Disciple Making: The Essential Activity of Christian Ministry

One of the most important characteristics in determining the success of an organization is the alignment of the efforts of the organization’s members toward a common goal. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the leadership of an organization determines said organization’s goals and clearly communicates them with the subordinate members. Churches are not exempt from this basic leadership truth. As members of this organization under the Lordship of Christ, we must look to His goals, which are made clear in Scripture. A careful examination of Scripture revels that Jesus “came to seek and save the lost”[1] and that he is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”[2] Jesus also communicates his organizational goal for the Church in the Great Commission when he commands those following him to “Go . . . and make disciples of all nations.”[3] In light of the personal and organization goals of the leader of the Church, Jesus Christ, it is clear that “the overarching and ultimate goal of Christian education (and ministry) is producing disciples who worship Jesus.”[4]

While the goal of “making disciples who worship Jesus” is a seemingly simple goal, it is in fact multi-faceted. One must first deal with the definition of two key terms, disciple and worship, before fully appreciating the complexity of this single imperative. Simply put, a disciple is someone who has made Jesus the Lord of his or her life, has entered a process of relational discipleship with other maturing Christians, is becoming Christ-like, and is committed to the mission of Christ.[5] While one could spend quite a great deal of time unpacking the full meaning of what it means to be a disciple, this definition will suffice for the purpose of examining the essential activity of Christian ministry. The second term that requires definition for this examination is that of worship. The most common biblical terms for worship, the Hebrew shachah and the Greek proskyneō, emphasize the act of prostration and the doing of obeisance[6]; worship is characterized as the submission of the worshipers will to the will of the one being worshiped. When confronted with the characterization of these key terms, it becomes obvious that the “production of disciples who worship Jesus” is not a once in lifetime occurrence, but rather a reproducible process, “a lifelong commitment to a lifestyle.”[7]

If the “production of disciples who worship Jesus” is a process and a lifestyle, there must be requisite components that undergird the development of worshiping disciples. The foundational activities that make-up this process are education, spiritual formation, and discipleship. Education is “the creative process of utilizing external and internal forces to facilitate the functions of teaching and training in promoting and attaining growth and development, enabling complete individuals to comprehend, contemplate, and contribute to their community and culture.”[8] In the context of the church, the goal of education is to help the student grow and develop in their comprehension of biblical principles and ideas. Education is the development of “head knowledge.” Just as education deals primarily with informing the mind, spiritual formation deals with transforming the heart. As a person grows in their relationship with Christ they will have a deeper and greater revelation of God’s character and attributes. This greater and deeper revelation leads to an internal shift of attitude and a changed worldview. The work of spiritual formation begins with conversion in one’s regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit and continues thereafter as “the ministry of the Holy Spirit does not end at conversion, but continues beyond.”[9] Spiritual formation is the inevitable result of spending time with the Lord and is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit; the “continued transformation of moral and spiritual character so that the believer’s life actually comes to mirror the standing he or she already has in God’s sight.”[10] The final component in this process is discipleship, one Christian intentionally pouring his or her life into someone with the goal of helping that person, the disciple, along as they grow in Christ. In order to effectively minister to people, one must spend time with the people in close proximity and get to know them in real-life situations. There is no substitute for time spent with another person.[11]

These are all individual components of the process, but are inextricably linked and interrelated at their deepest levels. The three constituent parts of effective disciple making are all the natural offspring of true worship. When a person truly worships God and submits their will to his, his mission becomes their mission. True Christian growth is indicated by “an increasing level of concern for the spiritual state of others.”[12] True worshipers of Jesus Christ become “fishers of men”[13] and seek to engage others in this process. To be a true Jesus worshiping disciple means that what one knows is moving their heart and causing change in their character. The final part of the transformational process ends in their hands, the giving of their hands to Christ’s service.[14] Those who have become “disciples who worship Jesus” aim to multiply other “disciples who worship Jesus” in fulfillment of Jesus mission to seek and save the lost.

Churches must be deeply interested in each and every part of this process, because the overarching goal of making disciples who make disciples falls flat with any one of the parts neglected. All too often the result of a great deal of education without accompanying spiritual formation is arrogance. Conversely a person who has pursued a great amount of spiritual formation without any education is ripe to be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.”[15] A great deal of “head knowledge” (education) about God is of little worth to someone who has no “heart knowledge” (spiritual formation) of God. In addition, neither education nor spiritual formation is possible without one person sharing both their “head knowledge” about God and their “heart knowledge” of God in an intentional relationship in close proximity to another person in real-life situations (discipleship).

