Disciple-Making Church Growth Starts with Spiritual Formation
Mark A. Taylor reflects on Doug Wood’s emphasis that lasting church growth begins with making disciples, not polishing external programs. The article contrasts crowd-attracting strategies with the slower, deeper work of helping people grow in their relationship with God.
- Doug Wood argues that churches filled with disciple-making disciples cannot help but grow and change the world.
- External changes may attract crowds, but spiritual maturity develops through deeper formation.
- Churches should begin with a strategy for developing believers rather than simply drawing attendance.
By Mark A. Taylor
Doug Wood, the subject of this week’s “CHRISTIAN STANDARD Interview,” has seen local churches make changes that preceded dramatic growth. Yet he emphasizes that external changes are not the “secret” to growth. His approach isn’t to force change, but first to build followers of Christ.
This disciple-building generates change from the inside out. It’s the difference between watching your diet or getting your exercise versus dressing for success or getting plastic surgery. The latter are quicker and more dramatic. The former lead to long-term health.
Wood’s own words, excerpted from the longer Web version of his interview, say it best:
You can’t have a church full of disciple-making disciples and not be growing and changing the world, but you can have thousands of people coming to a show every Sunday and not truly having their lives changed in supernatural ways through a love relationship with God.
More Than a Sunday Show
The “show” may be the polished presentation offered by the weekend worship services of many megachurches. But the problem he mentions could be present in a congregation of any size.
If folks “come to church” only because they like the music or the preacher there, only because it’s a good place to reconnect with friends, only because it’s a setting they enjoy—and nothing there or through the week builds their relationship with God—then spiritual growth will founder.
It is possible to increase attendance by concentrating on externals. But strong spiritual lives are developed slowly, simply, away from the hubbub of the crowds. That is not only Wood’s experience but also the point of this week’s feature articles.
Building Mature Disciples
Lynn Gardner says we must appeal to the thinking of those we reach, not just their emotions. And then Darrel Rowland shows how several local churches have developed a strategy for developing mature disciples.
These churches have not turned away from creative programming, but they have learned not to depend on it. They begin with their strategy to develop believers, not with the goal of attracting a crowd.
In a culture that builds businesses and elects presidents on the basis of slogans and image, church leaders may try to succeed through marketing or promotion. Doug Wood and several others interviewed this week are showing a better way to grow the church.
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
