Yes, a parachurch ministry should make disciples. The Great Commission is Jesus’ command to every follower, not just to local church staff. A parachurch ministry, such as a campus group, a sports ministry, or a recovery program, doesn’t replace the local church, but it can share the gospel, help people grow, and send new believers into healthy churches. Parachurch ministry discipleship, done well, blesses the church rather than competing with it.
Who Is the Great Commission For?
The word parachurch means “alongside the church.” It describes Christian organizations that work outside the structure of a single congregation: campus ministries, youth outreach groups, mission agencies, pregnancy centers, prison ministries, mentoring networks, and many more. They usually focus on a particular group of people or a particular need, and they often reach people a local church would have a hard time reaching on its own.
Because they aren’t churches, parachurch leaders sometimes wonder how far their role should go. Should they simply evangelize and then hand people off? Should they leave discipleship to pastors? The place to start is with what Jesus actually told his followers to do.
Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Notice that Jesus didn’t say “go and make converts” or “go and gather crowds.” He said make disciples, which includes teaching people to obey everything he commanded. And this command wasn’t limited to the eleven apostles or to future church officers. It has been handed down to every generation of believers. If you follow Jesus, it’s your assignment too, whether you serve in a church, a parachurch ministry, or the workplace.
Why a Parachurch Ministry Should Make Disciples
It’s true that parachurch ministries don’t take the place of the local church. But the Great Commission applies to everyone, so parachurch ministries should make as many disciples as they can. Stopping at a decision for Christ and walking away would leave new believers without the help they need to grow. Evangelism is the beginning of discipleship, not the end of it.
A parachurch ministry often has relationships and access a church doesn’t, like a coach in a locker room or a campus leader in a dorm. Those relationships are perfect soil for discipleship. Paul’s instructions to Timothy show what the goal should be: not just disciples, but disciples who make disciples.
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
That verse describes four generations of faith: Paul, Timothy, reliable people, and others they would teach. If your ministry can make disciples who make disciples and do the work of evangelism effectively, you should. Many local churches find it hard to keep a strong focus on evangelism, so a parachurch ministry that multiplies disciples can be a real gift to the wider body of Christ.
How Parachurch Ministry Discipleship Blesses the Local Church
The goal of parachurch discipleship should always be to strengthen the church, never to become a substitute for it. The local church is where believers worship together, sit under biblical preaching, are baptized, share communion, and are shepherded by pastors and elders. A healthy parachurch ministry points every disciple it makes toward a local congregation. Paul described gospel ministry as teamwork.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
A parachurch ministry may plant, a local church may water, and God makes it grow. When parachurch leaders disciple people and connect them to a church, that church receives believers who are already growing and already know how to help others grow. That isn’t competition. It’s partnership, and it’s the kind of partnership that honors the Lord who gave the Great Commission in the first place.
The Takeaway
Should a parachurch ministry make disciples? Absolutely. The Great Commission belongs to every believer, so parachurch ministries should share the gospel, help people grow, and train them to reach others, all while pointing them to a healthy local church. When parachurch ministry discipleship and the local church work together, the whole body of Christ gets stronger.
