i fi r rT Int eesRecovering An Adventist Approach to The Life & Mission of The Local Church Russell C. Burrill Hart Books Fallbrook, CaliforniaCover art direction & design by Ed Guthero Cover illustrations by Nathan Greene Page design and production by Kara Meredith. All text set in Palatino and Optima. Copyright @1998 by Hart Research Center Printed in the United States of America All Rights Reserved Except where otherwise indicated, scripture references in this book are from the New International Version of the Bible, copyright @1979 by New York International Bible Society. Used by permission. The author assumes responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and quotations as cited in this book. ISBN: 1-878046-49-7— CONTENTS — LIST OF CHARTS Foreword... Introduction... 1. The Great Commission as the Foundation of Mission. 2. The Early Church and Mission Understanding 3. The Basis of Adventist Mission... Part One The Mission of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church The Primacy of the Great Commission... The Product of the Great Commission. A Biblical Definition of “Disciple’...... Summary... Pentecost and Mission Understanding... The New Testament Church Organization as a Reflection of Its Mission Mandate..... Cultural Differences for the Sake of Mission Accomplishment. Church Planting as a Focus of Mission Strategy A Non-dependent Model of Church...... Summary... The Parousia as a Basis for Adventist Mission. An Understanding of Revelation 14:6-12 as the Basis for Understanding Discipleship in the Adventist Churchii Contents Part Two Clergy Role and Member Care In the New Testament Era 4, An Understanding of the Biblical Terms for Clergy. Priest Apostles. Elder /Bishup. Deacon / Minister Pastor /Shepherd Conclusion about Clergy as Primary Care Giver: 5, An Understanding of Member Care in the New Testament Era... Old Testament Background for Biblical Community. Community in the Ministry of Jesus. The Small Group Church in the Book of Acts asa Basis for Member Care... The Apostle Paul’s Understanding of Providing Member Care Through Small Groups. Community in Small Groups as a New Testament Strategy... Mutual Care as the Primary Source of Member Care in the New Testament Summary Part Three Clergy Role and Member Care In the Early Adventist Church 6. Historical Backgrounds to the Rise of Adventism.... Departure from the New Testament Plan of Member Care. Methodism and Its Impact on Adventism’ Understanding of Clergy Role and Member Care...Contents ii 7. The Role of the Clergy in Early Adventism.... Role of Clergy as Itinerant Evangelists and Church Planters... Organizational Structure Designed for Mission Accomplishment... Ellen White and the Role of Clergy. Loss of Clergy Role as Church Planters... 8. Member Care in Early Adventism The Pioneers of Adventism and the Social Meeting Ellen White and the Social Meeting Ellen White and Small Groups Conclusions on Member Care in Early Adventism. Part Four Clergy Role and Member Care In the New Testament Era 9. Return to the Biblical and Historical Roots.. Why Adventism Should Return to a Mission-Driven Church.. Why Adventism Must Return to a Biblical Role of Clergy... Why Adventism Needs to Return to a Biblical Role of Member Care 10. A Model of Church Structure Based on Biblical and Historical Roots... Disciple Making in the New Model ‘The Structure of the Model Church, Including Pastoral Role and Member Care... Conference Structure in a Church Built on the Biblical / Historical Model Summary...11. How to Return to the Biblical / Historical Model... Education Into the New Model...... : Planting a New Church in the New Model. Contents 235 236 237 Transitioning an Existing Church Into the New Model......:.238 What to Do About Existing Churches Which Do Not Wish to Transition... Summary... 12. Summary and Conclusion... Appendix: North American Division Growth Statistics... Selected Bibliography Chart 1: Chart 2: Chart 3: Chart 4: 243, — LIST OF CHARTS — Increase in Members Per Pastor . Number of Churches Per Pastor Average Increase in Churches Per Year Per Pastor. Pastors Needed to Raise One Church...— FOREWORD — Recovering an Adventist Approach to the Life and Mission of the Local Church is one more powerful challenge of Dr. Russell C. Burrill to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It provides the historical-theological framework that helped shape his previous books Revolutionized in the Church of the 215 Century (1997), and the one to come, Rekindling a Lost Passion: Recreating a Church Planting Movement (1999), Dr. Burrill discovers in the New Testament a church that was conditioned by its mission mandate. The focus of its mission strategy was church planting. The clergy were itinerant preachers. The planted non-pastors-dependent congregations that grew and multiplied under lay leadership. the result was a rapid spread of Christianity over the then-known world. One of the most valuable contributions of Dr. Burrill in Recovering an Adventist Approach is precisely the recovery of an almost forgotten chapter of Seventh-day Adventist growth strategy. Following quite closely the apostolic model, until the early decades of the 208t century Seventh-day Adventist ministers were essentially itinerant evangelisis and church planters, not care givers in local congregations. Member care was the responsibility of each con-gregation, with the “social meeting” as a significant factor. During that period the Adventist Church experienced its fastest rate growth. The book concludes with a call to the Seventh-day Adventist Church to recover its mission-centered biblical and historical roots. But