Elephant in the Church: Identifying Hindrances and Strategies for Discipleship
Personal and spiritual growth occurs more consistently when believers submit themselves to others, who have come to know them thoroughly and hold them accountable for their actions, attitudes, and growth.
Defective Strategies
While inadequate goals suffice to sabotage discipleship, widespread but defective strategies compound ministry weakness. A number of flawed approaches appear below along with the correct ministry paradigms necessary to remedy them.
Discipleship by Osmosis vs. Intentional Discipleship
Rather than developing an intentional strategy for making disciples beyond the follow up of converts, many churches rely on discipleship by osmosis, hoping that discipleship will occur naturally as people attend church and absorb the environment. My observation agrees with that of Howard Hendricks, who believes that this only works for very small percentage of people.16 In order for consistent discipling to occur for the majority of believers, leaders must intentionally plan and work to make it happen.
Over-programming vs. Mission Driven Ministry
Too many good activities and programs arise in the course of a church’s life, each with vested constituents. These continue even when no one remembers their original purpose or they are no longer effective, because “they have always been part of the church” or “spiritual churches do these ministries.” With pride, churches declare that they have something every night of the week. Unfortunately, second and third best crowd out the great commission. The latter is the mission which needs to drive the ministries of the church.
Emphasis on Completing Curriculum vs. Ongoing Nurture and Relationships
Many churches operate under the assumption that if individuals complete a particular course or curriculum, they will be discipled. Underlying this belief may be the desire to speed up the process and avoid the difficult and often messy work of discipling people. Each person learns and implements truth at different rates and in varying ways. Each also has individual issues in their lives which need to be resolved. These processes work best in an environment of ongoing nurture with supportive relationships. Discipleship cannot simply be packaged into a preset schedule and curriculum, with a certificate of completion at the end.
Even as children cannot be raised quickly, growing a disciple takes time. Trying to abbreviate or accelerate the process only results in frustration. Psychiatrist-pastor John White stressed, “Real Christian growth is slow and painful.”17 This is especially true of the increasing numbers who are saved from dysfunctional backgrounds. A staff member at the Los Angeles Dream Center states, “Everyone wants to go fishing, but no one wants to clean the fish. That’s what we do here. Clean the fish.”18
Lack of Responsibility vs. Accountability
On one or more occasions per week, committed believers receive biblical teaching and preaching from their churches. Once they step outside the meeting, however, it is usually up to them whether or not to apply what they have heard or studied. Personal and spiritual growth occurs more consistently when believers submit themselves to others, who have come to know them thoroughly and hold them accountable for their actions, attitudes, and growth. Without this relational incentive, growth mostly proceeds sporadically and minimally. Accountability to parents and teachers enable children to learn; it is also the natural way to grow as adults. Psychologists Henry Cloud and John Townsend state, “It’s not rocket science; it’s the way God designed us to grow. Others discipline us, then we can do it for ourselves.”19
The first step toward ejecting the behemoth of nondiscipleship is to overcome ministry weaknesses by replacing inferior goals and defective strategies with more biblical and effective paradigms. This formidable task requires Spirit empowered change agents who can effect change while avoiding destructive conflict.
Other hindrances remain. Cultural subversion is the next challenge. This involves the seductions of our culture and the subtle misbeliefs it promulgates, which often lie below the radar of conscious awareness.
Category: Ministry, Pneuma Review, Spring 2011