discipleship

1-1 Discipleship From the Small Group Context

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:56:28 -0600

Introduction

In Lesson 7, we stated that the ideal model for discipleship is accomplished in the srnall group context, from which we then undergird with 1-to-I discipleship. Lessons 7, 8, and 9 focused upon the biblical example and practical skills of small group discipleship. Small group discipleship is primary. Secondary to it, but also essential, is time spent 1-to-1 between the discipling leader and the new disciple.

Many questions can be raised concerning 1-to-1 discipleship.

What should occur during these times?
What do we talk about?
How can this time be spent in a quality manner?

Answering these questions and teaching skills of 1-to-1 discipleship are the goals of this lesson.

A Strategy for 1-to-1 Discipleship

Build a trust-filled relationship

As stated many times already, discipleship flows from a relational context. No place is this more obvious than sitting in the student union face to face with the new disciple. What is needed in building relationship in the small group is absolutely necessary in 1-to-1. Therefore, do more in-depth personal history sharing. Learn as much as you can about the person, while at the same time letting him know you more fully. Since one of the strengths of i-to-I time is that it can be more intimate, then work to build this strength.

Spend time in the beginning stages just doing more history-giving. Loving is built on knowing. This demands openness on your part. In this way you are expressing trust in the person and showing that you care. Do all you can (from your side) to build a trust-filled relationship.

Teach them how to study the Bible

One of the most important skills you can pass on to a new believer is the ability to study the Word of God. Study goes beyond devotional reading. Do all you can to develop 2 Timothy 2:15 in the disciple, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

Obviously, an entire course on Biblical interpretation cannot be laid out here. You will find a guide to reference materials in the annotated bibliography for biblical interpretation. However, let us highlight some goals of Bible study and a simple skill that you can teach 1-to-I.

1. Three Components Of Any Good Bible Study Method

The primary goal for the study of Scripture is to arrive at the meaning of the passage. This meaning needs to be discovered in three stages:

a. Observation
This always occurs first. One seeks to discover the facts and structure of the passage in order to lay a foundation for interpretation.

b. Interpretation
Here we intend to answer the question, "What did this passage mean to the first readers?" What was the purpose of writing for the author?

c. Application
This is a process where the meaning of the passage to thefirst readers is then translated into our present day situation. It answers the question, "What does this passage mean to me?"

Our first aim in biblical interpretation is to determine the meaning which the author intended to communicate to his audience. Therefore, the meaning of a passage must be something the original readers could have understood. Stated differently, a biblical text cannot mean today what it could not have meant when it was written.

Only after we have a good idea of what the text meant can we go on to see what the text means for us today.

2. A Bible Study Tool

PROAPT is an acrostic that stands for:

Pray, Read, Observe, Apply, Pray, Tell

The PROAPT model is adapted from Discipling Ministries Seminar, Barnabas, Inc. Used by permission, 1991.

Pray
Quiet yourself before the Lord prior to going to his Word. This can be a short time of prayer or lengthy. Be sure to include this as a part of this prayer time: "Dear Lord, please speak to me from your Word and by your Spirit today."

Read
Read the passage aloud. If possible, read the passage in different translations. Make every effort to involve as many of the senses as possible. For some creative ideas see Roberta Hestenes' book, Using the Bible in Groups.

Observe
Now is the time to write down all that you can observe from the text. In your observation, answer some of the following questions.

Who are the people mentioned, where does this passage happen, when did it occur?
What literary constructions are significant, i.e., repetitions, comparisons and contrasts, verb tenses, cause and effect?
What kind of literature is this, i.e., history, teaching material, poetry, prophecy, parable?
What do the words mean? Look up important words in a dictionary and substitute the definition for the word and reread the passage.
Is there any progression or logical development of significance in this passage?
What is the main point of this passage?
What did the first readers understand in their context?

It may help to outline the passage, or paraphrase the passage, trying to maintain the meaning but using your own words.

Apply
Here it is time to bridge the gap between the "there and then" and the "here and now". Ask these kind of questions here:

What issues does this passage raise which are still issues today?
What does this passage say about my relationship with God and with other people, about sin in my life and about my attitudes?
How can I apply this within the next two days?
What behavior does this passage call for that I am not now doing?

Application is the most difficult part of any Bible study method to master. We tend to make applications that are generalized wishes or hopes. We often come away from the biblical text with unmeasureable goals or goals too large to see daily growth. It takes real effort, but we must chop up the gigantic applications into bite-size chunks. In application, above all, be specific!

Take the following example: "Lord I want to be more disciplined in my Bible study." While admirable there are no objective criteria with which progress can be measured. Break it down like: "Lord, in an effort to become more disciplined in my personal Bible study, I am committing to spend from 7:30 to 8:00 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays doing my PROAPTs through Phillippians."

Pray
Again, at this point, commit to Jesus your application and praise Him for speaking to you. If you wish, follow the prayer format listed on the PROAPT sheet.

Tell

Find a prayer partner, preferably someone in your small group. Let them know what Jesus is saying and doing in you. These can become some of the most quality times of your life.

One final recommendation. When PROAPTing build consistency by staying in the same Biblical book or on the same Biblical topic. A lifetime of consistent study will reap a bounty of fruit.

In teaching this skill, follow this procedure:

Demonstrate how to PROAPT in a 1-to-1 session.
Assign them to do three PROAPTs per week for the next two weeks.
Meet with them and go over their PROAPTs with them.
Point out areas needing development.
Make a further assignment until they come to some level of mastery of this Bible study tool.

Teach them how to pray

Alongside the ability to study the Bible, another essential skill is knowing how to pray. Since the Disciples asked Jesus how to pray, it is certainly appropriate for us to ask and learn! As can be seen from the Lord's Prayer, there are a variety of components to prayer. A good tool is the ACTS Format of Prayer. Again, ACTS is an acrostic for:

Adoration
Praise to the Lord for who He is (focus upon His nature).

Confession
Statement of Jesus as Lord of my life and asking for forgiveness of sin.

Thanksgiving
Praise to the Lord for what He has done(focus on His deeds).

Supplication

Intercession for my needs and the needs of others.

Learning how to pray after this manner would be a stretching experience for any disciple. Again, request in your 1-to-i that they pray after this format three times per week for two weeks. Then after the sixth time, have them write out their reflections and thoughts after having prayed in this manner. It should lead to a good time of discussion on prayer. Don't presume that they will pray this way forever. But it is a great way to open them up to a greater prayer life. It could be an excellent idea to anchor in prayer by spending time together praying in your 1-to-I's. These instructions coupled with your modeling prayer will greatly help a disciple communicate with the Lord Jesus.

Carefully assess personal needs

The first stage in ministry is knowing the needs. Here we tryto get in touch with the tensions in their life in order to assist you in knowing how to encourage them in spiritual growth. A helpful tool can be found in Appendix 13, Needs, Concerns and Problems. The sole purpose of this simple form is to gain an overview of the areas of concern in the disciple's life as they perceive theim

Mter you have taught them Bible study and prayer, take an hour or two with this sheet in hand and ask them to describe their life in the four areas requested on the sheet: Personal & Relational, Family, Academic and Spiritual Needs. Sometimes just helping the person to gain an overview of the tensions in their life can be a great moment of self discovery. From this perspective, you can then move toward addressing some specific areas of needed growth in the disciple.

Help them to set personal spiritual growth goals

See the Appendix 14, The ABC's of Ministry. This highlights a five stage process in personal ministry. Let's examine each stage, one point at a time.

Assess the Need

After having gone over the Needs, Concerns and Problems sheet with them, you then select one area. Usually it is best the first time, to allow the disciple to pick the area that they want to grow in. If they select it, they will probably bring some motivation to the task, thus increasing the chances for growth. Even if you discern that another area is more needy, it is still probably better for them to choose the first area. They will be more willing to tackle harder issues after they have learned to work with you.

Write out as clearly as possible the issue of need in the space provided, just so everyone has a clear understanding on the issue.

Build a Biblical Foundation

What does God's Word have to say about this issue? Often this is quite direct and to the point, while there are times when finding the counsel of God's Word is more difficult. Here the leader is modeling the use of the Bible as our guide for all faith and practice. Careful work here helps the disciple see that we are to live under the authority of God's truth rather than by any standards imposed by contemporary morality. In this space, write a summary statement of the counsel from the Word with several Scripture references listed.

Create Measureable Goals

From what the Bible instructs, what should the disciple trust the Lord to do in his or her life? It is important that goals be specific and measureable. Vague goals are quite frustrating and you are never sure if you are making any progress. State goals in terms of how much, when, how often, with whom, etc. Make the goals tangible but faith filled. Remember what we learned about goals and purposes. "A goal is a statement about how we hope things are going to be at some time in the future. It is a statement of faith. Notice that goals are not statements about what will be. That is in God's hands. But they are statements about what we believe God wants us to do or to be, in light of his word."

Develop a Plan of Action

Now take your goals and put them into a statement of strategy. Break it down into stages or steps. What will the disciple do first, then next, and then after that? If the final goal will take three months to accomplish, what will the disciple do in the first month, the second and the third? Be specific and clear.

