Is discipleship the Great Omission in the Great Commission?

Extract from the Producers of The Forge Movie below: 

In a pastors study, nearly 2 in 3 pastors (63%) say disciple-making is an area they need to invest in. Of all the areas of skill development needs, disciple-making stands out above the rest. And discipleship is the heartbeat of the church.  

Stephen Kendrick: The word disciple means follower. It’s the idea of someone not just teaching from a distance but inviting someone close enough into their lives that they can see the example of what you’re teaching. Discipleship enables you to have a relationship with someone that hopefully is built upon God’s love.   Jesus did not just preach to the masses in the Sermon on the Mount, but He invited the 12 to be with Him. That word “with” is important because it’s connected to fellowship and proximity and the invitation to allow someone into your personal space — into your schedule, into your home, into your work environment — so you’re close enough to them to take the relationship to a deeper level.  

Kendrick: Every church ought to be a disciple-making machine — a living organism, following the Lord ourselves, and inviting other people to come follow Him with us. And it doesn’t begin when a person comes to Christ.   It’s important that we don’t just view discipleship as a six-week course the church offers. That can be the spark of discipleship relationships or a part of a journey, but Jesus was thinking long term and pouring into these 12 over three years. It gave Him a lot of opportunity to have deep conversations, to answer their questions, to deal with their deep-seated pride and insecurities and fear issues and lack of faith. But He also was serving with them. Then He sent them out to serve, and they could come back so He could help fine-tune their ministries.  

Yes, churches should do the Sermon on the Mount communication, but there also needs to be believers who are constantly seeking the Lord as to who He would want them to pour into. As the Holy Spirit prompts divine appointments, we need to step into those.