Admirers vs. Followers by Rob Haynes

I enjoy watching sports. I am amazed at the skills and talents demonstrated on the field in a competitive game or match. From my couch, I admire them while I enjoy a snack in the comfort of my living room. I must admit that rarely, however, do I follow their example of their hard work and dedication to their craft. I do not follow their advice on how to master the skills they demonstrate. It is much easier to be an admirer than a follower. In the Christian life, it is important to make a distinction between “admirers” and “followers.”  An admirer is awe-struck. A follower is devoted. An admirer applauds. A follower surrenders. An admirer approves. A follower obeys.

The gospels tell us that a large crowd gathered for Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Matthew records that the crowds were “astounded” at his teaching, for he taught as someone with authority (see 7:28-29). The crowd admired Jesus. However, there were a few that went beyond mere admiration, they became followers. They are the ones who said that they were willing to give up what the world is offering to accept what Jesus is offering. They would rather do that than to give up Jesus’ invitation for the emptiness of the world’s offerings.

The Bible shows us that Jesus is constantly inviting and challenging people to move from a mere admirer to be a follower of Jesus. Such a move involves more than just a mere verbal agreement. It requires some sort of action or commitment. Frequently, there is a price to pay. The same holds true today. We see this in John 3 when Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader comes to talk with Jesus. In their conversation, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again: he must put away his old life and be personally and publicly connected to him. Later, we see that Nicodemus does so when he asks for Jesus’ crucified body, and he helps bury him. Nicodemus became a follower.

The man we commonly refer to as the “Rich Young Ruler” in Luke 18 is a different story. This man admired Jesus and his teachings. He asks Jesus, essentially, “What’s the least I need to do to get into heaven?” Their conversation shows us that the young man liked the idea of Jesus’ teachings. However, when Jesus asked him to be a follower, to make a commitment, he went away sad. He could not move past being an admirer.

While the Bible gives us pictures of admirers and followers, in many parts of the church today, we have added another category: Users. Users of Jesus want the promise of eternal life, a cultural status, or to get some help out of a tight spot. Putting too heavy an emphasis on encouraging people to know where they are going when they die, without teaching them how to live, has created users like the Rich Young Ruler. They want to know: what’s the least I need to do?

While there are many reasons for the trend in exhaustion and burnout among ministry leaders, I think part of the problem is that many churches are full of admirers and users. In many places, ministry models have been developed to try to re-excite admirers and users, but have not asked them to move to actually being followers. Admirers and users are willing to identify as Christians, while reserving the label “disciple”, what I am calling a follower, for the “Super-Christians.” There are many reasons why so much of the church finds itself in this state today. One key area that I want to point out is the over-emphasis on program-driven activities rather than disciple-making ministry. Organizing groups by affinity, age, or need only to make it easier to present information without the expectation of transformation can lead to a church full of mere admirers. Offering an endless stream of information-based lectures and videos, carefully crafted by a few to impress the many, and do not actually expect personal transformation, can lead to large groups of consumers, not disciples.

Danish Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard put it well in Practice of Christianity:

“If you have any knowledge at all of human nature, you know that those who only admire the truth will, when danger appears, become traitors. The admirer is infatuated with the false security of greatness; but if there is any inconvenience or trouble, he pulls back… Christ, however, never asked for admirers, worshipers, or adherents. He consistently spoke of ‘followers’ and ‘disciples.’”

The focus of evangelism is not to merely make another admirer or a user. The goal should be to make disciples. Reclaiming our Wesleyan tools to make disciples who will make disciples through the Classes, Bands, and Societies is a great step in making followers of Jesus Christ. You can read more about those here.

The kind of relationship Jesus asks for is one that changes our words, our actions, our thoughts about others, our habits, and our views about the world. This type of relationship should change our values and our pursuits. It should change us to the very core. Such a relationship cannot be cultivated by mere admirers. It requires devoted followers.