Many of the concepts I’ve been writing about emerge from the natural conversations in my day-to-day life.
The second half of August through the middle of September is our most intense ministry season, as we strive to connect with incoming students on university campuses. Personally, I’ll be driving all over Ontario this week, encouraging our leaders and lending some extra muscle as I’m able.
I was super encouraged when a group of young moms headed to campus, kids in tow, to meet students, share the gospel, and/or let others know our church exists. What compelled them to do so?
In reflecting on this season, one of our older leaders, who works full-time in software sales, said to me:
“I’m so thankful for our church. As I’ve grown older, some of the passion and zeal of my early 20s has faded a bit, but because I’m surrounded by people committed to living missionally, I’m routinely encouraged and prompted to get out there and do the hard work of disciple-making, even when I don’t feel like it. I mean, we’re called to be servants—it’s ok if it doesn’t always feel exciting.”
There are also seasons when our zeal is sky-high, when we’re ready to sacrifice comfort to know Jesus and make him known. But zeal fades. The real question is this: How do we maintain lifelong intentionality in disciple-making and evangelism when it is costly and sacrificial?
A Central Theme
It contravenes social convention that young moms would choose to evangelize to people in a completely different age and stage, or that busy professionals would do the same. Yet, this is precisely where the beauty lies. Our call to evangelism and disciple-making extends beyond convenience into intentionality.
I’ve been concerned with a trend in the wider church to focus solely on reaching people who are naturally around you; for example, workplace evangelism. Should we share the gospel at work, where possible? Of course! But there are practical, ethical, and even legal limitations. More importantly, this approach often misses the point by treating evangelism and disciple-making as something to squeeze into our day-to-day, without structural intentionality.
The call to make disciples isn’t an add-on to our lives; it’s the central theme around which we should organize our lives.
The Real Threat: Drift
My concern goes deeper than where we evangelize. It’s a heart issue: our service of Jesus should flow from a posture of servanthood, not convenience.
The greatest threat to our faith isn’t atheism or even cultural corruption. The thing that takes most people out of a fruitful list is drift.
I’ve discipled thousands of university students over the years, more than I can even remember. The majority who graduate with a vibrant faith continue in some way afterward. But if they aren’t immediately rooted in a church family that empowers and equips them for mission, the vast majority drift towards apathy. What was once red-hot becomes lukewarm and eventually dies out.
Why is that? It’s pretty simple: evangelism and disciple-making are hard work. There are many days, even years, when discouragement sets in, and it feels like we aren’t making any headway. The enemy doesn’t need to destroy our faith; he just needs to distract or demoralize us long enough that we give up a life of serving.
The Only Way Forward
In this, I am convinced: the only way to sustain a lifetime of faithfulness to Jesus is by being surrounded by people who are labouring alongside us.
A community that stays strong in focus through the ebbs and flows of life. This is why I’ve written about the need for churches to have a clear, focused mission—and why everyone in the church must contribute toward that mission.
It’s ok if we feel discouraged. It’s ok if we don’t see fruit. It’s ok if we face setbacks. It’s ok if we don’t feel like opening our home one more time. But if we face all of that in isolation, in a missional silo, we are much more likely to give up. When we surround ourselves with brothers and sisters on the same mission, it becomes far easier to persevere.
Strength in Community
When we are weak, the strength, zeal, and passion of our brothers and sisters can lift us up. Instead of chasing the sensation of passion and zeal, which are often just fleeting feelings, we can learn to serve from a deeper formation: as servants of Jesus, labouring in community with one another.
Amen!