Establish Proper Support

We were never intended to walk out our faith in Jesus alone, but Christ has placed us carefully into His Body. Therefore, we must be there for each other. Establish times for evaluation and adjustment. Encouragement will be very necessary. Sometimes you will need to be a little tough and demand that the disciple stay on target. Sometimes he may need you to forgive him for failing and be able to experience compassion first-hand. So check up regularly and commit yourself to see this through with the disciple.

Ministry Skills Should Be Transgenerational

We have said before that discipleship is a transgenerational process whereby the message and methods of the Kingdom of God impact the world. The skills used in this process need to be transgenerational as well. What is meant by transgenerational skills is that in teaching one disciple you need to use skills that they in turn can use to teach another later.

This is why the forms used in this lesson are simple. There is nothing special in the forms. This is deliberate. The forms could be easily reproduced on a napkin at your favorite pancake house restaurant. There is nothing sacred about the forms, they merely describe process in ministry.

It is cruel to teach someone, but withhold from them source for learning. Don't just tell someone to go from A to Z, but show them how to go from A to Z. In doing so they will some day take someone else from A to Z. Keep the first skills that you use simple and transgenerational. No doubt later on you will become much more sophisticated, but make sure they have something in their hand they can pass on to another.

Small Group Leadership Training

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:31:58 -0600

Practical guide for college small group Bible studies.

Overseeing Discipleship Leaders

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:29:14 -0600

A couple of hundred years ago there was a view of God that maintained He was a Master Clockmaker. He made a giant blue dock and called it good, and gave it the name earth. As this view goes; the Master cloclunaker then wound up this blue clock and left for parts unknown in the universe (presumably to make more clocks). This view affirmed God as creator, but saw Him as transcendent, and distant from His creation--an absent God.

Sometimes this scenario can happen in a ministry. Student leaders can be well trained and then commissioned. They have passed all the requirements to serve as discipleship leaders. They have been pointed at a handful of students and told, "Go, make disciples". They do go, but shorily after, they begin to feel very burdened, later to feel overwhelmed. They feel responsible and abandoned. You then find them sitting in your office, giving you a rafionale for why they need to resign from their leadership role.

In the Great Commission Jesus closed with the words, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Now we are not like Jesus. We cannot be with student leaders all the time. Therefore, we must provide them the support and continued enabling that they will need to carry out their responsibilities. These new leaders are experiencing things in their Christian walk they have never encountered before. They are performing some ministry skills for the first time and encountering needs in people that they have never dealt with before. They feel a distance between them and small group members that they never felt when they were a member.

They will encounter greater levels of spiritual warfare. They will be successful, and must deal with the ugly head of pride. Their idealism will be dealt a blow from the realism of their new situation. If they do not have a mature leader to use as a sounding board, someone to trouble shoot issues with, someone to care for their personal needs, and someone to sharpen their skills to enable them to become even more effective, then their vision will eventually dim. They could become disillusioned and despair over whether they were ever meant to disciple.

THE CAMPUS PASTOR'S ROLE IN SUPERVISION

So now the campus pastor is fulfilling important roles in the discipling process at three different levels.

Challenging the whole group to discipleship, building a vision in them and providing training for them all
Equipping some to prepare them for the discipling role
Supervising those already leading to keep them healthy and encouraged.

Concerning this third level of supervision there are three areas of super-vision that can be provided:

PASTORAL CARE

This is individual care for the discipling leader. Their own personal lives continue on. They face new challenges in their academic pursuits. Often they are building significant relationships that demand increased time commitments. Family matters, financial pressures, and increased stress are among the issues that they will encounter. They will no doubt be sharing many of these things with their small group. However, several of the students may be very young in the lord. Though it is no one's fault, the student leader may still feel unsupported, even within their small group. It is important for the campus pastor to spend time with the leaders individually, talking to them about what they are doing apart from their discipleship concerns. Make sure they know that they matter just as much as their ministry does.

CONTINUING ENABLING

It is impossible to anticipate all the issues that a discipler will face as they begin to lead. The theoretical is being replaced by the actual. During this time some valuable discipling from the campus pastor needs to occur. Talk through the situations they are facing, and brainstorm together about how to respond. In doing so you are teaching them how to approach ministry. They begin to understand the process of discipleship more as you spend time with them. You can also pull all the discipleship leaders together and teach various skills or refine previously taught skills. Provide materials for them to read that are directed at leader development. They are in a wonderful position to learn and grow. Before, you were giving them all the answers. Now they are learning all the questions. They are at a very receptive time to integrate philosophy of ministry with practice in ministry.

DISCIPLING MINISTRY ASSESSMENT

Ministry is a very difficult thing to evaluate. Was it a good teaching or not? A good job leading worship or not? A good job of counseling or not? These questions haunt every minister, and they are heightened in the new student leader. They feel insecure and need honest, positive feedback. One approach is to help them learn how to do good self-evaluation. Enclosed is a sample evaluation sheet for a small group meeting. Have the discipling leader fill this out regularly. This will assist him in knowing what kind of questions to ask himself. It will also highlight for him what he needs to work on. Then go over these forms with the student leader.

Be careful to observe the three-for-one rule: give three comments of affirmation for every one comment of correction. This rule not only applies for new leaders but is valuable for your Senior Pastor at your local church as well. Assessment is only valuable when it is heard. If leaders know they will only get corrective critiques, they will probably shy away from assessment opportunities.

SUPERVISION STRUCTURES

Here are a few suggestions to help structure a ministry for discipleship. As was mentioned in the interviewing chapter, it is helpful to do this process in the late Spring. Then, throughout the summer, the campus pastor can stay in touch with them. It would be a good time to give them a summer reading list of materials that would help them prepare for the Fall. During the summer, or just before the beginning of the Fall term, hold a one day retreat for discipleship leaders only. Here you can orient them to the Fall schedule and review essential skills and goals that pertain to the first six weeks of school. It is also valuable for them to get back in touch with each other relationally. They may have had a difficult and demanding summer, and a time together for refreshing worship and prayer would be very encouraging.

During the school year, your oversight needs to be both one-to-one and for groups of leaders. The one-to-one times serve best for personal care and assessment. The group times best assist continued enabling. Determine the regularity that is most feasible in your campus situation. You need to stay current with your leaders to truly provide hands-on supervision.

Here is an observation-In a campus ministry with eight or fewer discipling leaders, have their group leadership meetings with all present. When you have more than eight, you will probably be best served by breaking them down into subgroups of leaders (maybe men's and women's groups). At this point you will need additional help in providing leader supervision. Some campus ministries might add a campus ministry staff person with a major share of their responsibility being coordinating discipleship leaders. In many other cases you will need to use mature student leaders who have had experience in leading. They could coordinate a smaller group of leaders (maybe three to six), and then report back to the campus pastor. Some campus groups call these smaller leadership groups Resource Groups, and the coordinator of them Resource Leaders.

One last thing: It is important to recognize the efforts of student leaders. At an appropriate time during the year, maybe at the end of the school year, have some means to show appreciation to these leaders for their service. Give honor where honor is due, for these students should be honored. This will be an encouragement to the leaders and will demonstrate to the entire fellowship that to respond and serve in this capacity is highly esteemed. It may also foster greater desire for others to follow in their path.

Selecting Discipleship Leaders

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:26:54 -0600

The campus ministry was only a few months old, but graciously it had a good beginning. The campus pastor and his wife were able to start (between them) three discipleship small groups with four to five incach small group. About a month before finals of the fall semester, a weekend retreat was held with most of the students attending. The retreat was on the discipling process.

After much prayer the campus pastor went into the next main weekly meeting ready to challenge the young group to become a committed discipling campus ministry. The night was given to reflections on the retreat and student's personal reactions. Then the pastor asked, "Do we desire to become that kind of a ministry?" After some serious contemplation the consensus was "Yes".

The pastor told them the next logical step was to select and train students to lead the existing small groups. He then laid out specifically the level of commitment necessary to become a discipling small group leader. Between leading the small group, preparing for the small group, a leadership meeting for training and oversight, main weekly meetings, Sunday local church attendance, and one-on-one times with small group members, it appeared that 15 hours per week would be necessary.

Then the pastor said, "I will accept applications to interview for these leadership positions. Do not ask to interview if you know you are unable to comply with all the necessary requirements to lead. If you are for some reason (like part-time work, excessive school load, etc.) unable to fulfill all the requirements then don't apply. Your application assumes your willingness to do whatever is necessary to become an effective discipler."

There were about twenty students in the campus group at this time. It was an act of faith to ask for that kind of commitment from the outset. Some might say "Start smaller and grow into it." Douglas Hyde in his book Dedication and Leadership advocates challenging people to large and meaningful action. ".. .if you make mean little demands upon people, you will get a mean little response which is all you deserve, but if you make big demands on them, you will get a heroic response.. work off the assumption that if you call for big sacrifices people will respond to this and, moreover, the relatively smaller sacrifices will come quite naturally." The twenty had a week to prayerfully consider and respond if they would like to apply. It was a very important moment for the future of this fledgling fellowship.

