As Christians, we are not called to live out our faith in isolation. The Bible does not present a sort of Lone Ranger/John Wayne style of Christianity. Unfortunately, many often choose to either attend church sporadically or simply attend the Sunday morning service more regularly. In the Bible, church is so much more than a service on Sunday morning. Rather, it is an interactive fellowship centered around God’s word where Christians come together to “accept one another” (Rom 15:7), be “concern[ed] for each other” (1 Cor 12:25), “carry each other’s burdens” (Gal 6:2), “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other” (Eph 4:32), “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Th 5:11), “spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Heb 10:24), “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other” (James 5:16), “love one another” (1 John 4:11), “be devoted to one another” and “honor one another” (Rom 12:10), etc. Clearly, Christianity includes so much more than attendance at a service. Real discipleship occurs only as we engage in biblically-centered and biblically faithful fellowship with one another.
If we simply see discipleship as mere education (i.e. the training of the brain), then at best Christians will be able to articulate sound doctrine and perhaps even make an adequate defense upon being challenged. Real discipleship, of course, must impart sound doctrine and train believers to think critically upon it so that they can apply their faith to themselves and articulate their faith to others. Real discipleship must go further than knowledge transference and acquisition; it must counter the old self (the old nature, our fallen selves) with the truth of God’s word in a personal and relational way. This is what Jesus models for us throughout the gospels. The disciples constantly wrestled with worldly ideas and fleshly pursuits. Jesus offers them a living witness and speaks personally to their struggles.
Discipleship, therefore, must be personal. Unfortunately, Americans often pursue their faith privately while limiting their Church commitments to no more than an hour or two a week. Such a small commitment often allows little opportunity for strong personal relationship to form. It is easy to get lost in the crowd, to put on “the everything is okay” face, and to reduce church to no more than an opportunity to get the batteries recharged.
When discipleship fails to be established alongside a deepening in true fellowship, churches tend to experience a large back-door (when guest fail to stay) and even implosion especially during leadership turnover. Often, members in these churches are more connected to the pastor, with whom they have basically no real personal relationship, than they are other members.
Effective discipleship ministries can encourage members to establish deeper relationships with other members. If designed correctly, curriculum can facilitate a more interactive environment that can encourage members to open up and get real about their struggles. This assumes that proper teacher training is in place.
By interacting with one another in a study with the Bible at the center, members can be led to think about the passage, its applications in general, and its applications to them in specific. By thinking though the Bible instead of merely listening, the biblical teachings will be allowed to take stronger root and members will find themselves more able to articulate and even defend sound theology. This deepening ability combined with the strength of being in fellowship with other believers will greatly enable believers to counter the many doubts that contemporary culture will bring upon them. Moreover, it will help them learn to defend their faith in the midst of all manner of objections.