Disciple-Makers
Rev Dr Mark Setch adapted this article from
his research for his Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary
titled “Developing Disciple-Makers: Reclaiming our Call to be an Apostolic
Disciple-Making Church.”
Before ascending
into heaven the Risen Christ gave his disciples a commission. They were to go and make disciples of all
nations (Matthew 28:19). Within the
Acts of the Apostles, Luke records the results of the early church’s obedience
to Jesus’ commission. As people sent
into the world by Jesus, they made disciples.
The early church grew because those disciples in turn made more
disciples, who made more disciples.
At the beginning of the third millennium
the mainline denominational church is in crisis. Over the last twenty years membership has been in decline. In recent years this decline has become more
significant. Declining numbers lead
many commentators to conclude that our world in its twenty-first century is
post-Christian; they allege the Christian church has outlived its usefulness
and has no prominent place in a postmodern world. There is, however, growing evidence to suggest that this
conclusion is inaccurate. Alongside the
declining mainline church, there is an emerging twenty-first century church
which is vital, dynamic, healthy, and growing.
Why are some churches growing while
others are fading into oblivion? It is
my conviction that declining churches are those in which the Great Commission
has lost its power. Going into the
world is no longer a priority. Instead,
the evangelistic focus (if one exists) is that of inviting people to come and
be a part of the congregation. The
problem is that fewer people are accepting the invitation. Mission is often framed by covert concerns
which seek to protect the church from being infiltrated by the culture of our
postmodern world. Consequently, the
culture of the church is usually set apart and distinct from the culture of the
world in which people live, work, and recreate.
For many unchurched members of our
population, there appears to be little reason or relevance to include the
church as a central part of life. Even
though life includes pain and struggle, and a desperate search for hope and
meaning, the established church is generally not perceived as providing answers
to life’s questions. Furthermore,
disciple-making within these churches is not perceived as being the
responsibility of everyday Christians.
It is perceived to be the responsibility of ordained clergy, leaders,
and those who are more evangelistically inclined. Disciples are no longer making disciples, who in turn make more
disciples.
On the other hand, healthy and dynamic
churches are those in which the Great Commission has reclaimed its power. Evangelism is given a high priority. Rather than being focused on trying to get
people into the church, the vision of these congregations is to take their
church into the world. The mission of
these congregations is driven by the challenge of incarnating the timeless
gospel of Jesus Christ into the culture of our postmodern world. In other words, they are functioning as
apostolic (sent) churches.
Disciple-making is not the responsibility of a select few. Every Christian is called to make disciples,
who are disciple-makers; therefore disciples multiply. These churches develop apostolic
disciple-making congregations.
This paper articulates a call for the
Church of Jesus Christ to reclaim the Great Commission and become an apostolic
disciple-making church. Such a church
will enter the postmodern twenty-first century world and develop
disciple-makers. For many people this
represents a new and different paradigm for understanding and experiencing both
church and discipleship. It involves a
paradigm shift which is essential if local church congregations and
denominations are to become a healthy and vibrant part of the emerging church
of the twenty-first century.
In order to illustrate the facets of this
paradigm shift, this paper will be divided into three sections. Firstly, I will present a disciple-making
theology of discipleship. Secondly I
will present a disciple-making theology of the church. Finally I will describe some of the current
research into growing vital churches, concluding that this research in fact
supports an apostolic disciple-making paradigm of the church.
1. A disciple-making theology of discipleship
The Great Commission encapsulates the
primary call on the life of the Christian to make disciples, who in turn make
more disciples. When this is not
happening, the church stagnates.
Similarly, congregations will not grow in vitality and numbers when
their evangelism strategies are based on a passive philosophy of ‘come and join
us’, rather than on an active one, ‘go into the world.’
The challenge which is therefore facing
the church today is to reclaim the power of the Great Commission. To do this involves two interrelated
paradigms. The Great Commission demands
an apostolic paradigm of the church. An
apostle is one who is sent. An
apostolic church is therefore a church which is sent into the world. This is the focus of the next section. It also demands a disciple-making paradigm
of discipleship, which emphasises multiplication of disciples as opposed to the
mere addition of disciples. This
paradigm is the focus of the following discussion.
Within the Gospel according to Matthew,
it is recorded that before ascending into heaven, the risen Jesus gave his
disciples a commission. The commission
was delivered in this way:
All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded
you. And remember, I am with you
always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20).
While only Matthew presents the
commission as succinctly and as clearly as this, each of the other Gospel
writers record the Risen Jesus as sending his disciples into the world to make
more disciples. Jesus sent his
disciples into the world to bear witness to what he taught them in word and
action. He called them to continue his ministry
of proclaiming the kingdom of God. He knew that the only way in which this
ministry would continue throughout the ages is by his disciples making
disciples, who in turn make more disciples.
Jesus promised that he would be present with them through the empowering
of the Holy Spirit to fulfil this ministry of disciple-making.
