Power of Words

Power of Words

Discipleship in Action

I was asked to look into the discipleship process of a church.  The approach seemed pretty straight forward: interview three different people at three different stages of ministry within the same church family.  Initially, I did not think this would show any particular significant findings, but looking at the results now, I see the value of such a dissection of philosophy.

Talking to the lead pastor of this congregation, one immediately gets a sense of his personal passion for discipleship.  He views the discipleship process as one, which is vital to fulfilling the Great Commission.  Everything that passes through his fingers, he runs through the filter of whether or not, and where, it fits into the discipleship process.  “How does THIS disciple people?”  “Where does THIS fit?”  This lead pastor has a deep desire to make disciples.

Jumping to my next specimen…sorry, interviewee, we come upon the church’s most recent hire.  Not a children’s pastor, not a youth pastor, but the “Next Generation Pastor”!  Sounds exciting!  His role, a somewhat new role in the church, is one of both children’s ministry and youth, though currently children are his main focus in these early stages.  In questioning this young pastor, I noticed he seemed to have a strong idea of what a disciple was, but as far as having an actual process, he states that is still formulating. 

The third perspective comes from an individual who has attended the church for over three years and has been a Christian for over 20 years.  She does not hold any titled position within the church, but is one of those individuals churches could not function well without.  She is the involved lay volunteer.  She views her main ministry as her family, and specifically her children are her mission field.  Questions surrounding discipleship tend to be framed within the context of family.

Now that you have been introduced to the subjects, we will analyze this significantly small cross-section of this church body.

It would be safe to classify our individuals into three separate groups: the Driven Discipler; the Decided Discipler; the Dutiful Discipler.  All of these titles are to be thought of in the most positive of terms; no negative connotations should be applied at any level.  In fact, one could see all three of them sharing many of the same internal compulsions toward discipleship.  The separation of titles is strictly based on their surface intentionality towards discipleship.

The Driven individual, who has a published perspective on discipleship, comes at the issue with an intentional system of making disciples.  He takes the final words of Jesus Christ very seriously, and believes that is the task the Church has been left with.  In his system, one comes to Christ, then begins to take strides towards maturing in that new birth.  This involves one reading Scripture, spending time in prayer, rooting-out sin, healing (physical, and emotional), etc.  Parting ways with many church models, which fold discipleship into large and small groups, our Driven Discipler sees discipleship being most effective on a one on one basis.

Our Decided Discipler, sees the one being discipled actively involved in similar activities as those stated by the Driven Discipler.  These activities, he states, are both the path to becoming a disciple and the marks of a disciple.  Another aspect of discipleship our Next Generation Pastor emphasized was the act of releasing individuals in the ministry he or she has been designed for; our Decided Discipler sees an important feature in the disciple-ee finding an outlet for the gifts and talents bestowed by God.

The Dutiful Discipler, the mom-minded discipler, does not usually view her job as a discipler, but rather sees her job as that of a parent.  The daily disciplines and scruples of her own personal life tend to dictate those entrusted to her disciple making.  Though some might see this a compulsionary discipleship, her responsibilities as a parent compel her to instill disciplines of forgiveness, Bible reading, prayer, and other Christian disciplines into the lives of her children.  On the church-front, our Dutiful Discipler functions similarly through volunteering in the Children’s ministry.  She also displays discipleship through acts of hospitality and Christian fellowship.

Perhaps, as you have been reading these descriptions, commonalities continue to pop up.  Perhaps, you have located your own style of discipleship, or a modification of your own style, depicted above.  Though all three of the individuals being analyzed are at different levels of the discipleship world, some being responsible for the spiritual growth of hundreds, some for tens, and some for only a few, all three are using similar techniques for making disciples.  All of them see Christian disciplines as crucial and all see an active involvement of the Discipler in the life of the Disciple-ee as a significant element.

In the final analysis: It seems as though there may be a bit of a disconnect between the Lead Pastor and the NG Pastor, but some of this may be due to the newness of his hire.  The lay discipler, though not necessarily blatantly intentional about “making disciples,” is working a viable discipleship model; a model that has worked for millennia.  As time rolls on, I would expect to see this particular congregation begin to explode with healthy, reproducing followers of Christ.  

