Apologetics and Discipleship

I don't know if the discipline of apologetics is overrated or not, but one aspect of apologetics seems to be underappreciated.  While apologetics may be useful in the exercise of evangelism (helping give people reasons to believe, which of course will not convert anyone apart from the Spirit of God working through the Word of God), it is equally useful in discipleship.  By giving strong reasons for the Christian faith -- and a vigorous critique of every alternative -- apologetics can help solidify believers in the knowledge and service of God.  

To say this a different way, the discipline of apologetics is as important for keeping people in the faith as it is for bringing them to faith in the first place.  If apologetics is overrated, this may explain why: people are thinking mainly in terms of evangelism, where the value of apologetics is necessarily limited, and not also of discipleship.