Discipleship Through Community

Every follower of Jesus is called to be a disciple maker. In this excerpt from his book, The Community of God, Pastor Doug Bursch shows us that the New Testament says discipleship happens in and through community.

 

God cares equally about the individual and the group. He does not give preference to the development of one over the other. With the formation of Eve, God created humans to exist as communal beings, dependent upon each other and their Creator to be one. Before sin entered the world, God declared that “it is not good” for Adam to be alone. What was true for Adam, remains true for every human being. For the children of God to understand fully the goodness of God, we must dwell in meaningful ways with each other. Consequently, community plays a crucial role in any healthy discipleship process.

 

Jesus discipled through community

Community was central in New Testament discipleship. Jesus ministered through a group of disciples. The New Testament church continued Jesus’ ministry and discipleship model after Christ’s ascension. In the New Testament, almost every stage of discipleship and growth occurred within the gathered community, specifically through ministry pairings.

Jesus did not minister the kingdom of God alone. Instead, he began his official ministry on Earth by gathering a group of disciples. Jesus ministered to and with disciples because he was fully God but also fully human. Just as it was not good for Adam to be alone, it would not have been good for Jesus to be alone or minister alone. God created humans for community. To rightly express his humanity, Jesus needed to abide with and work through meaningful human relationships. If Jesus had not shared his ministry with other people, he would not have been the perfect expression of a righteous human. To exhibit the perfect expression of humanity, Jesus shared his ministry with others. Through his incarnation, Jesus allowed himself to be dependent upon human relationships. He shared the plan of God with a community of disciples. In gathering the twelve, Jesus showed us that the gospel is fully realized in and through community.

In Jesus’ communal method of discipleship, he did not individually disciple his followers before bringing them into the larger group. Instead, he asked each disciple to join him and learn about him within a community of followers. The disciples discovered God and themselves within and through fellowship with each other. Their knowledge of God and their ministry giftings developed together. Jesus took twelve equally ignorant disciples and discipled them as an interactive group.

Even when ministering to individual disciples, Jesus often had the spiritual growth of the larger group in mind. In one instance, Peter took Jesus “aside and began to rebuke him” for teaching “…the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed…” (Mark 8:31-32). Jesus rejected both Peter’s words and his attempt to isolate the discussion from the rest of the disciples. Scripture states, “But turning and seeing his disciples, he [Jesus] rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man’” (Mark 8:33). Immediately, Jesus called the surrounding crowd to him and taught them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). Jesus took his personal rebuke of Peter and turned it into an opportunity for a public teaching with the disciples and the larger crowd. The disciples learned about Jesus, not in isolation, but through the gathered community.

Importantly, Jesus did not require his disciples to gain a certain level of individual spiritual growth before they could abide with or work alongside the other disciples. The disciples did not have to gain a level of personal spiritual growth before they were able to join the larger group of Christ followers. Instead, Jesus gave the disciples opportunity to grow while they walked with him and the other followers. Jesus modeled a discipleship process that facilitated individual and group development simultaneously. The community’s development was just as important as the individual development of each disciple.

Through his method of discipleship, Jesus taught his followers that individual development and group development should be intertwined in every stage of the discipleship process. Regardless of our individual spiritual maturity, our relationship with God will develop best within the gathered community. We live out and nurture our individual salvation most effectively through abiding in purposeful, connected ways with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Discipleship, through and with others, is not an optional choice or a secondary step on the journey of spiritual maturity, but a crucial, foundational expression of following Christ.

As we follow Christ in a fellowship of believers, we also grow in our individual identity as disciples of Christ. To have an individual relationship with Christ is to be individually invested in a larger group of believers. In relationship with the body of Christ, we find out who we are and why we exist. To separate discipleship from community is to separate ourselves from a central reason for our salvation. We have been saved so that a disconnected creation can become one in Christ, so that God can form us into one people, his people, a holy nation that will bless all the nations of the earth. We become expressions of this oneness in Christ as we align our purposes with an identity bigger than our own personal spiritual journey.

Sadly, the western church has often turned discipleship into an individualistic pursuit that may or may not expand into a larger community expression. Many Americans view discipleship as first figuring out the needs of the individual and then establishing more complex relationships. Some see regularly gathering together as an option, rather than a central reality of spiritual development. In profoundly troubling ways we have created a kind of individualistic discipleship that is found nowhere in the Bible. Within this skewed conception of spiritual development, we have bought into the lie that individuals can find spiritual health in isolation or in a controlled form of community where people attach to each other based on their personal needs, wants and desires.

Individualistic discipleship turns spiritual growth almost solely into a self-directed development journey. Within this personal awareness journey, Christians pray, read the Bible and participate in the sacraments for primarily self-absorbed reasons. Our prayers are for our needs, our Bible reading is for our devotional growth and even communion becomes an individual pursuit to soothe our own conscience or develop our own intimacy with God. Although a form of community might be valued in our present Christian discipleship, too often community is positioned as an option we think about or engage only after we have ministered to our individual pursuits.

