Reflections on Discipleship: Jeffrey Jones

Mark’s version of the Great Commission calls us to “preach the Good News to all creation (Greek: cosmos, literally all that is seen and unseen)” (Mark 16:15). I love Mark’s emphasis: the Gospel of Jesus Christ applies to wholeness, to the totality of all that we are, all that we are becoming, and all that we will one day be, as well as all that we will never be. This is the life of discipleship in which we are called to live and move and have our being.

            Jeffrey Jones, in Traveling Together: A Guide for Disciple-Forming Congregations, suggests the following marks of the Christian disciple:

·         An abiding desire to grow in relationship to Christ

·         An active trust in the power of God

·         An evident sense of humility

·         A deep yearning to discern and respond to God’s call

·         A willingness to change (yes, this applies even to Presbyterians J )

·         An ability to deal with conflict that change and challenge bring

·         An enduring spirit of gentleness

·         A bold commitment to participate in God’s mission in the world, always in a compassionate way and often in a prophetic one.

Beyond noting the marks of a Christian disciple, Jones, as the title of his book suggests, is concerned with what congregations can do to encourage individuals toward growth in this direction. While he lists many congregational practices worthy of discussion, three in particular draw my attention:

·         Gifts and Call as the Basis for Ministry: FrederichBuechner said vocation is where the world’s great need and our great passion intersect. I would add a third caveat: and where God has gifted us with spiritual gifts. Are we calling people to discover the intersection of these three essential values, or are we just filling committee slots for the good of the organization?

·         Shared Ministry of Laity and Clergy: The recovery of the priesthood of all believers forces us to redefine everything we think about ministry, especially its location! “The laity must become the ministry of the church in the world. It is yours! It is not that you are to pitch in and help out but that you are the only hope we have.” How are we as congregations creating opportunities and training toward making our shared priesthood a living reality among those beyond our church walls?

·         A Commitment to Equipping: Jones points to the decreased effectiveness of the traditional Sunday School as an inevitable consequence of the increased need for shared, missional ministry that calls for people’s spiritual giftedness. One hour a week won’t cut it! Instead, the new reality of discipleship formation requires such practices as holistic small groups, “service-worship” that is framed by reflection on Scripture, prayer and discussion, as well as a commitment to rethink our budget priorities: “In the disciple-forming congregation the ‘equipping budget’ will be a high priority and used primarily by laity who are being equipped for ministry outside the church.”

I better stop here; in suggesting a change in how you do your budget, (as they say in the South), I stopped preachin’ and went to meddlin’. I hope, however, I have offered good grist for the mill of reflection and discussion among us all!

Grace to you today and always,

Brad Munroe

Reflections on Discipleship: Craig Dykstra

Matthew’s version of the Great Commission calls us to “make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:16-20). Traditionally, churches kick-off their programs for children, youth and adult in the fall – an interesting blend of sacred religion (devotion to Christ!) with secular religion (football is back!) – and it has become common place to call such ministry “discipleship formation” rather than “education.” I applaud the change in nomenclature, as I believe it is more biblical both in phrasing and as a holistic, full-person description of Christian growth. But even the phrase discipleship formation still begs the question: how do we help form discipleshipwithin people?

            Craig Dykstra, in Growing in the Life of Faith, names fourteen practices that support discipleship growth:

·         Worshipping God together

·         Telling the Christian story to one another

·         Interpreting the Scriptures and history of church’s experience together

·         Praying

·         Confessing sins to one another

·         Tolerating one another’s failures and encouraging one another

·         Carrying out specific acts of service and witness

·         Giving generously

·         Suffering with and for one another and all our neighbors

·         Providing hospitality and care

·         Listening and talking attentively to one another

·         Struggling together to become conscious of and to understand the world in which we live

·         Criticizing and resisting powers and patterns that destroy people and corrode community

·         Working together to maintain and create structures and institutions that sustain life

An interesting spiritual exercise would be to use Dykstra’s list, gathering in groups of two or three to “examen” one’s maturity and the directions needed for growth as a disciple. Or, perhaps, the above list could serve as the template for a Session retreat to discern the areas of ministry in which your congregation is (and is not) empowering folks to move toward mature discipleship:

·         What are the areas of greatest strength and deepest need?

·         What are the Christian practices to which we give lip service but do not immerse ourselves in Christ?

·         What are the vital behaviors that encourage discipleship in each particular area of ministry?

·         What are we doing that (unintentionally) limits growth in each particular area of discipleship?

·         What practice is heard as if coming from a prophet calling in the wilderness?

·         What one practice calls to us to seek the mind of Christ today, as we “kick-off” this new “season” of making disciples?

Grace to you today and always,

Brad Munroe

Rediscovering the Gospel Part 3: Conversations with Joe Small- Sacramental Living

n this last installment on our wonderful experience at the Synod Kaleidoscope with Joe Small, retired director of General Assembly's Theology and Worship Unit, I want to describe one of the other key responses he gave to the question, "How can we proclaim the Gospel to a world (and a church) that thinks it knows it already?"

            After reviewing the profoundly secular culture in which we live, move and have our community in Christ Jesus, and after proposing to us the seemingly more radical vision for church renewal of rediscovering the Nicene Creed, Joe pointed our community of teaching elders and commissioned ruling elders toward immersing our congregations in the sacraments.

            At first blush, Joe's "Back to the Future" embrace of our theological heritage seems counterproductive: in a culture that idolizes the new, Joe seems to call for the old; in a world of glitz and glammer, shock and awe, Joe seems to call for the tired traditionalism. Or does he?

            I say "Joe seems to call..." because it is only a seeming, an appearing to be old and tired. Not so! Joe contends, and with him I whole-heartedly concur, that what is called for is not pejorative but rooted, grounded and foundational; it is the deep, immersive stream of transformation through participation in God's grace through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirt. These words and the realities to which they point - rooted, grounded and foundational, deep and immersive, grace and Spirit - are longings of (even) the post-modern heart!

            Of course, the above sentence is only true to the extent that we embody these words, incarnate them, live into their fullness with lives being transformed by the renewing of our minds, with hearts ablaze for God's peace and God's justice to reign on earth as it is in heaven, with words spoken in kindness, humility and generosity toward all. It is this kind of Church the world longs to experience, though they know it not. It is these kind of Christians that intrigue those who do not (yet) belong to Jesus. It is this kind of community, Joe contends, that might be renewed through a robust recovery of sacramental practice.

            Here is your homework: Look up the following passages in the postscript and list all the rich, variegated imagery associated with the sacraments of Baptism and The Lord's Supper. What kind of spiritual life do they describe? How do these images call to you as an individual, or call to your congregation as a faith community? What would it look like to lean into these ways of being in Christ?

            Finally, it's not too late to sign-up for the next Synod Kaleidoscope in Tempe, October 19-21, with Andy Dearman from Fuller (Houston), who will present on preaching Old Testament stories. Registrations can be found at synodsw.org.

Grace and peace,

Brad Munroe

P.S. Baptismal Scriptures: Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 2:37- 42; Acts 10:44-48; Rom 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:36-29; Colossians 2:11-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22.Communion Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Mark 14:22-25; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:14-23; John 6:25-51; Mark 6:30-44 and 8:1-10; John 6:1-14; Luke 9:10-17; Luke 24:13-35; John 22:4-19; Acts 2:43-47; Revelation 19:1-9 

P.P.S. Parade of the Infant in the French Reformed Church: "For you, little one, God sent his Son. For you... Someday you will learn of this and be joyful to share for someday you, little one, will love God because He first loved us."Food for Thought from Joe: "When I invite people to the Table, I am inviting them to Christ."