Self-Feeding Disciples
There are two kinds of churches, two ways to look at discipleship: one that dispenses whatever truth is necessary in two hours Sunday mornings to grow Christians; the other teaches Christians how to grow in the other 166 hours of the week. This is a crude generalization, but one kind basically produces clones of the preacher, the other kind of church helps grow people into Christ. I know. I know! These are gross, inaccurate characterizations, but please consider if there is any truth in them.
Over several decades Willow Creek Community Church (Chicago) grew to be one of the largest megachurches in the country. Its seeker-sensitive, entertaining, make-it-easy-to-get-in approach attracted tens of thousands. But somewhere along the way they realized that the marketing culture that drove them was not producing mature Christians. In fact, it became almost necessary for seriously motivated Christ-followers to leave the church in order to find some depth in their relationship with God. The church that is seen as a distribution point for spiritual goods and services has little similarity to the first century church that raised up a generation that literally changed the world for Jesus Christ. Willow Creek’s three-year long REVEAL study convinced their leadership that they didn’t need to produce attendees, but instead, self-feeding disciples – their new goal is to “transition the role of the church from spiritual parent to spiritual coach.”
When Father Chris and I sat down last year with some parishioners to discuss “discipleship” at CCA, I wanted to provoke some discussion about what it means to be a follower of Jesus and how Christ Church can support Christians in their daily lives beyond Sunday mornings. I suggested this as our mission:
“We want every CCA parishioner to live confidently in God’s love, for one another, and for the world He loves; that each of us will meet with God every day so that His Son is increasingly formed in us by prayer, Bible reading, and serving. We see corporate worship, home groups, communications, education and outreach programs, and all church-sponsored events in the light of supporting this growing awareness of God in our daily lives.”
As we prepare to receive a new rector and as we lean into what it means to be disciples who make disciples, I would love to hear your thoughts about how to transition from the traditional understanding of church as parent to church as mentor and coach; how we can better encourage one another to greater God-awareness beyond the walls of Sunday morning; and how we can meet Him in life-changing ways so that he is formed in us and we in Him – for the sake of the world He made and loves!
In His love,
Chuck Collins