Jesus told us to make disciples, not decisions. I have nothing against preaching for a salvation decision. In fact, I think it’s vital to the long-term health and growth of the Church. However, decision making can never replace disciple making.

Jesus was clear in the Great Commission that we are to go and make disciples. If we don’t help those who respond to our altar calls learn to follow Jesus, we’re not truly fulfilling the Great Commission.

The good news is you don’t have to choose between the two. Even within the context and content of your sermon, you have an opportunity to make disciples. Here are four ways to rethink your sermon and shift from an evangelistic model of preaching to one that includes disciple making:

1. Bible Engagement

Evangelistic preaching often involves reading a Scripture passage, explaining what it means, illustrating the point in an attractive way, providing spiritual application, and asking people to respond to an altar call. There’s nothing wrong with this.

However, just reading a biblical text is not enough. In today’s world, many people are not engaging with the Bible on their own — including Christians. Discipleship seeks to change that. Your sermon should go beyond introducing the text and provide practical instruction for interacting with it.

Don’t just tell people what the Bible says; show them how to discover God’s truth for themselves. Use your message to promote Bible engagement. First, start with context. In a few sentences, provide the historical and cultural background of the text.

Then, show people, line by line, how you came up with the main point or idea from the text. This may involve reading it from different translations or finding the same or similar language in other parts of the Bible. The more you can explain how you arrived at your conclusions, the more comfortable congregants will be studying the Bible on their own.

Focus on making readers, not just hearers. It’s great that people love hearing you talk about the Bible each weekend. But do they share the same passion throughout the week? True disciples will, so help them see how simple it is to read God’s Word for themselves.

2. Community

Discipleship never happens in a vacuum. God calls us to learn and grow in community — and then teach others. That’s what real discipleship looks like.

Don’t just tell people what the Bible says; show them how to discover God’s truth
for themselves.

But how can a sermon reinforce this concept? First, provide questions or topics people can discuss later during in-person or virtual small group gatherings.

Mention small groups during your sermon. For example, you could say, “In your small groups this week, pay careful attention to this idea.”

Get used to talking about small groups, and your congregants will get used to the idea of being in a small group.

You might even demonstrate the kind of discussions you want them to have. After a main point, have someone come on stage to talk about it with you. This could be another staff pastor, a trusted volunteer, or your spouse. Engage in a brief dialogue, or share a story together to reinforce the idea.

3. Call to Action

Within the Great Commission, Jesus says we are to teach others to obey His commands (Matthew 28:19–20). That means we pass along obedience. We give Christ followers a way to respond to Jesus’ teaching.

A compelling sermon with no call to action leaves people wondering what they are supposed to do with it.

Preaching a sermon focusing only on a salvation response leaves out those who have already accepted Christ. Once people make a decision, what else are they to do? Discipleship is about continually challenging Christians to become more like Jesus.

When you are crafting your message, consider what the youngest or newest Christians in the room, as well as the most mature ones, are supposed to do with it. Make sure everyone has something to do.

4. Urgency

When preaching for a decision, there is a natural sense of urgency. However, when it comes to discipleship, people may not feel compelled to act right away. One way to change this is to emphasize serving and giving — two things people can do every time you meet.

You can also provide a Monday morning challenge. Give them some tangible way to put your sermon into action at work, home, or school. The sooner they can start living it out, the better.

We all want to pursue the Great Commission. But it’s easy to become so narrowly focused on getting people to make a salvation decision that we forget to make disciples. The reality is the two go hand-in-hand.

Make discipleship a priority alongside evangelism, and your congregation will grow not only numerically, but also spiritually.