Discipleship Notes
Hey all,
I recently participated in a thing called the Missional Learning Commons held, Oct. 28-29 in Chicago (at Northern Seminary). I didn't take very good notes, but jotted some things down and thought I would share them for your perusal, thought, and discussion. Some are just personal observations from me, and some are quotes (or what I remember of quotes) made by some of the speakers. And one of the problems with the MLC is that they don't introduce the speakers, so I don't even know who most of them were. The "main" people that I do remember were: Mike Breen, David Fitch, Ben Sternke, and Matt Tebbe (among about 140 others). This year's learning commons dealt specifically with 'discipleship'... So... here goes some randomness...
- Most intense points of discipleship come when we're pushed to our weaknesses, rather than playing to our strengths. (sort of agree/disagree)
- Imitation plays a big part in discipleship. "If my life looked like (who), that would be ok." (are we good imitators for people?)
- The culture of our formation is important (Breen): parents, geography, friends, people who invested time in us, etc.
- "People usually most open to the gospel are refugees" (Breen)
- The thing Jesus is looking for is -- who's following you.
- Do you know who your disciples are, and do they know you're discipling them?
- "Does the gospel you preach naturally lead to people becoming disciples?" (Dallas Willard?)
- "The gospel you're preaching is going to result in the disciples you're getting" (Sternke)
- "Missional people don't fall out of trees - they have to be formed" (Fitch)
- "Discipleship is considered 'extra credit' for too many, and it's not... it is what the gospel is about." (Sternke)
- People who are taught that forgiveness is the gospel don't become disciples... because they see no need for discipleship. They are what Dallas Willard calls "vampire Christians" - they only want Jesus for his blood. (Sternke)
- "Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning." (Willard)
- Breen gave this really nice description of the gospel - that I can't really remember. Something about... "Jesus is the king. The kingdom is Jesus in charge. We are involved by either being for it or against it; with the king or against the king. Life is defined by Jesus and his rule. The question is how we are involved in the kingdom (protagonist or antagonist).
- Sometimes we're too eager to explain things and we're not content to plant seeds.
- "Most of us don't have ears to hear, we have ears to sort" (Willard).
- "Jesus was asked over 180 direct questions, and he only answered 3 of them." (Tebbe) (so don't tell people what to do, but ask questions).
- The Christian life is not my own, but it belongs to the community.
- Discipleship is part of community, not meant to be done one on one. (Breen made this comment when I was not around, so I don't know the context).
- "The practice of reconciliation is the single most forming thing you can do..." (Fitch)
- Colossians 3:15 - "rule"=referee/arbiter (teaching people to listen to the whistle; or else they're breaking the rules)
- The word "disciple" is not mentioned beyond Acts. Discipleship is taken from Rabbinic tradition. In the epistles the language - the process of imitation (or metaphor) - changes from Rabbinic to "Father/Child" language. Training/nurture in a parent/child relationship is in more repeatable/predictable patterns. (Breen - interesting stuff).
posted by dan at 12:21 PM
12 Comments:
I've been doing a lot of work with coaching lately. Coaching helps the person being coached to move from potential to the fullness of what God has in store for them.
I'm going to try to train some discipleship coaches. My idea is very simple. At The Crossover (our church), we see four areas of discipleship -- loving God, loving people, serving locally, and serving globally.
A trained coach (not a pastor, just a follower of Jesus with a bit of coach training) will meet with anyone who wants to be coached. The coach will show them a grid with our four areas and ask them where they would like to work today.
The disciple will drive the direction of the coaching into the area they feel the Holy Spirit is guiding them. They will develop a custom plan for their own development.
I'm assuming this would take place twice a month or once a month.
If anyone is interested, let me know. I would be willing to help you develop this as well.
Brian,
I'm going to send you an email on a related item. Let me know if you don't receive it.
Good stuff, H.
Thanks.
I don't know anything about what you're doing, Brian, but if it's similar to "mentoring" Breen might say it is lacking the gospel element of discipleship.
Not that I can speak for him, and not that he's necessarily right, but I think what he meant by discipleship needing to take place in community - and also the difference between the Gospel/Acts form of discipleship vs. the epistle type - was the community involvement. Rather than one person telling/guiding/mentoring another person, Jesus' model for discipleship was more in an intentional community of followers seeking together.
But I could be splitting hairs.
Dan,
Interesting.
For some reason reading your notes reminds me of the old hymn "This is My Father's World". It seems like true discipleship begins when we first recognize that we live in God's world (and not vice versa).