Amazingly, fourteen out of the twenty interviewed, and from these, five were affirmed to leadership. Each of these five were determined to lead. They each decided to cut their school class loads back by one dass to be more free to disciple. They each fulfilled the stated minimum requirements and they all did a great job of leading. From that point and for over ten years this campus group has had a continuing supply of committed small group disciplers. The requirements, though stated, do not need to be heavily stressed, for everyone has seen the commitment of their small group leader while they were still small group members. A standard has been established and it is reproducing itself year after year.

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF A DISCIPLER

What criteria do you use in selecting a small group discipler? Obviously, it isa matter of sincere prayer and of discerning the Lord's will, but what do you pray about? What are the essentials you expect to see in these student leaders? This is answered in detail in the Student Notes, Lesson 12. It is expanded upon in the Discipleship Framework in chapter 1, "Essentials of Discipleship".

Look for these five essentials:

a student who is developing in Godly character
a student who has a pastoral heart
a student who exhibits vision for ministry
a student who is full of zeal for the Lord and wholeheartedly committed to Jesus
a student who has a measure of ministry skills

More often than not we elevate ministry skills in prospective discipling leaders to be of first and foremost importance. We look for the ability to lead worship, lead a Bible study, and pray with others. However, it is better to look for evidences of the first four essentials. They are matters that demand a growth in Godliness. These are the kind of students you want influencing other students. Ministry skills can be taught. Our recommendation is to look first for inward qualities before looking for outward skills.

THE INTERVIEWING PROCESS

Someone once commented, "Why go through all the trouble of interviewing? Why don't you just pick 'em?" Having the campus pastor personally appoint discipling leaders would be easier and quicker, but again we must be reminded that discipleship is a process. There are important factors involved in an interview and selection process that are healthy for both those being interviewed and for the entire campus group. Here are some suggested stages for the interviewing process.

CLEARLY DEFINE THE RESPONSIBILITY

Make sure the student has a clear understanding of the responsibility they are applying for. A job description should be made available. (A sample is offered in the appendices.) It should clearly outline the expectations and qualifications necessary to serve. Try not to assume anything. This will help prevent misunderstanding and disappointment down the road.

INVITE STUDENTS TO INTERVIEW

The students need an opportunity to pray about this issue, and then to affirm thernselves to serve. This causes them to count the cost of disciple-ship. When they ask to interview, it normally is an indication that they have taken this matter seriously. Sometimes the campus pastor will have a few students in mind that he feels would make good disciplers. The campus pastor should feel free to talk to them about interviewing- not to try to coerce them, but to talk with them about becoming a discipler and what that may mean for them. Those who have served as Small Group Leaders (SGL's) before should ask to interview again. This provides a review for them that can prove very helpful. It also gives you a chance to address any concerns you have with this student's leadership.

ESTABLISH AN INTERVIEW FORMAT

You will want to insure this process is impartial. In a beginning campus ministry the campus pastor may need to select the first group of discipleship small group leaders (as was done in the illustration above). This is not ideal, but may be necessary the first time. If possible, find one or two others who could assist you in interviewing. Possibilities might include an associate pastor from a local church, a mature layman who has a campus ministry background, or a graduate student who would not have the time to lead a small group, but is a mature believer and could join you on an interview committee.

In a campus ministry that has student leaders, use some of them on your interviewing committee. Ask those who seem to have the concepts of discipleship well in mind and were effective in leading their small groups. Many campus groups use the last three to four weeks of the school year to do their interviews for the next school year. If this is done, then student leaders who are finishing a year of serving will have fresh ideas and questions to ask potential leaders. This also gives the new leaders the summer break to prepare themselves for the next year.

It would be helpful if you developed an interview form that your committee could use. This would provide some uniformity in the questioning. Feel free to ask questions that would be unique to the person before you, however. A sample interview form is provided. Most interviews take about 20 - 30 minutes. It is good to pray with each one who interviews before they leave. This gives the committee an immediate chance to bless God for what He has done in the student's life. This whole process is intended to be an edifying experience for the student, not an inquisition.

BUILD INTEGRITY INTO THE SELECTION COMMITTEE

Here is a suggestion. Ask the committee members not to discuss any of the interviews with each other anyone else until the committee meets again. Give about four days to a week after the last interview, for the committee members to pray and think about all of the interviews. When the entire committee comes together after this break, have them cast a ballot on each person before they discuss any of the interviews. Only at this point discuss the interviews as a committee.

At this point, however, discuss every interview. Those that you affirmed unanimously should be discussed to see why the committee members affirmed them. The same should be done for those who were unanimously not affirmed. Those with a split vote should be discussed, and then a consensus needs to be arrived at as to which direction to go. Should they be affirmed, or held back for a time? The details of these discussions need to remain in the confidence of the committee members and not made public knowledge.

GIVE FEEDBACK TO EVERYONE WHO INTERVIEWED

Now that the selections have been made, it is important to go to every student who interviewed and discuss with them the reflections of the selection committee. Those who are affirmed to serve need to know what the committee saw as their strengths. This is a great opportunity to bless what God has done in a person. No doubt there will be some areas of concern, even for a student who has been affirmed. Here you can highlight where spiritual, emotional or behavioral growth needs to occur. As you can see, this process itself can serve as a discipling process for all who interview.

All those who were not affirmed need to receive feedback as well, maybe even more than those affirmed. For those who fear conflict, this may be an intimidating process. In most cases, however, it is a special time to specifically love a person and call them on to growth in Christ. The feedback is almost always appreciated. Only those who are very insecure may have difficulty with the evaluation, but this in itself may be healing for them if the approach to them is with loving concern. Usually, only one person should give the feedback. Any committee member can be used. It may, however, be most appropriate for the campus pastor to do the feedback for those not affirmed. This may demand the person with the most maturity. Not only can you give feedback, but you can also give suggestions and loving support to those who interviewed on how they can grow in Christ.

COMMISSION THOSE AFFIRMED BEFORE THE ENTIRE FELLOWSHIP

At either the last main meeting of the year, or at one of the first meetings of the new school year, take time to call each one who is to serve as a discipling small group leader before the whole campus fellowship. At this point pray and commission them to the task before them. Let the entire group participate in this process.

By this time the student has affirmed themselves by asking to interview. They have been affirmed by mature leaders in the group. They have been affirmed by the body through prayer. And, obviously, everyone along the way has been praying for the lord's direction. Thus, the student begins to serve knowing they have everyone's backing. For a new leader (as well as old leaders) this support and affirmation means a great deal. It is intended to give them a strong boost of confidence at the start.

In the campus ministry used in this illustration, several students have commented after graduation and leaving the university that the interviewing process was very valuable to them. Not only did it have direct bearing on their spiritual development, but it also prepared them for the world they moved into after college. Many found themselves interviewing for careers and they discovered they were well prepared for this new stage in their lives. Discipleship is a process that builds people up not only spiritually, but in many other ways as well.

Developing a Discipling Campus Ministry

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:24:47 -0600

It is time to move from the philosophical, theological foundations for the discipling process to the implementation of that process. With us, as with Jesus, the method must be in the building up of believers into disciple-makers. What is needed is a consistent direction and process. There is no magical recipe. Remember, discipleship is a process not a program. The prindples of discipleship must be applied and tailored to your unique situation. We repeat, there is no magic formula which can be devised to work in all situations.

However, just as a farmer prepares the soil to receive the seed, then fertilizes and waters, so we can prepare the soil of our campus groups to become a discipling ministry. Just as with all other ministry, campus ministry is the Lord's work. He causes the growth. He makes people mature. He has instructed us to be part of the process. So how can we help prepare the soil? Hopefully some of the following ideas may help you on the way.

TEACH ON DISCIPLESHIP

Be careful to instruct students concerning their role in the Great Commission. It is best in a new campus group to use your main meeting as a place to begin teaching on discipleship. One suggestion is to teach through the book of I Thessalonians. You will discover rnany important principles of discipleship expressed here. This would enable you to teach through a biblical book and the students would receive a picture of the discipling process in the context of this first century congregation.

The students cannot respond without a dear call. As you teach disciple-ship, pray that the Lord will build a solid vision of discipleship within them. At some point you need to challenge them to become disciples and disciple-makers. A valuable book to read at this point is Dedication and Leadership by Douglas Hyde. Hyde will challenge you to call for great commitments. Within this manual is a set of student notes for a discipleship class. Save this material from Hyde's book for a class environment. No doubt you will use some of the concepts in your main meeting teaching, but reserve your large group meeting as a place of worship, teaching and ministry time. You are hoping for a prophetic response from the students to disciple. The class situation is better suited for discussion and interaction.

DEVELOP A DISCIPLESHIP SMALL GROUP

As soon as possible, demonstrate the biblical precedent for large group meetings (for worship, teaching and ministry) and small group meetings (for discipleship, fellowship and accountability). Here is another principle in discipling: People tend to reproduce in ministry what they have experienced.

