Willis: We’ve got to have a radical revolution. We’ve got to go back to the Bible and describe what a disciple is and not just ask folks to come make decisions or be baptized or become a member of a church, but to follow Christ. And then to say that means “deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me.” It must become a priority of the leadership of the church. The church is to make disciples. If your church was a factory, what do you produce? You should be producing disciples. If you measure the disciples, you measure how good a factory you are. Or are you going out of business?

Edgemon: Discipleship in the local church is really an important decision that the church has to make. Every time we do a survey, people will put discipleship first, but in reality, that’s not what they do. … I am working with a church as a consultant, and it thrills my heart that every person who comes into that church must go through new member training and the second thing they must do is go through a doctrine study.

Q: How would you describe your personal quiet time and how you came to that discipline?

Willis: I was in college and I was reading these biographies of folks who got up and spent an hour in the word of God and an hour in prayer. I said, “Oh, that’s wonderful, I’ll do that.” Of course, I’d gone to bed at 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning. I’d do that one day and I wouldn’t do it the next day, and that was the pattern for a little while. Then finally somebody gave me a little tract on how to spend seven minutes a day with God, and it kind of broke it down … and I said, “Well, I can do that, even if I’m late.” So when I started doing that consistently, seven minutes a day, obviously that wasn’t enough, so it expanded into more meaningful quiet time. Just the fact that you meet the Lord every morning is the whole difference in the life of that (discipline).

Edgemon: I was not raised as a Christian. I did not accept Christ until I was 15. Really did not have very much instruction other than what I had received from my church. I was already in the pastorate when I began to realize I needed that help and guidance. I think I read something about putting first things first. Give God the first hour of every day, the first day of every week, first fruit of the income, and first place in our heart. That kind of imprinted in my life, and I started at that time doing that.

McQuilkin: I went to a conference something like this down the road when I was 12 years old, and the preacher said, “Everybody who has read through the Bible stand up.” I couldn’t stand up and I was very embarrassed, and I said, “This is not going to happen to me next year.” On my dresser, I didn’t even close the Bible, I just left it there — three chapters a day and four on Sunday. Of course, that wore out pretty quick. Then, after college, some Chinese brother had a motto: “No Bible, no breakfast.” So I told the Lord, “That’s what I’ll do.” But it was kind of like eating sawdust for breakfast. But I promised Him, right? Six months later, I woke up to the fact that I didn’t want breakfast until I had that. I felt that closeness and intimacy with Him. It’s been going ever since.

Q: How can we motivate people to be faithful disciples?

Willis: Motivation comes from passion. If you’re not passionate, nobody’s going to want to do what you’re doing. If you’re passionate with Christ and modeling that, people are going to want to know why you do those things. If you get in a personal relationship with them, you’re going to share your heart. I think it’s an intrinsic relationship problem. Are you living it? Are you passionate about it? Are you sharing it?