Here are two short videos on disciplemaking/discipleship. The first offers a disciplemaking pathway and the second reviews the importance of disciplemaking and offers a helpful approach to discipleship. These videos make good discussion starters in church leadership meetings and equipping sessions. For related resources on this topic, go to www.gci.org/strategy.
Watch on YouTube at http://youtu.be/ep8XM5IFWsI.
Watch on YouTube at http://youtu.be/86OVJ4kD2BY.
I’m confused about what wisdom GCI sees in this rather cynical sounding man. He said, “The Main purpose of the Church is to equip the saints.” Ok that sounds biblical. But then the man said “God says you’re supposed to go into the world and you’re supposed to equip them.” “So its not so much about them fulfilling the Church’s destiny but its the Church that’s actually helping the people find their destiny and then equipping them to make a difference in their world.”
Really? I wonder where he got the idea that “equipping the saints” means the church is to go into the world and help people find their destiny and then help them make a difference in their world? I don’t think he got the idea from the Bible or any church father. It sounds like a vision of your typical humanitarian aid organization. Or perhaps one might hear Oprah Winfrey say this but I’ve never read any biblical author such as John or Paul exhort their churches in this way. Maybe I’ve missed something they’ve written about this.
Thanks for your comment Brian. As with all references in this “Church Development” section of GCI Weekly Update to non-GCI material (like these two videos), we don’t necessarily agree with every statement they convey. However, we provide them as helpful, hopefully stimulating, food for thought on topics of importance to us as churches. In the case of the referenced video, a key point is that the church is called to “equip the saints for the work of ministry”–that ministry being participation in what Jesus is doing to fulfill the Father’s mission to the world. So we are called to go into the world, with Jesus, to seek after and then equip those the Spirit is converting to Christ. Perhaps that is what the author has in mind, though, as your comment implies, he might have stated his point in a more biblically/theologically precise way.
Thanks GCI Weekly Update and I took interest in the second video because you said “it offers a helpful approach to discipleship.” So I clicked to view. But based on what the man said, I really must disagree. In contrast to what you said in your response- that the church is to “equip those the Spirit is converting to Christ”, he said the church is to help people [in the world] find their destiny and then equipping them to make a difference in their world.” It’s kind of humanistic and after watching this video three times, I think he said what he meant and meant what he said.
If I may add my opinion, one way I could see that you can build a mega-church like this man has, is with a message which promotes and equips people to make a difference in their world. That’s very alluring to today’s self-centered western world. The Gospel, however, is the message to people that Jesus has made the difference in his world…despite them. Good news indeed but Ouch! Thanks for posting.
Your point is well made Brian and it’s a valid concern. That being said, a helpful, biblically appropriate strategy for disciplemaking we might glean from the video is that by going into the world and there getting to know and share life with pre-believers, we can observe how God has gifted them (their interests/abilities) and invite them into and equip them for a part in the ministry of Jesus that is ongoing in their community. In other words, equip people to be workers in the ministry of Jesus and in the midst of their participation, they come to know Jesus. In that way, participation in ministry precedes evangelism. Many churches are finding this approach to be useful in our increasingly post-Christian world. It seems to me that it was the approach Jesus used with his disciples–they joined him in ministry and later came to know who he truly was and then to believe in him, entering then more deeply into his ministry.