Students need to experience the discipling process beyond having it taught to them. They must have a context where they see and experience transparency and affirmation. Do not expect that they can be taught to do something without showing them how it works.

Therefore, start a discipleship small group and in this group model what they will need to reproduce later as they facilitate small groups. Lead the group with confidence and skill, but also lead in areas that are uncomfortable for you. Lead in skills that you feel less able to lead. Show a humility in leadership as well as competence. These future leaders will be trying their wings for the first time in many areas of ministry and they need to see that it is permissible to stumble around a bit before they grow to effectiveness.

Approach this small group with great care. For in this group you will be setting a pattern that will continue for quite some time. That pattern can be a positive pattern (exemplified by commitment, healing, spiritual growth, vision, etc.) ora negative pattern (demonstrated by haphazard preparation, unchallenging, lifeless, impersonal, etc.). This group can be intimidating for the campus pastor who is doing it for the first time. You may need to model several things you have never had a chance to lead before. Study well before you start. Talk to other campus pastors and ask them about their small group experiences. Have a clear plan. Pray hard. And then walk in faith, and see the hand of the Lord bless something very close to His heart-the discipling of students for the Kingdom of God.

FOSTER AN "EVERY MEMBER A MINISTER" GROUP STRUCTURE

As you are faithful to disciple, you will discover that discipleship fosters more ministry. As students are equipped to assess needs and develop a ministry plan, they will begin to see additional needs and opportunities for ministry. Then a disciple begins to think creatively and with vision. As they pray, they will sense direction from the Lord. They need to be assured that there will be room to find fulfillment for those callings from the Lord.

As you think through your ministry plan, make sure it passes a few tests. Is this campus ministry expandable and flexible? When someone takes on a new ministry responsibility, is that responsibility clearly defined and are the expectations expressed? (A sample job description for a small group leader is included in the appendices.) Are students being pulled into the decision making process for the direction of this campus ministry?

The call to discipleship requires that every member see themselves as a minister/priest within the body of Christ. Once convinced that they are called to disciple, they need to know that the fellowship group is responsive to genuine leading from the Spirit. You need to keep your structures of ministry simple, but not restrictive.

TRAIN EVERYONE IN DISCIPLESHIP

In the discipling method of Jesus, He clearly selected a few men that He would individually disciple. In order to be effective, He restricted Himself to a certain number for the time He had. However, the call to discipleship was always extended in His teaching and ministry. There is something important for us in this.

As a campus pastor leads the discipling process, he must accomplish two things at the same time. First, he must select faithful individuals to disciple.

This means he must limit himself to certain students in whom to invest time, prayer and training. After sufficient training has occurred and they are leading discipleship small groups, the campus pastor must continue in these relationships to oversee their ministry. He must provide the continuing support they will need.

On the other hand, the campus pastor must be calling the entire body to the discipleship process. Of course, not all will respond to be trained or will go on from a place of training to service, but nonetheless they must all be called to be trained.

A very effective means for training the entire campus group is through offering a class on discipleship. This class should be offered during the school week at a time convenient for most students. The campus pastor needs to personally recruit students to attend and be faithful to this class. It will serve to provide an overview of the goals of the campus ministry and describe in detail the discipling process. Experience has demonstrated that this class not only serves to train the faithful, but it begins to build vision in others for discipling as well.

Another important outgrowth of discipling the entire student group is that it makes the job of the small group leader easier. How so? If you only train a few select students, you find them to initially be filled with enthusiasm and vision. However, their expectations of what will occur in their discipling relationships and those who have not been trained will be very different. You will end up with many very frustrated small group leaders, and you may lose them due to this frustration. Rather than just train a few, train everyone. Even if only a minority actually become discipleship small group leaders during their college days they will, nevertheless, know what to expect in the discipling process. They will go into their small groups with clearly defined expectations concerning the commitments necessary, how the process will flow, and what the end result should look like. They most importantly will know how they are to function in the group. Mter being discipled you will find that many of these students will later ask to serve as discipling leaders, even though they were reluctant at first.

Experience has also shown this to be wise. Offer the class each school term. Do not allow new freshman to enroll in the class until they have spent at least a third to half year in the campus ministry and in a small group. The Discipleship class will make so much more sense to them if they have had a little history in the small group. They will learn much more if you hold them back a little.

But then you must promote the class vigorously. Do it face to face. Send them a personal letter. Use student testimonies of those who have taken the class previously. Be creative and be persistent.

SELECT DISCIPLESHIP LEADERS AND SUPERVISE THEIR PROGRESS

Essential to the discipling process is the recruitment, training and appointment of discipling student leaders. More specifics on this process will be covered in the next two chapters.

At this point let's look at a few issues. In the beginning stages of a new campus ministry, it is the campus pastor's goal to affirm students to leadership in the group. This increases their ownership in the fellowship and is very valuable for growth. But what kind of leader is needed? Some tend to select leaders who have a focus of ministry over the whole fellowship group. They are an extension of the campus pastor's role. An overall leader has responsibility to give direction to the whole campus ministry.

It is recommended here that the first student leaders selected in a new or small campus ministry be discipling leaders. A campus pastor can continue to provide the overall direction of a small campus group. Selecting discipling student leaders more quickly reproduces ministry, and more growth will probably come from discipling leaders than from overall student leaders.

The discipling student leader is the key leader, no matter how young or old, big or small a campus ministry. Other kinds of leadership roles will come and go in campus ministry, but the discipling leader is essential at all times. When their role is devalued or de-emphasised, the campus ministry will begin to suffer; if not immediately, within one or two school years.

The campus pastor must insure that these leaders are carefully selected, thoroughly trained, and then cared for on a continuing basis. As a campus ministry grows to over 40 in small groups, you may need to consider using students who have proven themselves effective in discipleship to serve as leaders for the small group leaders. Beyond the campus pastor, the discipling student leader may need other students to support them in their role of ministry. Some campus groups have called this student discipleship specialist a Resource Leader.

The development of a discipling campus ministry is anon-going process, especially in the university setting. With the high turnover in membership the need to select, train and supervise is on going. Failing to give prime attention to this process for even one school year can have serious repercussions down the road. There are a few major things working against you in this process. Several aspects in discipleship run completely contrary to the university culture. Lack of commitment, accountability and maturity are area that represent hindrances to developing discipling leaders. Because of these factors, and others, the discipling process can be frustrated.

On the other hand, it is the heart of the Great Commission. Jesus inaugurated it and then commanded it. He is still committed to seeing it accomplished. You know that you are moving in the Lord's favor when you give yourself to discipleship. Just be sure to faithfully disciple vigorously each school year. Also rest assured Jesus will equip you and change the hearts of reluctant students to see the Great Commission accomplished on your campus.

Disciple the Faithful

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:22:12 -0600

It was the middle of May and another school term was complete. He sat feeling exhausted from the year. His thoughts darted back and forth. "You would think after eight years of campus ministry; I would begin to see the fruit of my labor. All I feel now is fatigue, and frustration. What happened to me this year? I can't remember working harder, especially these past five months. I did more crisis level counseling recently than in probably the previous two to three years. But has anyone really gotten better? In fact, some seem in worse shape. And even my stable students seemed ambivalent at the end of school. Lord, what's going on? Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a campus pastor."

The Lord seemed to lead him to carefully examine his calendar over the last semester. Where had his time gone, and who had he spent it with? Then it began to make sense. He could honestly say that he was a very caring person and the campus ministry was characterized as a loving and safe environment for people with needs. And they came; people with severe needs. He took it upon himself to minster to them all. But they needed much more than what he could provide. Then the next realization. There were several stable and caring students in the campus group, but they were unable to minister to people with deeper needs. At least they felt intimidated by the problems of their brothers and sisters in Christ. He had failed to equip them, making false assumptions that they would be incapable of ministering.

He had repenting to do. Repentence for the arrogance that saw himself as the only one able to respond properly. But, most importantly, repentence for failing to enable students to grow as ministers one to another.

EQUIP THE SAINTS

In the fourth chapter of Ephesians, Paul mentions several leadership gifts in the body of Christ. Throughout chapter four Paul underscores the unity and diversity of the body. Paul's point is that when the unity of the Spirit is maintained and the diversity of the body is liberated, then all members grow into maturity in Christ. However, the way we interpret verse twelve is absolutely crucial to the way we as a body pursue maturity. Some see the role of the servant-leaders mentioned in verse eleven as filling all the responsibilities mentioned in the next two verses. Those being, equipping the saints, doing the works of service, building up the body of Christ, promoting unity, teaching the knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God. They believe that if they do this, then all the members will become mature.

If you view the role of these servant-leaders as having the primary task of equipping the saints, then ministry should become available to all members of the body. This view sees every member a minister. The privilege of ministry is open to all, not just to specially trained pastors and vocational staff. Peter says of all members of the community, "but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into this wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). The priesthood of all believers is taught here. Priests need to be equipped to fulfill their roles. It is the privilege of campus pastors to prepare students for ministry.

