Developing a Discipleship System:
O, To Find That
Place Again
by Ralph E. Bauserman, Evangelism Consultant, General Board of Discipleship

"Old First Church" is, in many ways, a typical United Methodist church. The members are good, solid citizens of the community who believe in God and who feel some sense of loyalty to their church. Many of them serve, or have served, in some leadership position in the church. Some of them have been a part of the decision-making process that has, for the most part, determined their church's future and destiny. Many of these members, having some level of commitment, attend worship fairly regularly, but most have chosen to remain uninvolved in Sunday school, Bible study, or any kind of a spiritual growth group.

While "Old First Church" has a long and rich heritage, most of the members are aware that something is missing. While most of the energy and resources of the church are spent on matters of maintenance, there is precious little emphasis on mission. The urgency and passion that once drove this church to reach out to the disconnected has long ago disappeared. It comes as no surprise to find that there is no discipleship system in place, and, consequently, they are not reaching people and making disciples of Jesus Christ. In fact, there is very little excitement in this church about much of anything! These members are nice people with good intentions, but rather than feeling called and gifted to carry out the real mission of Christ's Church, they have chosen to remain safe and comfortable. They have been running on their own power long enough to know that it is simply not working!

In thinking about "Old First Church" and all the other churches that share this plight, one is led to ask: "How can we recover the excitement that drove the early church forth to utterly claim the world for Christ?" The answer, I believe, can be found in the opening verses of Acts 2. Following the ascension of Jesus, Luke claims that the followers of Jesus were "all together in one place." On that first Pentecost, we are told that there is "a sound like the rush of a mighty wind," and they are all filled with the Holy Spirit. In this experience, they are empowered to go forth to faithfully carry out Jesus' command "to go make disciples." Empowered by the mighty Spirit of God, filled with a deep sense of excitement and urgency, and driven by this powerful Spirit, they are now willing to be led where they had not planned to go!

There is, I believe, a critical question facing the modern church: "Are we willing to find "that place" again?" Are we willing to find "that place" where we can commit ourselves to the serious study of the scriptures? Together can we recover a disciplined life of prayer? Can we once again dare to be open and receptive to the moving of God's Mighty Spirit within us and among us? All across the land, there are alive, vital, and growing churches that have grown weary of doing what is comfortable and safe, and are now actively involved in God's mission to transform the world, and it is all because they have found "that place" again. In finding "that place," these churches are now filled with energy, excitement, passion, and most of all, the power of the Spirit.

Think now about your church, and think about your leadership team. Have you found "that place" where you can sense the moving of God's Spirit, the Spirit that gives you vision, fills you with energy and excitement, and empowers you to go forth to claim the community and world for Christ? If your church has been doing only what is safe and comfortable, and if you have grown weary of engaging in maintenance, and if you have lost your sense of passion and urgency, it need not be that way! Thanks be to God, your church find "that place" again!

posted 2-13-03