During a recent Assemblies of God General Council, I asked an associate pastor from a large church how his discipleship plans were going. He smiled broadly and said, “We have nearly 70 percent of our adults in small groups!”

I rejoiced with him, finished the conversation and walked away … a little perplexed, even sad.

In another meeting of church leaders last year, I asked my peers around the table the same question. They all expressed frustration with how busy people’s lives are and how regular church attendance increasingly means showing up twice a month.

How do we make disciples well? It is the primary command of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus’ “greatest commandment” in Matthew 22:37-40 tells us what is important to the Lord: for people to love God and to love their neighbor as themselves.

Paul and Peter each offer lists that describe mature believers — the fruit and virtues of maturing saints (Galatians 5:22-23 and 2 Peter 1:1-10, respectively).

For more than 25 years, I have been asking two questions as a pastor. The first is, “What does a healthy disciple look like?” The second is, “What are the methods that help disciples make progress?”

I have seen successful Sunday Schools, thriving small groups and effective mentoring. The answer is not a specific program, but a deep commitment to a vision and a process empowered by the Spirit. Two biblical principles must guide our discipleship approach.

First, the life of Jesus is for the whole person — our Sunday morning worship as well as our Monday work, family relationships, friendships, cultural interaction and missionary passion. Jesus is Lord of all. Discipleship isn’t just a church activity. Rather, the Church integrates it into every aspect of life.

Second, instead of thinking about programs, we must look for biblical and practical outcomes. Hebrews 13:7-8 is helpful here: “Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today and forever.”

It is all about Christ in us.

Five Dimensions of Our Lives in Christ

Beginning with the “greatest commandment” passage in Matthew 22:37-40, we see three dimensions of discipleship.

Dimension 1 (and the foundation for all the rest) is spiritual formation. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

This expression of love includes a relationship with God and transformed motives and actions — in light of God’s grace, His compassion for us and His work on our behalf. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

In this dimension, we see the basic spiritual disciplines — enjoying God, church participation and good theology — as the foundation.

Dimension 2 (which is inseparable from dimension 1) includes healthy relationships. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” According 1 John 2:3-4, the proof that we love God is our love for others. Outcomes here include forgiveness, sexual purity, friendships, good boundaries and much more.

Dimension 3 is personal wholeness. Loving your neighbor as yourself implies that you care for your personal well-being. For most healthy people, that’s a given. But in our broken world, emotional and psychological challenges abound. The Lord offers emotional maturity and inner tranquility (Philippians 4:4-9).

Discipleship isn’t just a church activity.

Peter Scazzero’s works on emotionally healthy spirituality and churches are excellent resources. Spiritual gifts can come to any believer at any time; maturity is a long process (1 Corinthians 1-11).

So far, we are on familiar ground. There are two more dimensions arising from other Scriptures that require our attention.

Dimension 4 is vocational clarity. Maturing disciples are learning about their callings and gifts. God calls us to do “good works” (Ephesians 2:10), and He distributes gifts according to His will (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-14). Here we help people understand that they are always more than their current jobs — their work is God’s placement.

Dimension 5 involves economics and work. All of these dimensions are integrated as God’s people wake up and work each day. Work is a meaningful and healthy activity, whether paid or unpaid. Outcomes here include managing resources, caring for the marginalized, and seeking the common good.

Imagine all our members knowing how to ponder God’s Word and pray as they raise children, study and work.

Now it’s time to get practical. Here are some things to consider as you guide people in your church through the dimensions of discipleship.

Are all the leaders on board with discipleship as a way of life? Are leaders and members open to forming friendships and at least engaging in informal discipling of others?

Look at your mission, vision and purpose statements. Can you connect biblical and practical outcomes with the words and images that define you as a church?

Using the Assemblies of God mission statement, can you place outcomes next to evangelize, worship, disciple and show compassion? The dimensions of discipleship coalesce wonderfully with this.

Commit to discipleship outcomes, and connect resources with people. Sermons, Bible studies, classes, small groups, a library or book table, a good website, and internal knowledge of the gifts and skills of congregants help with moving forward.

For example, you may have a once-a-year marriage focus. In between, be sure resources and contact people are available as needs arise.

Evaluate your progress and adjust as needed. One helpful resource is the Discipleship Dynamics assessment — a tool created by AG leaders to provide a snapshot of the five dimensions and 35 outcomes. Users receive a confidential report. If a leader creates a group, he or she receives a pastoral dashboard of the overall group. (This is a great follow-through step after the Acts 2 Journey.)

There are other ways to get feedback as well. The key is a culture of continual improvement.

The awakening we are praying for will not be in one location or involve just one leader. It will come when millions of church members determine to follow Christ in every area of life, affirming Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Let’s make healthy disciples!