August 2026

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I listen to podcasts virtually every spare moment of the day. Prior to the rise of podcasts, I enjoyed listening to talk radio. I listened to Rush Limbaugh regularly from my late teens until his death, and I enjoyed listening to The Dan Patrick Show for sports talk. Obviously, I no longer listen to Rush, and rarely do I listen to The Dan Patrick Show because I no longer follow sports like I used to for a variety of reasons. College football is my only real passion for sports these days. Nevertheless, today’s podcast environment presents me with a buffet style-approach to content genres. My palate is quite diverse when it comes to listening options.

Although Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Rumble make finding your exact content preference for podcasts quite manageable, the buffet-style approach to church is far less appealing and helpful for the growth of Christian disciples. We’ve all heard of the consumeristic mentality of modern church goers and how harmful it is to the cause of Christ. Well, I concur! So many people seek churches based on their personal preferences. Furthermore, many people survey a variety of churches throughout the month, each one offering something different and appealing. Thus, commitment to a singular church in meaningful membership seems elusive to many; and it’s not just one generation that approaches church attendance in this fashion. “If the church doesn’t serve the dish I like, then I’ll just go somewhere else,” seems to be a phrase uttered across the generational mix. This approach to church seems quite individualistic and myopic. How will the church ever expand her footprint into the community for generations if the only focus of the people is current personal preferences? Something clearly seems off about many people’s ideas about church.

As we look to God’s Word for answers to our questions concerning our faith, notice what Luke records about the early church: Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. According to this verse, the activities of the church should be: 1) teaching biblical doctrine, 2) providing a place of fellowship for believers, 3) observing the Lord’s supper, and 4) praying. Of course, we have other passages that emphasize the importance and value baptism within the local church and instructions for musical worship (Colossians 3:16). Likewise, notice what Paul says about the importance of passing the faith on to others: 2 Timothy 2:2 And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. In addition, Paul referred to Timothy as “his son in the faith” in 1 Timothy 1:2. When we take these words from Paul, coupled with the express statements in the Old Testament, we conclude that God is serious about the church intentionally passing the faith on to the next generation.

As I think about our biblical mandate as a church to be used of God to make mature disciples of Christ who make disciples of Christ and to pass the faith on to the next generation, my mind thinks more in terms of an apprenticeship with a mentor than a school day broken into 6 or 8 periods with 6 or 8 different teachers. The mentee develops a close relationship with the mentor in an apprenticeship. The mentor teaches the mentee through formal and practical lessons. This pedagogical process was modeled for us by Jesus. Jesus lived three years with His disciples, teaching them truth every day as they went about their daily activities.

Following the pattern of Jesus’ disciple-making process, therefore, will not allow us to take a buffet-style approach to church. We must be active, committed, present, and involved in a local church so that we can build genuine, long-lasting relationships with other people for the purpose of mentoring them in the faith. Mark 3:14 states, [Jesus] also appointed 12—He also named them apostles—to be with Him, to send them out to preach. A mentee will find it virtually impossible to be mentored by a mentor if the mentee does not know where to find the mentor each Lord’s Day in order to be with him.

Pastor Clint Miller