In this me-first discipleship model, we have developed a class of Christians who genuinely believe they must grow more in their own personal faith before they invest in or faithfully abide in the larger church. They engage with congregations based on how much those communities meet their needs. They isolate from church when they do not feel their desires receiving attention or when they do not feel they are spiritually strong enough to join the larger body of Christ. The assumption behind this behavior is that the individual must get well or spiritually healthy before he or she can gather in a meaningful way with a larger Christian expression. This assumption opposes Christ’s way of discipling. The disciples matured in Christ through abiding intentionally with other disciples. They discovered who they were and who God is through community. They did not see abiding with each other as a secondary step in the discipleship process. Rather, they understood community as the way Christ disciples his church.

 

The early church discipled through community

After the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, the disciples carried on Christ’s model for discipleship. Notably, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church at Pentecost, when the church was gathered together in prayer. Pentecost did not first come to one disciple and then pass from disciple to disciple. Instead, the Spirit first came to a group of Christ followers who were gathered together for a purpose bigger than their individual needs. Pentecost came to all those gathered in the upper room to clearly demonstrate that the Spirit of God works through the church simultaneously for individual and communal purposes. God did not pour out his Spirit to lift up individuals, but to empower all believers as the full expression of the body of Christ.

Unfortunately, Christians often communicate Pentecost and Spirit-filled living through a very self-oriented grid. In this individualistic context, we reduce Spirit-filled living to encouraging believers to discover their own spiritual gifts, personal empowerment and private prayer language. The role of the Spirit in the church frequently becomes an afterthought to personal fulfillment. Once again, this focus on the self stands in direct contrast to the scriptural record. Throughout the Bible, we read that the Holy Spirit meets the needs of the gathered church. To separate Holy Spirit empowerment from the gathered church shows a grave misunderstanding of the purpose of Spirit-filled empowerment. Pentecost reveals the way Christ abides in our midst and forms redeemed believers into one body: the body of Christ.

Jesus instructed and trained his followers in and through community. The early church carried on this tradition, understanding that the Spirit of God was poured out upon all flesh to empower, strengthen and expand the gathered community of Christ.

 

The path of discipleship

“So, what is your discipleship pathway?”

You might face this question when talking with a church growth expert … excuse me, I mean a church health expert, or a church multiplication expert, or a church transformation expert, or the name is not really that important just buy the book, come to the conference or sign up for the webinar expert. Discipleship pathway was common lingo when I was hired to restart Evergreen Church. So when I was sent to church planter boot camp, in addition to forming our church’s mission, vision and value statements, I also was asked to map out our church’s discipleship pathway. “So what is your discipleship pathway, Doug?”

I first thought about saying something such as, “Well, I’m considering maybe a meandering, crushed gravel pathway, with mason honed flagstone, edged by ornamental grasses and weather resistant succulents.” However, sarcasm did not seem to fly well with my supervisors. Instead, I pointed to my white poster board full of sticky notes and directional arrows and led my church planting coach through a hypothetical journey that transformed a pagan into a disciple of Christ. Like everyone else in the room, my pathway had stages of development; from seeker, to saved, to growing in the faith, to volunteering, to eventually pastoring or even becoming the next Billy Graham. The plan did look pretty in its systematized simplicity; everything on a poster board in a nice clean, step-by-step pathway of discipleship.

We left boot camp with our mission, vision, values and prototype board game for real life spiritual development with the genuine hope that others would be excited to play our game. Unfortunately, not everyone we met was as interested in the path as we were. Even when we got them on the path, they frequently did not stay on the flagstone. Even when they did “stay on the path,” many still did not end up at the destination of disciple. Instead, we often just discovered different levels of messiness. In reality, my discipleship pathway often felt like a game of Chutes and Ladders with a preponderance of chutes and a lot of unstable, rickety ladders. No matter how hard I tried to push people towards the goal of spiritual maturity, many just would not follow my path. Worse yet, whenever it seemed like they were making progress they would suddenly slide or backslide down a chute in the opposite direction.

I began to understand that discipleship is not about my path, but God’s path. I realized that my ways did not match God’s ways or God’s timing. Even so, God clearly calls leaders to facilitate environments where individuals grow in the character of Christ. As a minister of the gospel, I take seriously the commandment to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19). However, I do not enjoy experiencing the pain and heartache that ensues when believers regress or remain stagnant in their faith. So much relational hurt is rooted in believers who have not become healthy disciples.

My heart is troubled when I see spiritual lethargy and a lack of genuine spiritual maturity in those I serve. To be honest, I usually feel responsible. Discipleship is a sacred task. I sincerely believe I am called to facilitate an environment where people not only come to Christ, but become more like Christ in every season of their lives. Unfortunately, many people do not become more like Christ. Their lack of growth keeps me awake at night pondering the question, “Doug, what is your discipleship pathway?”

