08/19/2026
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Are We Building Churches or Making Disciples?
Scripture:
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
—Ephesians 4:11–12
Over the last several years, I have wrestled with a difficult reality as an expository biblical preacher. I have heard many people say, “Pastor, I love your biblical teaching.” Yet, over time, some of those same people move on to churches offering a different message, atmosphere, or experience.
I understand that people leave churches for many reasons, and not every departure is a rejection of biblical truth. Nevertheless, this pattern has caused me to ask a deeper question: What are people truly looking for when they come to church?
I am a biblical pastor who believes in discipleship. My primary goal has never been simply to build a large church. My calling is to help make disciples who can do the work of ministry—whether they serve at Endurance Church or somewhere else in the world. If people become mature followers of Jesus who can study Scripture, resist temptation, love others, share the gospel, serve faithfully, and endure suffering, then the ministry has succeeded—even if they are not always sitting in our building.
Jesus did not command us to build the largest possible audience. He commanded us to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).
The Destination-Church Model
Over the last century, much of the Western church has gradually been reconstructed as a destination. The goal has often been to create a place people will want to attend by offering the right atmosphere, programming, communication, branding, music, facilities, and overall experience.
Not everything associated with this model is necessarily wrong. Churches should pursue excellence, communicate clearly, welcome visitors, and remove unnecessary barriers. The danger comes when methods developed primarily for business growth, marketing, military strategy, or market segmentation begin to determine the church’s identity and mission.
Business strategies ask:
• How can we attract more customers?
• How can we differentiate our brand?
• How can we expand our market?
• How can we increase participation?
Discipleship asks different questions:
• Are people becoming more like Jesus?
• Are they learning to obey His Word?
• Are they growing in holiness?
• Can they minister to others?
• Will they remain faithful when following Jesus becomes costly?
Organizational growth and spiritual growth are not the same thing. A church can grow larger without its people growing deeper.
The influential Reveal study associated with Willow Creek Community Church acknowledged this uncomfortable truth: increased participation in church programs does not automatically produce spiritual maturity. Church activity can support discipleship, but activity itself is not discipleship. People can attend services, join programs, enjoy worship experiences, and remain spiritually dependent and unchanged.
Even evangelism, though essential to the mission of the Church, is not the whole of discipleship. Evangelism introduces people to Jesus. Discipleship teaches them how to follow, obey, and become like Him.
A Different Christianity
My deeper concern, however, is not merely the attractional church model. It is the different version of Christianity increasingly appearing within the Church.
For years, I thought some of these ideas were primarily connected to Hinduism or Eastern religion. I have come to recognize that they are part of something broader that Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft calls “new paganism.”
Ancient paganism worshiped many gods. Modern paganism does not necessarily retain the names Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, or the other gods of Greece and Rome. Instead, it preserves many of paganism’s underlying instincts while removing the traditional gods from the picture.
The gods have disappeared, but the patterns of worship remain.
Instead of worshiping a god of pleasure, pleasure itself becomes sacred. Instead of worshiping a god of personal power, the self becomes sovereign. Instead of worshiping nature deities, nature is treated as divine. Instead of receiving truth from God, each person creates a private truth. Instead of submitting desires to God, people search for a spirituality that validates those desires.
This new paganism does not usually say, “Reject Jesus.” It simply redefines Him.
Jesus becomes an inspirational teacher who helps us reach our potential rather than the holy Son of God who commands us to repent. Christianity becomes a tool for personal fulfillment rather than a call to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ. The sermon becomes motivational therapy. Worship becomes an atmosphere. Faith becomes a method for obtaining the life we desire.
The message subtly changes from “You must be born again” to “You need to discover the greatness already within you.”
But the gospel does not teach that we are gods who have forgotten our divinity. It teaches that we are creatures made in God’s image who have rebelled against our Creator. Our problem is not merely ignorance, negative energy, low self-esteem, or unrealized potential. Our deepest problem is sin, and our only Savior is Jesus Christ.
