Evangelism or Disciple-Making?

Evangelistic “success” is often defined by the number of “decisions for Christ”—those who raise their hands . . . come to the altar . . . pray the sinner’s prayer. However, the definition of success, when measured by the “fruit that remains” (Jn. 15:16) indicates that decisionmaking does not always result in disciple-making. In fact, upon closer study, many of the evangelistic methods commonly used by churches and Christians today have been shown to be ineffective—and even counter-productive—in producing disciples and responsible church members. In this article, Charles Arn contrasts the difference in practice and results between traditional evangelism vs. effective disciple-making