It’s easy to become so consumed by Christian activities, church meetings and spiritual programmes that we lose sight of the first calling and final command of Jesus to make disciples. In the aftermath of a pandemic that disrupted our patterns and against the backdrop of increasing secularisation in Europe, how can we ensure that the Great Commission doesn’t become an omission from our lives? This masterclass will focus on recovering the invitation and challenge of making disciples within the life of the church and how we can better reflect the models and methods of Jesus.
Watch recordings from this Master Class:
1) What has been revealed?
Jesus told a parable about certain types of soil receiving a farmer’s seed differently. Not everyone responds the same to Jesus’ call to follow Him. Some are nominal and shallow; some are resilient and produce much fruit. The love of Christ compels us to make resilient disciples.
2) How can we move forward?
In light of the world events of the last few years, what is our way forward as a church? We must renew our understanding that we are not commanded to build the church but to make disciples. “Structures don’t grow ministry any more than trellises grow vines.”
3) From Optional to Essential and From the Crowds to the Few
How do we move from a place of building church structures to making disciples? We begin with small but key shifts. We must see discipleship as essential for all believers and focus more on the few individuals within our close contexts.
4) From Distance to Proximity and From Accidental to Intentional
The Gospels tell of Jesus spending ample and deliberate time with his disciples in close proximity to them. We do well to do likewise with those in our discipleship relationships.
5) From Pew to Participation
The New Testament makes clear that every believer is an important and needed part of the church. For every believer to do their part in building up the body of Christ requires whole devotion to following Jesus.
