Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus gave church leaders a two-fold commission: Make disciples and then deepen them. Give birth to spiritual babies and then help them mature. Paul Rees once defined the Christian life as a gift and a growth. The gift of salvation is granted immediately when we become Christians. Our growth in Christ is a process that requires our involvement and effort.

A healthy church puts a proper emphasis on both evangelism and edification. When the pendulum swings too far to one side or the other the church loses its equilibrium and becomes unbalanced and unhealthy.

Some churches emphasize evangelism only. They evaluate every program from the vantage point of the non-Christian. What will the unbeliever think and feel about our worship, our preaching, our literature, our building? The seeker-focused church is often effective at evangelizing the lost but not as effective at edifying the saved. Many large churches are accused of being “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

But the church that focuses only on training disciples gets out of balance too. Leaders in these churches are determined to teach and edify to the point that the unbeliever has almost no entry point and the church goes for months without anyone being born again. The result is not a body of spiritually mature Christians but a bunch of disgruntled, boring, self-righteous, bickering old coots.

Have you ever celebrated Christmas without any children present? There just isn't as much joy and excitement. Christmas is so much more fun with a house full of kids! A church without any baby Christians lacks joy and fervor. It's boring! The long-time members aren't deepening — they're often stagnating and instinctively sense something is wrong. New believers make church work thrilling and refreshing. A healthy church, like a healthy family, has people at every stage of development.

So beware when someone suggests, “Let's quit focusing on winning new people and let's concentrate on deepening and nurturing those we already have.” Evangelism and edification are not mutually exclusive. Jesus commanded us to do both. He said, “Make disciples and then teach them to do everything I've commanded you.”

In a healthy church, mature Christians focus on teaching younger Christians (Titus 2) and as a result they feel needed, fulfilled and happy their gifts are being used. In a healthy church younger Christians are learning the Bible and getting plugged into fellowship groups and are beginning to use their gifts in service to others. They are happy and excited because they are growing in Christ. In a healthy church seekers are attracted, not only because the church is sensitive to their needs, but because they see so many happy, joyful people.

Evangelism is intentional. It is also a byproduct of a healthy church. Real edification produces not just a deeper understanding of Scripture but a deeper compassion for the lost. If people are really maturing, they are so joyful and fulfilled that unbelievers are drawn to them.

Jesus promised that he would always be with the church that evangelized the lost and edified the saved. And it's his presence that makes the church so contagious that you can't keep people away.

Copyright 2004 by Bob Russell. No material from Bob Russell may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, except that you may print or download one copy of the material for your personal, noncommercial home use only, provided that 1) you retain all copyright, trademark and propriety notices, 2) you make no modifications to the materials. For any uses other than this, written permission is required. (Southeast Christian Church; c/o Preaching Office Manager; 920 Blankenbaker Pkwy., Louisville, KY 40243. Additional books and materials are available through The Living Word Ministry.

This article first appeared in The Lookout, March 27, 2005.