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Beyond the Altar: Why the Church is Failing at Discipleship

Beyond the Altar: Why the Church is Failing at Discipleship

Last updated on: May 29, 2026 at 9:28 pm by Benjamin Raven Pressley

Beyond the Altar: Why the Church is Failing at Discipleship 2026-05-29T21:28:35-04:00 Benjamin Raven Pressley

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Jesus’ Great Commission was to make DISCIPLES not just CONVERTS

The Great Commission

Jesus’ last words to his disciples, often called The Great Commission, are recorded in Matthew 28:16-20

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Great Commission is also shared similarly in Mark 13:10, Luke 24:45-49, John 20:21, and Acts 1:8.

DISCIPLES vs. CONVERTS

Notice he commanded them to go and make DISCIPLES not just CONVERTS of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Trinity, and teaching them to obey his teachings. This command was not only for the 11 disciples; it also applied to the missionary and evangelistic work of the global church. The Great Commission can be broken down into four parts:

He promises that they will not be alone and going in their own power but their mission will be backed by his authority. Jesus begins with, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”, establishing that the mission is backed by his divine power.
And this is very important, and the emphasis for this article. The primary directive is to “make disciples”. Rather than simply making casual converts, the goal is to build lifelong followers who learn and apply Jesus’s teachings.
How will they accomplish this? Disciples are made through three accompanying actions: going with intention, baptizing, and teaching.
The commission concludes with a comforting assurance: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Snake Handling?!

He even goes one step further in Mark 16:17-18

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

It should definitely be a part of every Christian’s ministry to cast out devils, lay hands on the sick and pray for them and speaking in tongues is one of the evidences of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. But what about those verses regarding ‘taking up serpents’ and if they shall drink any deadly thing’? These verses are definitely not encouraging people to deliberately handle snakes like those snake-handling religious sects in the Appalachians. Snake handling (or serpent handling) is a highly controversial religious rite practiced by a small number of independent, rural Pentecostal and Holiness churches, primarily in the Appalachian region of the United States. Believers consider the practice a literal test of faith and a demonstration of divine protection and more times than not die from their foolishness. Sometimes they even drink poison for the same reason. Have they not also read in Matthew 4:7 when Jesus himself said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Quoting what Moses said long before in Deuteronomy 6:16,“Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” No, this was more of a promise for protection as the church went throughout the world. It was also proven and fulfilled in Acts 28:1-8 when Apostle Paul was in a shipwreck and was gathering wood and was bitten by a deadly snake and he just shook it off into the fire and it did not harm him.

What does this verse mean when it says “if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them”? Again, this is not to be practiced or tested and it probably has more to do with as they travelled, they would be eating and drinking things native to other countries and God didn’t want them to get sick. Remember, the Lord had previously told His disciples, “And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give…eat such things as are set before you” (Luke 10:7,8). If the disciples had rejected what their hosts had prepared for them, they could have greatly insulted or hurt them. Therefore, Jesus said in effect, “If your hosts have prepared the best they can give you, eat it with joy!” They were also told in 1 Timothy:4:4-5 to pray over their food before they eat; 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” Renner does a good job covering this subject in this article.

That was a little bit of a side trail there, but I do want to get back to the subject of making converts versus making disciples. I have been a Christian since 1975, and consistently, I have observed one of the biggest failures of the church at large, not any particular church, is to educate and disciple new converts. I am sure there are many churches that probably do a good job at this, but I have yet to encounter one. Billy Graham even made a statement one time that has always stuck with me. I don’t know his exact quote, but he basically said (and I am paraphrasing him), “ In my crusades, I can shake the apples from the tree, but it is up to the local church to pick them up off the ground and make apple pies; otherwise, they rot on the ground.” He emphasized that conversion was only the beginning and preceded Discipleship. Graham and his ministry stressed that leaving converts without further training leaves them as spiritual infants. Without ongoing discipleship, the initial excitement of conversion can easily fade. Graham always maintained that his crusades were merely tools and that the primary responsibility of making disciples rested on local churches. And he and his team did a great job of preparing ahead of his crusades and employing local congregations, which were tasked with integrating new believers into the community and teaching them to observe everything Jesus commanded. So important. I have observed many who go to the altar and cry off conviction and feel better because they had a good cry and even say they were born again and never return to church to learn more and even go back to their sinful lifestyle that they just ‘repented’ of.

