In case you missed the previous two posts in this series, here they are:
Discipleship and Church Planting: Part 1-Set the Example
Discipleship and Church Planting Part 2-Keep it Simple
There is a real temptation for church planters to concentrate their efforts on discipleship at the corporate level first, assuming growth in Christ will trickle down to the individual level. While sanctification does happen at the corporate level, it is not healthy to see this area as the primary means by which people are to grow in the faith. Church planters should not put all of their eggs into this one basket. In fact, I would add, that church planters should keep this basket small and use larger baskets at the individual and small group levels. One of the reasons we focus so much energy at the corporate level to see maturation in Christ is because that was the model most of us have experienced throughout our lives.
The temptation to focus on the corporate level, at the sacrifice to the individual level, must be overcome. Though it is not glamorous to spend more time with a few individuals as opposed to a crowd, it is necessary for healthy church growth. Church planters who attempt to begin their work by trying to disciple a crowd of people will, more than likely, end up with a church that consists mostly of people with nominal levels of commitment. The Kingdom Ethic, however, demands that the church consist of a membership that is sold out to the Lord.
Since the most basic unit of the local church is the individual, church planters should begin the discipleship process at the individual level. Here are a few reasons for this practice:
- First, this way best follows the pattern established by Jesus. Though he taught the crowds, he spent more time pouring His life into a few disciples.
- Second, it is easier to reproduce a disciple rather than a corporate worship gathering. Since one of the primary responsibilities of church planters is the multiplication of disciples, we need to be working to assist believers in spreading the good news in their circles of influence.
- Third, it is difficult to establish maturity at the corporate level and expect it to be transferred to the individual level, if a healthy understanding of discipleship does not already exist at the individual level. Instill the proper DNA in the individual level, then the small group level, and finally the corporate level, rather than in reverse order.
Questions to Consider
1) Is your primary paradigm of discipleship for your people done through a large group meeting? Why? How well is it working to grow them in obedience to Christ? If it is working well, how do you determine that it is working well?
2) How much of your discipleship process is focused on the individual learning spiritual disciplines, etc.? Do you feel that enough energy is being put into this level? If not, what needs to change and how will it change?
3) Are you experiencing pressure to begin corporate level discipleship activities much too early in the church planting process? If so, what needs to change so that more time can be spent on the individual (and maybe small group) level? How will you make this change?
4) Have you read Robert Coleman’s classic The Master Plan of Evangelism? If not, buy it, read it, apply it–BEFORE you begin your work as a missionary. If you have read it, have you applied the principles to your church planting labors? If not, why not?