The Great Commission therefore reflects
the primary call on the life of the Christian to make disciples, who are
disciple-makers. In other words, true
discipleship is about multiplying disciples.
What then is a disciple? How
does one ‘make disciples’? To
understand the power of Jesus’ command to go and make disciples, the dynamic
inherent in the term ‘disciple’ needs to be understood. Only then can we appreciate what it means to
‘make’ one, and therefore capture what Jesus is commissioning us to do.
Within the New Testament, four key Greek
words and their cognates are connected with the word ‘disciple’: akoloutheo,
follow; mathetes, learner, pupil,
disciple; mimeomai, imitate, follow;
and opiso, behind, after. A study of these words reveals that Jesus’
call to discipleship was decisive, inclusive, permanent, and active.[1]
A disciple is someone who responds to Jesus’ all-inclusive and unconditional
call to follow him. Disciples follows
Jesus by learning and applying his teachings so that the values, attitudes and
actions of Jesus are reflected in the disciple’s own life. Ogden provides a succinct definition of
disciple which encapsulates these characteristics. He states that “a disciple is one who responds in faith and
obedience to the gracious call of Jesus Christ. Being a disciple is a lifelong process of dying to self, while
allowing Jesus Christ to come alive in us.”[2]
However, a disciple is also someone who
goes and makes disciples, who makes more disciples. In other words, the command to ‘make disciples’ is not fulfilled
unless those who have become disciples are discipled in such a way that they
themselves are eventually making more disciples. Thus, according to the Great Commission, disciple-making is about
multiplying disciples, not adding disciples.
More often than not, disciple-making within the church has been
presented as a process of addition.
This paper argues that the words of the Great Commission commands
Christians to make disciples, who in turn make more disciples, multiplying the
number of those who are followers of Christ.
Within the Church today, there are at
least three different levels of understanding of disciple-making: by clergy, by
leaders, by disciples making disciples.
1. The first is where professional clergy
are the disciple-makers, while the laity are the disciples.
There is an understanding within many
mainline churches that the clergy make disciples and the laity live and serve
as disciples. While not always stated
as explicitly as this, it is certainly implicit. Loren Mead contends that the clergy-laity dichotomy is leftover
from the church in the Roman Empire, subsequent to the conversion of
Constantine in 313AD. During this era
it was assumed that people were part of the Church by birth, rather than by
choice. Ministry became the
responsibility of the professional clergy.[3]
This level of understanding is
disciple-making by addition- and a very limited addition at that. Any member of the clergy will affirm that
pastoral care of a congregation is an all-consuming job. The more pastoral care a clergyperson gives
to members of a congregation, the more they expect it from the clergyperson. Therefore, the opportunity to add new
disciples - ‘add’ being the operative word - is severely limited by time and
the energy of the one or few.
Consequently it is no surprise that most clergy admit that only a small
minority of unchurched people, with whom they have contact, become regular
worshipping members of the congregation.
Despite its gross ineffectiveness,
disciple-making by limited addition is still practised in many mainline church
congregations today. Hence, these
congregations are declining rapidly.
Many are extinct and many more will be extinct within a short time. Disciple-making by limited addition is
ineffective because it does not reflect the heart of the Great Commission,
which is a call to all Christians to
be disciple-makers who multiply rather than add disciples.
2. The second is where all
Christian leaders are seen as being called and equipped to make disciples.
Rather than being limited to
professional clergy, every leader makes disciples. However, they are not necessarily producing disciples who in turn
make more disciples.
Ephesians 4:11-12 are pivotal verses in
support of this understanding: “The
gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry,
for the building up the body of Christ.”
When clergy are seen as the disciple-makers, the role of the laity is to
assist the clergy in their ministry.
This scripture conveys the reverse as being true. Leaders are called to equip all Christians
for their particular ministry.
Christians will minister according to the particular spiritual gifts
given to them. Ephesians 4, 1
Corinthians 12 and Romans 8 list some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which
are distributed to all believers as the Lord determines (1 Corinthians
12:6,11).
This understanding affirms the call of
all Christians as ministers who exercise their particular spiritual gifts
interdependently with others in the Church.
In this way the body of Christ is built up. According to this understanding, disciple-making occurs when leaders
empower disciples to exercise their spiritual gifts in ministry within the
body. Disciples are made as people
discover and begin to exercise gifts of leadership, service, teaching, healing,
music, hospitality, and so forth for the building up of the body.
While this understanding of
disciple-making is significantly more effective than disciple-making by limited
addition, it still falls short of the intent of the Great Commission. According to this level of understanding,
disciple-making is equated with helping Christians discover their spiritual
gifts and releasing them into ministry.
People can be equipped for ministry, and use their spiritual gifts in
the church, without intentionally making disciples themselves. For example, through the ministry of
equipping leaders, a Christian may discover he or she has the gift of teaching
and a passion for ministry with children.
However, unless this person is intentionally seeking to make disciples
by leading and nurturing more people into this ministry, then the church
leadership is left to make more disciples.
