What Does a Disciple Look Like?

Our stated mission at New Season Church is to make and empower radical followers of Jesus. I think when we take a look around at other church’s mission statements they all say something very similar. They all have something to do with reaching out and then helping people to grow in their faith once they become followers of Jesus and are connected to the church. It makes sense that most churches would have similar mission statements because they all revolve around some of Jesus’ final words that we have come to call the Great Commission: “Go! Therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded. And, lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” -- Matthew 28:18-20

What does a radical follower of Jesus look like though? If New Season Church says that part of its mission is to make and empower radical followers of Jesus what do those people look like? What kinds of things do they do or not do? What are their inward and outward characteristics?

It is important to begin to define what a radical follower of Jesus looks like. If we do not define what such growth looks like how can we help people grow towards being one? How do we know what things to do or not do and how to create an environment where people can grow to be radical followers of Jesus Christ? How can we move from just “hoping” that people get it to having a systematic way for people to grow to become more like Christ?

And then, beyond naming traits and characteristics the question is how do we measure those things? How do we determine how a person is doing and thus how we are doing as a church in “making disciples” as the Great Commission suggests?