I'm currently reading a book by Alan Hirsch called The Forgotten Ways, which is basically about how the western church has gotten away from the original Biblical model of church. The author writes a lot about history and how various social trends and religious revolutions have affected they way that we do church. He then proposes things that we can do to move back towards God's heart and vision for his people.
To summarize (and probably over-simplify), one of Hirsch's assertions is that by moving to an attractional model of church--where much of church life revolves around a weekly service in a single location, we have raised the bar on how church is done (i.e. we produce high quality, consumer friendly services). At the same time, we have lowered the bar on how we make disciples. He goes on to contend that by doing this we make church too complex and discipleship too easy.
In the early church, the gatherings were simple; often in homes, over meals. There were no "professional" Christians, rather, responsibilities were shared among believers according to gifting and availability. It was easily reproducible, inexpensive, and unpretentious.
Discipleship, on the other hand, was considered a serious engagement. In fact, many would-be disciples were turned away because they were found unworthy. A disciple was expected to be prepared to die for the cause of Christ--this was one of the minimum requirements!
Indeed, we don't do discipleship like that anymore. We're delighted if someone will agree to an hour-long weekly meeting. We hedge and apologize about the idea of tithing, much less sacrificial giving, because we don't want to appear meddlesome. We turn a blind eye to blatant sins, like gluttony, greed, and gossip, because we no longer appreciate the difference between a call to repentance and a judgmental attitude.
The question this book has raised for me is this: Have we reduced discipleship to an optional pursuit for western Christians? Are we content for people to sit in our churches, be encouraged by our worship, and soak in our sermons, believing that their presence in a weekly service qualifies them as a disciple? Are we in decline as a church because we have succeeded in producing successful services but failed in making disciples?
As I am reading this book, my husband David is preparing to launch a disciple-making project in France. Many French churches have identified lack of true discipleship as a major hindrance to church growth, church-planting, and evangelization. The problem is, there are very few resources available on what it means to create a disciple-based church environment and how to do it. When one does a Google search of "disciples France" on the Internet, the top results include a great chef who has quite a following, something about a skateboarding park, and eventually some books on Christian workers in the 1600s. Finally, a few Canadian and American mission organizations appear. But outside of formal theological education in France, there are no French resources, no conferences, no books, nothing.
Our hope is to change all of that. A big part of the disciple making project will be a website that is dedicated to developing, translating, and distributing discipleship resources. Another feature of the project will be regional conferences that will train and equip church leaders to build discipleship communities within their congregations. The project will also help to build networks for sharing best practices and lessons learned.
Please pray for David and this exciting new project. He is in the process of building a team, communicating the vision, and constructing the website. The need is huge and there is already a great deal of interest in the project.
Of course, providing resources is not the answer. In the States there is an abundance of resources, and yet a notable lack of genuine disciples. So please pray for a Spirit-led revolution, where those who are called to be followers of Jesus would give themselves fully to him. Pray for genuine transformation of lives that results in increased investment in mission and kingdom living. And while you're at it, why not take a minute to reflect on your own life. Are you church and Bible Study attender or a sold-out disciple?
To summarize (and probably over-simplify), one of Hirsch's assertions is that by moving to an attractional model of church--where much of church life revolves around a weekly service in a single location, we have raised the bar on how church is done (i.e. we produce high quality, consumer friendly services). At the same time, we have lowered the bar on how we make disciples. He goes on to contend that by doing this we make church too complex and discipleship too easy.
In the early church, the gatherings were simple; often in homes, over meals. There were no "professional" Christians, rather, responsibilities were shared among believers according to gifting and availability. It was easily reproducible, inexpensive, and unpretentious.
Discipleship, on the other hand, was considered a serious engagement. In fact, many would-be disciples were turned away because they were found unworthy. A disciple was expected to be prepared to die for the cause of Christ--this was one of the minimum requirements!
Indeed, we don't do discipleship like that anymore. We're delighted if someone will agree to an hour-long weekly meeting. We hedge and apologize about the idea of tithing, much less sacrificial giving, because we don't want to appear meddlesome. We turn a blind eye to blatant sins, like gluttony, greed, and gossip, because we no longer appreciate the difference between a call to repentance and a judgmental attitude.
The question this book has raised for me is this: Have we reduced discipleship to an optional pursuit for western Christians? Are we content for people to sit in our churches, be encouraged by our worship, and soak in our sermons, believing that their presence in a weekly service qualifies them as a disciple? Are we in decline as a church because we have succeeded in producing successful services but failed in making disciples?
As I am reading this book, my husband David is preparing to launch a disciple-making project in France. Many French churches have identified lack of true discipleship as a major hindrance to church growth, church-planting, and evangelization. The problem is, there are very few resources available on what it means to create a disciple-based church environment and how to do it. When one does a Google search of "disciples France" on the Internet, the top results include a great chef who has quite a following, something about a skateboarding park, and eventually some books on Christian workers in the 1600s. Finally, a few Canadian and American mission organizations appear. But outside of formal theological education in France, there are no French resources, no conferences, no books, nothing.
Our hope is to change all of that. A big part of the disciple making project will be a website that is dedicated to developing, translating, and distributing discipleship resources. Another feature of the project will be regional conferences that will train and equip church leaders to build discipleship communities within their congregations. The project will also help to build networks for sharing best practices and lessons learned.
Please pray for David and this exciting new project. He is in the process of building a team, communicating the vision, and constructing the website. The need is huge and there is already a great deal of interest in the project.
Of course, providing resources is not the answer. In the States there is an abundance of resources, and yet a notable lack of genuine disciples. So please pray for a Spirit-led revolution, where those who are called to be followers of Jesus would give themselves fully to him. Pray for genuine transformation of lives that results in increased investment in mission and kingdom living. And while you're at it, why not take a minute to reflect on your own life. Are you church and Bible Study attender or a sold-out disciple?
You might check out Matthew Journey by Dr. Jeff Kennedy.
ReplyDeleteOh Jenn! To spend time in your living room with you, hands folded around cups of steaming tea, visiting long with you! I first read "Faith of Leap" and loved it so much I went on to read "Untamed" written by Alan and his wife. Now Isaiah is reading "Faith of Leap" too. I'll have to check out "The Forgotten Ways." Thanks for talking about it.
ReplyDeleteThe subject in this post is one that has set me on a long journey... to know God's heart for making disciples... and how that plays out today in the everydayness... to seek out -- and intentionally build -- community...
Your words, succinct, challenging, words that cause me to squirm a bit uncomfortable:
"Indeed, we don't do discipleship like that anymore. We're delighted if someone will agree to an hour-long weekly meeting. We hedge and apologize about the idea of tithing, much less sacrificial giving, because we don't want to appear meddlesome. We turn a blind eye to blatant sins, like gluttony, greed, and gossip, because we no longer appreciate the difference between a call to repentance and a judgmental attitude."
...but to be in THAT kind of community. To be THAT kind of Christ-follower. I want that.
Praying for you guys as you seek to make disciples across France. Love you, Friend.