The task before us is clear. “Go . . . and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19).1 “Go . . . preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
If we are to be faithful to these commands, we must think not only about reaching everyone, but involving everyone. This is the focus of the General Conference initiative Global Total Member Involvement (Global TMI).
THE TRUE MEASURE OF SUCCESS
Global TMI measures success differently than many evangelistic initiatives of the past. Success isn’t based on the number of new baptisms added to the church books, but on the number of church members engaged in personal effort for the salvation of others. “The real character of the church is measured, not by the high profession she makes, not by the names enrolled upon the church book, but by what she is actually doing for the Master, by the number of her persevering, faithful workers.”2
In fact, if those we baptize from our evangelistic efforts do not multiply their influence by sharing the truth with others, the church falls short of its intended goal. “When we are successful in the work of soulsaving, those who are added to the faith will, in turn, use their ability in giving the truth to others.”3
This principle is the heart of Total Member Involvement. It focuses not only on adding to the harvest, but on multiplying laborers. “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matt 9:37).
WHOSE JOB IS IT TO MAKE DISCIPLES?
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, was He speaking only to His original disciples? Only to those with special teaching and preaching abilities? “The Saviour’s commission to the disciples included all the believers. . . . Whatever one’s calling in life, his first interest should be to win souls for Christ. He may not be able to speak to congregations, but he can work for individuals.”4
Notice that while we are not all called to “speak to congregations,” everyone “can work for individuals.” The most important work of the church is not large programs and events, but the individual soulwinning efforts of its members. “Your work may accomplish more real good than the more extensive meetings, if they lack in personal effort. When both are combined, with the blessing of God, a more perfect and thorough work may be wrought; but if we can have but one part done, let it be the individual labor of opening the Scriptures in households.”5
This “individual labor of opening the Scriptures in households” is the most important kind of preaching that can be done. The Bible’s command to preach was never meant only for pastors or those with special gifts and abilities. The members of the early church, scattered by persecution, “went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). They shared their love for Jesus and Bible truth naturally, in personal settings, and the church grew.
CHRIST’S METHOD OF MAKING DISCIPLES
Christ Himself emphasized personal labor as the primary way to win the hearts of men and women. “The Lord desires that His word of grace shall be brought home to every soul. To a great degree this must be accomplished by personal labor. This was Christ’s method.”6
Leading individuals to become disciples of Jesus takes love, tact, and patience. It is not unlike the tender care needed to help a plant to grow and bear fruit. Perhaps this is why both Jesus and Paul likened the work of making disciples to the agricultural growth cycle (see Matt 9:37–38; Luke 8:11; 10:2; 1 Cor 3:6; 2 Cor 9:6). Using this biblical analogy, the process of making a disciple can be explained in five phases:
Prepare the Soil of the Heart
First, we mingle with people, sympathize with them, and minister to their needs. Kindness, compassion, and fellowship can open hearts to learning about God and the Bible.
Plant Seeds of Truth
Sharing truth-filled literature and media, as well as invitations to church services, events, and Bible studies, develops and finds people interested in Bible truth.
Cultivate Spiritual Interest
Going through a full-message series of Bible studies, led by you or someone else, can lead a person with spiritual interest into a fuller knowledge of Jesus, salvation, and present truth.
Harvest Decisions for Christ
Encouraging Bible students to make decisions to follow Christ and Bible truth, including baptism, can lead them to become members of God’s remnant church.
Preserve the Harvest
Nurturing spiritual habits in those who are newly baptized, integrating them into the life and mission of the church, and training them to win souls can help them to become and remain active disciples.
Church members are to “carry the burden that the Lord has laid upon them—the burden of leading souls into the truth.”7 In other words, we are to lead individuals through the successive phases of spiritual growth by preparing the soil of the heart, planting seeds of truth, cultivating spiritual interest, harvesting decisions for Christ, and preserving the harvest with ongoing nurture and training.
Pastors and elders can equip and assist church members in this work of making disciples. When developing evangelistic plans, they should ensure that their churches establish active and ongoing ministries in every phase:
- Health and friendship-building ministries (prepare)
- Literature, media, and invitation ministries (plant)
- Bible study ministry (cultivate)
- Evangelistic meetings (harvest)
- New member discipleship ministry (preserve)
SEEK AND SAVE
The ministry of Christ can be summarized in the statement, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). We too are called to “to seek and to save the lost.”8
Making disciples begins with seeking, which involves developing or finding spiritual openness in people. We do this when we prepare the soil of the heart with kindness and compassion, and when we plant seeds of truth by sharing literature, media, and invitations to church services, evangelistic events, and Bible studies. These efforts require us to take the initiative, but we are encouraged to sow bountifully if we want to “reap bountifully” (2 Cor 9:6).
Whereas the activities in the first two phases of disciple-making are to be scattered widely to many people, the last three (cultivate, harvest, and preserve) involve going deeper with the relative few who are open to studying God’s Word. Consider Jesus, who scattered His kindness and truth-filled messages to the multitude, but reserved much of His labors for only a small number of willing disciples. “He had many hearers, but few followers.”9
THE BLESSING OF TOTAL MEMBER INVOLVEMENT
Involvement in the Great Commission brings blessings to every church and every member. God could have used angels to fulfill the mission if all He wanted was to reach everyone. Instead, He uses us, because through our efforts we grow stronger and become more developed in spirituality and devotion. By sharing Bible truth, we understand it more clearly.
“God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ’s, we must share in His work. In order to enter into His joy—the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice—we must participate in His labors for their redemption.”10
A DISCIPLE-MAKING GOAL FOR EVERY MEMBER
A worthwhile aim for every church member is to lead at least one person from friend (prepare) to spiritual interest (plant), to Bible study (cultivate), to baptism (harvest), and ultimately to becoming an active disciple (preserve). If some members don’t yet feel comfortable giving Bible studies themselves, they can still “lead souls into the truth” by supporting them as they go to a study or evangelistic meeting led by others.
Every member can be involved in disciple-making. Each one can play a role in seeking spiritually open people (prepare and plant), and in leading them into Bible truth and a saving relationship with Christ (cultivate, harvest, and preserve).
The good news is that when we accept the call to “make disciples” (Matt 28:19), we can also claim the promise of Jesus, “I am with you always” (Matt 28:20).
1 All biblical quotations are from the NKJV.
2 Ellen G. White, Christian Service (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1925), 12.
3 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1909), 9:86.
4 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1898), 822, emphasis supplied.
5 White, Christian Service, 121, emphasis supplied.
6 Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1900), 229, emphasis supplied.
7 White, Christian Service, 69.
8 Ellen G. White, Our High Calling (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1961), 301.
9 Ellen G. White, Maranatha (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1976), 24.
10 White, The Desire of Ages, 142.
James Howard is the director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
