What Is Discipleship?

Discipleship is the state of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

So, what then is a disciple? A disciple is simply a follower or a student of Jesus Christ. When we bring in the depth of New Testament teaching on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, we can expand the definition of a disciple of Jesus to be someone who is 1) following Jesus, 2) being changed by Jesus, and is 3) committed to the mission of Jesus (Matthew 4:19).[1]

Back to defining “discipleship.” Although it simply means the state of being a disciple of Jesus, can we find a fuller definition based in what the Bible teaches?

Defining Discipleship by Looking at Jesus

That’s a good question, but it leads us to confront an in-house debate in a lot of our churches. Many people think of discipleship as the process of teaching doctrine or Scripture. Discipleship is basically synonymous with Bible education, they say. That might sound right, but using the term discipleship to refer to Bible education isn’t a usage that arises out of Scripture.

Even more importantly, the word discipleship is not found in the Bible. Instead of teaching us to practice discipleship, as we will see, Jesus commanded us to make disciples. Jesus showed, by the way he made disciples, that making disciples was a relational and intentional process. For Jesus, it began with an invitation for two men to literally “come and see” (John 1:39) and it then led those who believed in him to surrender themselves to him in faithful devotion (John 14:23-24).

So, when Jesus gave his disciples the command to make disciples, they knew what it meant from his example. It was a relational and intentional process of 1) discipling people to salvation typified by baptism and 2) discipling the baptized (those saved) into full obedience to all of his commandments.

What is discipleship? “When Jesus gave his disciples the command to make disciples, they knew what it meant from his example.”

Here are Jesus’ exact words from Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV):

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The following diagram helps us see these core implications of the Great Commission.[2]

So, What Is Disciple Making?

If the New Testament emphasis is on disciple making (and not discipleship), what is a biblical definition of making disciples? Again, our question leads us back to what Jesus did when he made disciples. Jesus invited Andrew and Peter to come and see where he was staying and learn about him (John 1:39-42), it then involved Jesus’ call to a select group to come and follow him (Matthew 4:19), and it ended with his commission for those disciples to do for others what he had done for them, as they made disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

In short, making disciples is to do for others what Jesus did. Like Jesus, we enter into relationships to intentionally help people follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus. Again, a true disciple lives out a commitment to all three aspects of what it means to be a disciple.

The Importance of Intentionality

Although in disciple making we are joining into what the Holy Spirit is already doing, I want to suggest that intentionality is the most important human factor in disciple making. The root meaning of the English word (intentionality) goes back to the Latin, intentio, meaning “directed at,” which grounds the meaning of the word in being purposive. Disciple makers are aware of where other people need to head, and they have a plan to help them get there. This need for intentionality is often at odds with a common idea among some Christians that “Only God can guide someone,” and that, “Our only job is to pray and trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance in another person’s life.” Are we supposed to pray and trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance? Of course! Both are absolutely crucial in the disciple-making process. But it is unbiblical for us to get passive about the intentional role God calls us to play as disciple makers.

“It is unbiblical for us to get passive about the intentional role God calls us to play as disciple makers.”

If you want to be a disciple maker, you’ll need to know what a disciple is and how to make one. A disciple maker is guided by intentionality and planning. He or she helps enter into the life of another person and shows them how to be a disciple. In reality there are three parts in disciple making: my part (the disciple maker), God’s part (by his Spirit), and the disciple’s part (the person who is willing to be discipled). If I do not have a strategy or a basic sense of direction, it’s going to be very hard to make disciples. If I fail to have a plan, it deviates from what Jesus tells us. I won’t make disciples.

More Definitions for Clarity

Words matter, especially how we define them. Getting clear on what we mean by “discipleship,” “disciple,” and “disciple making” is important for churches and ministries today. Here is a guide to the definitions we use and recommend to churches at RENEW.org

1. Disciple – someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and is committed to the mission of Jesus (Matthew 4:19).
2. Disciple making – entering into relationships to intentionally help people follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).
3. Disciple maker – a disciple of Jesus who enters into relationships with people to intentionally help them follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus.
4. A Disciple Making Culture – the beliefs, habits, and narrative of a church, constantly repeated with congruence and intentionality, that make it clear to almost everyone, all the time, including newcomers, that disciple making is what everyone does in this church.
5. Disciple Making Movement (DMM) – A Disciple Making Movement is a rapid and exponential increase in disciples who make disciples that leads to planting multiple churches, and these churches also multiply disciples, groups, and churches of obedience-based disciples. There is rapid expansion to at least 4 generations of churches produced in 6 streams of disciple-making activity, and these streams multiply consistently into disciple-making churches (100 churches or more within 2 to 5 years).
6. Discipleship – simply the state of being a disciple. This word (like the word evangelism) is not in the Bible, whereas both do show up in the Bible as actions (disciple making, preaching the gospel). Unfortunately, in the North American church, discipleship is typically seen as merely an educational process designed to orient new believers to the biblical and everyday practices of our churches. Because of this confusion, we want to provide clarity and thus often encourage the term “disciple making.”

[1] See the book I wrote with Jim Putman on this topic: DiscipleShift: Five Shifts to Help Your Church Make Disciples Who Make Disciples.

[2] In North America we often use the word “evangelism” to talk about discipling lost people to salvation, and that is not a problem (although it is true that the word “evangelism” is actually not in the Bible). Yes, the related expression, “preach the gospel,” is found, so we do not want to overstate the case or minimize evangelism’s importance (Acts 8:25; 8:40, etc.). Although God can certainly use gospel proclamation alone to bring lost people to him (see Acts 2), God also often uses the role of relational disciple making (discipling lost people to salvation) in evangelizing people. I believe it is best to situate evangelism within the context of the Great Commission, as we disciple lost people to salvation (evangelizing them) and then disciple saved people to maturity.