Tag Archives: discipling

Practicing community

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One of the real needs among young Christians and older Christians alike is a sense of community. We need to find ourselves connected to Christ’s body just as we are connected to Christ himself.

I don’t think liturgy alone is enough to accomplish that. What I mean is, if all we do is worship in the same place at the same time, I don’t think we will build community.

Community can be built on Sunday morning, but it happens through greetings, conversations, hugs, smiles, tears, testimonies, confessions, shared prayers… things that may or may not happen during our structured worship hour. If our members arrive right on time, worship in isolation, then leave right after the closing prayer, they won’t experience community.

We need to talk with one another. Not just small talk. Actual conservations.

We need to eat together. That’s something that’s in danger of being lost in today’s church. Meals are not a distraction nor frivolous entertainment. They are a crucial part of our life together.

We need to pray together. I’d love to see us reach the point where the clusters of conversation in our meeting places regularly evolved into clusters of prayer. If someone tells you good news, why not offer a prayer of thanks? If someone mentions an illness, why not pray for relief? What if each conversation regularly led us to a time of prayer?

One danger of teaching these things to new Christians is that they won’t necessarily see them in older Christians. (Won’t necessarily see them in me!) But if we begin teaching new generations a better way, maybe we’ll motivate ourselves to practice community in a more open way.

Finding their niche

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One of the keys to helping new members become a part of the body is to help them find a way to serve. As I discussed a few weeks ago, I think we’re far too obsessed with plugging members into preaching, teaching, song leading, etc. Those things are good, but when we communicate that those are the principal ways to serve in the church, we disenfranchise large swaths of the body.

People need to serve in ways that fit their skills. When they do, they’ll not only feel better about their Christian walk, they’ll also edify the body.

Last year, one of the young couples from our bilingual group had a baby. One Sunday, they had a blessing over this couple in the main auditorium. People there didn’t really know this couple, and I don’t know that that changed much after the baby blessing.

Then a couple of months ago we put in a new community playground by our church building. The man who originally did the concrete work did an amazingly shoddy job. Instead of redoing what he’d done, the scoundrel walked away from the job. This same father who had the baby blessing stepped in and did the job. He did excellent work, even providing some extras that weren’t in the original plans.

After that construction work, lots of people at church know who this young man is. What wasn’t accomplished through a moment in the assembly was achieved by a work project. This man was able to use his skills for the church and felt quite good about it. In many ways, he became more a part of the whole church than he had been in the past.

As we look to help new members find their way, it’s good to remember that everyone would like to contribute, everyone would like to feel needed, and not everyone is gifted at speaking in public or singing. Find the ministry that God has prepared for each Christian, rather than forcing them into preset roles.

Post-conversion conversations

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Yesterday I was asking about where to begin with teaching someone who is new to the Christian life. I got a good variety of feedback, both here, on Facebook, and by email. My current writing project has the working title Starting (or Restarting) with Jesus, so I’m spending a lot of time thinking about these things.

Even though I’m writing a book, I’m not in favor of just handing a book to a new Christian and expecting that to teach them what they need to know. In fact, the book I’m working on is designed to be used by an older Christian working side-by-side with a new Christian. I want to encourage conversations on certain topics, rather than attempting to funnel information to a new convert.

That said, here are some of the suggestions I received from yesterday’s post:

  • One preacher mentioned that he sits down and shares an apple with a new Christian. As they eat, he talks about Commitment as the seeds, with Church being the core, Character being the pulp of the apple, and Creation the skin.
  • Another reader mentioned beginning with the story of Jesus, reading a gospel. They mentioned Luke; I usually suggest Mark as a starting place, followed by John. But I definitely agree with the focus on the gospels.
  • In a comment here, Robert emphasized the need to reshape the worldview of the new follower, plugging them into the church and helping them find their place to serve. He also said to focus on Jesus and our Christian walk, leaving worship controversies out of the discussion.

Good thoughts. More ideas?

Getting started with Jesus

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What are some of the things that you think a new Christian needs to learn as they begin their walk with Jesus? (And yes, I use “they” to refer to singular nouns. Get over it.)

Do you start with basic doctrines? Spiritual disciplines? Basic practices?

Do you focus on the practical, teaching them how to read their Bible and pray? Do you train them in how to share their faith?

Where do/would you begin to help someone take their first steps as a new Christian?

Church Inside Out: Talking about discipling

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CIOIn Church Inside Out, I present some thoughts on the discipling process. It’s my conviction that we have far too often focused on making converts instead of making disciples. That misplaced emphasis weakens the church and hinders her growth. Here are some excerpts from the book that talk about discipling:

The command is to make disciples. We do that by baptizing those who believe in Jesus, but we also do that by teaching them to obey the teachings of Jesus. In the journey to discipleship, baptism is a critical step, but it’s not the final step. (p.130)

We come alongside new Christians and share our own experiences. We patiently answer questions and gently offer correction. Just as we give toddlers room to make mistakes and grow in understanding, so we extend grace to new church members as they begin their Christian life.
What we do expect to see is progress. It won’t always be linear; there will be ups and downs, advances and setbacks. But new Christians should be growing in faith, in understanding, and in holiness, or something is wrong with their spiritual development. As older siblings in Christ, it’s our task to protect and provide for these young Christians, always pointing them to Jesus as the standard we seek to live up to. (p.132)

We have to pass on a sense of mission. We’re not just sinners rescued from the fires of hell. We are God’s ambassadors, calling people to reconcile themselves to God. We are God’s workmanship, created for good works in Christ. We are a kingdom of priests, bridging the gap between a confused world and the loving Creator. (p.133)

The process of acculturation in the kingdom of God is typically called discipling. In most churches, we do this through Bible classes and sermons. There’s an emphasis on information and knowledge. Although those things are important, they are rarely enough. People learn by hearing; they also learn by seeing and doing.
The best discipling approaches will offer information, but they will also allow the new disciple to work by the side of a mentor, a discipler. He will see what is done and have a chance to try to practice what he’s seen. (p.171)

I also think it’s important to help new Christians understand what they are reading. It sounds romantic to say that we can just give people a Bible, and they’ll be able to learn everything they need to know. In practice, it doesn’t work that way. I look at the story in Nehemiah 8, where the Levites were having to explain the meaning of the Law to the people who were hearing it read. (Nehemiah 8:8) I look at the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, where he bluntly told Philip that he couldn’t understand what he was reading in Isaiah unless someone explained it to him. (Acts 8:31) People need help understanding what the Bible says. (p.176)

As we become citizens of God’s kingdom, there’s a similar process of learning and growing. Where we were once members of some nation of this world, we are now citizens of heaven. Our loyalties are to God’s kingdom, and we renounce all other allegiances. We learn how to live as a citizen, learning the history, the laws, and the community structure. We do our best to honor the new position we hold, that of a member of God’s family and God’s kingdom. (p.180)

This concept gets overlooked sometimes: the body grows as each part does its work. The discipling process is vital to the life of the church because the body won’t be built up unless each member is fulfilling his role. The church can’t be what it’s supposed to be until we help each member live out his mission. (p.191)