I keep using that word...

I seem to be involved in several conversations right now about discipleship, and I feel like I'm misusing some words. And to be honest, it troubles me to see so many people (in general) who are so negative against the church. I think we often forget that the church is the body of Christ; the church is nothing more than Christians, or disciples. At least that's what I see and hear when I use the word "church." I think some people only see it as an institution, and they can't see the real church because of some of the structure that has been put in place in certain "local churches." Now, granted, there are plenty of churches that have become too institutionalized. And I think that's where some of the problem comes in: we all view it through a different lens. And I want to view the church through the lens Jesus looks through. And I forget that not everyone is used to seeing it that way (not that I have some special ability or anything, but I have just never been involved in a large church or overly-institutional type church).

Also, when I use the word "program," I think this only compounds the problem. Everyone wants to badmouth programs. And in some cases it is with good reason, because there are some programs that are downright rotten, and there are some churches that take it to an unhealthy extreme. But, for instance, in my previous post I shared a question we use with our church leaders which said, "How do the programs and things our church does contribute to (making disciples)"? I think this is something every church should be asking itself. Why? Because we don't want to be using programs that don't lead to discipleship taking place - whether it's helping people become disciples or grow as disciples. So I hope to use that question to weed some stuff out. But by the same token, we have to take everyone into account. For instance, someone might say "All Sunday School is is a stupid program, and it doesn't help us make disciples." Well, that might be true for you, but what about for our 5-year olds? What about some of our senior citizens who never get out of the house the rest of the week and they completely look forward to coming and sharing and praying together with their friends? For some people it does "work." So in this respect I think we need to not throw out the entire "program" just because some people don't see it as something that works for them.

Also, there are lots of people who only want to do something one-on-one. I agree that individual mentoring is a great way to disciple someone. But... part of being a disciple is learning to live in a society; learning to love others; learning that the world doesn't revolve around us. And at some point I think our discipleship needs to involve a wider group of people. Which doesn't mean there isn't a place for one-on-one, but again... we've got to consider others too. I think there are plenty of examples in the Bible where teaching took place in groups - some quite large.

Anyway, I guess by "program" what I really mean is... what things is our church (our community of disciples) going to do or concentrate on, in order to help one another (and others) learn to love God and others better? I believe we need to have a gathering where we worship God; I believe we need to have small groups where people can develop relationships and learn spiritual practices; I believe we need to encourage disciples to disciple individuals; I believe we need to teach our families to disciple one another; I believe we need to have fellowship opportunities where people can connect socially; I believe we need to try to create opportunities where people can learn the spiritual disciplines. And there's more. I don't know. I'm just thinking out loud.

I think the key is - we need to understand that we can't just do what "we" want. Society and the church are way too self-centered. What I want from my leaders are people who can empathize with others - can put yourself in other people's shoes and situations.

I dunno... this is a ramble and I'm not saying what I wanted to say. Maybe that's why things are the way they are. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Who said that?