“What kind of church are we building? A place people attend, or a people who belong?
In today’s world, churches often fall into one of three patterns—event-driven, program-oriented, or community-shaped.
Each has its strengths, but only one reflects the life-on-life discipleship we see in the book of Acts.
We don’t just need crowds—we need connection.
We don’t just need busy schedules—we need spiritual family.
Because at the heart of the gospel is not a platform or a program, but a Person—and a people called to follow Him together.
Let’s explore what kind of culture truly forms disciples, and what it means to be a church that’s alive, not just active.”
1. Event-driven Church: A Church That Gathers Crowds
Core Philosophy: The event-based church operates with a “come and see” mindset. The Sunday service or major event is the main platform of engagement. It often mirrors a stage-audience dynamic, where people gather for a spiritual experience but may not be deeply known or discipled.
Characteristics:
- Sunday is the centerpiece of church life.
- Resources go into production: lights, sound, media.
- The teaching is powerful, the worship is stirring, the atmosphere is energetic.
- People are audience participants, not necessarily relational disciples.
Weaknesses and Spiritual Dangers:
While event-based churches can gather large crowds and create powerful moments, they often struggle to build deep, lasting connections. The environment may encourage spiritual spectatorship, where people attend and consume but do not engage or grow. Discipleship becomes difficult to measure because attendance can be mistaken for transformation.
There is a subtle but serious risk: confusing inspiration with genuine spiritual formation. Crowds may grow, but lives may remain unchanged.
“Emotional impact is not the same as spiritual maturity. What stirs the heart must also shape the life.”
Theological Reflection: From Crowds to Circles
While Jesus often gathered the multitudes—healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and teaching from hillsides (e.g., Matthew 14:13–21, feeding the 5,000)—His primary method of discipleship was not event-based, but relationship-based.
1. Jesus and the Crowds: Awakening Faith
Crowds were drawn to Jesus’ miracles, His authority, and His compassion. The crowds came to see, to hear, and often to receive physical or emotional help. These moments were important—they awakened curiosity, stirred faith, and served as open doors to the kingdom.
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” – Matthew 14:14
But crowds are not the end goal. Jesus never entrusted Himself to the crowd (John 2:24). Why? Because the crowd could celebrate Him on Sunday (Palm Sunday) and crucify Him on Friday.
2. Jesus and the Twelve: Sustaining Transformation
Jesus intentionally chose twelve men to walk with Him daily (Mark 3:13–14). With them, He lived life, explained parables, confronted sin, shared meals, prayed, and prepared them to carry the mission forward.
“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” – Mark 3:14
The phrase “that they might be with Him” is key. True discipleship happens in closeness, not just in teaching. Jesus invested deeply in a few to impact many. His strategy was not addition through events, but multiplication through relationships.
Even within the Twelve, Jesus brought Peter, James, and John into closer moments (e.g., the Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1–2, Gethsemane – Mark 14:33). Transformation requires proximity and intimacy—not just attendance at a spiritual event.
3. From Public Ministry to Private Mentorship
- Events created interest (e.g., the Sermon on the Mount).
- Miracles created amazement (e.g., walking on water).
- But only community and teaching in private created maturity (e.g., Luke 11:1–4, where the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray).
Events may bring someone to Jesus—but only relationships will keep them walking with Him.
4. Implications for the Church Today
- A church that focuses only on events may grow wide but not deep.
- A church that builds small discipleship circles may grow slower—but it grows stronger.
- Events gather. Relationships form.
- The Great Commission is not to “go and gather crowds,” but to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).
“Jesus often withdrew with the few, even after ministering to the many.”
Jesus used events to awaken the heart, but He used community to transform the life.
Discipleship is not built in the spotlight—it’s forged in conversations, questions, rebukes, encouragement, and life shared over time.
2. Program-oriented Church: A Church That Offers Options
Core Philosophy: This church structure believes people grow best through structured involvement—ministries, classes, events, and segmented groups. It’s efficient and often comprehensive, but can become bureaucratic or impersonal.
Characteristics:
- Ministry is segmented (children, youth, seniors, etc.).
- Staff and volunteers run departments.
- Church calendar is full, and people are busy.
- Success is measured by attendance and participation in programs.
Spiritual Danger: Discipleship becomes a curriculum, not a lifestyle. Programs can train the head but miss the heart.
Theological Reflection: Programs Must Serve People, Not Replace Relationship
a. Biblical Foundation: Order and Structure in the Body of Christ
In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul teaches that the church is the Body of Christ, composed of many members with different spiritual gifts, each contributing to the health and function of the whole:
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:4, 27
Paul affirms diversity of function, unity of purpose, and the need for structure. This theology supports the use of programs and organized ministries—whether in teaching, serving, administration, or leadership—as essential tools for building up the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–12).
Programs Are Biblical Tools, Not Replacements for Community
The early church had organized expressions of care (Acts 6:1–6), designated roles for leaders (1 Timothy 3), and systems for teaching and accountability (Titus 2). All of these were meant to equip the saints, not entertain or occupy them.
However, while structure is necessary, it must never overshadow the purpose: relational discipleship and mutual edification. When programs become the end rather than the means, churches risk drifting into institutionalism—where success is measured by attendance or activity rather than transformation and discipleship.
Theological Warning: From Body to Business?