Equipping leadership is vital for disciple-making, but by itself is
insufficient. It is still
disciple-making by addition, which again falls short of the intent of the Great
Commission.
3. The third level of
understanding is where all Christians are called and equipped to make
disciples, who make more disciples.
At this level, leaders are called to
equip people for ministry according to Ephesians 4:11-12. Those who are released into ministry are
given responsibility for making more disciples. It is not only the responsibility of equipping leaders to make
disciples, but the responsibility of all disciples to make disciples, who in
turn make more disciples. This is
disciple-making by multiplication, and it reflects the full intent of the Great
Commission. This understanding
incorporates the dynamic of reproduction as well as the dynamic of
equipping. Churches in which there is
equipping leadership and disciples making disciples are vital, growing
churches.
A Biblical
Theology of Disciple-Making
1.
The Disciple-Making Ministry of Jesus
Even a cursory reading of the Gospels,
and particularly the synoptics, leads the reader to conclude that Jesus’
primary purpose was to proclaim and inaugurate the kingdom of God on
earth. He did this through teaching,
through supernatural signs and through human acts which demonstrate the Kingdom
qualities of righteousness and justice.
However, it is also clear from the synoptic Gospels that Jesus did not
pursue the task of proclaiming the Kingdom of God in isolation. Rather than miraculously impart knowledge
and gifting to the multitudes that followed him, he chose to invest time into
mentoring a small band of followers whom he personally selected to be his
disciples. Jesus’ strategy in doing
this was obvious. He intended his
ministry to continue long after his ascension, therefore he devoted time to
making disciples who would continue his ministry. These disciples would in turn make more disciples and so on, in
readiness for his return.
The Gospels also reveal the method that
Jesus used in making disciples. As
stated previously, it began with a call - an invitation to follow him. Jesus then taught them about the Kingdom of
God and what it meant to be in relationship with God. The disciples sat with him as he taught the crowds (Matthew 5:1
ff), and he spent time giving them specific teaching (e.g. Matthew 10:5
ff). Jesus modelled the attitudes,
behaviour, and actions that he wanted them to emulate. He modelled a heart of compassion (Matthew
15:32-39; and Mark 6:34), and a ministry of healing, deliverance, and miracles
(Matthew 8:14, 23-27, and 9:18-25).
Jesus taught them about prayer, including praying with a right attitude
(Matthew 6:5-15), praying for the lost (Matthew 9:38), and persisting in prayer
(Luke 1:1-13). He modelled a life of
prayer to them (Matthew 14:23; and Luke 6:12), and revealed his heart for the
lost (Luke 15). Jesus challenged wrong
attitudes within them (Mark 9:33-37, and 10:35-45), and instructed them to be
cleansed from sin (Matthew 15:1-20, and 23:1-36).
Included in this training, Jesus sent
them out to do what they had observed him doing. We read that Jesus “called the twelve and began to send them out
two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits . . . So they went
out and proclaimed that all should repent.
They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and
cured them” (Mark 6:7,12,13; also Matthew 10:5-42; and Luke 9:1-6). In a similar fashion, Luke records Jesus
sending out seventy others in pairs, giving them a similar commission. They also returned, rejoicing because the
demons submitted to them (Luke 10:1-12, and 17-20).
As Jesus’ earthly ministry was drawing to
a close, he began preparing his disciples to continue his ministry without his
physical presence, but with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Within his farewell discourses as recorded
in John, chapters 13 to 17, Jesus assures his disciples that after he has gone,
they will remain in full fellowship with him through the Holy spirit (14:15-17,
and 15:26 f.). People will know they
are his disciples, as they continue to serve others in the way that he taught
them (John 13:34,35). The final phase
in Jesus’ discipleship training is encapsulated in the Great Commission, as he
sent them out to make disciples, as he had made disciples of them first
(Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus’ method of making disciples can be
summarised as follows: He called them
to follow him; he taught, modelled, and ministered with them; he sent them out
to minister to others and them come back and reflect with him; he prepared them
to minister without him; and then sent them to go and make disciples of others,
thus repeating the pattern that he modelled.
It was an approach of disciple-making by multiplication.
2.
The Disciple-Making Ministry of the Early Church
The early church continued Jesus’
ministry of disciple-making by multiplication.
Following Pentecost, the apostles continued to minister in the way they
had learned from Jesus. They preached
and confirming signs followed; consequently, the Lord added daily to their
number those who were being saved (Acts 2:47).
However, the fact that the Christian Church still exists today bears
witness to the fact that the disciples did more than only preach, teach, and
heal. The ministry of Jesus Christ
continues today because the early disciples continued his ministry, and made
disciples who continued Jesus ministry, as Jesus had commissioned them to
do. These disciples in turn made
disciples, who in turn made more disciples.