Blessings and Curses

Imagine someone tosses you a leather pouch, which is fastened at the top with a braided leather cord.  You can tell by the weight of the parcel, and the sound it makes as it lands in your grasp that it is filled with some sort of coinage.  Your heart begins to pick up its pace as you speculate the contents and purpose of the satchel.  As you quickly unfasten the pouch and shove your hand into the opening, your benefactor informs you the contents are blessings and curses for your journey, and you will need them for your journey through this life.  This expanded information immediately prevents you from extracting your hand from the bag with the coins you have just grasped.  Letting go of the coins, you slowly pull your hand out of the bag, and quickly close it again.  Turning to give the purse back to which it came, you realize you are alone, and a path lies before you to travel.

Standing and pondering, hunger soon makes itself known to you, so you begin to walk.  Up ahead, a town appears out of the mist, and the smell of food encourages the growling of your stomach.  Standing now in front of the merchant, you realize money is required, but all you have is your newly acquired purse containing both blessings and curses.  Reluctantly, you look in, but only darkness makes itself known.  Slowly, you reach in and pull out a beautiful gold coin, which the merchant happily exchanges for your meal.  The warmth of your full stomach is comforting, but the night air begins to chill your body.  You notice another merchant selling cloaks.  Once again you are faced with the task of plunging your hand into the unknown…another coin, and another blessing.  Your next stop is for a place to lay your head for the night, and once again you pull out another gold coin!  Was the mysterious gift giver wrong?

You awake the next morning, refreshed and ready to continue your journey.  Now without hesitation you pull coins out of the satchel to buy wears for you journey.  Gold, gold, gold, blessing, blessing, blessing.  Happily, you head out of town.

Rounding the bend, you notice the road narrows a bit; boulders tower to the left and to the right.  Taking no concern, you gaily continue on towards your final destination.  Before you can react, two shadowy figures overtake you and begin to beat you!  Stealing your provisions, your cloak, and walking stick they leave you barren and unconscious.

You begin to awake, your face pressed against the stones of the road.  Something wet is running down across your eyes, and you begin to blink to clear the fog.  Attempting to cry out, you soon realize your jaw is broken, and you cannot seem to get your legs to pick you up.  Screaming in unrecognizable tones, you cry “Why?”  Just then, as you are scratching in the dirt, your hand finds one of the coins.  It must have fallen out of the pouch in the confusion, but is it a blessing coin or a curse coin?  Slowly you pull the coin, which is grasped firmly in your hand, toward your face.  Hesitantly you look at the coin…GOLD!  Praise God it is a blessing coin!  As you look at the coin, you notice writing on the coin…it says “curse.”  What?  But what about all the blessings you received from the other gold coins?  Turning the coin over you notice more writing…it says “blessing”!

Once again a flurry of activity is around you!  More strangers!  “God help me,” you slur.  But these are not your attackers back for more, they seem to be attempting to help you.  You go unconscious once again.

When you awake, you find yourself bandaged and clean, lying in a beautiful bed.  You do not recognize the people around you, but you know you are safe.  A man appears over your bed.  Smiling, he explains he has been waiting for you.  There is something about his voice, which is strangely familiar…Weeks, go by, and your wounds heal completely.   One morning, while you are getting dressed you remember the voice, you know the man!  Immediately you rush out of the room looking for him.  Finding him, you acknowledge the fact that HE was the one who had given you the blessings and curses at the beginning of your journey!  “Why did you lie to me?  Why did you fool me?  For what purpose?”

Gently, the man looks into your eyes and says, “I said the bag contained blessings and curses, I never said that they were separate things.  When the coins filled your stomach and warmed  your body, you perceived them as blessings.  When you happily bought your supplies with them, once again you saw them as curses.  Some might say that the purchasing of those items ended up being a curse to you.  For if you had nothing, perhaps those evil men would not have molested you.  Others could say the coins and the items, which made you a target, brought you to your destination much more rapidly than you could have on your own.  Blessings and curses, they are yours for your journey, and you need them both.”

