Are We Making Disciples—or Just Churchgoers?

What recent research invites us to consider about the church’s approach to discipleship

An Opportunity for Reflection

A recent study from Lifeway Research raises an important question for the church: How well are we helping people understand and embrace the truths of God’s Word?

The article, “5 Points of Possible Theological Confusion Among Your Churchgoers,” published October 20, 2026, highlights several areas in which Americans who identify with Christian beliefs express views that do not align with historic Christian teaching.

Among the findings reported are that 47% of evangelicals surveyed agreed that God accepts the worship of all religions, 53% viewed the Holy Spirit as a force rather than a personal being, and 54% agreed that everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature. The research also identified uncertainty about the seriousness of sin and whether private or family worship can replace regular participation in a local church.

These findings deserve our attention, but they should also be approached with humility. A survey cannot tell us everything about an individual’s faith, the quality of a particular church’s teaching, or the reasons people hold certain beliefs. Nor should we assume these findings represent Christians throughout the world. They do, however, give us an opportunity to examine an important question: Are we doing all we can to help people grow in their understanding of Scripture and their relationship with Jesus Christ?

The purpose is not to criticize churches or question the sincerity of their pastors and leaders. Many faithfully serve, teach, shepherd, and care for their congregations. The question is whether we can continue to grow in how we fulfill the mission Jesus entrusted to us.

The Difference Between Attending Church and Becoming a Disciple

Church attendance, Bible studies, worship services, conferences, and ministry activities can all serve valuable purposes. They provide opportunities to hear God’s Word, worship together, build relationships, and serve others. These are not things to diminish.

But participation in Christian activities and the process of becoming a mature disciple are not necessarily the same thing.

Jesus’ final commission to His followers was clear: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20, KJV).

Notice that Jesus did not stop with making converts or teaching people information. He commanded His followers to make disciples and teach them to observe—to obey—all that He had commanded.

This distinction matters. A person may attend church for many years and still struggle to understand essential biblical truths. Someone may know familiar Bible stories without knowing how to study Scripture, recognize error, or apply God’s Word when facing difficult decisions. Another person may be able to explain Christian beliefs but still need to grow in love, humility, patience, forgiveness, and obedience.

None of this means that church attendance or Bible teaching has failed. Spiritual growth is a process, and believers mature at different rates. It does remind us that we must look beyond participation alone and ask whether our ministry is helping people grow toward the maturity Scripture describes.

Paul expressed his purpose in Colossians 1:28–29: proclaiming Christ, teaching and admonishing everyone with wisdom, and laboring so that people might be presented mature in Christ. That is a worthy goal for every disciple-making ministry.

Biblical Understanding Must Shape How We Live

The theological questions raised by the research are not merely academic. What we believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, sin, salvation, and the church influences how we live.

If we misunderstand God’s holiness, we may underestimate the seriousness of sin. If we misunderstand the person and work of the Holy Spirit, we may miss the significance of His presence and work in the believer’s life. If we believe people are fundamentally good and simply need a little improvement, we may fail to appreciate the depth of our need for God’s grace and redemption through Jesus Christ.

Scripture gives us a balanced understanding of humanity. Every person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), yet Scripture also teaches that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). We are not beyond God’s love, but neither can we save ourselves through our own goodness. We need the grace of God and the salvation He provides through Jesus Christ.

Likewise, biblical knowledge is intended to shape our character and conduct. James 1:22 tells believers to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. The goal is not simply to know what the Bible says, but to respond faithfully to what God has revealed.

This is why discipleship must include both understanding and obedience. We help people discover what Scripture teaches, learn to interpret it responsibly, examine their lives in its light, and respond to the Lord with faith and obedience.

We must also remember that spiritual maturity is more than doctrinal accuracy. Ephesians 4:15–16 describes growth into Christ, with the body being built up in love. Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit. A mature disciple should increasingly demonstrate the character of Jesus, love others well, serve faithfully, and persevere through life’s difficulties.

Our aim is not merely to produce people who know more about the Bible. It is to help people become more like Jesus.

Returning to Scripture as Our Foundation

How can we respond to the concerns raised by this research?

One important step is to ensure that Scripture remains the foundation and authority for our teaching, beliefs, and practices.

In Acts 17:11, the Bereans were commended because they received the message eagerly and examined the Scriptures daily to determine whether what they heard was true. Their example encourages us to cultivate people who do not simply accept statements because a respected teacher, popular speaker, or Christian personality makes them. They learn to examine what is taught in the light of God’s Word.

Paul instructed Timothy to handle the word of truth accurately (2 Timothy 2:15). That responsibility belongs to those who teach, but it also points to the importance of helping believers become increasingly capable of understanding Scripture for themselves.

This requires more than occasionally quoting a verse to support a point. People need opportunities to read biblical passages in context, understand what the author intended, compare Scripture with Scripture, ask honest questions, and consider how the truth applies to their lives.

