The Discipleship Dilemma: A Wicked Problem
I have a deep passion for spiritual formation and discipleship. However, I have found that before discussing discipleship with someone, I must begin by clarifying with which of the many definitions they are most familiar.
With so many interpretations of discipleship, there is a lot of ambiguity regarding “what” it is, “how” to do it, and what it might “look like.” Today, more than ever, we must be very clear about what it means to be a disciple or follower of Jesus.
In his seminal work, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship, Dallas Willard writes,
So the greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heart-breaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples—students, apprentices, practitioners—of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the heavens into every corner of human existence. [1]
Willard addresses a profound issue within contemporary Christianity: the noticeable gap between, “on the one hand, the hope for life expressed in Jesus—found real in the Bible and in many shining examples from among his followers—and, on the other hand, the actual day-to-day behavior, inner life, and social presence of most of those who now profess adherence to him.” [2] This gap seems even more obvious today than when Willard wrote these words.
Willard calls this discrepancy the “Great Disparity,” attributing it to the church’s neglect of true discipleship—a neglect he calls the “Great Omission.” This omission has led to a pervasive challenge in modern faith communities, one that aligns closely with what scholars identify as a “wicked problem.”
Understanding Wicked Problems
The concept of wicked problems was introduced by design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber in the 1970s. [3]
Wicked problems are complex issues characterized by ambiguity, interconnectedness, and resistance to definitive solutions. Unlike “tame” problems, which have clear parameters and solutions, wicked problems are multifaceted, with no clear endpoint, and often involve numerous stakeholders with differing perspectives. [4]
The Wicked Problem in Discipleship
Applying this framework to Willard’s observations, the challenge of authentic discipleship in the modern church could certainly be said to be a wicked problem.
The “Great Disparity” highlights the inconsistency between the vibrant, transformative Christian life depicted in Scripture and the often lukewarm—or sadly misaligned—faith observed in practice. This disparity stems from the “Great Omission,” where the church has failed to emphasize and cultivate true discipleship—teaching believers to observe all that Jesus commanded (John 1:23).
Contributing Factors
Dallas Willard’s The Great Omission highlights how the church’s neglect of discipleship has led to a widespread gap between the life Jesus calls believers to and the lived experience of most Christians. Barna’s research confirms that this failure is not simply an issue of personal neglect but a systemic problem with multiple interlocking causes.
1. Lack of Discipleship Engagement
According to Barna’s Growing Together study [5], 39% of U.S. Christians are not engaged in discipleship at all, and only 28% are actively discipling others while being discipled themselves. This suggests that discipleship is not a natural or expected part of Christian life for many believers.
Given that 56% of Christians say their spiritual life is entirely private, the communal aspect of following Jesus—central to the early church—has eroded, been ignored, or is deeply misunderstood.
2. Lack of Confidence and Feeling Ill-Equipped
The primary reason Christians do not engage in disciple-making is not outright rejection of the idea but a crisis of confidence. Barna found that 37% of Christians feel unqualified or ill-equipped to disciple others.
This aligns with Willard’s argument that many churches have failed to teach believers how to live as disciples, not just that they should be disciples. (“We can be ‘Christians’ forever, and never become disciples.” [6]) The absence of structured teaching on discipleship leaves many feeling unprepared.
3. Lack of External Encouragement and Accountability
One in four Christians (24%) says that discipling others has never been suggested to them, and 22% report they have never even thought about it. Even among those who are being discipled, 31% say no one has asked or encouraged them to disciple others. Willard calls out this failure of intentionality in churches; many congregations focus on converts and assume discipleship will happen naturally without actively fostering it: The emphasis on church membership,
…causes two great omissions from the Great Commission to stand out. Most important, we start by omitting the making of disciples and enrolling people as Christ’s students, when we should let all else wait for that. Then we also omit, of necessity, the step of taking our converts through training that will bring them ever-increasingly to do what Jesus directed. [7]
4. Lack of Meaningful Relationships for Spiritual Growth
Another major barrier is relational disconnection. Barna found that 38% of Christians who lack a discipleship relationship have simply never thought about it, and 35% report they have not found the right person for that kind of connection. This indicates that discipleship is not a widespread cultural norm within many churches.
The absence of strong relational models for discipleship means that even those who desire to grow in their faith struggle to find avenues to do so.
5. Institutional and Theological Barriers
Beyond individual factors, the broader church culture plays a role in perpetuating the wicked problem of discipleship. Willard argues that many churches focus on numerical growth and conversion over deep transformation, leading to a model where attendance is prioritized over spiritual maturity.
Also, some churches promote an incomplete gospel, emphasizing belief over obedience, which leads to a faith that does not naturally result in transformed lives.
Reframing the Problem
In What’s Your Problem?, Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg emphasizes the necessity of correctly framing problems to identify effective solutions. He introduces a three-step method: Frame, Reframe, Move Forward. [8] Applying this to the issue of discipleship:
- Frame: Acknowledge the existing gap between professed faith and lived experience—the “Great Disparity.”