The preceding story is the product of prayer and reflection on a book that I was asked to read.  The Book I read was Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen.  If you read the book, you will find nothing resembling the above-mentioned story.  I found myself inspired by mainly one section of the book, “Broken”.  This was the first work of Henri Nouwen that I have read.  I would have to say that the verdict is still out on him.  I like much of what he has to say, but some concepts cause me to pause.  This story, as stated, does not represent the entirety of the work, but merely one of the sections that resonated with me.  I realize this might be the strangest post to date.

Boot Camp?...Really?

When the term “Boot Camp” is used, certain expectations go through a person’s head.  Whether it is through one’s firsthand experience, other’s recollections, or depictions in cinema, boot camps are understood to have certain elements, which train and test one’s abilities.

A fresh-faced 18-year-old steps off the bus, surrounded by a flurry of activity.  Tossing down her gear, she looks around with fearful anticipation.  The nervous worms that were present while riding on the bus have now gone through metamorphosis and are fluttering about frantically.  She reminds herself that she “can do this,” straightens her posture, gathering all of the self-confidence she can, and waits.

The Church Multiplication Network (CMN) hosts events around the nation; the Network calls these events Boot Camps.  The purpose of these camps is for the training-up of church planters.  Church planters are people who believe God has called them to start a new church/ministry in a certain area.  Answering the call, these men and women arrive at the camp with nervous anticipation; many have no idea just what they have signed up for.

Still taking it all in, the young recruit’s attention is arrested by the sound of bellowing voices “welcoming” the young soldiers to the camp.  Needless to say, the introduction is overwhelming and the potential for one loosing that initial, driving excitement is high.  “Can I do this?”  “What was I thinking?”  “Everyone else seems so excited, and I feel sick!”  Clustered now into groups, the recruit is forced to form immediate alliances based on proximity.

The CMN Boot Camp, is led by seasoned church planters; individuals who have “seen real action in the field,” and are desiring to train up new planters.  The future planters are arranged into small groups – groups in which they will remain for the entirety of the camp – and assigned a “coach.”  This camp will be a one-week intensive look into the life of church planting, the life of the community to be planted, and into the life of the planter.

“Information overload is the only way to explain the situation” is how the young recruit begins her first letter home.  “I feel like they have ripped open the top of my head and just began to pour stuff in frantically…don’t they see how much fell out in the process?”  The drill sergeants have managed to strip the recruits of many of their preconceived ideas about the life they have chosen, and about themselves.  Now it is time to train them into the soldiers they were meant to be; they need to be.

Looking around the room at the CMN camp, varying levels of emotion were constantly on display.  Some still showed levels of naive excitement, while others held confused, almost scared looks in their eyes.  Most of the campers now realize the severity of the situation, and their own personal deficits.  Through various methods/activities, the coaches and facilitators begin the process of training and equipping these men and women into the planters/pastors/missionaries they need to be.

Leaving Boot Camp is a flurry of emotions for the young recruit.  Looking back, she remembers the butterflies as she stood outside the bus that first day.  She remembers the various ways in which her leaders unearthed her weaknesses, and laid bare her insecurities.  These vulnerabilities ripped open, her sergeants then poured a fresh foundation, a solid foundation, a foundation broad enough to build upon.  She understands the importance of personal ability, but now, even more, the importance of team ability is at the forefront.  She, on one hand is ready to leave, but on the other hand will carry the experience with her forever; forever will she continue to build upon that well laid foundation.

As stated, there are many expectations associated with the term boot camp.  The Church Multiplication Network Boot Camp does not require combat boots or the ability to lob an explosive pineapple, but those really are not the main goals of a boot camp.  The CMN camps, like the camps of the Armed Forces, effectively drill to the core of the individual, begin to extract the God given abilities within, and teach the individual the ways in which those resources can be used for the benefit of the mission.  That said, the term boot camp is appropriate.

A Friend By Any Other Name...

Surrounded by “friends,” around the age of 13, George Krebs found himself poised for embarrassment.  The Sunday school teacher had just asked each of the students to recite his or her favorite Scripture verse.  One by one, the passages began to come; each student taking turns down the line.  Everything would have been just fine except for one small problem; George had no idea what a Scripture verse was.  When the class realized George’s ignorance, laughter broke out amongst his peers.  George failed to find true friendship within that church context.

George accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1974, watching Billy Graham on Christmas Eve.  Christmas Day George began to read his Bible.  Thirty-six years after accepting Jesus as his Savior, George Krebs finds himself being the friend he struggled to find growing up, the kind of friend that would walk him closer to Jesus.  Through what some might call unusual discipleship, George has attempted to build significant relationships through various means.  George is an avid fly fisherman.  Living in Central Pennsylvania, George is in close proximity to some of best trout fishing in the United States.  After gaining the respect of fellow anglers and writing an article on the sport, George has had the opportunity to begin the discipleship process with many non-believers that share his fishing interests.

George’s mindset, unlike many within the Church, is to meet the people where they are.  This often means taking valuable time out of his schedule just to “be” where people are as their friend.  Time is the operative term here; this is often a long discipleship process.  George prescribes to the idea that often people will be likely to eat with you than to talk church with you.  “People do not go to your church because of theology; it is usually a social barrier.”

Still remembering that Sunday school class he attended when he was thirteen, George notes that it is the way in which people treat one another that gets remembered, and not the content of the messages.  Although George works directly for the church fellowship that he belongs to, George is committed to disciple making with individuals outside the parameters of his job description.

Today’s culture longs for connections, whether it be through internet social gatherings, or through meeting people at bars; all are looking for some level of friendship.  What would the Church look like if it offered itself up for friendships, if people could be themselves without the threat of ridicule?  It is in friendships where people can be challenged and grow.  This is not a quick fix for humanity, but a lifelong commitment of investment.  Lacking obvious excitement and "flashy-ness" it is doubtful this lifestyle will sell many books…that said, though it should, it will probably not catch on!

Bigger?

So here is the question that I would like to pose to all of the Christians in the Pleasure Boat Sinker audience.  Is bigger better and if so when?

Amanda Anderson works for one of the biggest churches in the PennDel Ministry Network.  Christian Life Assembly, affectionately known as CLA, is one of the great churches in the greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area.  This mega-church began with a small group of Spirit-filled believers, who had a real passion for reaching people for Jesus Christ in Central Pennsylvania.  Today, CLA’s attendance runs into the thousands; the two big holidays, Christmas and Easter, seem to be continually breaking the previous year’s records.

Quality and excellence permeates from everything CLA does.  Whether it is the elaborate Christmas and Easter productions, Patriotic Celebrations, or just the “regular” Sunday morning worship experience, CLA strives to exceed the typical expectations one might have for a church.  All guests are met at the doors by warm friendly faces, first time guests are directed to the welcome desk where they are given an information bag containing various information concerning the church.  Also, in the bag, guests will receive a coupon to receive a free beverage from the “coffee-shop.”

Amanda’s role at CLA is one of coordination and assimilation; she coordinates various marketing aspects of the church, and works to facilitate the assimilation of new attendees into the current body of believers.  On the marketing side of the coin, Christian Life puts our quite a spread of literature and, for lack of a better term, propaganda.  Beautiful, full-color pamphlets describe the small group programs, which one can become involved.  The weekly bulletin, a staple many expect to receive in a typical American church, is packed with information, which is geared mostly toward the first time guest.  Reoccurring “tag lines” and formats are predominate in the CLA literature; a marketing tactic that helps drive home the message to the intended audience.  Amanda explained that part of the assimilation process CLA uses is to help the new person “get plugged in”; this plugging in happens through the small group process and/or through serving.  A person will be offered the opportunity to serve after only three consecutive weeks of attendance.

Christian Life Assembly is an amazing church.  The people truly have a heart for God, and a heart for the lost.  Those two loves drive the big productions, the excellence, the marketing, and the small groups.  One might ask whether a person can become truly discipled in such a setting, whether the busyness of excellence allows one opportunities to truly become more like Jesus, or just more busy.  Perhaps the question is not about whether bigger is better, but if busier is better.  Discipleship does happen at Christian Life Assembly, it may not always be a deliberate, well executed, well documented program, but people’s lives are being changed and growing in Christ.