Just Make Disciples

by Rev. Brian Burdett

What’s the most essential task of a pastor? If you ask a dozen people, you’ll probably get two dozen answers. Each will represent an important element of pastoral ministry. Nonetheless, I believe THE essential task is described beginning in Ephesians 4:11, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” 

We do ministry, but our most essential task is to help every church member do the ministry work for which they’re uniquely gifted and called (see Ephesians 2:10). This brings us back to the central imperative of the Great Commission: “Make Disciples.” How? By going, baptizing, and teaching complete obedience to Jesus Christ. 

I’ve become convinced that the answer to what ails churches today is to make true disciples of Jesus Christ. Disciples who love Jesus, follow Jesus, obey Jesus, think like Jesus, speak like Jesus, and act like Jesus. Does your church need more (or better) leaders? Make disciples! More volunteers? Make disciples! More unity? Make disciples! More Christ-like public discourse and conduct? Make disciples! 

For this reason, I’ve devoted much of my energy in recent years to developing discipleship pathways for our mid-sized, suburban, neighborhood church. It began with a simple model of self-directed discipleship called “Five to Thrive.” Five to Thrive emphasizes transformative biblical practices used by growing Christians for 2000 years (worship, practicing personal spiritual habits, growing in community, serving God, and sharing Christ). We emphasize and re-emphasize Five to Thrive repeatedly so that everyone in our church knows how to grow. 

However, there are always people hungry to grow deeper and faster. How do we help them? The answer to that question has become the greatest joy and blessing of my pastoral ministry. As I wrestled with how to form radically transformed disciples while identifying and equipping new leaders, pastors, church planters, and missionaries, I sensed God leading me toward something intense, rigorous, and life changing. I became convinced that rather than asking less of church members, that many were hungry to, “…deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). They just needed to know how. 

With the prayers and assistance of key church leaders, this idea became what we call the “Vine & Branches.” Based on John 15:1-11, the Vine & Branches (V&B) is an intensive, 50-week discipleship small group designed to radically reshape members’ lives in obedience to Jesus while helping them discover God’s call on their life and giving them the tools to answer that call. Each annual group (the third just started their journey) begins with a retreat at NorthStar’s Mission Center over Labor Day weekend. We then meet for 3 hours(!) every week to discuss the Bible (they read through the New Testament twice), pray and worship together, and go over studies in the areas of spiritual formation, hermeneutics, evangelism, missions, systematic theology, and ethics. V&B includes an application process, a commitment to hard work, a covenanting together to live, love, and grow in fellowship, and two additional weekend retreats. 

If this sounds unimaginable, I assure you I had some doubts before the first cohort began. I kept asking three key questions: 1) Would anyone sign up? 2) Would they actually keep the commitments? and 3) Would this change their lives? Within six months, it was very clear the answers were YES, YES, and a resounding YES! 

We’ve now completed two groups with a total of thirteen graduates. If that doesn’t sound like very many, I assure you that a steadily growing population of radically transformed and committed followers of Jesus will have a breathtaking impact on your church and the world around us. Our church members recognize how the participants have been changed. Three have sensed God’s call into ministry, gone through additional training, and been ordained. Three have planted a small church with two more church plants being contemplated for 2024. One is on a path toward cross-cultural missions. New ministries have been launched inside and outside our church. Arguably more important, these disciples are all committed to make disciples. Lives have been and are being transformed. 

V&B is an intense commitment for both the members and for me as the leader. Our weekly meetings are the fastest three hours of the week (seriously!) as we discuss anything and everything from their weekly Bible readings while introducing the foundational elements of a comprehensive, theological education that prepares them to be lifelong leaders and learners.   

At the same time, there’s no greater joy for me than seeing how dramatically the members grow in 50 weeks. They grow in their understanding and love for Jesus. They grow spiritually. They grow as students, interpreters, and teachers of the Bible. They grow in understanding what they believe and how to share their faith with others. They grow in understanding God’s purpose for their lives. It’s indescribably beautiful.  

I’m convinced that there’s nothing I do that will have greater impact for God’s Kingdom than faithfully leading the Vine & Branches year after year. It is an essential part of my “long obedience in the same direction.” Long after I cease to be the pastor of a particular church, I pray I’ll be leading V&B groups in whatever church I’m a part of because there’s no greater, higher, more impactful, or more rewarding call than to “make disciples” of Jesus Christ who love Him deeply and have been transformed by Him dramatically. 

If you’re a pastor or leader in your church who’d like to pray about doing this, I’d love to talk to you. I’m neither a professor nor a theologian and you don’t need to be one, either.  I’m a second-career pastor who loves Jesus, loves the Bible, and loves to see others transformed into the likeness of their Savior.

Rev. Brian Burdett is the Senior Pastor of Lake Ridge Baptist Church in Woodbridge, VA. Brian is a former Board Member of NorthStar Church Network and a great supporter of the NorthStar Mission Center.