- Reframe: Shift the focus from merely increasing church attendance or superficial engagement to fostering deep, transformative relationships with Christ. This involves redefining success not by numbers but by the quality of discipleship and spiritual maturity. In other words, measure by changed lives.
- Move Forward: Implement strategies that prioritize discipleship, such as intentional mentorship, small group relationships, and teaching that emphasizes living out and applying Jesus’s commands.
The Role of Worship
N.T. Wright, in For All God’s Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church, explores the integral role of worship in the life of believers. He posits that true worship involves recognizing God’s worth and responding appropriately, which naturally leads to transformation and mission. [Wright, 11] Wright asserts that worship is not merely an event but a lifestyle that shapes our identity and actions. [9]
By cultivating genuine worship, the church can address the “Great Disparity.” Worship aligns believers’ hearts with God’s purposes, fostering a desire for true formation in the Spirit. As Wright notes, understanding and experiencing the greatness of God compels believers to live lives that reflect His character and commands.
Moving Toward a Solution
The wicked problem of the discipleship dilemma, as identified by Dallas Willard in The Great Omission, presents a profound challenge for the modern church. The “Great Disparity” between the transformative life promised by Jesus and the actual experiences of many believers stems from a lack of intentional discipleship.
However, as both Barna’s research and Willard’s insights suggest, many Christians are more ready for discipleship than they realize—they simply need guidance, encouragement, and a clear pathway forward.
One essential step is reframing the problem, as outlined by Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg in What’s Your Problem? Instead of treating discipleship as an optional or advanced stage of Christian maturity, churches must recognize it as the central calling of every believer.
This means moving beyond a model focused solely on conversion and church attendance to one that actively trains people to live as disciples of Jesus.
By redefining thriving churches—not by numerical growth alone, but by depth of transformation—we begin to address the core issue rather than its symptoms.
Equally important is a renewed emphasis on worship, as N.T. Wright explores in For All God’s Worth. True worship is not just about singing songs in a sanctuary on Sunday but about aligning one’s entire life with the reality of God’s kingdom.
When worship becomes a lifestyle, it reorients believers toward God’s purposes, making discipleship a natural outgrowth rather than an afterthought. Worship, rightly understood, forms character, shapes desires, and deepens commitment—all of which are essential in overcoming the barriers to discipleship.
A Path Forward
The solution to the wicked problem of discipleship must be multifaceted and intentional:
- Intentional Teaching: Churches must prioritize practical, life-oriented teaching that helps believers embody Jesus’s teachings, not just understand doctrine.
- Relational Connections: Small, committed discipleship relationships (micro-groups of two or three) provide direction, accountability, encouragement, and real transformation.
- Community Engagement: Larger faith communities must model and celebrate the process of discipleship, making it a core value rather than an optional add-on.
- Emphasis on Worship: Worship as a way of life ensures that discipleship is rooted in loving and glorifying God; it’s not just a moral obligation.
Willard’s challenge to the church is clear: we are not simply called to make converts but to make disciples who, in turn, make disciples. Addressing this wicked problem requires intentionality, relational investment, and a cultural shift within churches. Only by reclaiming the full vision of Jesus’s call to discipleship can we bridge the Great Disparity and embody the transformative power of the gospel in every facet of life.
1 – Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship (New York: Harper One, 2–6), xv.
2 – Willard, 2.
3 – Joseph Bentley, Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems; What They Are and Why They Are Important (Bloomington, IN: Archway Publishing, 2020) loc. 109 of 3293, Kindle.
4 – Barna. “Two in Five Christians Are Not Engaged in Discipleship.” Barna Group, February 5, 2024. https://www.barna.com/research/christians-discipleship-community/.
5 – Willard, xi.
6 – Willard, 5-6.
7 – Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg, What’s Your Problem? To Solve Your Toughtest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2020), 11.
8 – N.T. Wright, For All God’s Worth; True Worship and the Calling of the Church (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), 79.
About the Author
Debbie Owen
Deborah C. Owen is an experienced spiritual director, Neuro-based Enneagram executive and life coach, disciple maker, professional writer, senior librarian, and long-time church Music Director and lay leader. She has earned the award of National Board Certification for teaching excellence, and a podcasting award, and is pursuing a Doctor of Leadership degree through Portland Seminary at George Fox University. She lives in the backwoods of Maine with her husband and flat-coated retriever. She spends as much time as she can with their 3 grown children, daughter-in-law, and 2 small grandchildren. Find her online at InsideOutMinistries.info.11 responses to “The Discipleship Dilemma: A Wicked Problem”
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Hi Debbie – two thoughts come to mind. Do you remember at Oxford, Jason talked about the notion that perhaps not everyone was made to be a disciple. I am not sure how I feel about that remark, but it stuck with me.
The second thought is that yesterday, Pew Research has published a new study stating that Christianity as a religion may be declining, but not spirituality.
Given these two thoughts – especially the second one, how do you see discipleship in a world that is less Christian by definition and more spiritual per Pew’s definition? It’s a bit off from the book, so reel the question back in if you need to.
(Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/)
Sorry, I didn’t reply directly. Please see my reply to you here.
https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/the-discipleship-dilemma-a-wicked-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-219423
And I’ll add to my first point that I needed to be reminded that it’s only my job to show up; it’s between God and the other person whether or not they accept the invitation to follow Jesus.
Yes, Jennifer, I remember that Martyn Percy (I’m pretty sure) talked about followers vs. disciples. I still think about it a lot, and wrestle with it. To be honest, it’s actually been comforting because I thought it was my job to offer everyone the opportunity to be a disciple. Ha! Imagine my surprise when only 6 people out of 100 have taken me up on that invitation. I couldn’t understand it. After Martyn shared that comment and I let it marinate for a while, I realized it’s true. It was true in Jesus’s day and it’s true here. It’s that old saying, “You can take a horse to water but you can’t make ’em drink.”
Regarding your other question, I also saw that announcement about the Pew study. I have two sisters, one of whom is actively atheist and the other of whom describes herself as “spiritual”, believing in a higher power.
I’ll zero in on just one aspect of that (the topic is almost more than I can handle right now, so this will have to do). Many people who are self-described as “spiritual” often refer to “the universe.” They claim that “the universe must have ordained xyz” or some such thing. They are CLOSE to believing in God, but not quite there. Why not? What is the barrier? Can they not imagine a God who loves and adores them, who literally sacrificed EVERYTHING for them?
As Tozer said, “Your view of who God is is the most important thing to know about you.” We can extrapolate so many things from someone who believes that “the universe” – a noun, like a rock, a tree, or an insect – is in charge.
The key point is this: you can’t have a relationship with a rock or a universe. There’s no invitation to transformation, no invitation to join in a loving relationship with that noun… Spiritual people know – they KNOW – that there is something greater than themselves. But they don’t know what to call this “greater one” and they don’t know how to have a relationship with the “greater one.”
Maybe that’s our call to discipling them. Showing first, then teaching them that there really is a Greater One who loves and adores them.
How’s that for a start? 😉
Great answer! Always fun chatting with you.
Hi Debbie,
Thank you for your post. How do Bentley and Toth’s ideas help you understand the challenge of discipleship in the modern church?
“How do Bentley and Toth’s ideas help you understand the challenge of discipleship in the modern church?”
Hi Shela, well, as I shared, I am using Willard’s definition of “The Great Disparity” and “The Great Omission.” He says we’re not teaching people to follow Jesus’s commandments about how to live.
Willard says that there is a gap between the life people desire in Jesus, and the way they live their lives on a day-to-day basis. I would agree with this assessment. (Of course, who am I to disagree that much with Dallas Willard? 😉 )
Hi Debbie, In your own experience, what has personally been the most challenging aspect of discipleship as a ‘wicked problem’? What approaches have you found to help navigate its complexity while in the swamp?
“In your own experience, what has personally been the most challenging aspect of discipleship as a ‘wicked problem’? What approaches have you found to help navigate its complexity while in the swamp?”
Actually, Kari, one of the problems is the wide variety of definitions of “discipleship.” We can’t “solve” a problem when we can’t even define what it is (as Bentley and Toth point out). I have written a book – yet to be published because I’ve been kinda busy – about discipleship and I state at the beginning what MY definition is, and acknowledge there are other definitions. Then I share what “worked for me, to change my life.” I am eager to finish editing this book and get it published. Maybe that will help, in some small way.
Hi Debbie, I appreciate your deep passion for spiritual formation and discipleship. Are you sure God is not preparing you to move overseas as a missionary at this stage of your life? 😉 I enjoyed your statement concerning the wicked problem in discipleship, “When worship becomes a lifestyle, it reorients believers toward God’s purposes, making discipleship a natural outgrowth rather than an afterthought.” People need “new eyes” to see this. What brings you hope and “lightens the burden” when you read discouraging statistics about contributing factors concerning the neglect of discipleship?
Elysse, I messed up again and didn’t reply directly to you. Here’s my reply
https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/the-discipleship-dilemma-a-wicked-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-219610
“Are you sure God is not preparing you to move overseas as a missionary at this stage of your life? 😉 I enjoyed your statement concerning the wicked problem in discipleship, “When worship becomes a lifestyle, it reorients believers toward God’s purposes, making discipleship a natural outgrowth rather than an afterthought.” People need “new eyes” to see this. What brings you hope and “lightens the burden” when you read discouraging statistics about contributing factors concerning the neglect of discipleship?”
Thanks Elysse, but right now, I’m called to Maine. Lol! 🙂
You ask an excellent question, one that requires a great deal more thought and prayer. I guess all I can do is my best, in my place, where I am called to use my gifts and talents and interests to honor God. As I mentioned in my reply to Kari, I am eager to finish editing my book about discipleship so I can publish it and feel like I’m doing my part. (I have actually written the equivalent of 2 and a half books for a series on discipleship. God willing, they’ll get done and published before I die!)