TWO TIMOTHY TWO TWO

Beyond the Great Cornmission, the cardinal passage for discipleship is Paul's words to his disciple and son in the Lord, Timothy. "And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2, NASB). There are at least four different generations of disciples mentioned in this verse.

Paul
Timothy
Faithful people
Others

This verse illustrates the transgenerational nature of the discipling process. First Paul asks Timothy to recall everything he taught and did which could be verified by witnesses. There is nothing clandestine or esoteric about Paul's ministry. He taught publicly in synagogues, marketplaces, church gatherings and in homes. He prayed for the sick and saw many healed. He cast out evil spirits. He traveled with companions in ministry. Timothy had been one of those companions. So close had their discipling relationship grown that they even saw each other as father and son. Now Paul tells his disciple to select more faithful disciples from the congregation. He is to select carefully. And in this verse Paul gives a guideline for evaluation of effective ministry. When Timothy was able to see disciples being equipped from the faithful ones he had equipped, then he could presume success.

It is often said that, "We cannot have spiritual grandchildren." What is meant is that the salvation experience of a parent cannot pass on to the child automatically. The child must accept Christ on their own. Of course this is the case. However, when it comes to discipleship, it is the goal to produce spiritual grandchildren. We are to disciple in such a way that our disciples will in turn disciple others also. This goal must be kept foremost in our thinking and equipping. We must equip our disciples in such a way that they will be able to disciple someone else later. You have done a good job of discipling when you see your disciple discipling another.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A FAITHFUL PERSON

Now Paul did not tell Timothy to select any individual to disciple, but to select "faithful" men. Faithful is a key word here. There are at least two characteristics of faithfulness. One is someone who is "full of faith". Someone who is full of faith is a believer who is convinced that God truly makes a difference in our world. Someone who believes that prayer in faith can change things. They are full of faith, not in faith itself, but full of faith in Jesus.

A second aspect of faithfulness refers to reliability. A reliable person is someone you can count on. They exhibit consistency in their walk. This is simple evidence of their full-of-faith thinking.

Now, who can be a "faithful man"? Often, we first consider those who have accepted Christ quite some time ago. That is the case in most situations. But some of the most faith-full ones are those who have just come to Christ. A new believer often is recently convinced that God truly does make a difference in a person's life. They may or may not have natural leadership abilities, depth of character, or ministry skills, at least probably not yet. Where they are in their walk with Christ is not the primary issue, but are they faithful? In fact, the whole purpose of the discipling process is to bring them along in their walk with God. Thus, when choosing a disciple, the first question should be, "Are they faithful?".

DISCIPLE THE FAITHFUL, PASTOR THE UNFAITHFUL

The principle expressed in the above subtitle came out of the experience mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. That campus pastor discovered that he had spent the vast majority of his time, energy, prayer and counsel upon unfaithful students. At the end of the school year the fruit of unfaithfulness was, sadly, more unfaithfulness. While at the same time there were several very faithful students in the campus group who were neglected. Not only is this principle, "Disciple the Faithful, Pastor the Unfaithful," a valuable insight, it is also a statement of prioritizing for the campus pastor. Choose discipling over pastoring. You must never eliminate pastoring, for there will always be those who will need your ability to care for them. But spend the majority of your time, energy, prayer and equipping on those who are faithful. In doing so you set the Great Conunission as a priority in your life.

Some have difficulty with this principle for it seems uncaring to them. However, in fact, it is the most caring thing you can do. To equip the body to minister enables more people to care with effectiveness. Eventually more will find a safe place to heal. At first, you may have to say "no" to some immediate needs facing you. You may disappoint some. But stay true to this principle, not just for a month or two. Make a long term cominitment to disciple. In the case of the campus pastor used in this illustration, several of the unfaithful members no longer came to the campus group (for a variety of reasons and not directly due to a lack of pastoral attention). A new course was set to work with faithful people primarily. In time, new zeal began to emerge in the campus group. Vision bloomed. Involvement increased. And the next five years of campus ministry were encouraging. Steady growth occurred each year. Those who graduated began establishing ministry wherever they moved. They were looked to to provide leadership in the local churches they joined. Many students experienced short4erm missions outreaches. Some were called into vocational ministry, induding campus ministry.

Plato is quoted as having said, "A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in a little thing becomes a great thing." Selecting a few faithful men and women to disciple may at first seem like a little thing, but God builds it into a great thing.
"O lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago."
Isaiah 25:1

Discipleship and the Jesus Model

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:20:08 -0600

The process of discipling was not new to the Jewish world of Jesus. Jewish rabbis had been followed by disciples for quite some time before Jesus' arrival. But the manner by which Jesus discipled was radically different. The rabbis bound their disciples to the Torah, the Jewish Bible, and to the instruction of previous rabbis. Jesus bound his disciples to Himself. Jesus required His disciples to surrender without reservation to Him and to the Kingdom of God that he was inaugurating. The relationship between Jesus and the Twelve had no parallel in the Hebrew religion. The Twelve were not official brass following their governor. Being a disciple of Jesus meant nothing less than complete personal commitment to Jesus. And being committed to Jesus included being committed to His message of the Kingdom of God and His method of bringing in the Kingdom.

THE MASTER'S MESSAGE

Mark in his gospel summarizes in one short verse the entire message of Jesus. Mark records that after John the Baptist was imprisoned and prior to Jesus calling His first disciples, that Jesus was preaching, "The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15.

Jesus came declaring that God's Kingdom was now present and active among His people. This Kingdom was not geographical, but refers to God's rule and reign in the earth. And Jesus had come from God to establish God's reign. There were three primary evidences in Jesus' ministry which exposed God's rule. First, the good news that in following Jesus the relationship with God could now be one of child to Father. Second, the evil spirits which held people in bondage were cast out. And lastly, the sick were healed. These evidences demonstrated the integrity of Jesus' message. Jesus further stated that the Kingdom of God is expressed in two great moments: the fulfillment within history in the person of Jesus, and the consummation at the end of history which Jesus ushers in at His second return.

This is how the parables are to be understood. In the parable of the four soils, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom is working quietly, even secretly among men. It is not forced upon anyone, however it must be received willingly. But wherever it is received, it brings forth much fruit. For now, the emphasis is not on the harvest but upon the central act of sowing.

From the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus instructs His disciples that the reign of God will one day be like a great tree and rule the whole world, but until then it appears small and insignificant but it grows quietly. The parables of the treasure and pearl remind us that the Kingdom of God is of inestimable value tobe sought beyond all other possessions. Ifitcostsa man everything he has, that is too small a price to pay in return for gaining the Kingdom.

Thus, Jesus taught us that discipleship is not merely following a messiah, but to be a disciple one must participate fully in the life of the Kingdom of God. Discipleship is not just learning. It goes beyond that to experience and involvement. It is personal, it is real, it is now, it is ours to receive. A disciple does not merely recite the teachings of Jesus and thus become mature. A disciple lives out the truth of Jesus' teaching and thus becomes effective with an imperishable agenda to accomplish.

So much more could be said of Jesus' message. And it regularly is being said Sunday after Sunday in the local church. Rightly so, believers have focussed on the words of Jesus, for truly they are "words of life". But does the strength of the church highlight at the same time its weakness? We so want t&believe as Jesus taught, and we must. But do we with equal zeal desire to live as Jesus lived? Do we desire to do the works of the Kingdom as well? Is there as much to learn by following Jesus' method for world conquest?

The answer to this last question is central to understanding the discipling process. Jesus lived with purpose. The way Jesus lived is just as instructive as His words. Jesus expected his hand picked disciples to do as He did.

THE MASTER'S METHOD

Since it was first published in 1963, Robert E. Coleman's short book, The Master Plan of Evangelism has become a classic in its own time. Be careful when you read it! It is easy to understand, but its message is demanding. It demands a life altering response. He describes Jesus' ultimate purpose as world evangelism and His method for accomplishing such was through discipleship. Please hear Coleman state the objective of the Messiah in this somewhat lengthy quotation:

The days of His flesh were but the unfolding in time of the plan of God from the beginning. It was always before His mind. He intended to save out of the world a people for Himself and to build a church of the Spirit which would never perish. He had His sights on the day His Kingdom would come in glory and in power. This world was His by creation, but He did not seek to make it His permanent abiding place. His mansions were in the sky. He was going to prepare a place for His people that had foundations eternal in the heavens. No one was excluded from His gracious purpose. His love was universal. Make no mistake about it. He was "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42). God wanted all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. To that end Jesus gave Himself to provide a salvation from all sin for all men. In that He died for one, He died for all. Contrary to our superficial thinking, there never was a distinction in His mind between home and foreign missions. To Jesus it was all world evangelism. His life was ordered by His objective. Everything He did and said was a part of the whole pattern. It had significance because it contributed to the ultimate purpose of His life in redeeming the world for God. This was the motivating vision governing His behavior. His steps were ordered by it. Mark it well. Not for one moment did Jesus lose sight of His goal. That is why it is so important to observe the way Jesus maneuvered to achieve His objective. The Master disclosed God's strategy of world conquest. He had confidence in the future precisely because He lived according to that plan in the present. There was nothing haphazard about His life - no wasted energy, not an idle word. He was on business for God (Luke 2:49). He lived, He died, and He rose again according to schedule. Like a general plotting His course of battle, the Son of God calculated to win. He could not afford to take a chance. Weighing every alternative and variable factor in human experience, He conceived a plan that would not fail. (The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert E. Coleman, Revell:Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1963. Pages 17-18.)