this does not imply an indiscriminate effort to tum the clock back. With sensitivity and realism, Dr. Burrill suggests a strategy that also makes room for those who may be unable to fully understand the issues at stake.Dr. Burrill has emerged as one of the leading Adventist and practitioners in church growth and church planting. In recov an Adventist Approach he has challenged us to again at mission of the church from the perspective of its founders. Berrien Springs, Michigan Werner Vyhmeister, D November, 1998 SDA Theological S— INTRODUCTION — Nearly two thousand years ago a group of eleven doubting disciples met Jesus at a mountain just before His ascension into heaven. There Jesus delivered to them what has become known as the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20). In obedience to that commission, within the first one hundred years of their existence those early disciples created new disciples from every nation known to them. Today many of those who profess to be followers of Jesus give scant attention to the mandate of this Great Commission. Churches exist without any real focus in ministry. Many times they appear to exist for the sake of self-perpetuation. Only sporadic attempts at best are made to create new disciples. Likewise, the Seventh-day Adventist Church arose in the mid- nineteenth century with a clear mission mandate to proclaim their unique message to the remotest parts of planet Earth. With unrestrained zeal they traversed the globe and planted Adventism world-wide within forty years of their organization. The Adventist Church has continued its explosive growth throughout the twentieth century, averaging a growth rate of 7 percent per annum, resulting in close to ten million members today. However, as one examines the growth of the Adventist Church, one quickly discovers an unequal growth of the Church. The third world is exploding with growth rates of 10 to 15 percent per year, while North America, Europe, and Australia (westernized nations) are growing at less than 2 percent per year. Early Adventism’s North American membership statistics were reflective of committed membership, whereas today in North America, membership roles are grossly inflated. Attendance averages less than half the membership. In contrast, the vibrant third world Church boasts greater attendance than membership in many areas. The North American Adventist Church has become very pastor dependent, whereas most of the third world exists without settled pastors. In fact, many pastors have thirty to forty churches under their supervision. Of necessity these churches have become lay led and la} empowered, in contrast to the pastor-dependent model of Nort America and other westernized nations. It is the purpose of this dissertation to examine the biblical foundations upon which the Seventh-day Adventist Church has built its ecclesiology. We will pay particular attention to the biblical mission 12 Introduction entrusted to the Church, the role of clergy in accomplishing that mission, and the role of laity in accomplishing both the mission and the care of existing Christians. In addition we will research early Adventism to discover the ecclesiology of the early Adventist Church and its relation to its understanding of mission, pastoral role and member care. From the principles discovered biblically and historically, the dissertation will attempt to propose a model for Adventist churches to follow in the twenty-first century. This model will be based on Adventism’s biblical and historical roots. It envisions a church that is mission driven, lay empowered, and independent of clergy for pastoral care. North American Adventism currently is seriously re-examining its evangelistic function and attempting to become once again a mission- driven church. The North American Division in their 1996 Year-End Meetings spent nearly three days discussing and exploring ways in which the North American Church could become a church-planting movement. The present ecclesiological structure of the Church makes that difficult. The regular distribution of funds favors existing churches and maintenance of the status quo. In spite of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles involved in fostering church planting, the Church in business meeting committed itself to moving in the direction of becoming a church-planting movement once again. In the context of freeing funds for church planting, the idea of a redefinition of the clergy role has also been gaining momentum. That redefined role would envision clergy as trainers /equippers rather than primary care givers. It would begin to resemble the clergy role in the third world rather than the institutional model of most westernized denominations. While few at the present time envision pastors with 30 to 40 churches, many foresee churches being less dependent on pastors and more lay-centered. Because of Adventism’s deep dependence on Scripture as the only tule of faith and practice, as well as its profound commitment to mission, the model suggested in this dissertation, while challenging, can be accomplished. It is the author's sincere belief that Adventism in North America can once again become a mission-centered, non-pastor dependent, lay-empowered church, It is the author's hope that this dissertation will play a role in helping the Church once again be confirmed as a mission-centered, church-planting organization. The challenge of reaching the millions of unchurched people in North America must once again propel the Church forward to the fulfillment of its God-ordained commission.Introduction s In summary, the purpose of this dissertation is to define clearly the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, both biblically and historically, and to examine the ecclesiology upon which such a mission was accomplished in early Adventism. The model de-veloping out of these biblical and historical ecclesiological roots will enable the North American Adventist Church of the next century to become a church that truly reaches out to lost people, integrates them into loving Adventist fellowships, and ultimately sees them saved in the kingdom of God. The model here developed envisions non-pastor dependent Adventist churches emerging all over North America, making disciples in every possible people group.