It is not clear within the early chapters
of the book of Acts which disciples are making disciples. However we are told that the three thousand
who heard Peter’s Pentecost sermon were baptised and began to devote themselves
to “the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers”
(Acts 2:42). We can assume that many of
these new disciples began to make more disciples (Acts 2:47). Consequently, there was a need to expand and
diversify the leadership base with the commission of the seven (Acts 6). Consequently, the number of disciples
increased greatly (Acts 6:7).
Within later chapters of the book of
Acts, we read that it was a disciple named Ananias who laid hands on Saul after
his conversion (Acts 9:10, 17). Someone
had obviously discipled Ananias, who in turn continued to make disciples. Early in Saul’s ministry he had disciples
(Acts 9:25). Barnabas and Saul disciple
John Mark (Acts 12:25). We read that
together they “made many disciples” and “strengthened the souls of the
disciples” in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, and appointed elders in each church
(Acts 14:21-23). Paul also discipled
Timothy (Acts 16:1), Erastus (Acts 19:22) and Titus (Titus 1:5).
The disciple-making relationship between
Paul and Timothy closely follows the principles that Jesus laid down. Just as Jesus invited his disciples to
follow him, so Paul invited Timothy to accompany him as a follower of Jesus
(Acts 16:1-3). Paul modelled ministry
to Timothy (Acts 16:5, 2 Timothy 3:10-11), taught him (1 Timothy 1:18, and 1
& 2 Timothy), and they shared together in ministry (Acts 16:4-5;
Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; and 2 Corinthians 1:1). During this time, Paul taught Timothy the
things that were needed for him to grow in maturity in the faith. He encouraged him to be a person of prayer
(1 Timothy 2:1-4), to continually be cleansed of sin (2 Timothy 2:20-26) and to
study the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Paul demonstrated to Timothy the same passion for the lost that Jesus
demonstrated to his disciples (1 Timothy 1:12-16, and 2:1,4). Just as Jesus sent his disciples out on their
own when they were ready, so Paul did with Timothy (Acts 19:22; 1 Corinthians
4:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; and Philippians 2:19).
Most importantly, Paul sent Timothy to
make disciples, who would in turn make more disciples. Paul says to Timothy “what you have heard
from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to
teach others as well” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Like Jesus, Paul’s method of disciple-making was one of multiplying his
ministry by building the kingdom in others, not being merely content to add
names to the list of those saved. Paul
understood that it was imperative to reproduce himself in those who would
follow after he had gone.
In summary, a twenty-first century
disciple of Jesus Christ will understand his or her primary call to be that of
making disciples who are disciple-makers.
They will be men and women of prayer, who faithfully study the
Scriptures, who grow in holiness through confessing and repenting of their
sin. They will have a heart for the
lost, which will motivate them to bear witness to their faith in word and
action, through which they will make disciples. Twenty-first century disciples will learn from those who are
discipling them how to share their faith with others. They will work with their disciplers in discipling others, and
under their guidance will be released to make disciples.
However, twenty-first century disciples
cannot make disciples on their own.
They need to be part of a disciple-making church. The post-Pentecost disciple-making occurred
within the context of a growing Church, sent into the world. It was an apostolic church. Therefore, not only do disciples need to
comprehend the full intent of the Great Commission, so does the Church. The Church needs to understand the
implication behind Jesus’ word ‘go’ (Matthew 28:18; and Mark 16:15)[4],
and ‘send’ (John 20:21), and witness to the ends of the earth (Luke 24:48; and
Acts 1:8). This is the focus of the
next section.
2. A disciple-making theology of the church
The phrase ‘make disciples’ is not the
only important component within the words of the Great Commission as recorded
in Matthew 28:18-20. The disciples are to ‘go’ and make disciples. They were not commissioned to stay and make
disciples, but to go. They were ‘sent’ (John
20:21). The disciples were only to wait
long enough to receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit. After being baptised with the Holy Spirit,
they were to bear witness to Jesus to the ends of the earth (Luke 24:49; and
Acts 1:5,8).
It is also important to emphasise that
this commission was not given to the disciples individually, but
collectively. These eleven disciples
were the founding nucleus of the world-wide disciple-making community, who
would become known as the Church. He
purposefully established this ministry of disciple-making in the context of
community. The call is for the
community of believers to both go forth and make disciples, as one
community. The vine and branches
allegory of John 15 provides a conclusive reference to the coming
community. “The idea of many branches
being knit together by being joined by one stem is a vivid illustration of
corporateness. Not only can no branch
exist without being in living contact with the vine, but the branches have no
relations to each other, except through the vine.”[5]
However, it is Jesus’ high priestly
prayer in John 17 that provides the strongest evidence of his intention that
his mission continue through his disciples as a unified community, not as
individuals. In his prayer to the Father,
Jesus says: “as you have sent me into
the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). Jesus’ prayer that the disciples be one
(John 17:21-23) clearly emphasises the importance of community for the
continuation of the mission of Jesus.
There is no doubt that the mission of
Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of God in word, sign and action is to be
continued by his disciples in the context of an interdependent community when
we consider the evidence: the
commission to the twelve (Matthew 10:5-42; and Luke 9:1-6), the commission to
the seventy (Luke 10:1-12), and the post-resurrection commission to the
disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).