I assume the church experts would point to my poorly planned, implemented and executed pathway. They would tell me that I need to write down more steps and communicate them in simple and transferable ways. They would tell me that everyone in the church should be able to articulate the stages or steps to discipleship. The experts are probably right. But I do not like systems, I do not like religious math, I do not like spiritual equations and I flat out hate memorization. Frankly, I am hesitant to embrace any religious activity that turns relationship with God into a structured process.

Of course, that is not a good enough answer; everyone must work on communicating clearly. As my pastor friend Steve Schell says, we must all learn how to “organize the parade.” Even so, I have always felt there should be something deeper than writing down and implementing a better map and endlessly trying to get everyone to keep in line and in step with our carefully designed systematized paths.

Our culture exhibits a connection problem we cannot solve simply through the creation and the implementation of a better discipleship pathway. When I look at Christ’s model of discipleship, I see two categories; there are followers of Jesus and non-followers of Jesus. Everything else is irrelevant. In our modern era, we have created a third category and within that category we have hundreds of subcategories. Today, we still have followers of Jesus and non-followers of Jesus, but now we have a third group: the “saved but not yet ready.” The “saved but not yet ready” seem to be an ever-growing group of believers who define themselves as saved by God, but not yet ready to serve and to follow him.

They are “tomorrow disciples” or “someday disciples,” believing that a day will come, other than today, when they will be willing and able to completely follow Christ and do the true work of the kingdom. Until that tomorrow comes, they are satisfied with being perpetually rescued, nurtured, fed, and taught by others. They are spectator Christians, who believe the work of the kingdom is done by healthier, wiser, more mature disciples of Christ. Reluctant or resistant to completely following Christ, they speak of a future when they will finally surrender to the call of discipleship. They are “disciples on hold” who see true discipleship as something they will fully embrace once their life is in order, work slows down, the kids are older, the mortgage is paid and they finally have time to focus on the things of God. They are “give me just a little more” Christians, looking for one more sermon, one more Bible study, one more program or friendship to solidify their faith and to provide them with the courage necessary to fully commit to following Jesus.

In the New Testament era there were only two categories of discipleship. You were either a follower or not a follower. There was simply no in-between. Jesus did not ask the disciples to put their lives in order before they followed him. He did not tell them to prepare themselves a little more before they entered into the ministry of the kingdom. Instead, he called them to leave everything behind and to follow him. The disciples grew in their faith and in spiritual maturity while ministering the kingdom together. They could not select a special category of “wait and grow before you go.” Instead, their calling was “go and grow!” In the Scripture we have so many wonderful stories arising from the confusion that ensued as these ignorant, immature disciples ministered the kingdom while learning about the kingdom at the same time.

The more I pastor, the less I find myself trying to develop the perfect discipleship pathway towards spiritual growth and development. Instead of seeing steps and stages, I see people and the presence of Jesus. Ultimately, discipleship’s goal is to introduce people to the resurrected presence of Jesus Christ in our midst. As a pastor, I must facilitate environments where people make room for Christ, where we learn to hear the voice of God and seek to follow the leading of God in the eternal present. We have no stages of spiritual progression before we can minister the kingdom or participate in the advancement of God’s purposes. Instead, discipleship simply means walking with Jesus and participating in his work at the moment he calls us. Yes, we are open to the wisdom of our elders, but we are careful never to accept the myth that a more important ministry calling is waiting for us tomorrow. Discipleship always occurs in the eternal now, among believers who are advancing and learning about the kingdom of God simultaneously.

If discipleship happens best in a community of active Christ followers, then we must create environments that enable believers to participate actively in the ministry of the kingdom, regardless of their spiritual maturity. We must facilitate discipleship climates where we immediately invite new Christians to participate fully in ministering the kingdom. In environments full of love, grace and forgiveness Christians will mature while ministering one to another. This means we must avoid creating a two-tiered class system of “disciples of Christ” who do the ministry and the “saved but not yet ready” who are being served rather than serving. In other words, the church is to function as Jesus did with his twelve disciples. Once individuals decide to follow Jesus, the church’s responsibility is to call them to engage in working for the kingdom of God. Jesus is the path, the way, the destination and the ultimate maker of disciples. When people follow Jesus, discipleship happens because he is the great shepherd of the sheep.

 

PR

 

Copyright © 2017 by Douglas S. Bursch. All rights reserved. Used with Permission.

 

Further Reading:

Read John Lathrop’s review of Douglas S. Bursch, The Community of God.

Stephen Lim, “Elephant in the Church: Identifying Hindrances and Strategies for Discipleship“

How Should we Lead the Church? A Pneuma Review Conversation