✌🏼The Harvest Is Ready, But The Budget Is Spent
Why the Modern Church Funds Comfort Instead of the Great Commission
One of the most rewarding times of my life I had more than a dozen disciple-making meetings each week, plus a couple of house churches, Sunday morning church, and early morning prayer meetings. Time-wise that’s more than a full time job–not even counting the study and prep time.
If I were to win the lottery, that’s what I would be doing. As I pray for provision, that’s the ultimate goal. Full time disciple-maker. This time of sabbatical has helped me realize that most of what we call pastoring takes me away from that. Most jobs I’m qualified for take me away from that too.
It’s hard for me to admit that I’m more of a missionary than an entrepreneur. The work of disciple-making isn’t even a viable vocation in much of what we call church today. Should it be?
The statistics reveal an alarming dichotomy that few even notice. Jesus didn’t build buildings, raise massive funds or hire administrative staff. He came to seek and save the lost and train them to become disciple-makers. However, the statistics prove that the Great Commission of Matthew 28 has, in our time, become the great omission.
Average church size in America is now less than 80 people. Although we’ve seen a recent plateau, attendance has been declining for decades. Are we making disciples? Is that the focus?
Baptism statistics are the best "make disciples" metric we can measure, but even those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Every pastor knows that only a small percentage of those baptized follow through. And many go through cycles where they will get baptized again and again–counted as a statistic, repeatedly.
And what does the church invest the most in? Buildings first. Then salaries. And who do we hire? Pastors. Musicians. Media teams. Administration. Childcare. None of those are bad things, but did you ever hear of a church hiring a disciple-maker?
Of course, we are not to forsake the assembly, or gathering together, but the very definition of Ekklesia is called out for a purpose. Jesus gave us that purpose. Go. Make disciples.
Baptizing them. If we compare what churches spend on their budgets to the number of baptisms occurring–it’s staggering. One study concluded that churches spend about $300,000 per baptism in America. Some suggest as much as a million dollars per…
The point is we spend a grotesque amount to make very few disciples. Let’s look at more statistics.
The average pastor’s salary in America is $109,000. The average church baptizes 5 people in a year. So in ten years, that million dollar investment produces 50 people.
If a full-time disciple-maker was hired and made 12 new disciples with half of them becoming a disciple-maker with one new disciple-maker a year, that same investment would produce 1,360 people in ten years.
Which is the better Kingdom investment? Exponential growth happens with multiplication not addition.
How would things change if churches hired disciple-makers instead of competing to hire the most talented musicians? Some are probably thinking, but youth, kids, young adults, and senior ministries are discipleship! The statistics don’t lie. Most of what we call discipleship is a ship going nowhere.
The modern church is structured and funded to sustain the institution, not a movement of disciples making disciples. Our church budgets expose our priorities—we pay for buildings, bands, and branding, but where are the disciple-makers?
Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Do we treasure the lost coin, sheep or prodigal son, or just the elder brother living at home?
The early church didn’t need a marketing budget, yet they multiplied. Today we spend billions on programs and promotions, yet in America, Christianity is shrinking.
The church is to empower people for the work of ministry. It should be a disciple-making factory. A body of disciple-makers, not a bunch of paid staff to serve and entertain an audience with convenience and comfort.
We hire everything but disciple-makers and the results speak for themselves.
How can we realign our priorities? What would it even look like for churches to invest significantly in disciple-making? How can those called and equipped to make disciples be supported without getting caught up in institutional roles?
Jesus never asked for a salary. He never took up an offering. But there was money in the bag from somewhere. That to me is the promised land. My primary calling isn’t to preach, write or podcast. It’s to make disciples like Jesus modeled and commanded.
Paul never demanded support but he taught that those who labored in the Good News should make their living from the Good News.
1 Corinthians 9:13-14 (NET)
Donʼt you know that those who serve in the temple eat food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar receive a part of the offerings? In the same way the Lord commanded those who proclaim the gospel to receive their living by the gospel.
Will you pray with me for the wisdom to know how to redirect resources to be a full-time disciple-maker? In a lot of ways, the last five years have felt like walking through the wilderness, trying to make tents like Paul to simply survive. The Jesus Way of disciple-making is time and resource intense. He did life with those He trained to become fishers of men. It wasn't his hobby or a sideline. Disciple-making is a lifestyle of denying yourself and taking up your cross daily.
That’s the promised land I’m longing for. The evidence says otherwise, but I believe the Jordan is parting as we walk by faith, not by sight. I’ve seen miracle manna get us through the wilderness, but in the promised land, the manna stopped. That’s what I believe is on the horizon.
But this isn’t about me. America needs a disciple making movement. Isn’t it time we put our time and money where our purpose is?
Every follower is to become a fisher of men. Every new creature is an ambassador of the Good News.
If you have been challenged by this content, and would like to learn everyday disciple-making, contact me. If you don't know Jesus, and would like to learn more about Him, I'd love to show you the Way. If you'd like to support disciple-makers, there are many people, organizations and ministries that need your help.
But most of all, pray. Pray for workers in the harvest like Jesus commanded in Luke 10:2.
The primary objective of this Hippie Preacher blog and podcast is to facilitate and encourage disciple-making. Those of you who pay to subscribe are investing in more than a guy with a microphone. Disciple-making isn't my hobby. It's my full-time job no matter what "job" it takes to make a living. Each subscription provides more time for face-to-face disciple-making. Thank you for your generosity and prayers.