— PART ONE — THE MISSION OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH— CHAPTER 1 — THE GREAT COMMISSION AS THE FOUNDATION OF MISSION Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything | have commanded you. And surely | am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt. 28:16-20 NIV (New International Version) So ended Jesus’ con sojourn, according to Matthew’s account. In this commissioning of Hi: lis disciples, Jesus sets the stage for all that is yet to happen within the infant church which He has established by this action. THE PRIMACY OF THE GREAT COMMISSION The Great Commission stands as the “Magna Carta” of the Christian church. It is its reason for existence. It is called “the Great Commission” because of the magnitude of the commission. It is all encompassing. Frederick Bruner notices the five “alls” that form this commission: “All [pasa] authority,” “ail [panta] nations,” “into the name [of all of God],” “all [panta] that I commanded you,” “with you all [pasas] the days.’ This scene on the mountainside is reminiscent of a similar scene some fifteen hundred years earlier when Jehovah gathered the newly released slaves into a nation at Mt. Sinai. It was there that God spoke and commissioned Israel to be His people and to hear His law. Now Jesus is about to commission the new Israel. The risen Jesus does not appear for the purpose of proving that He has risen from the dead, but rather for the purpose of revealing that His state of “risenness” ' Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew, vol. 2, The Churchbook, Matthew 13-28 (Dallas: Word, 1990), 1094 7a Chapter 1 gives Him the authority to issue the commission which He is about to ive.” . This new vision of the authoritative Jesus provokes the disciples to bow in adoration of Him. Yet, amazingly, there were still some doubters among these disciples.® Not everyone was ready to worship Him. It was not only Thomas who doubted his risen Lord; others of the eleven still doubted on the day of the ascension. As Jesus appears to this group of worshiping and doubting disciples, he does not ignore those who still doubt, but includes them. He comes to them in their act of worship and doubt. This indicates that Jesus accepts people just as they are, even when they have doubts and problems. Jesus does not ask that one have mature faith when one fulfills the Great Commission. All can worship, and all can be disciples making other disciples.’ Jesus is here directing the Great Commission not just to believing disciples, but to doubting disciples. Having seen the risen Lord, the disciples listen spellbound to His almost unbelievable words: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” (Matt. 8:19 NIV). Jesus does not come now as He did earlier to His disciples asking, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matt.16:13 NIV). Now He comes declaring that He is the One with absolute and total authority over heaven and earth. His is not now a partial authority; it is a total authority. Jesus is actually claiming that He is the CEO (chief executive officer) of the universe.’ This is the most authoritative statement that Jesus has made in His entire ministry on earth. On Mt. Sinai God first revealed Himself to Israel in thunder tones to accentuate His authority and power. Jesus now reenacts this scene for the commissioning of His New Testament church. It is not just Jesus, but the wuthoritative Jesus who issues the Great Commission. This powerful statement of Jesus’ authority is sufficient to give strong emphasis to this commission. It cannot be taken lightly. It is not just one command among the many that Jesus gives, but is in a sense the command of Jesus, for it embraces all His other commands. To be faithful here means to be faithful to alll else that Jesus commands. To be disobedient to this commission is to be unfaithful to the authoritative Jesus, the chief executive officer of the universe. We dare not be * Matt. 28:18. ° Matt. 28:17. * Bruner, 1094. * IbidThe Great Commission as the Foundation of Mission 9 disobedient to the mission of this Jesus who possesses full, complete, and ultimate authority. Having declared Himself to be the sole possessor of ultimate authority, Jesus now issues the divine commission of verse 19. The command is incredible. How could a small band of eleven poverty-stricken, halt believing half-doubting people, ever fulfill such a grandiose scheme—making disciples of all the nations? The only way it could be done is through the power of the all-authoritative osus. The audacious divinity of the eighteenth verse enables the audacious internationalism of the nineteenth verse. “In Jesus’ position of power over the whole world (v 18) lies the ground of his demand of mission to the whole world lv 19]” (K1., 232; cf. Sand, 798). Since Jesus is the plenipotentiary of the universe, disciples move out to say so.” The grounds of mission are rooted deeply, therefore, in the full divinity of Jesus