Evangelism VS Discipleship

On Friday night I went to a dinner party and met some pretty interesting people.  The thing about Jonas' OCCA program is that most of the people in the program are interested in Apologetics/Evangelism while most of the people in just the Wycliffe program are interested in becoming priest for the church of England or something to that degree.  On Friday I was sharing with people what my cousins' church in LA, Core Church LA has been doing and how "successful" they have been doing.  Core Church LA is about three years old and has close to 1000 members.  I shared that the Pastor there is very active in the community and encouraging the members of the church to invite friends to church. They are active in evangelism.  I have been impressed with this church because I know that their heart is in the right place and not on the number and yet my audience was not impressed.
They were skeptical and asked many questions.  What about follow up? What about ministry?  Why must we always focus on the numbers?

My answer to the last question is this; the numbers do matter because sometimes it shows the faithfulness of the church.  Yes, there are churches in the world that are great in numbers but they may not be biblical or faithful but in some cases it shows the faithfulness of the church.  Even when we look in scripture we see numbers flying around.  He added to their numbers daily, feeding the 5000, and he added thousands.  I am sure that in every church that was planted during Acts the leadership knew how many members they had.  They had to know for they lived in community with each other.

I don't want to just focus on the numbers but I was surprised by how unimpressed they were.  Why weren't they excited about the growth of this church? Could they not see that the church loved God and was growing and that was something to be celebrated?  It is if we as faithful bible believing Christians have become skeptical to churches that are huge and mega.  I myself am one of them.  I believe in simple church, I believe that the numbers don't matter but I don't want to forget to celebrate with those churches who are reaching the unreached and opening their doors to the lost.
The discussion quickly becomes about Evangelism VS Discipleship.
In many churches the two are separate and people either identify themselves as more of a evangelist or one who disciples.  And I had to stop and think, "Why?"  Why are they separate, did Jesus not live out both. Was he not proclaiming the gospel but also discipling.  Evangelism and discipleship go together and yet we find that in the church they do not.  In most churches one is stronger than the other or in most churches Evangelism is left to those outside the church, missionaries or mission organization.  My question is, "Why do church members have to find a mission organization to be sent out?"  Why isn't the church doing the sending?   Did mission organization come to be because of the lack of sending in the church?

When I was pastoring I better understand the answers to these questions.  There is a lot of discipling to do in a church.  And there is a lot of busy work.  Adding Evangelism and outreach to that quota almost seems impossible but it is necessary.  The biblical truth is that we are all called to evangelism and discipleship.  If we love God, then we should love the lost and the lost should be shared the good news so they can be discipled and go and share the good news as well.

We must stop separating these two callings and realize that they are the same calling.  I believe that some are better equipped and may have better gifting in one or the other but that does not mean that you don't participate in the other.  If you go to church and simply sit and listen to the sermon filling a seat than you are not participating in the work of the Kingdom of God.  Church is not just a place that you go to get some good advice or encouragement but it is a state of being as well.  A group of believers and a believer is someone that professes that God is Lord and saviour.  When you profess these things and call yourself a believer, you are not merely at church but your state of "being' is changed.  In Romans 10 it says,  because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

We must share the good news.  Jesus called the believers to do this.  The disciples were not simply in his presence.  They believed he was and is the Son of God, messiah and redeemer and He called them to go and tell the world this good news of what they believe. 

We must go and teach.  Evangelize and disciple.   It isn't one vs the other but one in the other.