An Apostolic Church
This community of disciple-makers is
therefore destined to be an apostolic community, which begins as an apostolic
church - a ‘sent’ church. The Greek
word apostello means ‘to send’. The word appears 131 times in the New
Testament, 119 of which are found in the Gospels and Acts.[6] It is the word used to describe Jesus
‘sending’ the twelve disciples on their mission to proclaim the kingdom of God
and to heal (Luke 9:2). It is also used
to describe the appointing of the seventy and ‘sending’ them off in pairs in
mission (Luke 10:1,3). The Greek word pempo which also means ‘send’ is used as
a virtual synonym for appostello in
John, Luke and Acts.[7] The word apostolos is translated ‘apostle’.
Initially referring to the twelve apostles (Luke 6:13; and Matthew
10:2), it described being sent as an envoy or ambassador (2 Corinthians
5:20). Later Paul, Barnabas and others
are referred to as apostles (for example, Acts 14:14; and Romans 16:7)[8].
The Church of Jesus Christ is built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). In other words, those who are called to the
office of apostle (Ephesians 4:11) are not the only ones whom Jesus has sent
into the world with a message. Rather,
apostles are to give leadership to the building of a ‘sent’ Church. Jesus made this clear in the words of the
Great Commission. He did not say to the
eleven disciples (also referred to as apostles in Matthew 10:2) “go, therefore
and proclaim my message”. Rather, he
commissioned them to “go therefore and make disciples”. In other words, he commissioned them to be
an apostolic people. The reason that
the early Church congregations went a long way towards fulfilling Jesus’
challenge to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), was because
the apostles began to build and lead an church. The apostles went into the world, growing and multiplying a
community of believers - believers who were sent, and went back into the world.
Jesus established the church as a
disciple-making church. A
disciple-making church is an apostolic church.
The Great Commission therefore demands a multiplication paradigm of
disciple-making, and it demands an apostolic paradigm of the church. Despite the fact that many congregations of
most Christian denominations throughout the world confess that they believe in
the ‘one holy Catholic and apostolic church’, the majority of congregations of
mainline churches do not understand what it means to be an apostolic
church. The following section describes
three different levels of understanding of the church which exist today. Following this is an apostolic theology of the
church and a profile of the twenty-first century church.
The Purpose of
the Church
Three levels of
understanding about the purpose of the church parallel the three levels of
undertstanding of disciple making.
1.
The Church as Caring for the People
This understanding of the role of the
local church as caring for the people parallels the understanding of the clergy
as disciple-makers[9]. Within the Christendom Paradigm, the primary
role of the local church is to care for the people who are part of it. A church in which the primary role is caring
for the people is a highly institutionalised church. The more people in the congregation, the more clergy are needed,
when the primary role of the clergy is to care for the people. The more clergy that exist, the more
administration is needed to maintain an acceptable level of care. Administration is also needed to ensure that
mission happens overseas or in remote and less fortunate parts of the country. Missionaries need to be trained and funds
needs to be raised. The
responsibilities, however are taken out of the hands of ‘ordinary’
Christians.
A church in which the primary role is to
care for the people is in direct disobedience to the Great Commission, as this
understanding restricts disciple-making to the sole responsibility of the
clergy. However, the institutional
church structures ensure that the primary focus of their time and energy is on
those already in the church. A church
in which the primary role is caring for the people is an inward focused church,
which is in direct contrast to the emphasis of the Great Commission.
2.
The Church as Building Up the Body
Declining church attendance, combined
with the influence of the charismatic movement, contributed to a different
level of understanding of the church. A
key part of this change is re-exegeting (or rediscovering) Ephesians
4:11-12: “The gifts he gave were that
some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and
teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the
body of Christ.” Whereas the second
level of understanding of disciple-making focused on the phrase “to equip the
saints for the work of ministry”, this second level of understanding of the Church’s
role focuses on the phrase “for building up the body of Christ.”
This represents a significant move from
the first level of understanding. It is
the whole people of God, not the clergy who take responsibility for the
building up of the body of Christ. All
Christians care for one another, and discover and exercise their spiritual
gifts. Paul’s analogy of the church as
a body, as expounded in 1 Corinthians 12 and other places, plays a large part
in the thinking behind this understanding.
In order to be a disciple-making and multiplying community of faith, the
church must perceive itself as a body of believers, each with different gifts
to be exercised together.
However, this second level of
understanding is limited because it tends to see the building up of the body as
an end in itself. A congregation may
encourage the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit by all members. The fruits of this may be evidenced by
creative and diverse worship experiences, and strong ministries for and with
children, teenagers and young adults.
There may be a small groups ministry which caters for all ages, led by
trained and gifted leaders. However,
these ministries are often developed with the implicit, or even explicit,
assumption that this wonderful demonstration of the ‘building up of the body’
will automatically draw in potential disciples.