A church focused only on efficient programming may begin to mirror a corporation more than a family, valuing performance over presence and administration over affection.
Jesus never said, “By this everyone will know you are my disciples—if your programs are excellent.”
He said:
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35
This kind of love cannot be mass-produced—it must be lived out in community, not just in classrooms or scheduled ministry slots.
Programs That Foster Relationship and Discipleship
Well-designed programs can powerfully support the life of the church when they create space for:
- Shared life (Acts 2:46 – “breaking bread from house to house”)
- Mutual encouragement (Hebrews 10:24–25)
- Equipping and sending (Ephesians 4:12)
- Pastoral care and accountability (Galatians 6:1–2)
“Programs must always bend toward people—never the other way around.”
— Howard Hendricks
Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12 validates organized roles and ministries within the church. But the goal of that structure is not control—it is connection. It’s not merely efficiency—it’s edification.
Programs are vehicles, not destinations. They help the body function, but they must never replace the heart of discipleship: relationship, presence, and love.
“Ministries that don’t lead to relationships will eventually lead to burnout.”
— Reggie Joiner
3. Community-Based Church: A Church That Shares Life
Core Philosophy: The focus is on shared life and relational discipleship. Church is not just a gathering, it is a family. The biblical model of the church in Acts 2 emphasizes fellowship, prayer, breaking bread, and shared resources.
Characteristics:
- Strong small group life or house churches.
- Emphasis on hospitality, vulnerability, spiritual growth in relationship.
- Leaders are mentors and shepherds, not just managers.
- Ministry flows from friendship and accountability.
Strengths:
- Deep spiritual formation.
- People are truly known, loved, and supported.
- Missional and organic multiplication.
Spiritual Advantage: People belong before they believe, and they grow as they go. The gospel becomes visible through life-on-life discipleship (2 Timothy 2:2).
Theological Reflection: Discipleship Happens in Community, Not in Isolation
a. Jesus Modeled Relational Discipleship
Jesus did not simply give lectures or conduct workshops—He invited people into His life. His method of discipleship was intensely relational and communal. He walked with His disciples, ate with them, rebuked and restored them, answered their questions, and taught them not only by what He said, but by how He lived among them.
“He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach.”
— Mark 3:14
The phrase “with Him” is critical—discipleship begins not with tasks or teachings, but with presence and proximity. His goal was not merely to inform their minds, but to transform their hearts through shared life.
b. The Early Church Lived in Community (Acts 2:42–47)
After Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit was poured out, the early believers naturally formed community. They didn’t begin by creating programs, schedules, or institutional systems. Instead, they devoted themselves to:
“…the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
— Acts 2:42
This fourfold devotion represents the rhythm of relational discipleship:
- Apostolic Teaching – The truth of the gospel, grounded in the Word.
- Fellowship (koinonia) – Deep sharing of life, not just casual friendships.
- Breaking of Bread – Shared meals, communion, and vulnerability.
- Prayer – Corporate dependence on God and spiritual intimacy.
Their transformation was not driven by weekly events—it was nurtured in daily relationships (Acts 2:46: “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”).
Why Community Transforms
Relational environments are where discipleship becomes real and personal:
- Truth becomes visible when we see it lived out in others.
- Character is formed through accountability and encouragement.
- Grace is experienced when we are known and still loved.
- Faith is tested and strengthened in the messiness of shared life.
Programs can teach principles, but community forms people.
c. Theological Warning: Individualism Undermines Discipleship
Modern Christianity often emphasizes personal faith to the point of isolation. But in Scripture, faith is always communal—we are members of one body (1 Corinthians 12:12–27), called to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and to encourage each other daily (Hebrews 3:13).
A church may offer great sermons and flawless systems, but if people do not share life, they will not experience transformation as Jesus intended.
Jesus + People + Time = Discipleship
“Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if He were you.” Dalals Willard
But that process requires relationship—because we are not shaped by information alone, but by imitation and interaction within the context of trusted relationships.
Jesus discipled in the context of community. The early church thrived because of its commitment to life together, not just learning together. Church must never be reduced to a service or a system. It is a spiritual family, and it is in that family that God shapes, stretches, and sanctifies us.
“True discipleship cannot happen at a distance. It happens in the overlap of lives.”
“Discipleship is not a class—it’s a life lived together.”
Integrated Approach: Not Either-Or, But Both-And
While these three models have distinct approaches, a healthy, mature church will integrate all three:
- Events to gather and inspire
- Programs to equip and mobilize
- Community to disciple and transform
But among the three, community-based is the non-negotiable foundation for biblical discipleship. Events and programs should serve the community, not replace it.
Application for Church Leaders:
| Evaluate This | Reflect On This Question |
|---|---|
| Sunday Service | Does it create spectators or launch disciples? |
| Programs | Are they producing growth or just activity? |
| Small Groups | Are they relational or just another meeting? |
| Culture | Are we a crowd that gathers or a community that shares life? |
“You can grow a crowd through events and fill a calendar with programs, but only community grows people.”
Conclusion: Which One Are You Building?
The New Testament church was not centered around events or programs, but on shared life in Christ. It wasn’t attractional or professional—it was relational and transformational.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42
If the church is the body of Christ, it must be alive, connected, and growing together—not just attending events or joining programs. The future belongs to churches that build authentic community on gospel foundations.
budi hidajat 