Churches who are truly seeking to be Jesus’ church will make disciple making their primary concern, simply because disciple making is the task that Jesus has left for the church in the intervening time until his return. The Church is the organization Jesus Christ has ordained and super-naturally empowered to carry out his mission on earth. Jesus and the Church are so closely related that the phrase “the Body of Christ” is a common New Testament metaphor for the Church. This is found through out the New Testament; the Church is called “one body in Christ” in Romans 12:5; “one body” in 1 Corinthians 10:17; “the body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians 12:27 and Ephesians 4:12; and “the body” in Hebrews 13:3. Additionally, the Church is clearly equated with “the body” of Christ in Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:24. The use of the analogy of a body to represent the Church reveals its inherent life and intended unity.[16] As the “Body of Christ” the church is Jesus’ hands and feet to carry the good news of the gospel to those who are captive in sin. Churches need to look no further than Jesus himself to find a model for the most effective method of carrying out their mission.

A careful study of the life and ministry of Christ reveals that he was an intentional leader that made disciples in a relational environment by following a reproducible process.[17] If churches are serious about fulfilling the Great Commission and following the example of Jesus Christ, then the majority of time, talents, and treasure stewarded by these churches must be spent in the pursuit of making disciples in a relational environment by following a reproducible process. This means that church leaders must work diligently to ensure that the focus is on the education, spiritual formation, and discipleship of each and every person under their charge.

The Church is an organization that is under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and its success in accomplishing the goals that he has set forth hinge on the alignment of the efforts of the members of the Church toward this common goal. The Church must labor toward its assignment to make disciples as mandated in the Great Commission in aligning with Christ in his goal of seeking and saving the lost. When one takes into account the definition of a disciple and what it truly means to worship and applies these principles in the context of the goal that Jesus Christ has laid before the Church it is obvious that “the overarching and ultimate goal of Christian education (and ministry) is producing disciples who worship Jesus.”[18]

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[1] Luke 19:10 ESV
[2] 2 Pet. 3:9 ESV
[3] Matt. 29:19 ESV
[4] Dr. Michael R. Mitchell, Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples: World-Class Christian Education in the Church, School and Home (Bloomington, IN: CrossBooks Publishing, 2010), 246.
[5] Jim Putman, Church Is a Team Sport: A Championship Strategy For Doing Ministry Together (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2008), 142.
[6] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2001), 1300.
[7] George Barna, Growing True Disciples: New Strategies For Producing Genuine Followers of Christ (Colorado Springs, Colo.: WaterBrook Press, 2001), 19.
[8] Mitchell, 233.
[9] Elmer L. Towns, Theology For Today, 2nd ed. (Mason, Ohio, USA: Cengage Learning, 2008), 290.
[10] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2007), 890.
[11] Mitchell, 253.
[12] Daniel L. Akin, ed., A Theology For the Church (Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Academic, 2007), 851.
[13] Matt. 4:19 ESV
[14] Jim Putman, Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples (Colorado Springs, CO.: NavPress, 2010), 30.
[15] Eph. 4:14 ESV
[16] Towns, 637.
[17] Putman, Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches That Make Disciples, 35.
[18] Mitchell, 246.

What is Biblical Discipleship?

The definition of discipleship begins with ones definition of a disciple. Through casual observation of the ministry of some churches, one could surmise that a disciple is simply a person who is engaged in discipleship. However, that definition falls drastically short. This then begs the question, “What exactly is a disciple?” To answer this question, Jim Putman points us to Matthew 4:18-20 and then provides four things that define a disciple from the text: someone who has made Jesus the Lord of his or her life, someone who has entered a process of relational discipleship with other maturing Christians, someone who is becoming Christlike, someone who is committed to the mission of Christ (Putman 2008, 142). A disciple is more that some passive member of a group. A disciple is a person who is deeply engaged and radically committed to learning the way of Jesus Christ. Mitchell highlights this aspect of discipleship by making the point that a disciple is not following Jesus, but engaged in followership. Followership differs from simply following in that it is “a commitment to change, a willingness to be transformed into the image, style, and behavior of the leader” (Mitchell 2010, 5).