Churches which work at building up the
body usually do experience seasons of numerical growth. However, analysis of this growth usually
reveals the majority of it as being Christians transferring from ‘less exciting’
churches to a church which ‘meets their needs’. Such churches inadvertently send a message which says ‘come and
join us’. This message is contrary to
the charge of the Great Commission to go into the world and make
disciples. Congregations in which the
building up of the body is an end in itself fall short of the intent of the
Great Commission. Apart from the ‘end
in itself’ perception, there are several other reasons why congregations, who
embrace this level of understanding, fall short of the intent of the Great
Commission.
Firstly, the understanding of the Church
as body often exists in parallel with the clergy/laity paradigm. That is, the clergy strongly encourage the
discovery and exercise of spiritual gifts by all members of the congregation. However, they are limited by denominational
regulations, practices, and expectations of the people.
Secondly, there is often within this
level of understanding a strong conviction that mission flows out of
nurture. Christian nurture, evidenced
by teaching and pastoral care, is seen as primary. Mission and evangelism is ineffective, unless the body is built
up through solid teaching and care.
Biblical teaching and pastoral care are important and vital to the
growth of the body. However, if they
are given priority over mission, then mission never happens. For example, many Christians consider
themselves to be ‘mature in faith’ (Ephesians 4:13) and do not see it as
important to make disciples of others.
The more nurture and fellowship that
people receive, the more they demand.
The more emphasis that is placed on nurture, whether by clergy or by
small group leaders, the more people value having ‘their needs met’, and the
less motivated they become to engage in mission. Giving nurture priority over mission encourages an introversion
which is at odds with the intent of the Great Commission, which commissions all
believers to ‘go’ (Matthew 28:19; and Mark 16:15), to be ‘sent’ (John 20:21),
and to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Luke 24:48; and Acts 1:8). The early church was obedient to this
commission, giving mission first priority.
As they did this, they experienced nurture and fellowship like never
before (Acts 2:41-18, 4:29-35).
3.
The Church as Extending the Kingdom
The third level of understanding of the
purpose of the church is to continue Jesus’ ministry of proclaiming the kingdom
of God in word and action. This is done
in the spirit and pattern of the early church, of being sent into the world
with the good news of the gospel. The ethos
of ‘building up the body’ is vital to this understanding of the church. However, building up the body is not an end
in itself, but a means to an end. The
end is to extend the kingdom of God by making disciples, who make
disciples.
The kingdom of God is extended when the
lost are found, and so searching for the lost is the primary focus of the
church which is sent into the world.
Congregations which reflect this understanding are kingdom oriented, as
opposed to church oriented. Howard
Snyder expresses it this way:
Church
people think about how to get people into the church; Kingdom people think
about how to get the church into the world.
Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom
people work to see the church change the world.[10]
A kingdom-oriented congregation is an
apostolic congregation - a ‘sent’ congregation. It reflects the full intent of the Great Commission - to go and
make disciples. The following section
argues that the ministry of Jesus and the early church as recorded in the
scriptures, articulates an apostolic theology of the church. It is a theology of the church which affirms
this level of understanding and purpose of the church. It reflects the full intent of the Great
Commission.
An Apostolic
Theology of the Church
The ministry and teaching of Jesus lay
the foundation for the apostolic ministry of the Church. The book of Acts records the early church
continuing this apostolic ministry of Jesus, in obedience to the Great Commission. The apostle Paul, a key apostle and
theologian of the early church, continues to develop this apostolic theology of
the church, building on the teaching of Jesus.
1.
The Apostolic Ministry of Jesus
By first sending out the twelve (Mark
6:7,12,13; Matthew 10:5-42; and Luke 9:1-6) and later the seventy (Luke
10:1-12, 17-20), Jesus not only demonstrates his equipping style of leadership,
but role models an apostolic or ‘sending’ component to the ministry. Just as the Father sent Jesus to the world
for an apostolic mission, so Jesus sent his disciples to continue in that
mission (John 17:18, 20:21). In
proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, Jesus did not remain within Nazareth,
but moved throughout Galilee and beyond, eventually to Jerusalem. His mission was apostolic. Two features of this apostolic mission are
consistently noted: the proclaiming of
the good news of the kingdom, and the miraculous signs which followed.
When Jesus sent the twelve and then the
seventy, this pattern continued. He
sent them to proclaim the good news and to heal the sick and cast out demons
(Luke 9:1-2, 6; and 10:9,17). He
commissioned his disciples to be a community of believers who would continue
this apostolic mission. They were
commissioned to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew
28:19), to “go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole
creation” with signs following (Mark 16:15-18), and to be ‘witnesses’ (Luke
24:48) “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
(Acts 1:8).
