Dr. Joseph Brasher, Executive Director of DLN

I recently took my daughter to her first college visits. I remember saying to my wife, I can’t believe that we are here doing this! I’m sure everyone that has been in this same season of life has said the same thing.

One of the questions that ran through my head along with how much is this going to cost me, was how will this institution help her to look more like Jesus?

I wonder if people are asking the same question about our churches.

It makes me think if the future of discipleship may belong to churches willing to ask not only, “What are we doing?” but also, “Who are we becoming?”

Lifeway’s State of Discipleship research found in a national survey of Protestant pastors, that . . .

• only 52 percent said their church had an intentional plan for discipling individuals and encouraging spiritual growth.
• Only 30 percent said their church had specific methods for measuring discipleship, and only 29 percent said their church regularly evaluates discipleship progress.

I don’t want the listing of these statistics to be something that discourages you. It should wake us up to the reality of what we are calling discipleship in our churches. I feel many of our models of discipleship are built focused on assimilation alone.

 The attitude can be, well let’s just get them in the room and see what happens.

While there are many models that can work in that way. If that is our sole purpose of our groups, we are missing the mark. I want to encourage you to join with me in pursuing the growing trend of shifting from assumptions to assessment.

• Instead of asking whether the calendar is full of discipleship activities, we need to ask what kind of disciple our ministries are forming.
• Instead of evaluating a group only by enrollment, we need to examine biblical engagement, relationships, service, evangelism, obedience, and spiritual practices.

Discipleship cannot be reduced to a number, but spiritual formation should not be left completely undefined.

Healthy churches can combine biblical convictions, observable practices, stories of transformation, and thoughtful measurement without compromising the principles of assimilation and spiritual growth being in balance.

So, take a stroll around your campus, take a journey through your programs and ask this question, WHO are we helping people to become?

It may change your perspective and ministry in a powerful way!

Sources

• Lifeway, “What Are the Eight Signposts of Discipleship?” https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/what-are-the-eight-attributes-of-discipleship (accessed August 31, 2026)
• Lifeway Research, 2025 State of Discipleship: Churchgoer Overview, https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/State-of-Discipleship-Protestant-Churchgoer-Overview-Report.pdf (accessed August 31, 2026).
• Lifeway Research, “Pastors’ Views on Discipleship, Part 2,” survey conducted September 10–30, 2024, pp. 11, 15–16, https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2024-Pastors-Views-on-Discipleship-Report-2.pdf (accessed August 31, 2026).