"Go and Make Disciples—Not Just Converts"

I had a friend who was called to a large church. He was excited to be there. What he found out shortly afterward was that, figuratively speaking, their ministry was a mile wide but only about an inch deep spiritually. What happened? They were reaching thousands of people with the Gospel, but that was where it stopped. They forgot the most important part of the Great Commission—making disciples who make disciples. Replication. Discipleship is not a one-man show. It cannot be accomplished from the pulpit.

What happened in this church was straight-up evangelism. They faithfully proclaimed the Gospel to the thousands. They had several campuses in the same city. As he talked with his staff, none of them understood how to walk with the Lord daily or even how to have a daily quiet time. This had a ripple effect throughout the whole church. This was the case for the majority of those who attended the church there.

Throughout the past 35 years of doing kids’ ministry, I have concluded that we have flipped the Great Commission upside down. Our primary focus has been on conversions to the detriment of the thousands of kids who have had a transformational encounter with Christ. That was me some years ago when I started at kids ministry in Fort Worth, Texas. I wanted to reach every child I could. We had close to a thousand children meeting in after-school Bible clubs at eleven elementary schools—we took Vacation Bible School off campus. I led evangelistic camps, sharing the Gospel so that many would come to Christ. As I did so, the kids who were excited to walk with the Lord watched me leave them behind.

When I realized what I was doing, I decided that the kids' ministry needed to focus on discipling children who knew the Lord within the church. Yes, I wanted to reach kids with the Gospel, and I faithfully did so. Jesus taught the thousands, but He spent a lot more time with the twelve. He even spent more personal time with the three: Peter, James, and John. After three years with the disciples, Jesus told them to go and do the same…He sent them out to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

During the L.I.T. mission trip 2026 in Norman, Oklahoma, we saw the fruit of discipleship firsthand. Yes, the Gospel was being proclaimed; however, it was the L.I.T.s (preteens) doing it. They were living out their faith making Christ Lord (Luke 9:23) and claiming the promises of God’s Word (Psalm 119:104) and seeing it come alive. They prayed and God answered (Jeremiah 33:3). They ministered, and we saw their gifts manifested before our eyes (1 Peter 4:10). They shared the Gospel with the Holy Spirit’s power and presence (Acts 1:8). The were bearing fruit for Jesus (John 15:5).

Throughout this mission trip, they were leading kids to Christ. Yes, the kids were leading kids to Christ. You see, that is discipleship. They learned to live out their faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. We celebrated that 16 children came to know Christ, but we also celebrated even more that 16 preteens (L.I.T.s) led them to Him.

Oswald Chambers once said, "Our work begins where God’s grace has laid the foundation; we are not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God’s sovereign grace; our work as His disciples is to disciple lives until they are wholly yielded to God. One life wholly devoted to God is of more value to God than one hundred lives simply awakened by His Spirit.” 

Where are you right now? Do kids in your church know how to walk with the Lord daily in Lordship, prayer, Bible study, ministering using their gifts, and sharing their faith?

We are here to help. Throughout the last 24 years, L.I.T. Ministries has developed powerful tools to disciple preteens in your church. You can reach them with the Gospel and then teach them how to walk in a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Are you ready to get started? Contact us at info@leadersintraining.com.