This past week I blogged about Willow Creek's recent expensive, comprehensive study of the effectiveness of their programs in discipling people. You've got to applaud them for putting everything they stand for with their "Seeker Sensitive" model of church at risk.

The conclusion was that discipleship doesn't happen through workbooks and programs. Duh. Paul said, "Imitate me." He was the curriculum.

My friend Clint told me that he shared the Willow Creek study with one of the executives in a company that is a successful purveyor of curriculum.

She couldn't believe it. She was offended that this megachurch would say that they've been doing discipleship wrong. She said, "They really think they've wasted millions of dollars? I don't believe it."

Clint just said, "Well you'll have to talk to Bill, but that's what he said." Clint went on to tell her about a woman named Jill who won fifteen Muslim converts as a businesswoman in the Middle East just by "doing life" with them.

The curriculum executive said, "Well what did they do next, did they start a Bible study? They need to start a Bible study."

Clint said, "Why?"

"Well, I don't know, but that's just what you're supposed to do."

OK folks, for heaven sakes, let's all study our Bibles. But isn't it also time that we all joined Bill Hybels in declaring bankruptcy? Our old paradigms of discipleship have failed
us miserably. The church you belong to may be intact, but overall, our churches are withering, and if you've hung out with young people lately, you know that they understand the emperor has no clothes on.

It's time we got back to basics and started imitating Jesus. We need to toss out our old paradigms of discipleship and join Jill - we need to start doing the stuff.