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Why Do Evangelicals Trash Sundays?

Why Do Evangelicals Trash Sundays?

Easter, Events, And Evangelical Spiritual Formation

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Nathan Finochio
Apr 23, 2025
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Why Do Evangelicals Trash Sundays?
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I stumbled across a post the other day titled “What To Do Now That Easter Is Over,” and the thesis was essentially: now we get to the real work—discipleship—because that’s our highest calling as pastors.

I’ll link to it below because this is what I’m going to respond to.

Now, I get it. I’ve been in ministry a long time, and I’ve read enough churchy books to know that saying “discipleship is the point” is basically a mic drop. It sounds holy, responsible, and vaguely anti-consumeristic. It gets the head-nod from your dad and the millennial youth pastor proudly showing off his sleeve. It’s one of those safe, churchy things we say when Easter’s adrenaline fades and we realize we have to do something with all the people who just got saved, re-saved, or re-followed our church on Instagram.

And listen, I’m not against discipleship. Quite the opposite.

I founded TheosU because I care deeply about spiritual formation. I’m not into cheap grace, cultural Christianity, or that version of faith that’s basically just self-help with Hillsong chords. My first book—Hearing God—was a deep dive into formation disguised with a sexier title so people would actually read it. That whole book was an expose on our shallow spirituality, our inability to tune our ears to the voice of God, and our chronic allergic reaction to spiritual maturity. I care about this stuff. I bleed it. And I’m glad that “discipleship” is trendy again. It’s a good trend. Let’s ride it.

My frustration is not that people want to disciple others. My frustration is what people think discipleship is and particularly isn’t.

And my main beef comes from being a Pentecostal.

I recently wrote about this in my new book, Killer Church: Volume Two—which, by the way, is now available on Kindle for all of you who were whining about where to get it. You’re welcome. This book is one long, extended eye-roll at the weird, foreign ideas that have crept into the Church and now masquerade as Gospel truth—including the very idea of discipleship that’s currently trending.

What people think discipleship is? “People work” during the week, which adds up to emotional babysitting or personality management. It’s therapy-lingo baptized in theological-sounding words. It’s twelve weeks of coffee dates— a comfy little life group led by someone incapable of either exegeting or hurting your feelings.

That’s discipleship? Curated community complete with a new book and a journal? That’s vibes. That’s Pinterest spirituality.

Discipleship is not hanging out and hoping something rubs off. It’s not “doing life together” until you die of spiritual anemia.

Take a look at the post below and I’ll share my thoughts—because this is where Pentecostals and Evangelicals massively part ways in their ecclesiology:

person holding white heart paper
Photo by Andrew Moca on Unsplash

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