It was the purpose of Jesus to reach the world with the good news that God loves, forgives and reigns. Jesus cares about each individual. He provided a salvation for "whosoever will". But His method was not in mass evangelism. Men were His method. The world is not changed by bigger and better ideologies or through highly efficient programs. Jesus set out to change the world by changing men and that in small handfuls of them at a time.

You must understand that this is far more than introducing a person to God the Father, having them confess their sins, and requiring them to attend church. Jesus' method of discipleship presupposes that His followers live in communities of committed relationship with one another. Pivotal to Jesus' discipling is the establishment of community. We have come to commonly call it the church-the gathering. Jesus committed Himself to building the first Christian community. He carefully selected the first members. Community is not something that is created when people gather together, however. Community is a way of life which transcends mere association.

People gather together all the time. They join lodges, neighborhood associations, charitable organizations, unions and so on. But the community of God is very different. It is more than Christians associating together -much more. The discipling method of Jesus demonstrates how Christians are to live with one another. Rather than joining a Christian organization which has programs designed for the public welfare, the challenge for today's church is to live with one another in dynamic relationship sharing the Lord and initiating Jesus. Community is costly, often today's church life is not.

Before Jesus ever perforirrd His first miracle, Jesus picked men. And then He stayed with them. In fact, as the time of the cross loomed closer and closer, Jesus increased His time with the Twelve. The way to reach the multitudes was not by exclusive ministry to the multitudes, but in building men who could reach the multitudes. These men Jesus chose learned to reach the multitudes after Jesus example-a handful at a time. They were select men. They were to disciple men just as they had been discipled by Jesus. And they were only successful when their disciples were discipling others.

Being a disciple of Jesus meant carrying your own cross. It meant total commitment to Jesus and His mission. Being Jesus' disciple meant giving yourself away unselfishly, loving as Jesus had loved them. Jesus showed them how to understand the Word of God. He taught them how to pray. He gave them assignments in ministry and then reviewed their ministry upon completion. He held them accountable for what they were learning and the responsibilities He had given them. Jesus worked with them until they began to produce fruit in keeping with their ministry. And then even after they had been discipled, He promised that He would never leave them as they carried out the Father's will.

Community is the foundation for growing in the love and life of God. This foundation is the essential core of Chi Alpha's philosophy of ministry on the secular campus. Our philosophy statement says it well: Our primary strategy is to work toward the building of a group or community of people who share the ideals of becoming a community of worship, a community of fellowship, a community of discipleship, a community of witness, and a community of prayer. We believe the most fertile atmosphere for people to come to faith and maturity in Christ is warm exposure to a group of people fervently committed to the God of the Bible, to one another, and to the task of evangelizing the campus. As a worshipping, loving, discipling, witnessing, praying community, they demonstrate the Kingdom of God and most effectively enculturate others in it.

For effective use of this manual and the class notes that follow, it is necessary that you carefully read Coleman's book. It is used as the background material for lessons 14 in the class notes, as well as being the required reading for the class. It carefully explains in 125 pages what can only be highlighted in a few paragraphs here. It illustrates Christian lifestyle and deprograms our church life. Take great care in understanding the various components in Jesus' discipling method described there. Let it speak to your heart and then to your life. It may call for some changes in your philosophy of ministry. Test it against the Word of God, and then determine to live under the authority of the Word.

DISCIPLESHIP AND THE GREAT COMMISSION

Listen closely to Jesus' final instructions as recorded by Matthew. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely lam with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).

When this is read in English, the primary impact Jesus intended is often missed. But the intent is quite clear in the original language of the New Testament. Greek is a language of action. In the primary sentence that begins with "Therefore so....", you will find one main verb and several other verb forms. The main verb is amplified by the other verb forms, but the main verb dearly identifies the action to be taken. The main verb is, "make disciples". "Disciples" is actually a part of the verb itself.

In Matthew's account he places these words of Jesus as the final conclusion. They are the final instructions from the Lord to His disciples. Like a final will and testament, they are intended by their placement to carry great significance. After all that Jesus had taught them and done among them for over three years, these were His parting words, His Great Commission.

Often it has been said that the focus of Jesus' final words were to "go"-that fulfilling the will of God is primarily involved in going. Others have focussed on "teaching", while still others on "obedience to everything Jesus commanded". The main verb of the sentence, however, is "make disciples". All the other verb forrns augment or amplify the process of making disciples. To enlarge upon the Commission sounds like this: In your going make disciples-make disciples by baptizing and by sound teaching which leads to obedience to Jesus' commands. The passage seems to indicate that the going, the baptizing, and the teaching should all leads to the goal of discipleship.

We often think of the will of God as having to do with where we are. We assume that some place is more suited for us to serve God over all other places. But the impact of the Great Commission seems to emphasize that God's will is more concerned with what we do than where we live. You cannot serve Christ everywhere at once, but wherever you are you can make disciples. True, God does call us at times to specific places, but that is only the beginning of fulfilling His will. Jesus would ask, "Are you making disciples where I placed you?"

Discipleship then is central to Jesus' great purpose for His church. The doing of our lives must revolve around the discipling process-being discipled and discipling others. It is to be our investment fora lifetime. How are we to invest the talents that the Master entrusts into our care until He returns? We know that we are surely not to hide them, but the investment that brings the greatest returns in the Kingdom of God is to use these talents to disciple. This is truly treasure that can be laid up in heaven. Discipleship is a ministry given to us by Jesus that has eternal impact.

Discipleship Is A Lifestyle

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:18:04 -0600

Discipleship, like evangelism, is a biblical mandate. Neither is optional in the believer's life. While many Christians are tempted at times to put on special outreaches and to "do evangelism" inan effort to ease their consciences as it pertains to spreading the good news, most know that being a witness is an around-the-clock job in which they are never off duty.

The same could be said of discipleship. For the Christian, discipling should be a way of life-an every moment adventure Discipleship cannot be approached as a new area of personal growth that one emphasizes for a season. It is not an elective or an add-on to a ministry program. Being a disciple and discipling others is at the very heart of the New Testament definition of effective Christian life. We have already seen that discipleship is at the core of Jesus' Great Commission to His church. Rather than an item on the periphery, discipleship is a central issue; a point from which Christian beliefs and lifestyle originate and develop.

DISCIPLESHIP IS COSTLY

In Mark 1:17, Jesus engages Peter while he is working and says to him, "Come, follow me.,, For Peter, following meant leaving behind family, vocation and home. Jesus told Peter at the outset that He would train him in a new kind of fishing, but to learn he would have to leave all behind. A few years later Jesus comes again to Peter while he is fishing and the last recorded words of Jesus to Peter are the same as the first, "You must follow me" (John 21:22). Discipleship for Jesus' disciples was, and is, very costly.

The cost of discipleship is the call to follow. To follow Jesus is never an achievement or a reward for some merit in the disciple. Rather, it is a first act of obedience to the divine command uttered to all Christians. Peter learned that the very fact that he was called was a supreme act of grace on God's part. Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that, "Such grace is costly be-cause it calls us to follow, and it isgracebecauseitcallsus to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it cost a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son.. and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us." (The Cost of Discpleship, pp. 47A8, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Macmillan: Revised edition, 1959.) Being a disciple ofJesus isan act of willfully carrying out His wishes, not only a confession of allegiance.

Though costly, responding to the call of discipleship should also be characterized by great joy. Jesus taught, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45,46). Once we recognize the magnitude of Jesus' offer, we eagerly lay aside all to follow Him. The Apostle Paul learned this, for he testifies, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things" (Phil ippians 3:7,8).

If being a disciple is costly, so also is being a discipler. The discipling process demands much self-sacrifice, for Jesus demands that all our personal resources be made available. A discipler is often open to criticism. Discipling others can wear you out. For this reason it is essential that the discipler have a broad biblical foundation for discipleship. When fatigue overwhelms, the discipler who doesn't fully understand his call can wilt under the pressure.

Perhaps the most disturbing words from Jesus concerning costly disciple-ship are recorded in Mark 8:34, '¦ anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." This cross consists not simply of burdens we must carry. The cross of Jesus certainly didn't. The cross for Jesus was anappalling instrument of death. A disciple is summoned by Jesus to follow and die. Discipleship entails dying. Jesus urges His disciples to accept the first death rather than the second death from which there is no salvation (Revelation 20:14). Though these words are disturbing, they lead to true life. It is in dying that we find life. "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:35). Thus, discipling causes us to die to ourselves and at the same time transforms us for eternity.

Discipleship is costly. To refuse to pay the price, however, is spiritual suicide. The lifestyle of a discipler necessitates the expenditure of all we have for the sake of reproducing additional disciples. While it may cost all, it is also worth it all.

