Is it possible that modern churches are missing a crucial aspect of discipleship, one that Jesus himself demonstrated?

Kevin Swanson suggests that many of today's churches are focusing too much on programs and not enough on relationships. He asserts that Jesus spent significant time with his disciples, building a long-term relationship with them over the course of three years. This level of relational discipleship is not typically seen in the modern, mass-produced approach to church programs and discipleship.

According to Swanson, the discipler or teacher needs to cultivate a loving relationship with those they are discipling, following the pattern set by Jesus who loved his disciples so deeply that he gave his life for them. This relational discipleship, he suggests, is key to effective spiritual growth and development, and is something that many modern churches may need to reconsider.

John 15:12 (NKJV): 'This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.'

I think one of the things that's lacking in the program-driven church is relationship. Jesus spent a great deal of time with three as well as 12 disciples over a period of three years. And that sort of thing doesn't happen in a mass-produced approach to programs and discipleship in the modern era. And I think that's found to be wanting as much as has been tried in the last generation or two. So I guess what I would say is that you need a long-term relationship.

Certainly the discipler or the teacher needs to love for those that He disciples, and that loving relationship just needs to grow. And Jesus is our pattern for that. He said He loved His disciples so much so that He gave His life for them. And I think that's the pattern for us too.