Jeff Vanderstelt has 6 questions to help determine whether you have a disciple-making culture. They’re very helpful.

1. Are the few doing the ministry for the many? Or are the few equipping the many for the ministry?
2. Do we spend the majority of our time equipping, training and developing leaders?
3. Is it apparent that every member is to be a full-time minister in your church? Do new believers get called and sent into the mission upon conversion?
4. Do you celebrate those who leave to start new works?
5. Is there shared leadership within the local body?
6. Do you intentionally create vacuums for other leaders to fill?

I personally find I frequently get stuck on number 6. As I fail to delegate a negative spiral is created through the other issues. It becomes the few doing the ministry, my time gets clogged doing rather than equipping, ministry gets specialised, new works become rare not regular, leadership becomes narrow not broad.

Every time this happens I can find an example where I have failed to create space for others to lead. Which question do you find most challenging?

Photo by Scott Beale