SENTralized: Discipling Costs

Discipling. This is probably the most missing element in the church today. Much is said (from me included) about missional church and how missing it is from today's churchanity. Mission, though, flows from discipleship, or the lack thereof. Much has been written on the cost of discipleship from the standpoint of the disciple, but perhaps overlooked is the cost it takes to be a discipler. It is not institutional...it is incarnational. A lot of writing about discipleship speaks to the cost of being a disciple (e.g. Bonhoeffer), and this is very much the case. However, I believe one of the key parts that we miss on and is the biggest reason discipleship is a lost art lies at what it costs the Discipler. The time, sacrifice and effort it takes to open your life up to someone is a totally different thing than preparing a bible study or sermon. People don't get discipled in bible studies and from pulpits. It happens by doing life with another mature, devoted follower of Jesus.

I remember when I first became a believer and I tried to get a pastor to let me hang with him. It scared him to death. He just didn't know what to do with me. He was really good in the pulpit but he probably had never been discipled himself and he just was clueless as to what to do with me.

MORE ON THIS--
Below is an entry into the discussion board from mine and Alan Hirsch's online course--this is from one of the students, Mark Juan

"It seems to me that most, if not all, of the groups that I have been a part of or helped start have been groups whose focus have been the benefit of the group's members. As I reflect on those experiences, I notice that knowing Jesus and doing what he wanted seemed to be secondary to benefitting the members somehow. Bible Study groups focused on learning the Bible. Fellowship groups focused on knowing and supporting each other. Healing groups focused on experiencing emotional or physical healing. Leadership Training groups focused on developing leadership skills based on some leadership guru's books or gearted towards making the trainee another cog in the church machinery.

Jesus' first circle had a significantly different focus. Specically, members of his first circle focused on Jesus himself. In Jesus' day, a rabbi's disciples were known as his talmidim. Their main job was to "shadow" the rabbi 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They were to live with him; travel with him; eat with him; sleep in the same places; listen intently to him; and mirror his way of life.

Another feature of Jesus' first circle was that they had a bias for action. They went where Jesus went. They did what Jesus asked them to do. They helped with the distribution of bread and fish when Jesus fed the multitude. Jesus' disciples DID things with him.

And last but not least, Jesus' first circle was tied into Jesus' mission. Everything they did supported and advanced Jesus' cause; his proclamation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God. The first circle was sent out to heal, deliver and preach. In fact, that first circle expanded from 12 to 72 (Luke 10) to do exactly what they had already been doing with Jesus.

The importance of the first circle in any movement cannot be stressed enough. The first circle sets the tone for what follows. It contains the DNA of the rest of the movement. What is true in the first circle will be true in the rest of the movement.

How does this work for SOULNET?

It's drawing near the time to start our first circle. I want to prayerfully select the people who will be the members of the first circle of SOULNET. The more I meditate on the first disciples, I notice that there is really only one key functional requirement...to be teachable enough to be shaped by Jesus. This means a willingness to submit their lives to follow the Rabbi. I am growing more and more convinced that the key requirement for the first circle members of our movement is a willingness to be shaped shaped by the Master and his mission: To live under the Lordship of Jesus in the power of the Spirit.

I envision spending a significant amount of time in worship, prayer, and listening to the Spirit of Jesus with the first circle. But I also see the need to be essentially biased towards action. Our time with Jesus must lead us to action...to doing...to following where Jesus would go and what Jesus would do in our city."