Jesus’ apostolic ministry was reinforced
with apostolic teaching. This teaching
is most clearly articulated in two parables concerning the sowing of seed (Mark
4:1-20, 26-29), and his statement about the harvest (Matthew 9:35-38; and Luke
10:2). Matthew records the following:
Then
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and
sickness. When he saw the crowds, he
had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd. Then he said to his
disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask
the Lord of the harvest to sent out labourers into his harvest’ (cf Luke 10:2).
Again the pattern of Jesus’ apostolic
ministry is noted: proclaiming the good
news of the Kingdom, with signs following.
However, Jesus is lamenting the fact that there is a harvest of souls
for the kingdom, but a shortage of workers to bring in the harvest. He gives a call to prayer – to pray to God for workers, who will
be sent into the harvest – first as
Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and sent them on their mission (Matthew
10:1-42).
However, a harvest will not come unless
seeds are planted. Within Mark 4 Jesus
tells a parable of a sower, who sows seed.
Some of the seed does not survive because it falls on the path, on rocky
ground, and among thorns. However that
which fell on good soil brought forth grain, and grew up to yield thirty,
sixty, and a hundredfold. (Mark
4:3-8). The seed is the word of God
(Mark 4:14). Mark then records Jesus’
Parable of the Growing Seed:
The
kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would
sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not
know how. The earth produces of itself,
first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes
in with his sickle, because the harvest has come (Mark 4:26-29).
What is the clear message for disciples
who are disciple-makers in an apostolic church? The disciples are responsible for the sowing, God does the
growing, and the disciples then come and bring in the harvest. It is not possible to harvest without first
sowing. It is of no use sowing, unless
harvesting also takes place to bring in the fruits of the sowing. It is not the sower or the harvester’s role
to grow the plants, as this is up to God.
The harvester’s role is to take whatever measures can be taken to ensure
that the environment is maximised to release its growth potential.
2.
The Apostolic Ministry of the Early Church
The day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts
2 marked the beginning of the fulfilment of the Great Commission. With the coming of the Holy Spirit to give
power to witness as promised (Luke 24:49; and Acts 1:8), the disciples
responded to Jesus’ call to go into the world.
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to preach the good news of the
Gospel of the kingdom, and three thousand people became disciples. These disciples were baptised, and then
“devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).
The book of Acts is the record of the
apostles continuing Jesus’ ministry to proclaim the Kingdom in word (e.g. Acts
2:14-36; 3:1 ff; 4:8 ff; and 8:4 ff), in sign (e.g. 3:1-10; 5:12-16; and
8:4-8), and in action (e.g. 4:32-37; and 6:1-4). Jesus’ commission to ‘go and make disciples’ is obeyed (e.g. Acts
2:37-47; 6:1-7; 8:9 ff; 10:1-44; and 13:1 ff).
Peter and the other apostles moved throughout the region, preaching the
gospel with signs following. They were
fulfilling the apostolic commission that Jesus gave them. They were apostles (apostolos), sent by Jesus to continue his ministry of extending the
kingdom of God.
The early church was not only a church
with apostles, it was an apostolic church.
The apostles, who were sent in obedience to the Great Commission, not
only made disciples, but disciples who were disciple-makers. The record of the early church supports
this:
That
day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except
the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria . .
.Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the
word. (Acts 8:1, 4).
As it was with Jesus and the apostles,
the disciples of the apostles were sent to continue Jesus’ ministry of
proclaiming the kingdom, and signs followed.
The teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer, worship and
service, and care (Acts 2:37-47, 4:23-37) were not ends in themselves, but
responses to the apostles being sent.
They continued the mission of Jesus, going into the world to make more
disciples, who were equipped to make more disciples.
3.
Paul’s Apostolic Theology of the Church
Upon his conversion, Saul, who later
became known as Paul, became one of the most significant apostles of the early
church. In his apostolic ministry of
teaching, he reinforced Jesus’ apostolic teaching, thus developing an apostolic
theology of the church.
Building up the body
As previously stated, Paul affirmed that
God gifts leaders for the role of equipping the whole people of God for the
work of ministry. Through this
equipping, the body of Christ is built up
(Ephesians 4:11-12). It is not
the people who do the building, but Christ (see Matthew 16:18). Paul states that the church receives its
life and authority from Christ as the head of the Church (Ephesians
4:15-16). The church is totally
dependant on Christ for its direction and life. This truth is affirmed by Jesus’ statement when he says that he
is the true vine and we are the branches (John 15:1-11). He says, “apart from me you can do nothing”
(verse 5).
Also, the individual Christians, who are
members of the church (the body), are interdependent, rather than dependent on
each other. In 1 Corinthians12:12-30,
it is clear that each member of the body is assigned a particular gift (charis) to be exercised in mutual giving
and receiving, for completing tasks within the fellowship, and in fulfilling
its commission to proclaim the good news to the world.
Clearly then, Paul teaches that the
individual members of the church, in and of themselves, do not constitute the
whole. Rather, the unity of the body,
and the life of the body comes from Christ himself: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptised
into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12
f.).[11]
This understanding of the church, as a
living, dynamic organism, holding in tension unity and diversity, illustrates
the disciple-making call of the church.
