The Mission: Make Disciples, Not Church Attenders

The Mission Was to Make Disciples Not Church Attenders

The Apostle Paul writes a letter to Timothy, who is leading the church in Ephesus. As an elder stepping into a more prominent role, Timothy faces challenges in shepherding the flock. Paul’s encouragement to him in this passage is clear: persevere in the mission Christ has given you.

To help Timothy remain focused, Paul uses three analogies that are meant to inspire, encourage, and refocus him on his ultimate calling to lead the church in Ephesus which is making disciples.

Paul begins with a foundational charge:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

In these verses, Paul is essentially describing the heart of discipleship. Though Paul doesn’t use the word explicitly, he is calling Timothy to a life of disciple-making. A disciple, after all, is a learner. In the context of Jesus, it means learning from Him, watching how He lives, listening to His teachings, and striving to obey them. The first disciples followed Jesus closely, learning from His life and teachings. They did more than listen—they aimed to be like Him in every area of life. Discipleship is a lifelong process of learning to be like Jesus, obeying Him, and pleasing Him in everything.

Jesus commanded us to not only be His disciples but also to make disciples. Paul reminds Timothy that the mission he is called to—establishing a strong church in Ephesus—is to make disciple-making disciples. This is the core mission that Paul entrusts to Timothy, and in turn, Timothy is to pass it on to others.

1. The Soldier:

“No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:4)

The message is clear: a soldier’s primary focus is the mission. Once a soldier receives orders, he dedicates himself to completing the task without distraction. This is not just about removing secular distractions—it's about staying focused on the mission at hand. While the broader principle is true—Christians are called to live in the world without being consumed by it—the context here is specific to Timothy’s calling as a pastor. The mission given to him is the same mission Jesus entrusted to the disciples: go into all the world, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey all that Jesus has commanded.

In the modern church, however, we’ve often drifted from this mission. Too many churches focus on building attendance rather than making disciples. Instead of a movement of believers actively sharing the gospel and multiplying disciples, we’ve turned church life into an experience centered around performance—attendance, songs, preaching, and offerings. The focus has shifted from making disciples to attracting people. As a result, many churchgoers are spiritually empty, struggling with sin, and feeling disconnected from their true purpose. Paul’s words to Timothy remind us to stay focused on the mission: making disciples who make disciples.

2. The Athlete:

“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” (2 Timothy 2:5)

Paul reminds Timothy that the mission has clear, non-negotiable objectives. The goal is to take the gospel into all the world, make disciples, and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These are the "rules of the game." Let me illustrate this with an analogy from American football. In football, the objective is simple: the team with the most points at the end of the game wins. To score points, a team must focus on touchdowns, field goals, extra points, and safeties.

Now, imagine if a player or team got distracted from this goal. Suppose a linebacker becomes obsessed with tackling people. He might make an impressive tackle, and the crowd goes wild. The rest of the team, caught up in the excitement, starts focusing on tackling too. They become so obsessed with it that they even start tackling their own teammates, causing penalties and setbacks. Imagine if tackling, which is just one part of the game, became the entire mission. One team might have 1,000 tackles, but the other team scores only 3 points. Who wins? The team with 3 points, because that’s the actual goal of the game.

Now, let’s apply this to the church. The American church, over time, has often become distracted by church attendance. While gathering together as the church is important, it was never the mission. The mission was always to preach the gospel and make disciples. It’s like the team obsessed with tackling while neglecting the real goal of scoring points. Churches may have large attendance numbers—hundreds, even thousands of people showing up each week—but how many of those people are truly disciples? How many are equipped to go and make disciples themselves?

Paul is teaching Timothy (and us) that the "rules of the game" are clear: preach the gospel and make disciples who make disciples. The focus should never be on growing the church’s attendance at all costs, at the expense of fulfilling the mission. We must stay focused on the true mission, remembering that we are called to build disciples, not just numbers.

Because, at the end of the day, we could “compete” our whole lives, collect a thousand earthly trophies, and still stand before Christ and hear Him ask, “Why didn’t you make any disciples?”

3. The Farmer:

“It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.” (2 Timothy 2:6)

Paul’s third analogy points to the reality that the work of discipleship requires persistent effort. The farmer puts in hard work, knowing that the harvest will come in due time. In the same way, the work of building the church and making disciples is challenging, but it brings the reward of seeing lives transformed.

In contrast to the message that the church has been sending, which says that being a good Christian is all about attending church, listening to sermons, and living a “good” life, the true call of discipleship is different. It’s about being equipped at the gathering, but then going into the world to make disciples, sharing the gospel, and leading others to Jesus.

The church must be filled with disciples who are making disciples—not just attenders who consume spiritual goods. In the current church climate, we’ve seen too many churches filled with people who are merely “attending” and not living as active, engaged disciples.

We need to recognize the error in our ways, repent, humble ourselves before God, and turn back to what Christ has called us to—making disciples who make disciples. As we embark on this mission, we have an incredible opportunity to lead a new generation of believers back to the heart of the gospel and the mission Christ entrusted to us.

Let us, as a new church plant, commit ourselves to this purpose: to make disciples who make disciples. This is the mission. This is what Christ has called us to. Let’s not be distracted. Let’s stay focused.