and a clearly articulated plan or approach to discipleship are both critical to their efforts.” Pg. 65
Three quarters of exemplar churches say that the vision or endorsement of senior leadership and a clearly articulated plan or approach to discipleship are both critical to their efforts.” Pg. 65
“Three quarters or more of exemplar leaders say the following factors are critical to their discipling efforts: 1. Senior leadership modeling discipleship 2. Church wide commitment to Scripture 3. Well trained lay leaders. Pg. 66
“When asked what they [exemplar leaders] would like to see improved in their discipleship programs, a clear plan is selected by a plurality of senior pastors (28%) and discipleship leaders (23%). Increased interest is second with 16% of church leaders mentioning this factor.” Pg. 66
Chapter 6 - Assessment
Research shows that exemplar churches track discipleship much more closely and consistently than other churches. Pg. 69
“Approximately half of exemplar churches also use surveys or self-assessments.” Pg. 69
Many [exemplar leaders] also say that their definition of discipleship has expanded from individual growth in Christ to in clude ‘making disciples’. This is because healthy disciples should naturally produce more disciples. Pg. 69
“This is the ultimate determination of success for the process. Without multiplication, we’ve simply had another Bible study benefitting the local body.” Pg. 69
“Without multiplication , we’ve simply had another Bible study benefitting the local body.” Pg. 70
“Putting a terminal date on the program (12 weeks, 40 weeks, etc) assumes the wrong view of discipleship. Discipleship is for life.” Pg. 71
“I think we need more authenticity and vulnerability from the “leader”, who is really a leader among equals and just as much a broken disciple as those whom he’s discipling.” Pg. 71
Discipleship is both about learning and doing, which are rooted in being. Pg. 72
Chapter 7 – Resources
“The preference for a structured curriculum is higher in majority black churches (80% say curriculum is “very valuable”) than in white (56%).” Pg. 75
Chapter 8 –Millenials
“Becoming more like Christ” is the most commonly chosen name for spiritual growth among all adults. Pg. 83
“Young adults are far more likely to consider the ‘general busyness of life’ a major obstacle to their spiritual growth.” Pg. 84
“Not surprisingly, Millenials are the most likely to currently use digital media—specifically, podcasts—for the purpose of spiritual growth. One-quarter of those who believe spiritual growth is very or somewhat important say they listen to podcasts about the Bible or related topics at least monthly (24%). This is in contrast to 15 percent of Gen-Xers and 10 percent of Boomers who listen to podcasts.” Pg. 84
“Millenials are more likely than other generations to prefer one-to-one or solitary discipleship structures.” Pg. 85
“…Millenials desire meaningful relationships, often feel overwhelmed and struggle to make connections between faith and the rest of their lives.” Pg. 87
“In 2001, about one in eight Americans self-identified as lonely (12%). By 2012, that number had doubled—a paradoxical reality in the social media age.” Pg. 87
“They want to know how to interact with today’s culture in a way that is consistent with their beliefs.” Pg. 88
In 2001 about one in eight Americans self-identified as lonely (12%). By 2012, that number had doubled—a paradoxical reality in the social media age. Pg. 87
Adolescents who stay in the church as adults were twice as likely to have a close personal friendship with an adult in their church (59% compared to 31% among those who are no longer active). Pg. 87
Implications and Recommendations
“Many findings from the State of Discipleship study suggest that churches need the approach to discipleship that The Navigators has historically embraced and imparted: relational, intentional, organic (rather than systematized) and spiritually transformative.” Pg. 89
“What is necessary for Christians to make the investment of time necessary for real spiritual growth? Intentionality and accountability.” Pg. 90
“Navigators should continue to equip church leaders to better understand their members’ needs and to employ tailored approaches that reach them where they are. This—more than content—is what leaders need for an organic, relevant approach to discipleship.” Pg. 91
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Find this helpful? Want to grow as a disciple or disciple maker? Check out my books: The Bicycle Illustration and The Foundation of a Disciple Making Culture. Not a reader? Check out my Podcast, “The Practitioners’ Podcast” for short, hyper focused disciple making episodes wherever you get podcasts!