Thursday, September 20, 2007

Examples of how disciple making movements are different.

In our disciples making disciples movement our Christ followers are immediately released into the community to do ministry out of their giftedness and passion. This early release is made possible because every Christ follower is being discipled and trained as they go. They make mistakes, but those mistakes are necessary in the preparation process - that's where we learn where they need help.

In the traditional church model the new Christ follower is often kept inside the church and not released to explore new ministries outside of the approved established ones sanctioned by the church leadership. They must be trained. They must be put in classes that make them good church members under the guise of discipleship so they can serve in predetermined ministries.

Reasons new believers are not released (American Church)to serve outside the church in their areas of giftedness and passion are, just to name a few of many.

They are not trained and ready.
They are needed to serve their own approved ministries.
All ministries in and out must be supervised.
They might misrepresent or embarrass our church.
They may flop and make huge mistakes making us look bad.
We don't have the leadership to train people to serve out of their gifting and passions for outside ministries.
Our own predetermined ministries need more workers.

Just to name a few.

None of these barriers exist nor are they concerns in a disciples making disciples movement. Disciples are being discipled, helped with their failures and questions, offered training in the areas of concern. They cannot embarrass the church because we have no church location that has remained steady. Failing forward is a necessary and common part of growing and becoming more effective.

Best of all, our new Christ followers are released to experience the leadership of the Holy Spirit and work in their lives. It is incredibly freeing and exciting to see new believers being baptized by the one who led him/her to Jesus and for any believers (Non ordained) to anoint others when they are sick or even to lead a communion service at own gatherings. Best of all pastors serve out of their leadership gifts with no expectation to serve and in all of them (Apostolic, Prophetic, Teaching, Evangelism and Pastoring). There is a balance among the elders and all leadership gifts are represented in them. Other leaders in the Church serve out of their leadership gifts and spiritual gifts and passions as does the rest of the Body of Christ. My pastor is not pastoral and nor does he need to be because we have those in leadership gifted and in the family who are pastoral and who fulfill that function.

Many pastors are expected to be good at all Five Designated Leadership gifts and are incredibly frustrated at the expectation, but not in our movement of disciple making. Our leaders and believers serve in their leadership gifts as well as their spiritual gifts and passions the way God builds His Church in balance.

When I was pastor, I did not possess the leadership gift of pastoring. So it was always a burden for me to pastoral when I was not gifted to be such. People had expectations of me that I was unable to meet. I visited them out of imposed duty and love for them, but I was lousy at it and also drained by it.

Any thoughts worth considering here?

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