Christ as absolute Lord of both heaven and earth. The reason for the Christian mission to the nations can only be understood in the context of the risen Lord, who had conquered death. Underlying this commission is the undeniable thought that this same Jesus’ will provide them the power and the means to accomplish the mission that He has given them. That is why He declares as the final component of the commission that He will be with them to the end of the ages (v. 20). This being with them is for the sake of the nations that need to be reached. It is not an unconditional “withing,” but a “withing” as they go about the making of disciples.” The disciples were not simply to go to the nations; they were to go “therefore,” because Christ is the possessor of full authority over i nations. They are not to start forth on this mission without the presence of Him who has all authority. Inherent in the call of the Great Commission is the promise of the Spirit that is to be fully manifested at Pentecost. The other synoptic gospel writers present an even stronger emphasis on the presence of the Spirit with the disciples as they accomplish Christ's commission. Even though Mark’s account does not have full authenticity, it parallels Matthew’s rendition, yet gives a stronger emphasis to the Spirit. Instead of having Jesus declare that He ° Ibid., 1096. * Ibid., 1106.10 Chapter 1 has all authority, Mark indicates that Jesus’ disciples will have an authoritative ministry that is authenticated by the signs which Gedompany them an thats aniniateyfor jescen Ten eeeneieltte Makan account is the same presence of Jesus with the disciples, enabling them to accomplish His mission through His authoritative power, not in human strength. Luke's account likewise contains the promise of the Spirit's power accompanying the disciples as they go to the world. Each of the synoptic gospels relates the same thought as being inherent in the giving of the Great Commission: the power of the Holy Spirit to enable the accomplishment of this mission of the risen Lord. In fact, the power of the Spirit was so necessary for the accomplishment of the mission that Jesus bade the disciples to wait until they received this power before they could go to the nations in His authority.* THE PRODUCT OF THE GREAT COMMISSION The mandate commissioned by Jesus is vastly different from the mandate given to Israel. Israel was commissioned to create a caring community that reflected the true God. They were placed at the crossroads of civilization, where all nations would come to them and learn of the true God. In contrast to all of the nations coming to Israel, Christ commissions the new Israel to go to the nations: The Old Testament emphasis is not on Israel moving out in mission, but on the nations spontaneously converging on Jerusalem. They are attracted by the evidence of the God of Israel uniquely and gloriously present in the midst of his people. So they come to pay jomage to a foreign deity, not compelled by conquest but convinced by the covenant God has established with Israel and extends to the world.® Some church growth writers have suggested that the emphasis should be on the making of disciples rather than on the going, They have felt that the church has put most of its emphasis on the sending ® Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:44-50; Luke 24:49. ° Eddie Gibbs, | Believe in Church Growth (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1992), SacThe Great Commission as the Foundation of Mission 1 rather than the making of disciples.'* That may be true, but one must also be in harmony with the biblical text, which seems to place more emphasis on the sending than the making of disciples. Ths does no diminish disciple making, as the aim, but that disciple making is to be accomplished in the process of “going” rather than the church waiting for people to come to it, as it existed in the Old Testament paradigm The tendency of the church has been and will be to be content with what it has accomplished and fail to keep on going. Jesus could not have used a more powerful imperative than the one He uses in the Great Commission. He is demanding that His disciples go: Because the imperative of the verb (poreuthentes) is used three other times in this Gospel to mandate people physically to go somewhere (2:8; 11:4; 28:7), the “move” here is probably also a dynamic command and not just a casual auxiliary. (Thus poreuthentes should probably not be translated “as you go”; it is part of the missionary command and means “get moving!”) Because Jesus is Lord, disciples should keep making extensive decisions, be reaching out, be seeking ways to get in touch with people." This is not a command that disciples of Jesus can ignore. They are not asked to go to the nations; they are commanded to go, and there is to be an urgency connected to their going. Other passages indicate that they were to wait for power, but this waiting was only to be for ten days. After that, Pentecost occurred, the Holy Spirit descended, and the power to accomplish the mission was given to the church. No longer was there any need to wait. The power that descended at Pentecost was now fully available to the disciples. Therefore the urgency of the Great Commission compels the church to be involved in the mission of Christ now. What is that mission? According to the commission, it is the making of disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them all that Jesus commanded. The mission described. in this commission. centers around these three works: disciple making, baptizing, and teaching. Mission is not complete until all three works