Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 5
He says tracts, VBS, kids’ clubs, and revival meetings “can all be good,” but “those aren’t going to bring people into your local church” without relationship and follow-up; what real examples have you seen where a program created a moment but not a disciple, and what specifically was missing?
Another way to ask: When have you seen a program create a quick spiritual moment but not a long-term disciple? What was missing—relationships, follow-up, or something else specific?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript points to “moment” ministries that lack ongoing relationship, follow-up, and personal discipleship; what’s missing is sustained care by individuals who know people and walk with them. Programs can open a door, but disciples are formed through continued presence and relationship.
- He names methods: “summer Bible schools…kids’ clubs…passing out tracts…revival meetings,” and says “Those things can all be good,” but aren’t the main way people are brought in.
- “Almost always the story is that there was someone in the church who reached out and discipled them.”
- Even when it starts through kids’ club, it’s “almost invariably…because someone…had a relationship.”
- The interviewer shares a VBS example: it “worked really well,” but it “really started going somewhere” when they came “every week…bring them to church…go over to their house.”
- Elijah stresses follow-up: tracts “can be effective, but then you’re going to follow up…build relationships.”