Matt Judkins has been wondering if we have the wrong verb in our mission statement: The mission of the United Methodist Chuch is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
“To make” rings too much of industrial process and the assembly line. It gives him pause to wonder if we need a more organic mind set. Perhaps the mission is less to make disciples and more to create conditions that allow disciples to flourish. As opposed to the assembly line, he suggests the metaphor of the landscape artist or environmentalist.
Of course, all metaphors are limited. Rather than ask whether this metaphor or that metaphor is more apt, we are wiser to ask how each metaphor helps see something in a new light.
- How is disciple making like an assembly line?
- How is disciple making like a garden?
- How is disciple making like a rock concert?
- How is disciple making like child birth?
- How is disciple making like a romance?
- How is disciple making like death?
Okay, these are all similies not metaphors. But I bet sitting around and talking about these – and others – would give us some interesting insights on what disciple making is and what it does.
I am a part-time local pastor serving 
The doctrine of original sin is surely more humbling to man than the opposite: And I know not what honour we can pay to God, if we think man came out of His hands in the condition wherein he is now.
I’ve never that about it that way, but you (and Matt) are right.
It also sounds very Constantinian. Similar to when people say we are “building God’s kingdom.” No. We don’t build it. It is already there. We find where it is and we participate in it as an outworking of our response to grace. The times we’ve tried “building” or “making” haven’t really fared well.
I like the idea of moving toward more organic language — using words like “nurture” and “flourish.” I think we could definitely stand a little less language borrowed from the business-world. That’s what the “building” and the “making” sounds like to me — a corporation that is more interested in quantity than quality.
John, when I first read your post, I was thinking that’s the way it reads in the Bible, like in Matt. 28:19 “Go into all the world and make disciples…”. Then I noticed that in the KJV it doesn’t say “make”, but “teach”. That seems to be the more accepted meaning of μαθητεύω, from what little I can tell. Perhaps “nurture” or something along that line would be a better choice for us.
Blake and Gary, thank you for adding to the discussion. The language is important. I will leave to Blake to spearhead the drive in 2012 to revise the language in the Book of Discipline.