Discipleship is often associated with the words “replication” or “reproduction.” These are some of the most common metaphors for disciple-making, and for good reason: the Apostle Paul tells his disciples to “imitate” him as he “imitates” Christ.
But I wonder sometimes if they might not be helpful words to use when it comes to discipleship, at least not without some caveats on what they actually mean. For example, is the goal of discipleship to clone someone into your image? Is that what we mean when we talk about “replication” in discipleship?
