Changing churches and changing lives

The gospel changes churches and changes lives. We all need to be growing toward maturity. Training is necessary from before we are trusting in Jesus to afterwards as we grow to become disciple-makers. This training is to help us become vine-workers.

Since each person is at a different stage of growth, the training is best when it is specific. General training is useful for us all, but it is not sufficient. Sunday sermons may be great, but we need more than that, and tailored to who and where we are. If we expect the pastor to do all the training, we will limit growth of people and churches. We need disciple-makers trained so that they can help produce other disciple-makers. Thus the vine will be cared for and grow.

This training is not only for the benefit of the local church, but of God’s worldwide church. Our expectations should be that some of our best will move to other areas to help plant new churches, whether in places where the gospel is freely available, or where it is difficult to find. Some of the trained disciple-makers may move on to further training to enhance their future ministries.

Several approaches are considered in chapter 8, such as “Pastor as clergyman”, “Pastor as CEO”, and “Pastor as trainer”. In this third one, “Where the pastor is a trainer, there will be a focus on people ministering to people, rather than on structures, programs, and events.” …..“Pastoral care, in this approach, is also founded on disciples being trained to care for and disciple other Christians. Small groups may be utilized as one convenient structure in which this may happen, but the structure itself will not make it happen.” [bolding is mine] …..”It’s very possible for a great deal of the personal encouragement and discipling work in a congregation to be done one to one, without any involvement in structured small groups.” (pp. 100-101).

I believe we need to re-think our plans for the small groups we have at St Stephen’s, and develop a new mind-set so that we are training disciple-makers rather than majoring on fellowship.