Abstract
It is reported that churches are in rapid decline and in poor health. In addition, there is high pastor turnover. Many see a lack of leadership as a major contributing factor. This paper argues that an intentional refocusing of discipleship, grounded on the doctrine of the imago Dei can lead a church to recover the mission Christ gave his church. To that end, this paper argues that a five-fold process is needed in leading the church to recover its mission of making disciples. Leaders must help believers be intentional about spiritual growth, lead them to commit to the vision Christ gave his church, surrender to God’s will, be an active part of the mission, and in turn invest in others and help them grow as disciples.
The Problem
Today many churches are struggling to grow. According to Rainer (2019) 70% of churches are declining or plateauing, while only 30% are growing by reaching new people. The same study found that only 7% of churches are reproducing via church plants. Elsewhere Rainer (2014) states plainly that, “many of our congregations, plain and simple, are not in good health.” In addition to experiencing decline, many are experiencing Continue reading
In the book of Ecclesiastics Solomon writes that God “…has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Ecc. 3:11). I believe the eternity he speaks of refers to the place that God is meant to fill in our lives. Notice, eternity is placed in the heart. Just like each cell has a nucleus with a DNA molecule, so each heart has 
The greatest force that exists in the universe is not the strong nuclear force (the force that holds atoms together), but the love that binds two hearts together. The term “lovesick” has been used to describe people desperately in love but who are prevented from being together. It is well expressed by Juliet longing for her lover Romeo, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? By any other word would smell as sweet. Parting is such 
It is an unfortunate reality that evil exists in the world. It is an even more unfortunate reality that much of the evil found in the world is found in the human heart. When we are confronted with the gospel, we are confronted with our own sin. It is often the case, however, that while we recognize 
We live in a very permissive society. Sexual immorality has swept across the land. The porn industry is a multi-billion dollar a year business. That’s billion with a B. Both men and women have been swept up into the spirit of the age concerning sexuality. Unfortunately, very few have not felt its effects. In such an environment, 