Passive vs Active Discipleship

Hi church family,

Have you ever been stuck with a job without the proper tools to get it done? I know I certainly have. I’m not one of those guys who has a garage full of tools. My wife and I moved from a one bedroom apartment in Seattle. All we had room for was a beginners toolkit from IKEA. Needless to say, when we had to mount the TV at our new place, I knew I needed some help. So, I called someone up from church. He showed up to my place with a truck full of tools, his fancy tool belt on, and the skills to use them. The TV was up in no time and I was left feeling grateful that I called the guy with the right tools to get the job done. 

Having the right tools is essential. Paul gives a job to the leaders of the church, writing in Ephesians 4: “...equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built upuntil we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ,” (12-13). This is a big job! It’s certainly more difficult than hanging a TV. Sadly, the rampant biblical illiteracy we see today makes it clear that we have been failing to equip people for ministry and help them reach maturity. But why?

Passive Discipleship

There are many reasons for the decline in biblical literacy, but I think part of the issue is that the church in America has failed to utilize all the tools at our disposal. The psychologist Abraham Maslow writes: “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

In many ways, the church has been acting like the only tools we have in our tool belt are Sunday worship and small group ministry. While these ministries (or tools) are essential for maturing and equipping, they can’t address every problem a disciple faces. Take Sunday worship for example. This is a wonderful environment where we rehearse the gospel in community and grow in relationships with other believers, but the education component (the sermon) is largely experienced as a passive activity. We come in, sit, listen, and leave. Similarly, small groups are a great tool for building community, but they can’t be depended on to be the sole tool for education for not every small group leader is an experienced teacher nor do small groups have enough time to devote to teaching and accountability, prayer, and fellowship.

When disciples are not challenged to grow in all areas of their lives–mind, body, relationships, loves, and abilities–the Christian life can all too easily become a passive endeavor where we show up on Sunday to get our weekly “fix” without being challenged to dive deep into God’s word and apply it to every part of life.

Active Discipleship

So what’s the solution? We can’t solve all the issues we face living in a post-Christian culture by adding another ministry, but our hope for Christ Church University is that it will be another tool in our toolbelt that will expand our ability to encourage and train followers of Jesus to be fully active participants in the mission of God. Unlike Life Groups, which are the best place to build community, our discipleship classes are focused on active learning. We are seeking to utilize a three-pronged approach of “personal study, group discussion, and teaching time” to help build people’s proficiency and confidence in their understanding of God’s word and its application. These are not environments where you sit down and receive from the “expert”. The goal is that our discipleship classes won’t take time and attention away from other ministries, but will equip people to take what they’ve learned and apply it to other areas in the church, their relationships at work and home, and all of life! Jen Wilkin has been leading discipleship initiatives in the church for years. She writes, “Right thinking begets right feelings and actions, and classes can work toward that end.” At Christ Church, we want to challenge you to love God not just with your heart, soul, strength, and witness, but also with all your mind. Discipleship classes are an essential tool to get that job done. 

So, as classes get ready to start up in the Fall, I want to challenge you to consider what class might help you dive deeper into God’s amazing love and better equip you to take part in His mission to make all things new. Where is God challenging you to grow and how could a discipleship class help? Let’s not be passive in our relationship with Jesus, but actively seek Him and join Him in the work He is doing in and through us!

Check out the classes we’re offering this Fall by following the link: https://christ-church-kop.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/category/83765

Sincerely,

PJake