“Who taught him to do that? This question has been asked time and again by parents who see their children imitating something that one of the parents did. Sometimes the invitation is to and sometimes it is not. When considering the act of disciple-making, this same dynamic comes into play. As a matter fact Jesus used this model what he called his disciples to come follow Him. As the disciples spent three years the Savior, they observed his every action, words, and values. After the resurrection, Jesus left the final charge to these disciples. This command, found in Matthew 28, gave the disciples the fundamental engine that would build the church. From that time, many systems and processes have been designed to fulfill that command. Many of these are very good, many are actually counterproductive, promoting attitudes, actions, and values that have very little to do with the Gospel.
Two discipleship models, the LifeShapes model developed by Mike Breen (2011), and the Disciplines model, designed by Richard Foster (2003), were compared and contrasted regarding their closeness to Jesus’ original model, and their effectiveness in carrying out the directive. Upon examining the details of two discipleship models presented, the need for a new discipleship model was confirmed; the new design adapted select components of each system, incorporated unique features, and was aligned to both biblical principles and the Christian worldview.
Components of Two Discipleship Models
Although both discipleship models aim at the same goal, they take vastly different approaches. The differences between these two systems became evident as each was dissected to determine their inner workings and the philosophies behind them. The LifeShapes model incorpora...
... middle of paper ...
... and improved discipleship process was designed to help move God’s people closer to Him.
Works Cited
Breen, and Cockram. (2011). Building a discipling culture [Kindle version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com.
Cosgrove, M. (2006). Foundations of Christian thought: Faith, learning, and the Christian worldview. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications.
Cronshaw, D. (2012). Reenvisioning theological education and missional spirituality. Journal Of Adult Theological Education, 9(1), 9-27.
Foster, R. (2003). Celebration of discipline [Kindle edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com.
McWilliams, W. (1993). Winds of Grace, Ways of Faith: Expanding the Horizons of Christian Spirituality. Perspectives In Religious Studies, 20(2), 202-205.
Plummer, R. (2009). Are the spiritual disciplines of "silence and solitude" really biblical? Journal Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 2(1), 101-112.
Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 2 ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Pub Co, 2004.
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second Edition. Edited by Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001.
Similarly to prayer buddies, discipleships are pretty much what the International Church of Christ is known for; without having a discipleship, one is not a true Christian (CARM). In this process of discipleship, an older member of the church is paired up with a newer member in order to oversee their lives and help mentor them onto the right path for salvation (Who Are We?). The discipler (older member who is the mentor), makes all these decisions for the disciple which can range from confessing their sins to them all the way to where they should live and who they should associate themselves with. Life decisions are dictated by the discipler, and the disciple is expected to submit to t...
Himes, B. (2011). Discipleship as theological praxis: Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a resource for educational ministry. Christian Education Journal, 8(2), 263-277.
Hoffecker, Andrew W., ed. Building a Christian World View. Vol. 1. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1986.
Discipleship is the process of making disciples; students or followers of someone (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). Although discipleship existed long before Jesus, the disciple-making process as expressed by Jesus is the most impactful example for Christianity. The following is an analysis of discipleship as it was applied to Jesus’ ministry, Jesus’ discipleship model in light of modern leadership theories, and a discussion of what can be gleaned from Jesus’ discipleship model.
The Meaning of Discipleship In this piece of coursework I will be writing about the meaning of
Rourke, Nancy. “Christianity Notes.” Religion 101 Notes Christianity. Entry posted April 14, 2011. https ://angel.canisius.edu/section/default.asp?id=43760%5FSpring2011 (accessed April 18, 2011).
W. Andrew Hoffecker. Building a Christian World View, vol. 1: God, man, and Knowledge. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey : 1986.
In ministry it is important to note that the different people involved in your ministry will be at different stages of their spiritual growth. Having an awareness of your own personal theology will be important for how you go about teaching the students who are involved in your youth ministry. One part of personal theology is spiritual formation. Duffy Robbins states that spiritual formation is, “the growing into the likeness of Jesus” (448). Another main part of personal theology is community. Understanding and having an idea of both spiritual formation and community helps with the formation of personal theology of ministry. This paper will share five areas of theology and how they relate to practical theology in youth ministry. The five areas of theology include view of God, view of people, view of sin, view of redemption, and view of scripture.
Molloy, Michael. "Christianity." Experiencing the World's Religions. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 333-401. Print.
When Jesus called His disciples, His invitation was simple. He invited them to follow Him. The same is true today. In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His last charge to His disciples, and the charge was simple. He called his followers to go and make disciples. Much effort has been placed by Christians to fulfill this charge, commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Jesus chose to fulfill the implementation of the New Covenant through 12 men who He called, appointed, and commissioned, and he only had a few short years to prepare them for the task (Willson, 1990). His methods were unconventional and were revolutionary for that time. His disciples were to be trained extensively by Jesus, living with Him for three years prior to His ascension. He taught about servant leadership and its meaning for both the leader and follower Matt. 20:25-28). From the beginning, Jesus put in place a careful plan, and an examination of His actions in the Gospels showed that Jesus left behind the pattern to be replicated. His methods, which included the incorporation of three different levels of discipleship, included His interaction with Peter, His closest three (Peter, James, and John), and finally the group of 12. This paper identified and analyzed the three levels of discipleship Jesus modeled, these discipleship methods were then measured against modern leadership theories, and Jesus’s level of involvement and interaction with his disciples were critiqued in light of these modern theories in an effort to determine the effectiveness of this approach.
Erickson, M. J. (2001). Introducing Christian Doctrine (2nd ed.). (L. A. Hustad, Ed.) Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: HarperOne, 2010.