have been accomplished. Only as the church follows this three-fold mandate can it claim to be fulfilling 19 Robert E. Logan, Beyond Church Growth: Action Plans for Developing a Dynamic Church (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1994), 96. ™' Bruner, 1096.12 Chapter 1 the gospel commission. Thus if a church baptizes people without discipling, or teaching them, it is disobedient to Christ. If a church disciples people and fails to baptize them, it is likewise disobedient. If a church teaches people the commands of Christ, but does not disciple and baptize them, it too fails Jesus. Even if a church disciples people and baptizes them into the church, but fails to continue to teach them the commands of Jesus, they are disobedient to Christ. The focus of this command is broad. It demands the church create a reproducing church of solid disciples, not half-converted Christians. The command of our Lord seems too clear to be misunderstood, and yet it is one which is most often misunderstood in modern Christianity. The church has failed miserably to fulfill the Great Commission, not because it has not faithfully proclaimed and baptized, but because it has not seen the absolute necessity of ensuring all three actions. The church’s origin is inherent in the commission of Jesus; the source of the power for the fulfillment of the commission resides in the Pentecost event. Pentecost by itself, unlinked to the Great Commission, results many times in a selfish use of the Spirit, instead of seeing the Spirit as the empowerer of the church as it fulfills the mission of Jesus. While not attempting to diminish the Great Commission, Ray Anderson attempts to place Pentecost as a greater force for mission theology than the Great Commission: Pentecost is the source of the mission theology of the church, even as mission theology leads directly to a theology of the church. That is, a edie of the church emerges out of mission as the church understands its nature as grounded in God’s own mission inaugurated through Israel and consummated in Christ. This means that mission has a theological priority in determining the nature of the church and its relation to the mission of God for the world. Boer argues persuasively that Pentecost, not the Great Commission, was a conscious ingredient in the mission thinking of the early church. This is set in contrast to much of the modern mission emphasis, which attempts to locateThe Great Commission as the Foundation of Mission 13 the mission imperative of the church on obedience to the Great Commission rather than to Pentecost,’ While Anderson’s emphasis on Pentecost is commendable, this author believes that he errs in placing the Great Commission subject to Pentecost, rather than Pentecost being an extension of the Great Commission. The establishment of the church is clearly the Great Commission, as this chapter has revealed. However, Pentecost is the empowerment of the church for the sake of accomplishing the Great Commission. The church is founded by Christ (Great Commission), not by the Holy Spirit (Pentecost). The Holy Spirit's work is to bear witness of Christ, and therefore the Spirit empowers that which Christ has already established. To place Pentecost above the Great Commission is to place the Holy Spirit above Christ. If Anderson is correct in placing Pentecost over the Great Commission as the origin of the church, then the authenticating Holy Spirit becomes the decider of teaching rather than Christ or the Word, for the witness of the Spirit becomes superior to the Word. This is not Anderson’s intention, but it is a natural outgrowth of such thinking. The apostolic continuity of the church must be found in its life under the transforming power and presence of Christ rather than in its conformity to the form of the church in the first century... Those who seek to repristinate first-century Christianity as a basis for the polity, worship and style of the church in the present century actually become nonapostolic and finally irrelevant to the apostolic mission of the church today. As Pannenberg suggests, that which may have been apostolic in the first century may actually be a hindrance to the apostolic mission of the church today.”? Anderson seemingly has reversed the biblical order. The origin of the church is the Great Commission; Pentecost then empowers the church to accomplish that mission, In this sense the author can agree with Anderson: “ Ray S. Anderson, Ministry On the Fireline: A Practical Theology for an Empowered Church (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993) 101-102; 31 13 jbid., 128.14 Chapter | The church exists as the missionary people of God—that is its nature. The mission of the church is to embody in its corporate life and ministry the continuing messianic and incarnational nature of the Son of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The nature of the church is determined in its existence as the mission of God to the world. The church’s nature, as well as its mission and ministry, have their source in the life of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.'