Much of my reading lately has been considering how much our spiritual life should be driven by the fact that we have been adopted into God's family.
These may just be random thoughts that have no connection.
Brent,
I agree. That certainly opened my eyes.
Brian,
If you can only suggest one resource for coaching, what would it be?
Brent,
I like Gary Collins book Christian Coaching, Second Edition: Helping Others Turn Potential into Reality.
Thanks.
Coaching seems to be a buzz word right now. Our local church is focusing on coaching along with many other organizations. Many times the CGGC has been criticized here for focusing upon the trend of the moment.
I'm not suggesting that is what is happening now, but, I'll still ask the question: how is the current focus on coaching different than previous trends that were here today and replaced by the next best thing next year?
Brent,
I've been thinking about this idea of fads. At first, I was really convicted by it. But now, not so much.
We seem to be enamored with the idea that there is one right way to be and have church, and the rest are fleeting fads that come and go.
Coaching fits our current culture. It may not fit our culture in 50 years... or even 20. Our culture is not a community culture. Of course, there are pockets, but overall, the people in at least our church aren't that connected.
We tend to believe we need to change their entire culture. One spouse may need to stop working. Our over the road truckers will need to find local work.
Coaching is a means that we can use to disciple in our current culture. It is also a way we can develop leaders. Coaching might not be as useful in a country like Japan or Saudi Arabia.
I believe that discipleship coaching could move our church community ahead a giant leap. We will of course continue to work on community as well.
Brian,
Thanks for the reply. As I said, I wasn't suggesting coaching is just a new fad that will immediately fade. But, I do think that the CGGC has opened itself to that critique in the past.
But, you offer a more nuanced view of meeting the demands of the present moment. That is very different from jumping on the latest book that was published. What you write makes good sense.
Thanks.
Coaching seems to be a buzz word right now. Our local church is focusing on coaching along with many other organizations. Many times the CGGC has been criticized here for focusing upon the trend of the moment. - Brent
I've been thinking about this idea of fads. At first, I was really convicted by it. But now, not so much.
We seem to be enamored with the idea that there is one right way to be and have church, and the rest are fleeting fads that come and go.
Coaching fits our current culture. It may not fit our culture in 50 years... or even 20... - Brian
Guys,
I've refrained from commenting on this until my wrenching gut settled.
I absolutely do think that this coach thing is the latest fad, that it's a concept that is not rooted in what Jesus or the early followers of the Way did. And, I suspect that the idea will fade.
About 8 or 9 years ago our Region brought some cutting edge guy in to do a seminar entitled "The Pastor as Coach." I've been suspicious since then. The obvious flaw in that idea is that leadership is connected to the role of the pastor. There is not a single pastor in all of the New Testament.
Here are some of the questions I have about discipling through coaching:
What biblical truths are in play in this concept?
What did Jesus do that was similar to coaching?
Why did the early followers of the Way do that resembles coaching?
How does the notion of coaching comport with the truth that "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature...," He will continue to give the church APESTs (not pastors, not coaches)?
Who among APESTs would be empowered to do what we are calling 'coaching?' Everyone? Based on what truth taught or modeled in the Word do we know that?
Can a church employing the Christendom leadership model rooted in the authority of the pastor functioning as a parish priest develop leaders even through coaching?
To what degree is the notion of coaching an attempt to keep the unbiblical Christendom priest-based leadership model and simply to integrate the Bible teaching that the priesthood belongs to all Jesus followers? Can this attempt succeed if the essential foundation upon which it is built is not what Jesus and the Spirit empower?
Brian,
Because you are an apostle, I can see that coaching would appeal to you. It speaks to the empowerment to make disciples that you have as a fruit of your calling. But, do you think that believers who are not called to be apostles can coach with the empowerment of the Spirit in the same way you can? Can you see me, a prophet, coaching like you do, or at all? Can you see shepherds, teachers or evangelists coaching with the same empowerment from the Spirit that you take for granted as a function of your gifts and calling?
------------------
It is in the CGGC's DNA to jump on bandwagons. My sense is that we are now doing that with coaching. Let's be careful about repeating the mistakes of those who have made mistakes before us in the CGGC.
To me, the idea that the one-size-fits-all, parish priest-pastor leader is at the root of disciping through coaching. As you regulars here know, I reject that model and I despise it. But, if you can integrate this idea with leadership truths from the Word and not from the Christendom myth, I will become coaching's primary and most passionate advocate in the CGGC. For now, this wreaks to me of the leadership model that has caused our decline.
Before we jump on this bandwagon, I believe we need to think it through theologically.
Post a Comment
<< Home