“I’ve never met a mature Christian, only maturing Christians.” -Bill Hanks

Jesus gave his followers a mission that he expected each of us to take seriously and to accomplish:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20a

With the mission our Lord has given us in mind, here are a few practical thoughts on discipleship:

1. Discipleship is where the “rubber meets the road” for a Christian.

2. Discipleship is what Pastors and church leaders must ALWAYS see as the goal and focus of the churches they lead.

3. Discipleship is a process that must be intentional, life giving and transforming.

4. Discipleship is not a class or book or agreeing to a set of beliefs, but rather a lifelong journey, walking side-by-side with other Christians and allowing the Holy Spirit to change and transform us into who God has truly created us to be.

5. Discipleship happens best in the local church with other committed Christ-followers “doing life” together.

Many of these thoughts flow from evaluating how well we are making disciples at VALLEY Christian Church. We’re discovering simple and practical ways to become more effective in our transformational discipleship journey together. I can’t wait to share what we’re learning with the whole VALLEY Family at the end of this summer.

Oh, did I mention, discipleship is EXCITING!