Experience Cannot Replace Truth
New Age paganism makes personal experience the judge of truth. Biblical Christianity makes God’s truth the judge of our experiences.
Our feelings are real, but they are not always reliable. Something can feel peaceful and still lead us away from God. A message can feel encouraging while avoiding repentance. A worship experience can feel powerful without producing obedience.
The question is not merely, “Did I enjoy church?” or “Did the message make me feel better?”
The deeper questions are:
• Did I encounter the truth of God?
• Was I drawn toward Jesus?
• Was my sin exposed?
• Was my faith strengthened?
• Was I equipped to obey?
• Am I becoming more loving, holy, courageous, and faithful?
Paul warned that a time would come when people would not endure sound teaching. Instead, they would gather teachers who would tell them what their “itching ears” wanted to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). The challenge is that false teaching does not always sound openly hostile to Christianity. Sometimes it uses Christian language while quietly replacing the biblical message.
It speaks about Jesus but avoids His lordship.
It speaks about blessing but avoids surrender.
It speaks about purpose but avoids holiness.
It speaks about love but avoids truth.
It speaks about victory but avoids the cross.
The Pastor’s Calling
This creates a daunting challenge for today’s Church. A pastor can preach Scripture faithfully and still watch people leave for something more entertaining, affirming, or emotionally satisfying.
But pastors are not called to compete with the marketplace. We are called to shepherd God’s people.
There will always be pressure to measure ministry primarily through attendance, budgets, buildings, visibility, and organizational expansion. Those measurements may tell us something about the organization, but they cannot fully tell us whether disciples are being formed.
The real fruit of ministry is revealed in people who remain faithful when the music stops, the atmosphere changes, suffering comes, and obedience becomes costly.
The goal is not simply to gather a crowd that enjoys hearing about Jesus. The goal is to form disciples who increasingly resemble Jesus.
This does not mean we should become indifferent to reaching people or careless about the church environment. It means that everything the Church does—preaching, worship, outreach, children’s ministry, fellowship, and service—must ultimately lead people toward maturity in Christ.
A Personal Commitment
I must continually remind myself that I am not responsible for making the Bible more attractive than every competing experience. I am responsible for faithfully preaching the Word, loving God’s people, equipping the saints, and trusting the Holy Spirit with the results.
Some people may move on because they want something different. Others may carry what they learned into another church or another part of the world. If they have genuinely become stronger disciples of Jesus, that investment was not wasted.
The Church belongs to Christ, not to me.
My calling is not to build my kingdom, protect my brand, or collect religious consumers. My calling is to make disciples who know Christ, obey His Word, serve His Church, and carry His gospel into the world.
A large church is not necessarily a healthy church, and a small church is not necessarily a faithful church. The issue is not ultimately size. The issue is whether Jesus Christ remains the center and discipleship remains the mission.
Reflection
Ask yourself:
1. Am I following Jesus, or am I primarily looking for a church experience that satisfies me?
2. Do I allow Scripture to judge my beliefs and desires, or do I reinterpret Scripture to affirm what I already want?
3. Am I becoming spiritually mature, or merely more religiously active?
4. Can I serve others, study Scripture, endure difficulty, and obey God without constantly depending upon a church program?
5. Do I want Jesus as Savior only, or have I surrendered to Him as Lord?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, protect us from replacing Your gospel with a message centered on ourselves. Deliver us from a Christianity that seeks inspiration without repentance, blessing without obedience, and resurrection without the cross.
Give pastors the courage to preach Your Word faithfully, even when another message appears more attractive. Give churches wisdom to measure success by transformed lives rather than crowds alone. Make us more than attendees, consumers, or admirers of Jesus. Make us disciples.
Teach us to know Your Word, obey Your commands, love Your people, serve Your mission, and remain faithful wherever You send us. May we never build organizations at the expense of forming people. May everything we do lead people into deeper communion with You and greater conformity to Christ.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Central truth:
The Church’s mission is not to create religious consumers who depend upon an experience. It is to form faithful disciples who carry the life, truth, and mission of Jesus wherever God sends them.