Once there is a clear understanding of what it truly means to be a disciple, the meaning of discipleship becomes clearer. Discipleship is the process of a Christian intentionally pouring his or her life into someone with the overall goal of helping that person, the disciple, along as they grow in Christ. It is a natural expression of out love for Christ and is motivated by what He has done for our sake. We seek to know more of Him and to help others grow in their relationship with Him, so that they can experience His love in a fuller way. As we follow Jesus and grow deeper in our experience of His love, we intentionally look for opportunities to share our experience with others. Barna supports this definition of discipleship by pointing out, “in the original biblical texts, the term used for “disciple” refers to someone who is a learner or follower who serves as an apprentice under the tutelage of a master” (Barna 2001, 17). In other words discipleship is simply the process of developing a disciple.

While discipleship is simple, it is by no means easy. When Jesus addressed the great crowds that followed Him, he admonished them to consider the implications of becoming His follower. Jesus makes this point in Luke 15:27-32 by providing two illustrations, one of a person who is considering building a tower and another of a king who is considering going out to war. The common thread between these two illustrations is that the subject is considering undertaking a great task and must fully consider the impact of their respective decisions. A person considering Christian discipleship must approach their decision in the same manner. For one to truly be a Disciple, they must count the cost and make a volitional decision to engage in the process. The must be willing to forsake any relationship or commitment that interferes with or detracts from their relationship with Christ.

Jesus not only makes the point that one must consider the implications of becoming a disciple of His, but he provided several examples of the “cost” of discipleship in the verses surrounding His admonishment to “count the cost” in Luke 15.  Specifically, in vv. 26-27, Jesus clears teaches that one must be willing to forsake all other commitments and relationships, even their commitment to preserve there own lives, or they cannot be His disciple. He then reiterates his point in v. 33 when He says that anyone who does not “renounce all that he has cannot by my (Jesus’) disciple.” Barna sums this up by reminding us, “ Discipleship is not a program. It is not a ministry. It is a lifelong commitment to a lifestyle” (Barna 2001, 19). It is a covenant relationship between the leader and follower. Jesus always fulfills his commitment, but we must fulfill ours. Our part of the process is to seek to follow Jesus and to join Him in His mission of seeking and saving the lost by pouring ourselves into others with the end in mind of them pouring themselves into someone else. We do not look for people to follow us individually, but to follow us as we follow Jesus. We help people along on the way.

References:

Barna, George. 2001. Growing True Disciples: New Strategies For Producing Genuine Followers of Christ. Colorado Springs, Colo.: WaterBrook Press.

Mitchell, Michael R. 2010. Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples: World-Class Christian Education in the Church, School and Home. Bloomington, IN: CrossBooks Publishing.

Putman, Jim. 2008. Church is a Team Sport: A Championship Strategy for Doing Ministry Together. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books.

Do we really need more churches?

When talking about church planting one question often comes up, “Why do we need more churches when we already have so many?” I would like to take some time to try and answer this question, specifically, as it relates to the Ridgeland area.

There are really three parts to the answer to this question. The first, and most simple part is that it is biblical. As we read the New Testament we see that the first disciples devoted their lives to forming new fellowships in their own neighborhoods, in their region, and into the edges of the world. Their impetus was that there were many people all around them that needed to hear the truth about who God really is and what He has done to redeem the fallen world through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Their communities needed to be transformed; transformed from places were people worshiped God from afar and were in bondage to their sin to a community of people who had a real and vibrant relationship with the true living God! One of the common objections to church planting is that the people communities have already been reached and that there is no need for new work where churches already exist. This misconception leads us to the second reason for church planting.

The fact is that there are many people in our communities who don’t have a relationship with God through Christ and the church to population ratio is steadily and rapidly declining.  You may be surprised to learn that in 1900 there were 27 churches for every 10,000 Americans, in 1950 there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans, and 1996 there were 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans.[1] The fact is that while our population continues to grow, the amount of people who are added to the Kingdom daily is sharply declining. Another objection is that a new church will only take away from the work that the existing churched are already doing and may cause churches that are struggling to grow could cease to grow or even be forced to close their doors; that there are not enough people to go around. The fact is that in Jasper County alone there are over 17,000 people who have no personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and that number is growing.[2] To put that statistic in perspective, if we planted 10 churches with an average attendance of 1,000 people, there would still be over 7,000 people unreached. There is more than enough lostness to go around!