DISCIPLESHIP REQUIRES RIGHTEOUSNESS

One day an exceedingly rich young man approached Jesus and questioned Him, "Good teacher... what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus caught him off guard with His answer, "Why do you call me good?... No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:17,18). In addressing the issue of eternal life, Jesus first dealt with goodness. Apparently this young man thought he was already good. "Was he good enough?" was his concern. Jesus knew that we often have a warped sense of what is good and bad like this young man.. Our goodness is often self serving. It fits our situation too neatly at times. Jesus maintained that only God was good and only He could tell us the true meaning of being good.

A righteous person is a good person both in identity and behavior. And even the righteousness we experience is a gift from God. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). We have a new identity, unmerited and free. Is it not incumbent on us to live by God's Spirit so that our outward life might conform with our new nature? With the Lord's help we must strive to match our lifestyle with our words and intentions. When this occurs we are called people of integrity.

Being a discipler requires that we continually reduce any integrity gap. An integrity gap is the difference between our inward and outward lives. We are called upon to model the life of the Spirit before those we disciple. Teaching someone about Jesus is one thing, modeling before them a Christ-like life is something else altogether. If our discipleship is only teaching, then the integrity gap can grow to outrageous proportions. Discipleship is teaching and much more. A disciple must live what is taught, and live in such a way that others are trained in living righteously. Jesus offers and demands uprightness from Christians. So does discipleship.

Is this call to living righteously the thing that scares rnany away from becoming disciplers? Or is it that we fear the infringement upon personal freedom that discipleship brings? Remember, the one who is truly free is free to exercise his freedom and free to not exercise freedom. The one who must do what he is free to do is not free. When addressing the topic of a believer's freedom, Paul sets one goal for us all, "whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (Icorinthians 1O:31). The first motivation for a discipler is to live to reflect the glory of God. The second motivation Paul says two verses later, "For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." Paving the road for unbelievers to walk to the Lord motivates Paul. Do we find these as our motivations--living for the glory of God and seeing people saved? They speak to the core of our personal freedom issues. If we choose personal freedom over being a faithful discipler we will run in the face of the Great Commission. Paul caps off this topic in the next verse, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians I 1:1). Here is a righteous discipler; he lives for the glory of God first and foremost. He gives his life for the sake of extending the Kingdom of God, and he calls others to follow his example as he yearns toward living in a Christ-like manner.

The rich young man had the option right before him. Jesus offered him true goodness, treasure in heaven and the privilege to follow Him. Sadly, the deceitfulness of riches and personal individualism entrapped him, and Mark says, "At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth" (Mark 10:22). He choose temporary riches over eternal treasure, a superficial goodness for true goodness. He chose himself over God and service to His people. Thus, he walked away sad. What will we choose?

DISCIPLESHIP IS EXPERIENCED IN RELATIONSHIPS

Asserting that discipleship isa relational process seems self-apparent. For discipling requires at least two believers, (and it is much better with more than two.) The concern here is not that more than one person is required, but rather the quality of those relationships is at issue. What makes discipling relationships unique?

By the very nature of the discipling process, relationships must move to a significant level of depth and maturity for all involved. A wide array of personal concerns must be dealt with in bringing a new believer to maturity in Christ. Morality, lifestyle, consequences of past and present sins, persecution, holiness, life in the Spirit, and new skills are concerns that each Christian must continually face. Whether the believer is a babe, an adoles-cent, middle-aged or mature in the Kingdom, we all face these issues. Discipling and being discipled demand that these agendas of our lives be addressed together in the light of God's Word and His Spirit.

For a discipling relationship to be effective it must move beyond superficiality, beyond hierarchical structures, beyond talking about ideas and to the deepest levels of appropriate communication. Often the deepest level of communication deals with our emotional response to given situations. Many times the understanding we need involves empathy. You cannot empathize from a distance relationally. It demands relational bonding.

In other words, discipleship is a work of friends. If sensitive issues in a person's life are to come under the Lordship of Christ, then there must be someone they can trust who will walk with them.

This aspect of discipleship is highlighted in many forms and contexts throughout this manual. When the discipling process becomes relationally stale, the end will soon follow. It has already been addressed relating to the development of Godly character, and ministering to real needs. Here relational discipleship and it's correlation to righteous living is highlighted. Relationships that are built pn mutual accountability will be contrasted. You will find the theme running continually through the Student Notes. All of this is quite intentional. The more you understand about communication, relational development, character formation, conflict resolution, ministry equipping and bearing one anothers burdens, the more effective you will be as a discipler. Relational dynamics are crucial components in which you will need to investment heavily if you are to see fruitfulness in ministry.

DISCIPLESHIP IS A PROCESS

To be a disciple of Jesus means that we give ourselves over to His Lordship. "Disciple of Jesus" affirms two things. First, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:5, we all have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Not a variety of gods but one God over all. It is here that believers find their unity. They serve the same Lord. We have all responded to the same act in history, We all listen to the same Spirit.

Secondly, being a "disciple of Jesus" affirms that each of us is a unique disciple. In this same Ephesians chapter, Paul contrasts our unity with our diversity which is highlighted by a variety of differing giftings which come from the same Spirit.

We experience the unity of the Spirit by serving the same Lord, but as we view each other we discover differing gifts and positions in the Father's family. So weare at one time both unified and diversified. It isin this context that Paul talks about us growing up into maturity into Christ. Throughout this manual, discipleship will be referred to as a process. What Paul was describing in Ephesians is a process. God intends for spiritual growth to occur in a community where the members are diverse and their growth in Him will be unique. A process is different from a program. They even conjure up different mental pictures.

A process could make you think of a parade or procession. As you watch a parade you would see clowns, marching bands, floats, horses and so on. A parade has a great deal of variety and diversity in it. A program brings to mind a person sefting at a desk working through a programmed text which is looking for specific answers. A process is dynamic, a program seerns more static. A process demands flexibility, a program demands uniformity.

Attempts have often been less than effective because we have tried a program of discipleship techniques. We have primarily focused on teaching the message. We assume that knowing the correct doctrine makes a person a mature disciple. We all know by experience that is not true. We could all take a college course on heart surgery, but I'm sure none of us would submit ourselves to the knife of someone who had never performed a successful operation (even if he received straight A's through all this course work). The classroom is essential to the discipling process, but it certainly doesn't encompass it. There must be supervised laboratory time.

This manual does not describe a discipleship program, but rather a discipleship process. It does not teach a set plan to take an individual disciple through. Rather it tries to show how to become an effective discipler. It does not discard the concept of discipleship programs. On the contrary, these programs are very useful and the manual teaches how to utilize them to their maximum benefit. But the program must be fitted to the needs of the person being discipled. And when they no longer "fit" the disciple, a person who understands the discipling process can, with confidence, make the necessary adjustments to continue the process. As you think in terms of the principles that govern the discipling process, you will grow in effectiveness in discipling,

Discipleship must be viewed as an all-encompassing way of life. Being a disciple is first something we are before it is something we do.

Discipleship Essentials

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:15:35 -0600

WHY DISCIPLE STUDENTS?

Today's college student is in great peril. There are forces at work on
the campus that have an attractive exterior, but are actually harbingers
of destruction. These forces are not unique to the campus environment,
but they are defined and promoted on the campus. They have become the
idols of our American society, and today's student is being trained to
serve as their prophets. The idols of materialism, individualism, relativism
and secularism are worshipped without shame. The God of the Bible has
little relevance to these students who have made idols of their own choosing,
idols that fit into their own world view. It is apparent that the calling
of a campus pastor is to present to these self-indulgent students, Jesus
who is altogether beautiful both inside and out.

Therefore, proclamation of the gospel of Jesus is essential. This student
generation needs Jesus as Lord of their lives. We shudder within when
we consider a world led by people nurtured upon the world view of today's
student. If we fail to respond to the desperate need of today's university
students, the church shall reap a whirlwind of apocalyptic trouble, and
these students will remain enslaved in their sin.

The action needed is not only an unapologetic and convincing proclamation,
but an adamant adherence to the primary injunction of the Great Commission.
We must "disciple the nations." Not only do students need new life, they
must be shown how to live that new life.

Jesus referred to this process as bearing fruit. It is wonderful to see
a new branch grafted into the Vine. How much more so to go beyond that
and see those grafted into Jesus bearing the fruit of their new life.
"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves
to be my disciples" (John 15:8). If the new life from the gospel is to
remain visible and active, then deliberate and purposeful discipleship
must occur on the campus. Most of today's students are far afield from
a Christian world view. With our help they must come to understand it,
accept it, grow in it and know how to reproduce it in others.

Many campus pastors share the common experience of never having been
deliberately or purposefully discipled themselves. It is one thing to
call strongly for discipleship. That is something to which we can all
say a hardy "Amen!". The problem comes when we assume that discipleship
occurs just because we talk about it often. It is another thing to know
what discipleship entails and how to accomplish the task. If we have never
been personally discipled ourselves, we will be unsure as to how to disciple
another. Therein lies the purpose of this manual. Let us first examine
six essentials of discipleship.