* Thus far, we have discovered that the Great Commission is primary for the origin of the Christian Church. That commission is rooted in the authority of the risen Christ who demands of His followers the making of disciples, the baptizing of disciples, and the continual teaching of disciples among all the nations. In order to accomplish that objective, He promised to be with the disciples in this missionary venture, and then fulfilled that promise by giving the Spirit at Pentecost. Thus Pentecost is rooted in the Great Comm-ission and serves to enable the church to fulfill this commission. The Great Commission is primary, Pentecost is secondary. It is in this sense that Seventh-day Adventists can never be Pentecostal. The Holy Spirit is given for the accomplishment of the Great Commission, The Holy Spirit is not an end in Himself; He serves the risen Christ, enabling His body to fulfill the Great Commission. The Spirit can never supersede the Christ or the Word. He can only bear witness to it. It has not been the purpose of this discussion to downplay the Holy Spirit; only to place the Holy Spirit in His proper place. One of the dangers confronting Adventism today is the attempt to allow the Spirit to be the authenticating decider of what is right in mission and in practice. The danger here is that a false spirit could also be at work. Adventism must evaluate the ongoing Spirit by the eternal Word. Only as theology and practice is subjected to the acid test of the revealed Word can Adventism be safe. As the Spirit is authenticated by the Word of God, He can empower the church of today to indeed accomplish the mission of Christ as portrayed in the Creat Commission. The true church of Jesus today, then, must be a Great Commission church. It must be a church that is serious about fulfilling the Great Commission. If the origin of the church is in the Great Commission, ™ ibid, 114.The Creat Commission as the Foundation of Mission 15 then its life and practice must revolve around the fulfillment of that commission as the reason for its existence. [t is on this basis that the church of Jesus today must truly become the missionary peuple of God for the sake of the nations. A BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF “DISCIPLE” Since the mandate of the Great Commission constitutes the reason for the existence of the church, and that commission commands the church to make disciples, it is essential that we clearly understand from a biblical basis what a disciple is. Many definitions are given in church growth literature, but they seem to be arrived at for missiological reasons rather than as a strictly biblical definition." Yet something so crucial to the fulfillment of the Great Commission as the making of disciples demands that disciple making be understood as Jesus defined it. It would be this definition that Jesus would have had in mind as He commanded His followers to go forth and make disciples. How can evangelism be understood if the product that evangelism is attempting to produce is not clear. According to the Great Commission that product is a disciple. The English word “disciple” is a translation of the Greek mathetes. Its origin was in Greece when a student would attach himself to a teacher for the purpose of acquiring practical and theoretical ® Donald MeGavran in Understanding Church Growth, 3d ed., ed. and rev. by C. Peter Wagner (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 123, defines discipling as the initial bringing of people to faith in Christ. This is to be followed by “perfecting,” which he defines to be the bringing of people to faith maturity This definition eventually led him to his understanding of “people movements,” through which entire groups could be brought to Christ without ull instruction. They could be “periected” later. His intent to increase the number of people ‘coming to Christ is to be commended, but his unbiblical definition of “disciple” has cheapened the gospel. It is this definition that many of his critics have exploited. Yet they have failed to arrive at a biblical definition of “disciple” themselves. For a discussion of McGavran’s definition of “disciple” from the critic’s perspective, see articles by John H. Yoder, Allen H. Howe, and Robert L. Ramseyer, all of which are found in The Challenge of Church Growth, ed. Wilbert R. Shenk, 40, 43; 55; and 65, 81, 102. McGavran's definition of “disciple” is rejected by this writer and a biblical definition is delineated in this chapter.16 Chapter 1 knowledge. It is used in the New Testament to indicate total attachment to someone in discipleship."* For learning is no mere intellectual process by which one acquires teaching about Christ. It implies accept-ance of Christ himself, rejection of the old existence and beginning the new life of discipleship in him.'” To be a disciple, then, is to be living in a relationship with the One who is discipling you. In this relationship, one is to be constantly learning more about that person, while at the same time living in subjection to that person. The word itself does not suggest a rapid conversion to the person, but a slow process by which one is made into a disciple. The word pictures students sitting round a teacher more than it does penitents kneeling at an altar—an educational process more than an evangelistic crisis, a school more than a revival. The word’s prosaic character relaxes and says in effect, “Work with people over a period of time in the educative process of teaching Jesus.” Only the Cosmocrator can do the big things like convert, win, bring repentance, or move a person to decision—all authority is his alone. But disciples can, must, and will do the little thing of “discipling” others—that is, they will spend good time with people—in the confidence that sooner or later the Cosmocrator will create in these people the decision for baptism (or, in Christianized cultures, the decision to own baptism) and so to follow Jesus.'