The third reason that we must plant new churches also answers the objection regarding taking away from existing churches; there is a great segment of our population that our existing churches either cannot or will not reach. One example is that according to demographic research almost 40% of the families in Jasper County are headed by single parents (approximately 32% by single mothers and approximately 8% by single fathers). In comparison, this segment of our community only represents about 9% of our Southern Baptist churches in Jasper County[3]. This is a staggering static. In addition, there are many in our communities who have not responded to the gospel in the context in which we are presently presenting it. In light of this some will recommend retooling our existing churches to reach these people. I will submit that our existing churches are already reaching a segment of our community and an attempt to refocus these churches to will do more harm than good and will hinder the work they are already doing in our area. Another response to this reason is that people know where the churches are at and will find them when they need them. This line of thought is flat unbiblical. When reading the accounts of Jesus’ ministry here on earth, we find Him constantly going after those who were outside of the fold, leaving the ninety nine sheep safe and sound and actively pursing that one lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7). Christ Himself left the glory of Heaven and came to earth in the flesh of a man to meet us where we were, dead in our trespasses and sin in a fallen world; as His church, he calls us to do the same. There are many different people and all of them need to be reconciled to God through Christ and it takes different approaches to reach these different people.

This is not an either/or proposition, it is a both/and. We need our existing churches so that they can minister to those who God has given them to minister, and we also need new churches to minister to those whom God has given them. We must plant churches because it is biblical and it is necessary for the furtherance of the Kingdom and for the sake of those who have wandered away from the fold.

For more information about church planting and how you can get involved what God is doing visit: www.scmultiply.org, www.churchplantingvillage.net, or www.newchurches.com.

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[1] Stetzer, Ed. Why We Don’t’ Plant Churches in North America, (Intro to Church Planting Teaching Notes), North American Mission Board, 2004. p. 5

[2] Our Demographics, as presented at the SRBA Spring Session, 2010.

[3]ibid.

Ministry Partnership Opportunities in Atlanta

As some of you may be aware, our association, the Savannah River Baptist Association, recently voted to establish several strategic mission partnerships. These mission partnerships are strategic, long-term investments of prayer, people, and finances in specific locations with defined purposes. One of our partners at the national level is Urban Atlanta Church Planting (UACP). Our goal in this partnership is to assist UACP in growing new congregations through prayer, community ministries, and volunteer mission involvement. The benefit to our churches is that we will be providing opportunities for SRBA volunteers to be missionaries outside our association, discover new ways of doing missions at home, grow as disciples, live life as missional Christians, and work with partnership volunteers in impacting our own area for Christ.

UACP is a cooperative effort of Atlanta Association of Southern Baptist Churches and Atlanta Metro Baptist Association to engage urban lostness by intentionally planting relevant reproducing congregations inside Atlanta’s perimeter (ITP) that produce community transformation through: Prayer - praying for lost and unchurched people on a daily basis; Engagement - engaging unreached people in small groups; Sowing - sharing the good news and the truth of Scripture in every way possible in order to make disciples; and Harvesting – developing contextual evangelistic strategies, conducting intentionally evangelistic events, following up and assimilating new believers into Bible Study and worship, and developing reproducing Jesus followers. UACP is also currently a mission partner of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Included with this letter is some additional information on UACP for your review.

In fulfillment of our partnership goals, SRBA staff will be scheduling overnight trips for our pastors and key church leaders to participate in a vision tour with UACP leaders. Providing our churches with the opportunity to learn more about what God is doing in Atlanta and to determine whether to establish a direct partnership with UACP. SRBA staff will also provide assistance to our churches on how to develop goals, time lines, and other pertinent partnership issues.

If you are interested in participating in one of these overnight vision trips, please contact me as soon as possible. I can be reached at (843) 301-0111 or via email at henryc@crosspointbluffton.org. Thank you for your time and I look forward to working with you soon!

Information packets on UACP and the SRBA Partnership are available here or you can learn more about what God is doing in Atlanta through UACP at their website.