GODLY CHARACTER REFLECTED THROUGH RELATIONAL GROWTH

Our world is facing a leadership crisis. We see the crisis in the political
arena, in the sports world, the military and, tragically, among church
leadership. The crisis has not occurred because we lack people with the
necessary leadership skills. The crisis exists due to the lack of depth
of character with our leaders.

The good news of the gospel involves the transformation of believers
into new creatures in Christ Jesus. This inner transformation is a central
issue in the discipleship process. A true disciple of Jesus is characterized
by the fruit of the Spirit, by a desire for holy living and integrity.
A disciple is one who is enabled to walk the talk.

Yet, growing up into the image of Christ cannot happen in a vacuum. Being
righteous before God is a relational issue. You cannot sin unless you
transgress some relationship, be it either before God or another person.
Stated more positively, living a righteous life will manifest itself in
our relationships. It is impossible to disciple aside from the community
of God's people. One-on-none discipleship does not exist. GrowinginJesusdemands
our full participation in the life of the body of Christ.

What should abundant life look like between members of the church? They
must be honest and forgiving, also respectful and peaceable. They must
speak the truth (even sometimes when the truth may not be popular) in
love (even when love may not be felt).

Disciples are affirming people. They look to see all the potential and
possibilities that Jesus sees in another person and sincerely affirm their
brother and sister. Disciples are vulnerable people-they don't hide their
true selves. Disciples risk and trust because Jesus did. Disciples are
known quantities.

Therefore, one of the essentials of the discipleship process is that
it occur in a relational context. Just as Jesus chose twelve men "that
they might be with hin", so discipleship must occur in fellowship where
believers can be known and be able to know others well. The wisdom of
Solomon stated this principle well, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man
sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). By a dear focus on discipleship, a
local community is transformed corporately as well as individually.

A PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY THAT IGNITES A GLOBAL VISION

Jesus tells his disciples that they will become his witnesses not only
in Jerusalem, but eventually to the ends of the earth. To Jesus, discipleship
did not hinder the evangelization of the world, but discipleship was in
fact the means to evangelize the world. Jesus came to reach the world
with good news and saving, healing power. He did so by discipling twelve
men in the message and method of the Kingdom of God. The point here is
simple, but is often missed. Jesus intended to reach the world, and he
accomplished his goal through discipleship. For us, any goal less than
world outreach is too small a goal. Discipleship is Jesus' method to reach
that goal. If we are faithful to disciple in our Jerusalem, the message
and power of God's salvation will go around the world.

Where more unquestionably could this occur than on the universities of
our world. One man who saw this dearly and exhibited a world vision was
Charles Habib Malik, past president of the General Assembly of the United
Nations. Listen to his words, "The university is a clear-cut fulcrum with
which to move the world. The problem here is for the church to realize
that no greater service can it render both itself and the cause of the
gospel, with which it is entrusted, than to try to recapture the universities
for Christ.. More potently than by any other means, change the university
and you change the world."

The Chi Alpha Philosophy of Ministry is a world reaching philosophy.
It places its primary focus upon the community of Christ becoming all
it can be in Christ. The community on campus is to express itself in Worship
to God, Fellowship with one another, Witness to the lost, and Discipleship
at every level of relationship in the community. For di scipleship to
become truly effective, the community must comprehend its incredible potential.
A lifetime of faithfully discipling a few at a time wilL have a global
impact.

A CARING HEART THAT MINISTERS TO HUMAN NEED

Poverty, ignorance, alienation, disease, aggression, greed.. .The list
could go on and on. Jesus is the answer! Each one of these abberations
break his heart. What do they do to our heart? It is true that the problems
of the world seem overwhelming. The desire to insulate ourselves from
the problems and the problem people is a very human tendency. But to position
ourselves in isolation, unmoved and untouched by the needs around us,
strips Christ from Christianity.

What motivates a discipler? Compassion, the kind only Jesus has and only
he can give. A discipler who lacks a pastoral heart that can be touched
by human longings can be dangerous. To be entrusted with the words of
life and then treat them as some kind of new law to enforce upon others
does grievous harm to the cause of Christ.

Scripture tells us that "love covers a multitude of sins". Experience
tells us that love covers a multitude of ineptness as well. A discipler
who truly cares and shows it will be responded to in like manner. Love
that is patient, kind, trusts and hopes is God's love. As Paul says, "Love
never fails." We should have as a motivation the pursuit of excellence
in ministry. But excellence in ministry skills without real expression
of love is very confusing and can be damaging.

THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS THAT STEM FROM A HEALTHY HERMENEUTIC

Discipleship must stay on track. Cur sideboards are Christ the living
word and the Bible the written word. We must learn how to hear both properly.
We cannot focus on one over the other, for the illumination of the Spirit
assists us in understanding the Scripture, and the Scripture guides us
in interpreting the Spirit's communication to us.

One of the most essential skills we must learn and then teach as disciplers
is how to study the Scriptures inductively. God's Word is our authority
for all our faith, belief and practice. We must learn how to feed ourselves
and then show others how to feed themselves upon God's Word. We must disciple
in such a way that people maintain their dependence upon Christ alone.
It is improper to create a dependence upon the discipler to the degree
that the "disciplee" gives away the responsibility over the decisions
which affect his life. A discipler must equip fellow believers to "stand
firm.. .with the belt of truth buckled around your waist."

The discipler must, as well, pray that he will grow in spiritual discernment
and in the ability to judge prophecy. The risen Lord stilgl desires to
speak to us today. The Spirit stiglls wants to address the specific situations
in our glife, and we must have a firm grasp of Scripture and spiritual
discernment to stay on track. Thus, attention must be given to learning
proper Biblical interpretation skills and our ear must be tuned to hear
the voice of the Lord. These must be pursued together without elevating
one over the other.

COMMITMENT THAT IS MAINTAINED THROUGH GODLY ZEAL

An indispensable ingredient to discipleship is commitment. Someone has
compared the lack of commitment to that of a slipping clutch on a car.
The driver has years of experience,-the car iswell tuned and powerful,
the road is smooth; but the clutch will not engage.

It can be the same in discipling relationships. The discipler can be
well trained and all parties can have good, warm Christian hearts; but
without commitment, the discipling process will fail. Commitment must
be taught, expected and modeled.

One note of caution here. Commitment for the sake of commitment alone
can become quite tedious. This occurs when we focus on the program to
the exclusion of the people. Jesus called his disciples to incredible
commitment. However, it was not to a great cause alone. He called them
into relationship with the Father and with himself, and called them to
do the works of the Father. A person doing the works of the Father is
one filled with God's zeal. That person burns to fulfill God's will. Godly
people become committed people who will last.

It was the zeal for the Lord that motivated Jehu to destroy the idolatrous
dynasty of Ahab. May we be able to say as Jehu, "Come with me and see
my zeal for the Lord" (2 Kings 10:16). Commitment without zeal can be
drudgery, and zeal without commitment can be erratic. But commitment that
is fed by a zeal for God is powerful in the discipling process.

MINISTRY SKILLS THAT DISCIPLE TRANSGENERATIONALLY

Thus far in talking about the essentials of discipleship we have mentioned
character, vision, heart and zeal. All of these reflect the inner quality
of the Christian discipler. Too often these are overlooked while focusing
on the abilities and skills a disciple may display. The leader in the
workplace is often made the leader in the church. It's often a good choice
but sometimes a terrible mistake. Jesus tells us not to watch what goes
into a person but what comes out from within that person. The issue of
the essential character of the discipler is primary. That is why it has
received so much focus.

But that is not to say that ministry skills are unimportant. On the contrary,
ineptness is no virtue nor any type of blessing. Love may be able to cover
it, but it can't hide it. A discipler must make a commitment to grow in
effectiveness in the Lord's work.

Some of the skills we will look at later in the manual include Bible
study, prayer, needs assessment, goal setting, time management, and spiritual
disciplines. The goal of a discipler is to teach these and other ministry
skills in a transgenerational manner.

Have you ever had someone tell you, "I know how to do that, but I don't
think I could tell you how to do it."? This is true for so many people.
They can be great achievers, but they don't have the slightest idea how
to tell others how they do it. We must invest as much in thinking through
how we do ministry as we do in actually ministering.

Transgenerational ministry skills come with instructions attached. Not
only should I tell you how much you need to study the Bible, but I must
have a method to help you get started. And beyond that, the method I teach
you needs to be one that you can easily teach another. If I can help you
in understanding Scripture and at the same time do so in a manner that
equips you to teach another, I have just discipled someone a generation
removed from me - thus a transgenerational ministry skill. We must teach
not only what needs to be known but how to know it. It is the goal of
this manual to assist you in development of transgenerational discipleship.

As stated earlier we all say a loud "Amen" to the need to disciple. The
six goals just listed present the scope of this manual. It intends to
highlight the major issues in campus discipleship. Our hope is that it
will assist you in more capably fulfilling the Great Commission to "disciple
the nations" in your specific setting.

Discipleship Framework

xaglen — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 17:14:02 -0600

foundations and practics for discipleship