Barna Group reported 58% of Christians spend uninterrupted time with God and that 57% find time to regularly read their Bibles. But, when it comes to discipleship activities, 39% of Christians are not involved in helping others grow in their faith.
This is among the latest findings in a pair of surveys by Barna, an organization that monitors cultural and religious trends in the U.S.
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“The problem is that many Christians have made conversion the finish line,” said Ray Sullivan, discipleship consultant for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. “They think once people have gotten saved, they’ve done their part.”
However, Sullivan said it’s crucial for every Christian to be both a disciple and a disciple maker.
‘Called to make disciples’
“According to the Great Commission, that is what we do,” he said. “We’re called to make disciples.”
In the article, Barna said 33% of Christians who are actively involved in disciple-making activities worry about how to keep things engaging for the long haul, and 32% are concerned about how to keep disciple-making activities priorities considering other activities they’re juggling.
Barna based the article on surveys of 5,441 adults who self-identify as Christians.
Willing to commit
Barna said even Christians who are committed to discipleship activities struggle to make time for them.
“Yet, it doesn’t stop them,” Barna wrote. “Findings suggest the decisive factor is not who has the hours in the day but who is willing to creatively commit from the hours they do have to growing in their faith and becoming qualified or equipped to help others grow, too.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Roger Alford and originally published by the Christian Index.
