Winning souls is not a popular subject these days, but I strongly believe one day it shall be the thrust of all churches again. Before it reaches its peak, I would like to be one of the ones who stood the course and stayed in the race, believing that soul winning is the primary objective for the church.
Through careful observation, I've seen our churches plateau. The same amount of members going out are the same amount of members coming in. The majority of new church members have simply transferred from other churches, and few people have encountered Jesus for the first time.
The Hot Topics
As I assess the culture of our churches, we are drawn to hot topics like:
Prophecy: everyone wants a word.
Prosperity: everyone wants to reach up and grab it, haul it and call it, or name it and claim it.
Preacher Profiting: a lot of preachers are more profit-driven than focused on soul winning.
“You can find more cobwebs than people in our baptismal pools. ”
Meanwhile, the church has a major concern. You can find more cobwebs than people in our baptismal pools.
Our call to discipleship has taken the backseat to skepticism, and it causes others to doubt or discredit the importance of salvation.
We have become a church that focuses on theatrics and choreography rather than theology and Christology.
We have become a church that’s more concerned about democracy than theology.
We have become a church that’s more concerned about the US constitution than consecration.
We have become a church that’s more concerned about how much they know than how much they care.
We have more concerns about how much money we’ve raised as opposed to how many souls are being saved. We have become so political that we don’t have enough power to get people saved.
Moreover, in the attempt to maximize our attendance, we are accepting more and more transfer Christians instead of seeking those that are lost. It’s becoming a major problem today. Our focus as a Church at large has watered down our responsibilities to help fulfill our godly mission—the Great Commission.
“We are accepting more and more transfer Christians instead of seeking those that are lost. ”
A Great Commission Mindset
Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Once upon a time, these verses use to be the theme of our churches at large. Consequently, we have lost some of the fundamentals of our core values, and we are marching to a different cadence that’s diametrically opposed to winning the least, lost, left out, and the overlooked.
How do we know that this is a problem? Glad that you asked. One of the ways you know you’re making progress is you stop having the same discussion over and over again. If you’re discussing the same issues on your team or at home year after year, you’re probably stuck.
Recovering Transformation
In today’s climate, people prefer a transactional gospel more than a transferable gospel. The transactional gospel is communicated in accounting terms.
For example:
Because of our sin an eternal (debit/debt) has been registered on our account that we cannot possibly pay off ourselves. But the good news is God sent his Son Jesus to cancel this debt: As you know, Jesus paid our debt on the cross.
If we put our faith in Jesus Christ then His credit is put into our account and it blots out our debts. Now we have been given a receipt, marked paid in full. This is not what we call the plan of Salvation: This is a classic benefit package, that will not include a transferable gospel.
“The transactional gospel focuses on how you can benefit.
The transferable gospel focuses on how you can benefit others. ”
The kind of salvific experience that people are getting is a watered-down version that’s only important enough for the individual. There are no works attached, no transformation. Most Christians desire a barcode that heaven can scan once they have expired from this life. Thus, no monthly, quarterly, annual profile that gives evidence of your contribution to making disciples and helping to build the kingdom of God.
It seems the Great Commission has been demoted to the least position of conviction.
It Starts with Us
Because preacher/pastor messages are not designed to make disciples, we don't see disciples being made. Furthermore, the members are not living their life well enough that they might duplicate who they are. I often say, “If you cannot duplicate who you are, you are not who you think or say you are.”
If the congregation can admire our skills through the text, can they also admire our skills in the streets or to the unsaved around us?
“Effective discipleship is not about a curriculum; it’s about one person learning from another person what it looks like to follow Jesus.”
Effective discipleship is not about a curriculum; it’s about one person learning from another person what it looks like to follow Jesus. If you know how to love and walk with Jesus, you can disciple someone else—even if your life is far from perfect. Any sincere believer can teach another how to seek God, repent, read the Bible, pray, and share with others.
All of us need to heed the Scripture; God employs all that will sign their name on the dotted line. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will use those who give themselves to ministry. You’re never lacking when you are promoting kingdom work and making disciples.
Ramon L. Jones (Born October 24,1970) is a fourth generation preacher/pastor. He is the senior pastor and church planter of Disciple of Christ Global Ministries (a Baptist assembly) in Houston, TX. He received his Doctorate of Ed degree from Missouri Baptist University in 2006.
He is infectiously known for his love of the least, the lost, the left, and the looked over as well as helping disciples duplicate who they are to help build the Kingdom of God together.
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