Do people think themselves into a new way of behaving, or do we behave ourselves into a new way of thinking?
This question sits at the heart of the discipleship crisis in the American church. For too long, we have assumed that more knowledge, better sermons, and stronger theological arguments will transform people into devoted disciples of Jesus. But as neuroscience—and Jesus Himself—teach us, transformation doesn’t work that way.
We don’t think our way into a new way of living. We live our way into a new way of thinking.
The Half-Brained Church: Where Discipleship Falls Short
In The Other Half of Church, Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks argue that the modern church is stuck in "left-brained Christianity." We emphasize words, beliefs, and doctrine but neglect the right-brain essentials of transformation: loving attachments, identity, joy, and community. The left brain processes truth, logic, and language. The right brain, however, governs character formation. If we want to make disciples, we must engage the right brain.
"The right hemisphere is a more powerful processor than the left and samples our environment at six times a second… If we want to grow and transform our character into the character of Jesus, we must involve activities that stimulate and develop the right brain." (The Other Half of Church)
When we build our churches around sermons and knowledge transfer alone, we bypass the primary pathway for deep transformation. We must shift from information-based discipleship to relationship-driven, obedience-based discipleship.
Why Our Brains Resist Change (And What Jesus Already Knew)
In Ordinary Discipleship, Jessie Cruickshank explains that our brains don’t change through data collection but through experiential learning. We learn best through apprenticeship, immersion, and relational modeling, not just hearing more sermons.
"We are not transformed by facts and information, but by what we believe in our bones. If our life does not demonstrate it, we have not learned it." (Ordinary Discipleship)
Jesus understood this. He didn’t conduct weekly lectures in the synagogue to make disciples. He called people to follow Him, live with Him, and do what He did. He gave His disciples experiences that shaped their identity, not just lessons to memorize.
This aligns with what neuroscience tells us about transformation:
Behavior precedes belief – we act our way into thinking, not vice versa.
Relational attachment shapes identity – we become like those we are closely bonded to.
Experiential learning rewires the brain – abstract knowledge alone does not produce transformation.
A former professor of mine, Mark E. Moore, reinforced this idea in a recent interview with me, "So many discipleship ministries are Bible study oriented. Bible study is not discipleship. And look no one's gonna criticize me of not knowing, loving, and chasing after the Bible. The word of God is my life, but that's not discipleship. Discipleship is hands and feet more than head and ears"
The Neuroscience of Obedience-Based Discipleship
The disciple-making movements (DMMs) around the world—places where the gospel is spreading rapidly—use a model of obedience-based discipleship. This approach is starkly different from the Western church’s knowledge-based discipleship.
Instead of simply asking, “What do you believe?” these movements ask, “What did you obey?”
Why does this work? Neuroscience tells us that action creates neural pathways. When we practice obedience, our brains develop muscle memory for Christlike behavior. The more we act in faith, the more our identity aligns with Jesus. In contrast, passive listening and intellectual agreement do little to form our character.
"Expecting head knowledge to become heart knowledge is not how God created us to learn." (Ordinary Discipleship)
We must create disciple-making environments that train people for real obedience, not just agreement.
Rewiring Discipleship for Real Transformation
If we want to see true spiritual formation in our churches, we must rethink our discipleship strategies. Here’s what we need to prioritize:
Shift from sermons to stories and shared experiences. Jesus taught in parables and lived life alongside His disciples. Likewise, neuroscience tells us that stories and experiences embed truths into our autobiographical memory, making them more transformative.
Build strong relational attachments in disciple-making. Discipleship must be life-on-life, not content-driven. Transformation happens in loving community, where people experience the joy of belonging and the challenge of growing together.
Create obedience-based discipleship rhythms. Instead of moving people from content to content, we need to move people from practice to practice. Every disciple must be regularly asked, “How did you obey what Jesus commanded this week?” This simple shift moves learning from the semantic memory (facts) into the autobiographical memory (identity).
Engage the whole brain in discipleship. If we neglect joy, identity formation, and loving relationships, we leave people spiritually stunted. As The Other Half of Church explains, attachment & love fuels transformation.
"The modern church ‘aims to get people into heaven rather than to get heaven into people.’" (The Other Half of Church)
The Call to Rethink Discipleship
As we consider discipleship and neuroscience, we must abandon models that aren’t producing transformation. More sermons won’t fix the problem. More content won’t either.
What will? Living life in deep community, calling people to active obedience, and engaging the whole brain in spiritual formation.
It’s time to rethink discipleship—not just for the sake of our churches, but for the sake of a lost world waiting for true, transformed followers of Jesus.
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