Fewer Programs and Events, More Discipleship Relationships
I no longer serve on committees at church.
The last one I was on was the discipleship committee. I thought it would be right up my alley: I am the Area Director for a disciple-making parachurch youth ministry, and I have a passion for lifelong discipleship through the local church. I only attended a few meetings before I stopped attending altogether. The quarterly meetings always devolved into program- or event-planning meetings. Who is going to help at the community Easter Egg Hunt? What games should we play at the church picnic? Can we make a brochure with information about our Sunday School classes?
One of the other men who joined the committee at the same time is one of my mentors. He’s a local doctor but has helped plant a church, lead medical missions teams, and improve our community. He vouched for me to the rest of the committee, “We could learn a lot from Cole and the other leaders in his organization; nobody is doing better discipleship in our county.” I was honored, and I shared my thoughts about incarnational ministry, practicing radical hospitality to those outside the church, taking adventures together, and teaching the way of Jesus in small groups and informal settings. I don’t even remember any responses, but I do remember the conversation turning almost immediately back to the next “discipleship” event on the calendar.
The great irony of Christian discipleship in most churches is that Jesus himself never did anything like it.
I recently took a local pastor out to lunch and asked him what the vision of the church was, and I was encouraged when he replied something about making disciples. However, when I asked him how we ought to make disciples in the style of Jesus, he hesitated. “I’m not sure; that’s a really good question. It’s hard because people are so busy,” he said. He went on to mention how life-on-life discipleship is messy, as well as risky. What if the small number of people you’re investing yourself into do not grow or become mature disciples? He seemed mystified.
I’m not suggesting that we dispense with programs and events simply because Jesus himself did not do them, but I am asserting that the best place to start is by looking at how Jesus did discipleship.
One would be hard-pressed to find any instance where Jesus planned an outreach event or discipleship program. He did not circulate a sign-up list for those interested in a new way of following God. He was in the synagogue seemingly every sabbath, but usually the religious leaders disliked him; none cooperated with him. No, instead he went out into the marketplaces and along the shore and recruited people in whom he saw some je ne sais quoi discipleship quality. He took them on an adventure with him, shared day-to-day life, modeled the way for them, answered questions, asked even better questions, challenged them, gave them tasks and authority, and then put them in charge. His method of discipleship was caught, not just taught. It was on-the-go. It was intentional. It started slow and small.
And it is still changing the world.
5 responses to “We Need to Church Better”
Good luck my friend! I feel true Discipleship can only be accomplished in small group, like Jesus. Church is “cozy, comfortable ” – it’s needs high invitation and high challenge. You MUST invest in the individual and walk with them, as you do in YL. That’s why YL is so successful!
Great article! Your perspective is spot on!
Chad
Cole, your first sentence … wow! If the truth be known, many do not serve for those reasons you outlined. I served only once and found the group lost sight of the goal within the first ten minutes of the meeting. At another summer function, we were feeding neighborhood children who were dependent upon school meals. We had plenty of food, yet some felt we needed to ration servings. There was always food leftover only to be thrown away by the source. Although I cannot be certain, I don’t think Jesus would have fed/not fed these families in such a manner.
Here for this insight. Well said. Thank you for being an active Soldier on the mission field.
Cole,
I am so glad to read this. You are spot on. Praying the Church will take notice and make disciples as we go about life. Messes and all.
Cmon, I say it all the time-
IF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS ANYTHING,
AND IT IS EVERYTHING,
IT IS RELATIONAL,
SUPERNATURALLY RELATIONAL
GREAT JOB WITH WHAT YOU WROTE. The struggle for churches/institutions/ministries/individuals is that discipleship is messy, costly, extremely time consuming and life engaging to a fault. There is no way to discipleship train, only discipleship relate. Every bit of what is taught is caught and every bit of what is caught will then be taught by the new discipler of disciples. You have written well a true problem but probably the greatest problem in churches is they are not willing to be hearers and hear the Holy Spirit, everyone wants to speak few will take the time to listen.
Only fully led Holy Spirit ministries that move as the wind moves really have the ability to impart into a disciple what is needed by the disciple, God alone knowing what they need. Sometimes even our planned lunches, are after school events, after work events, or suppers or cookouts or ministry times with those we are living with, teaching, boating with, playing with, ministering with, going to church with, are man planned and not Holy Spirit planned. Key to everything is to do nothing except the Father tells you. Unless God instructs a book, movie, meal, fun time as not to be had, or to be had it all is just smoke in the wind. Only obedience to His leading and only doing as he says by the discipler will truly make and build disciples.
Take away all the events of the program you are associated with and rework your days to walk in step listening for the voice of direction and you too may discover that He may lead you on a different daily regimen. From the observation of Jesus nothing was planned yet even so He used the events of a fishing trip, a large lunch meal, a Passover event, a synagogue reading of the Word, a sit down meal with a tax collector, a let’s get a drink at the well etc. to impart to His disciples that the voice needed to be heard that day was the only voice with the authority to give instructions for the situation in hand.
It will always come down to the voice listened to and obeyed.
The Kingdom of God is supernatural, it is only supernatural…