* Bruner’s explanation of the word “disciple” carries heavy evangelistic weight. If, as Bruner suggests, the coming to Christ is an act of God, then human beings cannot bring people to faith in Christ. All that humans can do is to create an environment of education that makes people aware of Christ and His Word. In that discipling environment they can be brought to faith in Christ. Yet they do so 16 New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (1975), s.v. “disciple” (mathetes), 484, 486. ™ Ibid. 18 Bruner, 1096-1097.The Great Commission as the Foundation of Mission 17 from a solid education into the life and teachings of Christ and not a cursory understanding of what it means to be a Christian. Bruner further elaborates on what it means to be a disciple by distinguishing between disciple making leading to baptism, and the continuation of disciple making after baptism, which is more in harmony with McGavran’s “perfecting.” However, Bruner sees more in the initial discipling than McGavran does: “Disciple!” (matheteusate) in the aorist imperative is the covering verb that sums up all missionary responsibilities. Then the two coordinated present participles “baptizing” and “teaching” (notice the similarity in structure: baptizonies and didaskontes) make nicely particular the two practical goals of discipleship— baptism, the goal of evangelism; teaching, the means of education... Discipling reaches its first goal “in the once- for-all act of baptism and [disciplining is continued] through the ongoing activity of teaching.”... Thus the Great Commission tells Christians both the means of initiation (baptism) and the means of continuation jesus’ teaching)."” According to this evidence it appears that discipling is both an initial work and a continuing work in oe life of the person being discipled. The question that concerns us now is, What is the initial work of discipling that must be done before a person is baptized into faith? According to the Great Commission, people are made disciples, then baptized, and then are taught more. There is little disagreement among Christians on the fact that people need continual teaching after baptism. The area of disagreement lies in what must be taught before baptism. It is with this thought in mind that we wish to examine the statements of Jesus regarding becoming a disciple. It would be these statements that Jesus would have had in mind when He commanded His followers to make disciples. ‘The first passage detailing what it means to be a disciple of Jesus is found in Matthew 10:24-25 (NIV): A student [matheta/] is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head * Ibid., 1102.18 Chapter 1 of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! One who becomes a disciple of Jesus can be expected to be treated as Jesus was treated—misunderstood and persecuted. When people have just come to faith in Christ it is difficult for them to endure trying circumstances for their faith. If, as this text suggests, one who is a disciple is able to withstand these attacks, then that person must have come to a basic maturity of faith in Christ before becoming a disciple. Therefore, part of the evangelistic process of making, a disciple is to help that person develop a faith mature argh to withstand persecution or ridicule. The second major passage on Jesus’ understanding of becoming a disciple is found in Luke 14:26, 27, 33 (NIV): If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple... In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. This passage tells us that large crowds were following Jesus (v. 25). If Jesus had believed in mass movements of unconverted people coming to faith, then He made a very inappropriate, discouraging response to the masses in the statement here. There is a cost to following Jesus. Jesus does not desire half-hearted followers; He desires fully committed individuals. Those who decide to become His disciples must be willing to give up everything, including home, family, relatives, wealth, and position, in order to follow Him. According to McGavran’s people movement concept, Jesus should have received the entire crowd and not worried about commitment—He could do that later.*’ But that was not the approach of Jesus. Even when the rich young ruler came to Christ, Jesus discouraged him by demanding full commitment before bestowing discipleship upon him. McGavran’s theology would have been to accept the rich young ruler as he was, make him a disciple, and then hope commitment would come later. That, however, was not the * See footnote 15.The Great Commission as the Foundation of Mission 19 pattern of Jesus. To Jesus the prerequisite to discipleship was full surrender and a willingness to give up everything to follow Him To become a disciple, Jesus declares, is to be willing to bear “His cross.” Note that it is not “my cross,” but “His cross.” In crucifixion, the one to be crucified often bore his own cross to the place of crucifixion. Since those crucified were usually slaves or those convicted of the most terrible crimes, the one crucified often was hated and despised by society. Thus to bear the cross is to do just what Jesus did when He bore the cross—to endure without complaint or regret the frown of friends and relatives and to bear the reproach of Christ with patience and humility. To be a disciple, one must be willing to bear “His cross.” The disciple then has supreme fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. No greater honor can ever come to any person. The religion that Christ offers when He invites people to become His disciples is not one of ease and self-indulgence, but of cross bearing. It doesn’t mean that the Christian goes through life moody and joyless, but it does mean that the one who has become His disciple finds joy in the affliction and trouble caused by his allegiance to Christ, counting it a privilege to suffer with Christ. Christ does not promise ease and pleasure in this world, but He does promise inner peace and happiness. To secure this, the disciple of Jesus gladly bears “His cross.” Orlando Costas suggests this life of suffering as the cost of discipleship to be inherent in the call to become a disciple: All these images, inspired by the very words of the historical Jesus and representing a developing tradition in the early church, bear witness to the message of the cross. as an affirmation of life through suffering and death.’ The third passage which deals with being a disciple of Jesus is found in John 8:31-32 (NIV): To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In this passage Jesus is speaking to people who already believe in Him. Again, if Jesus accepted McGavran’s definition of disciple as the ** Orlando Costas, Liberating News: A Theology of Contextual Evangelization (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 97-98.20 Chapter 1 “initial coming to Christ” then these people would already be considered disciples. Yet Jesus declares that it is not sufficient simply to believe in Him. To be a disciple means to continually hold on to His teachings. This would again suggest, as Bruner did earlier, that being a disciple involves a longer process than just coming to Christ.* The result of continuing to hold to the teachings of Christ would be, Jesus promised, to know the truth. John later has Jesus declare that He is the truth (john 14:6). One who is to be a disciple of Jesus, then, would be a person who really knows Jesus as the ultimate truth in the life. In order for this to happen evangelistically, the neophyte must be taught the basic teachings about Jesus prior to discipleship. Indeed, the Amplified Version suggests that a disciple is one who holds fast to the teachings of Jesus and lives in accordance with them.” A disciple, then, is one who is obedient to what Jesus says, a commandment keeper. Obviously, he is keeping Jesus’ commandments out of his love for Jesus and not because of requirement or duty. This again suggests a strong attachment to Jesus as the basis of discipleship and obedience to His teachings as an outward fruit of that attachment. If this outward fruit were missing it would indicate that discipleship has not occurred. A disciple is one who hears the call of Jesus and joins his company. In its Jewish context it means much more than in secular Greek. For the Greek it meant student, pupil or apprentice. In the New Testament it means total allegiance. This is reflected in the teaching emphasis in making disciples.”* The next passage on discipleship is a very short one found in John 13:34 (NIV): A new commandment | give you: Love one another. As | have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. Love is to be the absolute, infallible test of one’s discipleship. You can tell that a person is a disciple when that person loves as Jesus loves, unconditionally. It does not mean that love is fully perfected, but the * Bruner, 1097 ® John 8:31-32, The Amplified Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1965). ** Gibbs, 135.The Great Commission as the Foundation of Mission 2 agape love of Jesus should be found, at least embryonically, in the life of the one who is a disciple. Again, Jesus is giving us tests of discipleship. If the Great Commission commands us to make disciples, then to produce people whom we call Christians but who do not have the love of Christ abiding in their hearts is to misrepresent the gospel of Christ. The fantastic success of the early church was due not so much to their correct methodology as to their consistent witness by exemplifying in their lives the clear marks of discipleship that Jesus modeled for them. It is a tragedy when the “masses” are brought into membership in the church without these clear evidences of discipleship. This destroys the natural witness of the church and weakens Christianity. Jesus’ instruction on disciple making as the job of the church seems to be designed to prevent development of a church that would compromise its witness. Jesus is concerned about reaching the masses, but He wants them reached with the “real thing,” not with artificial Christianity. The final passage in which Jesus refers to disciple making is John 15:8 (NIV): This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. Connection with Christ means fruit-bearing. It is the inevitable result of such a union. Because it is inevitable, if the fruit is not there we can know that discipleship is not occurring. Here is another of Jesus’ tests by which the church can measure whether or not a person has become a disciple. The person must be producing fruit. What is this fruit? Some may suggest that Jesus refers to the fruit of the Spirit enunciated by Paul in Galatians. However, Jesus is speaking prior to Paul. In the context uf this passage Jesus is referring to Himself as the vine and His followers as the branches. The job of the branches is to produce fruit because of their living connection to the vine. Otherwise, they are cut off as non-productive The whole context of this passage seems to center in a mission understanding. The Christian who is not reproducing by creating other disciples is not really a disciple. It is impossible, then, to be a follower of Jesus and not share Jesus. Disciples must not only share, they must also make other disciples or they cannot be considered disciples themselves. This is not to be a casual convert once in a lifetime. Jesus’ discipleship invites people into a life of constant disciple making. Jesus want us to produce much fruit.