"The Disciple Making Pastor"

'mI have this new goal to read three books every week. This is fueled by the fact that I have been lacking in my reading for quite some time and the thrust of my ministry was always, in the past, undergirded with a strong reading regiment. Since reviving this approach the benefits have already proven to be a great blessing. Wow, yesterday I started reading a book entitled "The Disciple-Making Pastor" written by Bill Hull. I could not put it down the entire evening. I am just about finished with the book and it has served to challenge and encourage me. The church proper has failed and is fainting in what is the true purpose of our existence. We were called and commissioned by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to do ONE primary thing.... "Make Disciples." This should be the central and sustaining point of the church. A body of believers that have been trained and then mobilized to "duplicate themselves." Learners creating more learners, who create more learners.... You get the point. The average church has gauged it's success by the "three b's." That is, it has entered the dangerous tendency to access buildings, bucks and bodies in order to discern the health and effectiveness of the church. George Barna has reported that, "of the 22 million persons that claim to be Christian, only 7 percent have ever taken training in discipleship and only 2 percent have ever led someone to Christ." Now, as Bill Hull inquires, "what if you were going to war and only 7 percent of the troops had been trained and 2 percent of them actually had experience?" Needless to say, we have been fighting a losing battle. It is the responsibility of Pastors to fix the focus of the congregation on DISCIPLESHIP. Of course, in theory, we have all known this for quite some time. However, how many of us are actually doing it? Well, I am committed to this mission of the commission at "The Ship." Anything that is not conducive to soul winning and discipleship training, will not be a part of our program, people, leadership team or budget. "The harvest is truly plentiful and the laborers few." What a scathing indictment against any "Christian" that has never lead even one person to Christ. God help us... I don't aspire to be a money making preacher, a house-filling preacher, a "sho-nuff can say it" preacher, a "dumped that house" preacher, or even a popular preacher. Lord, mold me into a "Disciple-Making Pastor."