This paper defines Christian discipleship and examines its relationship to leadership within the context of the Great Commission. Drawing on Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8, the paper outlines Jesus Christ's three-fold directive to make disciples, baptize believers, and provide ongoing teaching. It explores how discipleship functions as a learning relationship with Christ that progressively transforms followers into servant-leaders capable of evangelizing others. The paper also contrasts conventional leadership models with the servant-leadership model Jesus modeled — one rooted in humility, service, and love — and considers its implications for the health and mission of the modern Christian Church.
The objective of this study is to define the Christian disciple and discipleship, to identify what constitutes a leader in Christian discipleship, and to examine how the modern church is developing disciples and leaders for the Great Commission — and how that relates to the overall health of the Christian Church.
The website Discipleship Defined accurately describes Christian discipleship in the following terms: "After Jesus' resurrection, 'all authority was entrusted to me' came to fruition. He is not waiting passively in heaven for His glorious arrival as king but already He is exercising His lordship. The literal translation is a command: 'You disciple.' The word disciple translates as 'to become a learner or pupil.' Grammatically, Matthew uses the aorist active imperative tense. This simply means an action that is absolutely required and occurring without end. It is surrounded by three participles: Go, Baptize, and Teach." (Biblical Basis for Discipleship, 2015, p. 1)
It is further stated that discipleship was the method Jesus used to win the world to Himself. In fact, Jesus converted very few people during His earthly ministry in a clear-cut way. He literally staked His whole ministry on twelve men. As popular as He was, Jesus did not focus on the momentary applause of men but quietly poured His life into those who would multiply His message. Jesus was not trying to impress the crowd, but to usher in a kingdom. Christ expects His followers to be fruitful, but often they are not without external motivation and accountability (Biblical Basis for Discipleship, 2015, p. 1).
Jesus gave to His followers what is known as the Great Commission — an appointment to go into the world preaching the Gospel of Christ: a gospel of God's love and forgiveness of sins, of God's grace and mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ. The authority, theology, and philosophy of ministry contained in the Great Commission derives from Matthew 28:18-20 in the Holy Bible, which states:
"And Jesus came and said to them, '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.'"
A confirming and complementary scripture is found in Acts 1:8, which states:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
These are the direct instructions Jesus Christ gives, focused on the building of the Church of God as revealed during His time on earth, and they are known to Christians as the Great Commission.
According to Matthew Slick (2015), "The 'Great Commission' is God's three-fold plan for building His Church, the Body of Christ. His plan involves the making of disciples, the confirmation and affirmation of disciples, and the ongoing teaching of disciples. A person cannot be a true disciple of Jesus Christ until he or she is born again — until he has come to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the first step in fulfilling the 'Great Commission' is evangelism. A person must be made a disciple before he can be a disciple. Christians are commanded by God to go everywhere, from their living room to the farthest reaches of the Earth, to bring the gospel to an unsaved world." (p. 1)
Slick further states that after an individual has become a "follower of Jesus Christ — a learner, a student, a disciple — he must testify publicly through the ordinance of baptism. Baptism has a two-fold purpose. For the disciple, it is the outward proclamation of the inward change of the heart and soul, accomplished by Jesus Christ. Baptism also serves as a means for the local assembly of believers (the church) to confirm the disciple as a follower of Christ and to affirm the disciple's entrance into the Christian family." (2015, p. 1)
Finally, Slick states that upon being born again, the individual "becomes a disciple, and is affirmed and welcomed into the Body of Christ through the ordinance of baptism; it is then the ongoing responsibility — until the Lord returns — of fellow believers to '[teach] them to observe all that [Jesus has] commanded.' The 'Great Commission' does not end with evangelism. That is only the beginning. The 'Great Commission' includes the responsibility of every Christian to help their fellow Christians to grow in their faith in Christ and their understanding of His Word." (2015, p. 1)
"Servant leadership contrasted with secular leadership models"
This paper has defined discipleship and examined the factors within it that give rise to leadership. Discipleship is a learning relationship with Jesus Christ — one in which Christ instructs the disciple, brings them into transformative relationship with Himself, and empowers them to reach out to others in an evangelistic manner: to love, serve, teach, and bring others into the body of Christ.
Leadership in this view is servant-oriented, as the individual ministers to a world in deep need of Jesus Christ and the grace and mercy of God available through a relationship with Him. The health of the Christian Church ultimately depends on the faithful practice of this kind of discipleship — one rooted not in authority for its own sake, but in humble service to others in the name of Christ.
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