CLAIMING THE CHURCH’S IDENTITY AS DISCIPLE-MAKER

Matthew 28:16-20; Ephesians 4:1-16

June 1, 2008 – Rev. Jerry Duggins

 

Yesterday, the session was talking about mission statements and looking at examples from other congregations. One church had adopted the motto: “Every family, a tithing family; and every adult an active minister.” There are some churches with this expectation that members will tithe, but the second phrase in some form is much more common.  As a guest preacher, I’ve seen the idea expressed in quite a few bulletins.   Where they list the staff or on the front cover, it reads “ministers: all the people.”

 

Janet and I have been trying to convey a similar notion these past couple weeks in relation to the Great Commission from the end of Matthew’s gospel.   Jesus’ call to “make disciples” is for each and every Christian.   Call it evangelism or outreach, inviting others to join in following Christ lies at the center of what the church does and why it exists. Being a disciple of Jesus, the simplest definition of a Christian means “making disciples’” inviting others into the path of discipleship.

 

Last week, Janet reminded us that in order to make disciples, we have to first be a disciple. She focused on the individual aspects  about what it means to be a disciple. But you can’t read much of Jesus’ teaching in the gospels without realizing he was just as concerned about communities as he was about individuals. “Love your enemies” is not primarily about the personal journey to perfection, but about building communities governed by relationships of trust and love. Jesus offers no sanction for the “lone ranger Christian.” Such a term is an oxymoron, a contradiction in Jesus’ teaching. Even if the church should forsake discipleship, the followers of Jesus would have to form new communities of faith in order to live out Christ’s call. God did not intend that anyone should be alone on the path of discipleship.

 

This means that the call to make disciples has not only an individual application, but also a corporate character. Not only are individual Christians called to extend the invitation for others to join them on the path of following Jesus, but the church exists for this very purpose.

The church does not exist to provide like-minded people a place to worship. It does not exist to provide refreshment and fellowship. It does not exist to alleviate the needs of suffering and marginalized people. It does not exist in order to make the world a better place. Its primary purpose is to invite others to follow Christ. Yes, churches do those other things, but they do so as expressions of following Jesus. All churches, insofar as they are being the church, engage first and foremost in making disciples. Churches are composed of disciples who have come together for this very purpose. Why? Because we believe that following Jesus changes lives for the better.

 

Paul reminds the church at Ephesus that they have come together as followers of Christ, sharing a journey. He reminds them to be intent on keeping to this path, on maintaining humility and discipline as they walk. He instructs them to take care of their relationships, alert to the kinds of differences that divide, addressing quickly the hurts that inevitably arise. He is concerned that the church nurture maturity and become an expression of Christ-likeness. In Eugene Peterson’s translation, The Message, it reads like this:   “we take our lead from Christ… who keeps us in step with each other.”

 

We need each other for this journey of discipleship and there are others not yet a part of this community of faith who might be fed around this table as well.

 

Now here’s the tricky part. Every church exists to invite others onto the path of discipleship, but every church also has its unique ways of doing this. We share a common purpose with all churches, but we have different ways of enacting that purpose, a common faith, but a unique expression. Paul writes, “But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given her or his own gift.” Our identity is rooted in the great commission. Every church is about making disciples, but making disciples doesn’t look the same in any two congregations.

 

That’s why churches need things like mission or purpose statements. That’s why we need to be clear about our beliefs or core values. Even a simple thing like a logo or a motto can remind us of the unique expression of the great commission in this congregation. If we are going to become better at making disciples, we need to learn how to articulate our particular ways of doing it here.    This isn’t always easy for us.  Sometimes we forget that this question needs to answered in the context of the church’s common purpose of making disciples.   Sometimes we aren’t completely clear about our motivation for doing this.  It’s easy to say that we should be about making disciples, but saying what that looks like, for us, and given the the place and time in which we live, is not so easy.

 

I think I heard at the session retreat this weekend that the session is interested in putting some specifics into words. How do we as WPC implement the great commission in this community at this time? How do we “make disciples” at Westminster? I have my own thoughts about that, but maybe they aren’t as important as what you think.  How do we or might we make disciples at Westminster?  How do we or might we invite others to share this journey with us?  Your pastors and other congregational leaders need to hear your thoughts about this.