Those verses are usually read during an appeal for more Christians to go into full-time ministry.  As the child of missionaries, I was specifically aware of that need when it came to overseas missions. 
 
The same thing can be said regarding the need for disciple-makers.  All Christians are called to disciple, helping others become more like Jesus by putting on His character, learning His ways, and owning His mission; yet, so few of us do it.  Pick your reason – we don’t feel qualified, we don’t have enough time, or we don’t have all the answers.  But we can’t get away from the fact that it was Jesus’ last command.  It was important to Him, so it should be important to us.
 
I can tell you firsthand that disciple-makers are few.  When I entered the world of broadcast journalism, I looked for someone in my field who could mentor and disciple me.  I found few Christians at work and no one who knew anything about my field at church.  I tried participating in different fellowships for media and arts people, but everyone I met was an aspiring actor or screenwriter.  I was working in radio and TV news which meant working overnights, evenings, or weekends which never allowed me to participate in any small groups or functions that churches offered.  I felt very alone.
 
When I moved from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, I finally met some Christians in journalism but many were not very public about their faith, not wanting to be perceived as biased or unable to be objective because of their beliefs.  I understood their desire for self-preservation, but the lack of boldness didn’t sit right with me.  I heard of other journalists who were reportedly believers who had accomplished the level of professional achievement I desired, but they were never accessible to me. God did finally provide me with a peer, a fellow believer, who encouraged me as much as I encouraged her.  We both ended up leaving broadcast journalism around the same time, hoping we had made a difference. But, we knew when we left, there were two fewer Christ followers on that mission field.
 
I look back now and realize I should have been more intentional in being a disciple-maker and mentoring others coming up behind me.   I see now that I was too busy, focused on my own climb, and finding someone to help me, that I forgot I should have been discipling somebody else. I did have meaningful conversations with several younger people in my field, who later told me how important my advice was to them.  Lesson learned!