It's a New Day for Making Disciples
by Dr. Wesley S. K. Daniel, Director, Evangelism Ministries, General Board of Discipleship

All of us are familiar with Christ's commissioning of the disciples to "go forth therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19). Christ addressed this "Great Commission" to all of us, and ,of course, the church has an enormous and challenging task to accomplish — bringing God's Word of salvation and transformation to all people, thereby calling people to become responsible citizens of the kingdom of God, through a genuine faith relationship with Jesus Christ. All that we seek to do is then directed and guided to this end; we do all in our power to faithfully fulfill this commission.

As United Methodists we have a unique heritage and a grand tradition. From the earliest Evangelical, United Brethren, and Methodist roots, we have always been a people of vision, faith, and action. Transformation of the soul and of society has always been at the core of our faith and belief system. Faithful Christians in our faith tradition have handed down the Good News of Christ to us from generation to generation.

Today, we live in a new day, a new time. There are clear signs that God is reawakening The United Methodist Church to a new vision, a new desire, and a new passion to make and nurture Christian disciples — to be disciples of faith and action. We see all around us a new awareness and hunger for God among both young and old — a sincere desire for spiritual renewal and vitality. There is a new awareness of the need to be faith-sharers and witnesses, to proactively share the gospel and take bold steps to invite people into our faith communities. As a denomination, we are planting new faith communities and establishing strong ministries for the various segments of our society in order to meet emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. There is also a desire to provide culturally relevant, meaningful opportunities for spiritual growth.

The time has come for The United Methodist Church, as never before, to launch a committed, vigorous effort to reach new people with the love of God, to invite them to Christian discipleship and help them become responsible, mature disciples in the Body of Christ. We are indeed living in a new day, and the question we need to wrestle with is, What does it mean to make and nurture disciples in this day, in our time, in our rapidly changing world? What does it mean to create a culture of witness in our churches, society, and world?

As we are well aware, people in our nation are living through some trying times: A major economic adjustment is taking place in the agricultural and related segments of the Midwest economy; and it is devastating numerous farm and rural communities and shifting population to urban areas. More and more, communities struggle with social problems — hunger, homelessness, poverty, and all forms of abuse and violence (especially among teens). School and church shootings continue to increase and to threaten the very moral fiber of our society. The gap between the have's and have-not's continues to widen. Millions of people are growing up outside the church culture; and many in our own churches have forgotten the transforming power and love of Christ, adrift without a clear direction of hope and sense of belonging in the family of God. Thousands of youth, young adults, and families are frantically searching for meaning and community. As a result, people long for a caring, understanding, empathetic, affirming, genuinely loving community of faith.

On the global scene, there are critical dynamics at play as well: tremendous growth and major shifts in population; critical economic, social, and political systems are impacting governments, businesses, industries, and stock markets worldwide. The economic order is constant volatility. World leaders make political decisions that create ripples of regional instability that, in turn, threaten world peace and our stability as a "global village." Racial, ethnic, and religious groups are more frequently at war with one another. There is a renewed fear of nuclear armament in Asia and the Middle East. Social problems, such as hunger, malnutrition, sexual exploitation of children and women, communal and social violence, continue to grow around the globe. Perhaps, as never before, there is "religious turf" protection worldwide . . . and even staunch opposition to the growth and spread of Christianity in many parts of the world. Scientific and medical achievements and discoveries are raising new ethical and moral questions.

We are indeed living in a new day and the church finds itself in a new environment and "culture" . . . as it continues to faithfully carry out the age-old mandate of our Lord to make disciples. Our world continues to experience cataclysmic changes as never before in history. We are no doubt living in a post-Christian, postmodern era — a rapidly changing, challenging world where the message of the gospel is most needed and must be more relevant than in the past. How can the church make the gospel message relevant to a postmodern world? The answer is contained in one Name: Jesus the Christ! Yes, the world all around us is in a constant state of flux, but the message and power of the gospel remain unchanged! The challenge for our denomination is to listen, to identify with the needs and wants of people, and to find culturally relevant, effective methods for offering people the transforming power of Christ until "every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord." Until then, we as a church must continue to proclaim the Word of God with power and conviction.

The General Board of Discipleship, through its evangelism ministries, is deeply committed to the vision of equipping, assisting, and enabling local congregations and conference leaders in offering comprehensive, relevant, and effective strategies for reaching people for Christ. In this new day for making disciples, we see ourselves with a new vision and passion as servants of Christ, as agents of renewal and change for this time . . . in this new century. We are committed to proactively engage in the task of evangelism; to support our church leaders in building strong faith communities in order to reach God's people with the love of Christ. Our vision, mission, and mandate are clear; the task of making disciples is imperative and urgent!

Through this Special Issue of Offering Christ Today and numerous other evangelism resources offered by our agency, we stand ready to resource, assist, and equip you for the task of disciple-making! I welcome your responses and input and look forward to resourcing your leadership needs.

Special Issue 2001