There are two ways to bring people into discipleship.

The first way is what I call “forced discipleship.”  That is when a person attends worship, and the Church actively works to grow them whether they have specifically asked for it or not. If you show up on Sunday, a person or group contacts you to take your next steps of faith and tries to push you toward growth.

I have labeled the other type as “invited discipleship.”  That is when someone attends worship, and the people of the Church wait for them to take the first steps toward growth, and then they help them on this journey. So, someone might attend for several months, and when they take the membership class, attend a small group, or get involved in ministry, the Church attempts to begin discipleship. 

This is an important distinction to make for those who attend a Church. Everyone needs to know whether they are to be passive or active in getting this process started. Someone might become thoroughly disappointed if they start attending and no one comes knocking on their door. At the same time, others are happy that no one is knocking until they are ready. At the Church I lead, I do not begin the discipleship process until that person shows signs of wanting to become spiritually mature. It makes for a more effective use of my time along with theirs.

While both areas can work effectively, everyone needs to be clear on how this process works so everyone is on the same page.