A simple yet profound challenge
One afternoon, I was playing golf with a friend who is a leading executive for a billion-dollar company. As I talked non-stop about church and some new initiatives, I asked for his input. Just as he prepared to tee off, he paused, looked up, and said, “Craig, you just need to determine how you define success. Then do the things that lead to success.”
That statement sent my mind reeling. Success sounds simple, doesn’t it? For a coach, it’s winning games. For a business, it’s increased profits. For a school, it’s higher test scores. But how do you define success in ministry?
Measuring success in ministry
There are many ways leaders measure success: growing attendance, increased baptisms, higher giving, expanding campuses, greater media influence, caring for the poor, championing justice, or international outreach. But how did Jesus define success?
At the end of the day, Jesus is the one who determines whether our ministry is successful or not. A businessman once told me that he spent his life climbing the ladder of success only to discover it was leaning against the wrong tree. He had been so focused on career and financial gain that he neglected God’s plan for his life.
When I think about ministry and the way we measure success, I wonder—are we leaning our ladder against the wrong tree? Is success in Jesus’ eyes about numerical growth, financial stability, or creative worship? The church at Laodicea could have been a growing church running thousands in attendance, but they were so lukewarm that it made Jesus sick (Revelation 3:16).
Jesus’ vision for success
Following His resurrection, Jesus gathered His disciples on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16). While we don’t know the exact location, Mount Arbel, with its high peak overlooking the nations, could have been the place. From that vantage point, Jesus gave His final instructions:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 28:18-20).
Buried in this commission is Jesus’ definition of success. There is one command—one verb that stands out. Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples. That was His vision for His church.
What Jesus didn’t say
Notice what Jesus did not say. He didn’t say, “Go plant churches.” He didn’t say, “Go grow congregations.” He didn’t say, “Go build buildings, produce resources, or increase revenue.” He never told us to build the church. That’s His job. He told Peter plainly, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).
Jesus told us to make disciples. That’s our job.
Planting churches and growing congregations isn’t wrong. But if we focus so much on these things that we fill churches with people who aren’t true disciples, we have missed the point. We can have big churches filled with casual attendees and marginal believers who are never challenged to engage in Jesus’ command to make disciples.
A warning from history
In 1662, churches in the New England colonies struggled with declining spiritual fervor. The “Halfway Covenant” was created to keep the children of believers in church membership, even if they had not personally professed faith in Christ. Over time, this led to a third generation of church members who had no personal faith at all.
Some leaders thought that including non-believers in the church would eventually lead them to Christ. Others feared it would dilute the church’s purity. In the end, the dissenters were right. The New England Congregational Church declined, and today, many of its churches no longer hold to the authority of Scripture or the gospel.
This serves as a cautionary tale: If we make it easy to be part of the church but fail to make disciples, we will lose what Jesus intended.
Climbing the right mountain
Success in Jesus’ eyes is not about church size or programs—it’s about making disciples who make disciples. If that’s the standard, then we must ask, What is a disciple?
Climbing Mount Everest is a feat that requires multiple base camps, each with its own challenges and rewards. The journey to fulfilling Jesus’ vision is similar. No one reaches the summit overnight. Each stage—walking with God, reaching the lost, investing in a few—is essential. There are no shortcuts.
Jesus’ mountain-top vision
Jesus stood on a mountain and gave His disciples a clear mission: Make disciples of all nations. That vision has not changed.
This is our Mount Everest, our summit. We dream of the day when God ignites movements that transform people into thriving followers of Jesus. We long to see churches filled with disciple-makers who multiply their faith.
This mission is inspiring, worth living for, and worth dying for. But it requires commitment, perseverance, and faith. Just like climbing Everest, making disciples is not easy—but it is the only way to reach the summit of Jesus’ vision for His church.
This blog features an excerpt from one of our books, Bold Moves.
