Practices of Disciple Making Churches: Convictional Leadership

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/convictional-leadership/  This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ Church leaders have come to the same realization—your congregation is only as passionate about making disciples as you are. It’s a sobering thought. A clarifying one. And for many leaders, a moment that reshapes everything. Because here’s the reality: your church will never rise above your own personal commitment to making disciples. Sit with that for a moment. Read it again before moving on. Let it settle into the places where excuses tend to grow. If personally and relationally making disciples who make disciples isn’t showing up in your calendar, shaping your conversations, or directing your decisions, then it’s not truly a conviction. It’s merely a belief you mentally affirm, a line you agree with but don’t build around. And beliefs, however true, don’t transform churches. Convictions do. Somewhere along the way, many churches have drifted. We’ve learned to celebrate attendance more than obedience. We’ve prioritized relevance over reverence. We’ve built ministries that dazzle the eye but rarely multiply the heart. Some have substituted Jesus’ mission for their own ambitions. And all the while, the command Jesus gave us—to make disciples who make disciples—slides quietly out of view. The issue isn’t that churches don’t want to make disciples. The church doesn’t have a disciple making problem. The issue is: the church has a leadership conviction problem. Church leaders have come to the same realization—your congregation is only as passionate about making disciples as you are. It’s a sobering thought. A clarifying one. And for many leaders, a moment that reshapes everything. Because here’s the reality: your church will never rise above your own personal commitment to making disciples. Sit with that for a moment. Read it again before moving on. Let it settle into the places where excuses tend to grow. If personally and relationally making disciples who make disciples isn’t showing up in your calendar, shaping your conversations, or directing your decisions, then it’s not truly a conviction. It’s merely a belief you mentally affirm, a line you agree with but don’t build around. And beliefs, however true, don’t transform churches. Convictions do. Somewhere along the way, many churches have drifted. We’ve learned to celebrate attendance more than obedience. We’ve prioritized relevance over reverence. We’ve built ministries that dazzle the eye but rarely multiply the heart. Some have substituted Jesus’ mission for their own ambitions. And all the while, the command Jesus gave us—to make disciples who make disciples—slides quietly out of view. The issue isn’t that churches don’t want to make disciples. The church doesn’t have a disciple making problem. The issue is: the church has a leadership conviction problem. Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ Get the RENEW.org App -- https://renew-app-page.bolt.host/  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW