In my book "Discipled Warriors," I tell the story of Tim, who became a believer at age 20 when a friend told him about God's saving grace. He rapidly became a fervent evangelist, telling everyone he knew (and sometimes, those he did not know) about Jesus. Few people served God with the passion that Tim did.

Tim's church leaders quickly recognized his leadership possibilities, and they asked him to teach a Bible study class. As you might expect, Tim carried out that task with zeal. His class began to set the example for outreach and growth in their church.

What no one but Tim knew, however, was that he was struggling in his Christian walk. He read the scriptures only sporadically, and most often only to prepare to teach his next lesson. Prayer was difficult. Failure in temptation was common. Even his fire for personal evangelism began to wane. In essence, Tim was a defeated believer still carrying out a leadership role in his church.

The problem for Tim was not that he did not want to be faithful to God. He genuinely wanted to know God's Word and apply it properly in his life. He desired to be a prayer warrior like others he heard about in his church. As much as anything, he hungered for his evangelistic passion again.

Tim's problem was that he really did not know how to initiate and maintain these spiritual disciplines . . . because no one in his church had ever taught him. His church told him to read the Word, but no one showed him how. They told him to "pray without ceasing" but did not teach him what that phrase meant. Nobody taught him how to face and overcome temptation. Leaders encouraged him to "keep up the good work" with witnessing, but they failed to help him overcome discouragement when others did not respond. Yet the same leaders put Tim in a position of spiritual leadership, teaching others the Word of God.

To put it simply, Tim's church failed him. They reached him but then did little to disciple him. Then at the same time they made Tim a teacher. The result was that Tim was on the front lines of ministry without the personal disciplines to fight the daily battles.

Tim's story is important to me for two reasons. Primarily, his story is strikingly similar to mine. How much I, as a young believer, wanted to sit at somebody's feet and learn, much like the disciples did at the feet of Jesus. Regrettably, I did not have that opportunity until almost seven years into my Christian life.

In addition, Tim's story is one that I have heard again and again wherever I travel. Anecdotally, about 75 percent of the persons who attend the conferences I lead tell a similar story. These are evangelicals, committed to Christ and his Word—but they have never been discipled.

Two of my books, "Discipled Warriors" and "Making Disciples through Mentoring," address this concern directly. In this article, I want to provide two simple guidelines for leading a church to be a disciple-making church.

Decide what "Discipled Dave" looks like

Suppose "Dave" were to join your church as a new believer this coming Sunday. His background is unchurched, and he lacks basic knowledge about the Christian walk. All he knows is that God transformed his life.

Assume that Dave remains as a member of your church for the next three or four years. At the end of that time, what do you want him to be? That is, what should this baby Christian look like several years later?

Jesus' teachings ought to guide us here. His disciples must be willing to forsake all, take up their cross, and follow him (Luke 14:26-27, 33). They must continue in his word (John 8:31-32), obeying his commands (John 14:15). Their love for each other and the fruit of their Christian life will show that they are his followers (John 13:35, 15:8).

The Apostle Paul's writings, too, help us. Believers are to walk worthy of their calling (Eph. 4:1), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). They are to have the servant humility of Christ (Phil. 2:5-7). The "new self" is to be evident in their lives (Col. 3:1-13). Equipped members are to do ministry, building up the church in the process (Eph. 4:11-12). In essence, believers are to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1) as God conforms them to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). "Discipled Dave" should increasingly live like Jesus.

Perhaps you will want to draw a picture of your church's Discipled Dave, listing beside the picture the specific markers by which you might evaluate Dave's Christian growth.

Consider these areas of growth:

Your model may include other components, but at least get a goal in mind. A beginning strategy with no goal won't take you very far.

Develop a plan, and mentor somebody in the meantime

The next question, of course, is "Does your church have in place a plan to help Discipled Dave become what you want him to be?" If not, a membership class may be a place to begin—but not end.

Beyond that, patiently develop the strategy. Provide Christian education that includes basic doctrinal teachings, Bible interpretation, and apologetics. Build a small group system that includes spiritual discipline training and accountability. Promote ministry opportunities, and offer training for each specific ministry. Plan evangelism training followed by evangelistic and missions opportunities.

Then, establish a plan to monitor members' growth. A church that provides a system of disciple making has a right to hold members accountable for their discipleship.

In the meantime, however, don't put off disciple making until your church process is complete. If you wait until the entire infrastructure is in place before you begin disciple making, you may never begin.

Instead, start today by mentoring a couple of believers. Pour yourself into the life of one or two potential Discipled Daves—believers who may be just waiting for someone to help them grow in Christ.

Do what Jesus did. Pray for wisdom in selecting some believers you will mentor. Teach them the basics. Walk alongside them, modeling faith. Pray for them and with them. Equip them to evangelize, and send them out to try their skills. Give them permission to ask you questions. Patiently yet firmly guide them through their questions.

Hold them accountable to righteous living. Show them how to live as Christ did—and perhaps even how to die. This way even while you are putting into place a complete membership and ministry placement strategy, your church can become stronger.

Chuck Lawless, Ph.D., is Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth and Dean of the Billy Graham School at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of four books, including his latest, "Membership Matters : Insights from Effective Churches on New Member Classes and Assimilation," and "Discipled Warriors: Growing Healthy Churches Equipped for Spiritual Warfare."  Dr. Lawless also consults with churches on church health and growth and is an instructor with Church Central's Church Consultant Training.

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