Church leaders and teachers have an important responsibility to model these practices. We should be willing to open the Scriptures together, explain what we understand and why, acknowledge when a question requires further study, and encourage believers to grow in discernment.

The objective is not to make every believer a professional theologian. It is to help every believer become better equipped to know the Lord, understand His Word, recognize teaching that contradicts it, and walk faithfully with Christ.

Discipleship Is Relational

Scripture also shows us that spiritual growth takes place within the life of the body of Christ.

Acts 2:42 describes the early believers devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Hebrews 10:24–25 encourages believers to consider how to stir one another toward love and good works, not neglecting to meet together.

These passages remind us that discipleship is not simply the transfer of information from a teacher to a student. It includes relationships in which believers encourage one another, pray together, serve together, speak truth in love, and help one another remain faithful to Jesus.

A large gathering can be a valuable part of this process. So can preaching, classes, and organized training. But smaller, intentional relationships can provide opportunities for people to discuss what they are learning, ask questions, share struggles, receive encouragement, and put biblical truth into practice.

At Core Discipleship, we use Core Groups of three or four people of the same gender as one way of putting these biblical principles into practice. Our approach is relational and intended to be reproducible, helping disciples grow in their walk with Jesus and learn to help others do the same.

We do not believe that one particular group size or training structure is prescribed for every church. Different ministries may faithfully use different approaches. What matters is that our methods serve the biblical purpose: helping people grow in Christ through His Word, in relationship with one another, and in practical obedience.

Discipleship Should Prepare Us to Help Others Follow Jesus

A further question is whether our discipleship efforts prepare believers to help others grow.

Paul wrote to Timothy: “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2, KJV).

This verse describes a pattern of spiritual multiplication. Paul taught Timothy, Timothy was to entrust that teaching to faithful people, and those people would be equipped to teach others.

This does not mean every disciple must become a pastor, lead a formal class, or possess the same gifts. It does mean that discipleship should help believers recognize opportunities to share the gospel, encourage fellow believers, teach what they have learned faithfully, and invest in the spiritual growth of others.

If the work stops with the people who attend our meetings, its influence may remain limited to those we can personally reach. When disciples learn to help others follow Jesus, the work can continue and spread beyond the original group.

Reproduction is not a substitute for spiritual maturity. It grows out of it. We want people who are becoming more like Christ and who, in turn, can help others grow in their knowledge of Him and obedience to His Word.

Measuring What Matters

Churches and ministries need practical ways to evaluate their work. Attendance, professions of faith, baptisms, participation in training, and new groups can all be meaningful indicators. They help us understand where people are being reached and where ministry is taking place.

But numbers alone cannot tell the whole story of spiritual growth.

We should also ask whether people are gaining a clearer understanding of Scripture, growing in their love for God and others, learning to obey Jesus, demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit, serving the body of Christ, and helping others grow in faith.

These are not always easy things to measure, and we should be cautious about reducing spiritual maturity to a scorecard. Growth is the work of God in people’s lives, and we depend on His grace. Nevertheless, we can intentionally create opportunities for growth, encourage faithfulness, and evaluate whether our ministry practices are serving their intended purpose.

The question is not whether a church has many programs or a ministry has impressive numbers. The question is whether the work is faithfully serving the mission Christ gave His people.

An Opportunity for the Church

The Lifeway Research findings should not lead us to despair or to broad judgments about today’s church. They should encourage prayerful reflection, renewed commitment to Scripture, and a willingness to keep learning how to make disciples faithfully.

Pastors, teachers, ministry leaders, and individual believers all have a part to play. We can examine what we teach, how we teach it, the relationships through which we encourage growth, and the opportunities we provide for believers to put God’s Word into practice.

At Core Discipleship, our commitment is to keep the Bible at the center of the discipleship process, to help people grow through intentional relationships, and to equip disciples to help others follow Jesus. We seek to make this training freely available and reproducible so that believers can use what they learn wherever God has placed them.

We do not claim that one ministry has all the answers. We believe the church has much to learn from Scripture and from one another. Our desire is to serve alongside fellow believers, encouraging one another toward the goal Paul described: maturity in Christ.

Jesus calls us to make disciples. That means sharing the gospel, baptizing believers, teaching His commands, and helping people grow in faithful obedience. It means nurturing both sound belief and Christlike character. And it means equipping believers to serve others and pass on the truth they have received.

May we continue to ask not simply how many people are coming, but how faithfully we are helping people follow Jesus.

May our teaching be rooted in Scripture, our relationships marked by love, our lives shaped by obedience, and our ministry fruitful in helping others become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Love God. Love Others. Make Disciples.

Doug Morrell
President & Founder
Core Discipleship

Sources for further reading:

• Lifeway Research, “5 Points of Possible Theological Confusion Among Your Churchgoers”
• The State of Theology