What Is Disciple Making and Why Does It Matter Today?
By MTC Nashville Team
If you have followed Jesus for any length of time, someone has probably told you to read your Bible, pray, and go to church.
But has anyone ever sat down with you and shown you how to make a disciple?
For many believers, the answer is no. And that gap — between what Jesus actually commanded and what most of us have been taught — is one of the biggest needs in the Church today.
So let's talk about it: what is disciple making, how is it different from church attendance, and why does Jesus' command still matter right now?
What Is Disciple Making?
A disciple is simply a follower — someone who has placed their faith in Jesus and is learning to live the way He lived.
Disciple making, then, is the intentional process of helping someone follow Jesus, become like Jesus, and join Him in His mission. Jesus described it in one sentence when He called His first disciples:
'Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.' — Mark 1:17
Notice the movement in that sentence: come, grow, go. A disciple comes to Jesus, is transformed by Jesus, and is sent by Jesus — into a family, a neighborhood, a workplace, a city.
Disciple making is not primarily a curriculum, a classroom, or a program. It is life-on-life. It happens around dinner tables and coffee cups, in living rooms and on prayer walks, wherever one believer opens their life and says: watch how I follow Jesus, and learn with me.
It is also deeply practical. When Jesus made disciples, He didn't just transfer information. He showed them how to pray, how to share the gospel, how to serve, how to respond to interruption and opposition — and then He sent them out to do the same (Luke 9:1-6, Luke 10:1-9). They learned by obeying.
That pattern — hearing, doing, and passing it on — is what disciple makers have used ever since, all the way back to Paul's words to Timothy: 'What you have heard from me... entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.' (2 Timothy 2:2). Four generations in one verse. That's God's plan for how the gospel multiplies: disciples making disciples who make disciples.
Church Attendance vs. Discipleship
To be clear: gathering with the church matters. Scripture tells us not to neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:24-25), and something is deeply wrong if we claim to love Jesus but have no love for His people.
But attendance and discipleship are not the same thing — and the difference is worth naming honestly.
Church attendance is a rhythm you keep. Discipleship is a life you live.
Attendance asks: was I present? Discipleship asks: am I being transformed?
- Attendance can center on consuming a service. Discipleship centers on becoming like Jesus.
- Attendance measures an hour a week. Discipleship reshapes all 168 of them.
- Attendance can happen alone in a crowd. Discipleship happens in real relationships where people are known, challenged, and loved.
- Attendance can leave us as hearers only. Discipleship makes us doers of the Word (James 1:22).
Here's the striking part: Jesus never commanded His followers to attend services. He commanded them to make disciples: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...' (Matthew 28:19). The Great Commission is not an invitation to fill buildings; it is a commission to fill the world with followers of Jesus.
Gathering equips us for that mission. It was never meant to replace it.
The sobering reality is that a person can attend church for decades without ever becoming a disciple maker — simply because no one ever modeled it for them. That's not a failure of conviction. It's a failure of training. And it's exactly why we do what we do at MTC Nashville.
Why Jesus' Command Still Matters Today
So why does this command still matter — today, in 2026, in your city?
Because Jesus' commission has never expired, and the need has never been greater.
More than two billion people still have no meaningful access to the gospel. But the nations are no longer only overseas — God has been gathering them in cities across America. Here in Nashville, refugees, immigrants, and international students from dozens of countries now call this city home. The mission field is not just out there. It is next door.
Meanwhile, the culture around us is changing fast. Biblical literacy is declining, loneliness is epidemic, and a generation is hungry for something real — not a performance to watch, but a life to learn. What they need is not merely our events. They need our lives.
And here is the hope: disciple making is how the Kingdom of God has always spread. Not primarily through platforms or buildings, but through ordinary believers, empowered by the Spirit, obeying Jesus in ordinary moments. It is slow enough to be human and powerful enough to reach the ends of the earth.
That's why Jesus' final words were not 'build something impressive.' They were 'make disciples' — and His final promise was 'I am with you always, to the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20). The command still stands. The promise still holds. And He still does it through people willing to say yes.
What It Looks Like in Everyday Life
You do not need a seminary degree, a ministry title, or a stage to make disciples. You need a heart willing to obey.
Disciple making looks like:
- Reading a passage of Scripture with a friend and asking: what is God saying, and what will we do about it?
- Praying with a neighbor who is hurting — out loud, on the spot.
- Opening your home, sharing a meal, and letting people watch how your family follows Jesus.
- Telling your story of grace over coffee and inviting someone to read the Bible with you.
- Helping a new believer learn to pray, share the gospel, and then teach someone else to do the same.
Simple, reproducible, and deeply ordinary — which is exactly why it works.
Scripture
'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' — Matthew 28:19-20
Prayer
Jesus, You called ordinary people to follow You and made them fishers of men. Do it again — in us. Teach us not just to attend but to obey, not just to gather but to go. Give us eyes for the people You've placed in our lives, boldness to open our mouths, and love that opens our homes. Raise up disciple makers in Nashville and to the ends of the earth. Amen.
Take a Next Step
If you want to learn how to make disciples who make disciples, come train with us:
- Join our Disciple Making Training this November — register here.
- Apply for the next semester of our residency program, beginning January 11 — learn more and apply.