Disciples cannot be effective disciple-makers on their own, because they
do not possess all the gifts, as Christ did.
However, disciple-making happens in the church, as disciples together
witness and service Christ in the world, and subsequently fruitful
disciple-making develops. This does not
infer that individual disciples cannot lead others into a relationship with
Jesus Christ. However, the ongoing
nurture and mentoring of a disciple, who becomes a disciple-maker, is made more
effective when it is provided by more than one disciple. It is within the context of the church--the
body of Christ--that holistic disciple-making occurs.
Through the equipping of the saints for
ministry, God releases the gifts of the Holy Spirit, through which Christ
builds the body. Paul gives
illustration to this in his statement:
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians
3:6). In saying this, Paul reinforces
Jesus teaching on the parable of the growing seed (Mark 4:21-25).
Extending the kingdom
Paul’s teaching on the Church in
Ephesians also clearly emphasises that the building up of the body is not an
end in itself. He states that leaders
are given to equip the saints for ministry, for the building up of the body of
Christ “until all of us come to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ”
(Ephesians 4:13). The building up of
the body is for the purposes of extending the kingdom of God. This is why Paul tells that Corinthian
Christians that the have been reconciled to Christ, and have been given a
ministry of reconciliation. They are to
be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). This is why he told the Philippian Christians that it is through
God at work within them, enabling them to will and work for his pleasure, that
they will shine like stars in the world (Philippians 2:13,15). This is why Paul, in his discipling of
Timothy, urged him to pray for everyone, as God desires everyone to be saved (2
Timothy 2:4).
Within these words we hear Paul’s
apostolic heart for the church. This is
further reinforced in his teaching in chapter one of the letter to the
Ephesians. We read that Jesus is not
only head of the Church, but head of all things: “And he has put all things under his (Christ’s) feet and has made
him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of
him which fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23). God has “a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things
in him (Christ), things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10). God’s plan and desire is that everyone is
saved (2 Timothy 2:4). He does not want
“any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s plan is to be fulfilled through the church,
which is to “fully reveal Christ’s headship over the whole created order.”[12]
In commenting on the significance of
Ephesians 1:22-23, Frank Laubach makes this statement: “When Christ was here on earth, he was
limited to performing his ministry in one place and at one time . . . He healed
whoever he touched, but his touch was necessarily limited by time and space . .
. As the body of Christ, the Church is Christ’s multiplied hands, feet, voice
and compassionate heart.”[13] In other words, as the body of Christ, the
Church multiplies disciples who multiply the Kingdom ministry of Jesus. The Kingdom ministry of Jesus is extended
when the church functions as an apostolic church--a body of interdependent
disciple-makers sent into the world to make disciples, who in turn, make more
disciples.
It was concluded in the first section
that the Great Commission demands the primary call of the Christian to be a
disciple who is a disciple-maker. This
call requires a multiplication paradigm of disciple-making. This second section now concludes that the
Great Commission also demands an apostolic church - a church sent into the
world, with leadership that equips people for an interdependent ministry of
disciple-making. Through this, the body
is built up and the kingdom of God is extended, thus continuing the ministry of
Jesus in the world. This requires the
church to adopt an apostolic paradigm.
The multiplication paradigm of
disciple-making demands leaders who equip and multiply. The Apostolic paradigm of the church demands
apostolic leadership. Leadership which
is equipping, multiplying and apostolic is life-giving leadership. It demands a disciple-making and sending
approach. When this occurs, the power
of the Great Commission is restored and the spirit of Jesus and the early
church is reflected in the life of the twenty-first century church.
Current research confirms that vital
growing churches are those which have reclaimed an apostolic disciple-making
vision.
Episcopal Priest and President of the
Alban Institute, Loren Mead, published a book in 1991 called The Once and Future Church.[14] Mead challenges the mainstream church as
continuing to operate within a Christendom Paradigm dating back to Constantine,
whereas we live, work, and witness within a Mission Paradigm. In 1996 he published another book in which
he identifies five challenges for the church if it is to effectively transition
into a mission paradigm: (1) to
transfer the ownership of the Church from clergy to laity, (2) to find new
structures to carry our faith, (3) to discover a passionate spirituality, (4)
to feed the world’s need for community, and (5) to become an apostolic people.[15]
In 1993 United Methodist Minister and
Director of 21st Century Strategies, William Easum, published a book titled, Dancing with Dinosaurs: Ministry in a Hostile and Hurting World.[16] As a Church Consultant who travels some 300
days of the year, Easum observes first hand many churches in the United
States. He concludes that churches
effectively ministering into the twenty-first century are churches where: (1) small groups replace programs, (2)
pastors equip persons, rather than do ministry, (3) effective worship is
culturally relevant, (4) buildings are not important, and (5) weekday
ministries overshadow the importance of Sunday. In addition to this, he lists three essential ingredients: (1) biblical integrity, (2) evangelism, and
(3) quality.