Elephant in the Church: Identifying Hindrances and Strategies for Discipleship

Believing that Christians should not have negative feelings, some believers stifle these before they surface. These submerged emotions can wreak havoc in our inner lives, and may emerge in unhealthy and even destructive ways. The Psalmist boldly expresses a wide range of feelings, including jealousy (10.5), despair (13.1), and violent vengeance (58.6). An omniscient God knows these feelings exist, even when they are not articulated. When believers acknowledge them, however, they can begin to deal with them with the help of his Spirit.

In the face of guilt, humans tend toward denial, suppression, rationalization, minimization, justification, and blame. These self-deceptive maneuvers slam the door on growth. Cornelius Platinga explains, “…when we lack an ear for wrong notes in our lives, we cannot play right ones….”⁵⁴ While evil people refuse to recognize their wrong doing,⁵⁵ guilt can actually be a gift for growth, exposing the areas of deficiency. So an honest conscience promotes growth.

If believers know how to respond to the circumstances, choices, doubts, negative emotions, and guilt that arise in their lives, these can be a tremendous source for growth. Handled wrongly, these situations produce the opposite effect.

Integrate Spiritual Growth with Personal Growth

Above it was noted that spiritual maturity and personal maturity intertwine. Christians do not grow much in one area without growing in the other as well. Hence leaders need to develop approaches to discipleship that foster growth in both areas. (Areas for personal growth were discussed in the section, “Deficiencies in Intrapersonal Dynamics.”)

Develop a Holistic Approach to the Christian Life

Churches must avoid the tendency to focus on certain areas of Christian faith and practice while ignoring others. In general, much more attention needs to be given to a number of areas of Christian living mentioned above. In addition, true followers of Jesus must give attention to the needy, social and economic justice, and environmental concerns. The development of personal maturity through overcoming the personal weaknesses previously cited must also be a goal, for discipleship to be effective. The entirety of our lives must fall under the lordship of God.

Conclusion

Overcoming the hindrances to discipleship in American churches poses an enormous challenge. Recognizing their magnitude and complexity is the essential first step. Discerning their existence in our ministries, in our culture, and within ourselves equips us to combat them, while suggesting strategies for so doing. The proposed strategies provide a basis for prayer, dialogue, and action for leaders, as we seek to oust the elephant of nondiscipleship from our churches.

PR

 

Endnotes

¹ Dallas Willard, Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in Christ (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1998) 313.

²Richard J. Foster in Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups, ed. by Richard J. Foster & James Bryan Smith (San Francisco: HarperSan Francisco, 1993). 18.

³Brian McLaren in Leadership, Summer 2003, 38.

⁴Thom S. Ranier, High Expectations: The Remarkable Secret for Keeping People in Your Church (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, l999) 129.

⁵Aubrey Malphurs, Strategy 2000: Churches Making Disciples for the Next Millennium (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications,1996) 24-25.

⁶ George Barna, Growing True Disciples: New Strategies for Producing Genuine Followers of Christ (Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2001) 20, 55, 11.

⁷Ibid., 9.

⁸Bill Hull, The Disciple-Making Pastor (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell), 13.

⁹Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1963, 2001) 36.

¹⁰Willard, Divine Conspiracy, 41.

¹¹Lloyd Ogilvie, God’s Best for Your Life (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1981) June 18 reading.

¹²2:7 Series (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress)

¹³Greg Ogden, Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998).

¹⁴Michael H. Clarensau et al., We Build People: Making Disciples for the 21^st Century (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 1996)

¹⁵Barna, Growing True Disciples, 89.

¹⁶Aubrey Malphurs, Strategy 2000, 25.

¹⁷John White, Flirting with the World (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1982) 129.

¹⁸Pentecostal Evangel, Nov. 24, 1996, p. 25.

¹⁹Henry Cloud & John Townsend, How People Grow: What the Bible Reveals about Personal Growth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001) 125.

²⁰Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1999) 217.

²¹Os Guinness, The Call (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group/ Thomas Nelson, 1998, 2003) 150.

²²Barna, Growing True Disciples, 42.

²³Robert Quinn, Deep Change: Discover the Leader Within (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996) 24.

²⁴M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and SpiritualGrowth (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1978) 280.

²⁵Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 15.

²⁶Cloud & Townsend, How People Grow, 200.

²⁷Stephen Lim, “10 Keys to Managing Anxiety,” in War Cry, April 29, 2000, 14-15.

²⁸Abraham J. Twerski, Addictive Thinking, 2^nd edition (New York: MJF Books, 1997) 24.

²⁹M. Scott Peck, Further Along the Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993) 97.

³⁰Robert Hemfelt, Frank Minirth, & Paul Meier, We are Driven: The Compulsive Behaviors America Applauds (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991).

³¹Perry Downs, Teaching for Spiritual Growth: An Introduction to Christian Education (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994) 79.

³²Wilhoit & Dettoni, Nurture that Is Christian, 233.

³³Les L. Steele, On the Way: A Practical Theology of Christian Formation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1990.

³⁴For example, see Jay A. Conger, “The Necessary Art of Persuasion” in Harvard Business Review on Change (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1998) 227-255.

³⁵For example, see Alan Nelson & Gene Appel, How to Change Your Church Without Killing It (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 2000).

³⁶Dallas Willard’s Divine Conspiracy and Cloud & Townsend’s How People Grow, are among the few books that give attention to this matter.

³⁷Willard, Divine Conspiracy, 305.

³⁸John Piper, Future Grace (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 1995) 336, 338.

³⁹Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002) 224.

Tags: church, discipleship, elephant, featured, hindrances, identifying, strategies

Category: Ministry, Pneuma Review, Spring 2011