Take time to disciple people. teach them.

There is more to it than just repeating a ‘Sinner’s Prayer.

Part of the short circuit is also the so-called ‘Sinner’s Prayer’. Do you know what I’m talking about? That neat little prayer that the preacher leads the sinner in and then tells them they are saved. It usually goes something like this:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.

It really irks me too is when the preacher says ‘Now we don’t want to embarrass anybody so let’s pray this prayer together as a congregation’ usually followed by ‘If you would like to raise your hand now if you prayed that prayer for the first time’ followed by ‘Praise God, you are saved, let’s everybody clap and congratulate and welcome them into the church’. I say let the sinner boldly step out for the first time and go forward proclaiming they want to be saved. Jesus said, in Luke 9:26, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” At the very least, that person should request a more personal session so they can ask questions and be prayed for privately. Charles G. Finney, a well-known 19th-century preacher, would invite people to come forward and have them go into a prepared room and hold what he called an ‘Inquirer’s Meeting’. There, he would have counselors answer questions and pray them through after they felt they had a better understanding of what it meant to be born again. I think too many churches are too quick to get that number of converts recorded for the state office instead of taking time to follow up and disciple them. I covered what it truly means to be born again in a previous article. If you haven’t read it, please take time to do so.

In our modern day and time, there really is no excuse. If you don’t want to hold a special series of classes for new believers, then take advantage of the internet and good books, or even a special new believer’s information packet you can give out. I know some may think Sunday School is enough, or maybe you have a Wednesday night Bible study, but it isn’t enough. There needs to be a special education curriculum offered just for the new believer that covers the basics, like:

What does it mean to be born again?
Explain the concept of body, soul and spirit
How to read and study the Bible
How to pray
Who the devil really is and how to deal with him
How to resist temptation
How to deal with hard times when they hit
How to recognize the voice of God and the voice of the devil
Who I am in Christ
True worship

These are basics. These are beginnings…but so essential, so important. My heart goes out to new believers and not only new believers but also those who have been Christians for years and don’t know these things. And I’m not just complaining in this article, I am also doing something about it. I have put together an online course called FIRST STEPS that is free of charge and a low-priced book that I invite any church or individual to take advantage of It also has built-in audio files if anyone would rather listen to the teachings. This is no sales pitch. I’m not making any money from this. It is free. I make a little off the book, but I am offering it at a very low, low price. Please share this with others. Share this with the leaders of your church. It is Bible-based and non-denominational. Please help me awaken the church to discipleship, whether you use the resources I am offering or not. Remember what Billy Graham said, don’t let those apples rot on the ground.

IF YOU WOULD RATHER LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE, JUST CLICK BELOW:

https://wp-media.patheos.com/blogs/sites/2216/2026/05/disciple-v-converts.mp3

Online course is free but if you would rather have a book just click here!

Thanks for your prayers and financial support!

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About Benjamin Raven Pressley

Benjamin Raven Pressley is an author, teacher and spiritual guide. He is of Cherokee heritage. He has been a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles since 1975. His independent studies include the Holy Bible as well as other holy books of other religions. He is ordained by the Universal Life Church. He is a self-taught naturalist and his love and respect for nature is evident in many of the things he writes. He has authored several books on spirituality as well as a fantasy series and books on survival skills. He does not consider himself to be a religious person but believes true spirituality is an all-encompassing view of life and invites open discussion on matters of spirituality. You can read more about the author here.

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