Introduction
In the history of Christianity, there has been no more effective minister of the Gospel than the Apostle Paul. Paul laid the foundation of many of the earliest Christian churches, and he also ensured through his writings that those churches were growing in their love for God and their love for one another. Paul embodied what it meant to be a “disciple-maker” through his service to the local churches found in the New Testament. He preached the Gospel to men and women everywhere, and those who were converted he continued to minister to as they grew in the level of maturity of their faith. He was devoted to “going” and “making disciples of all nations,” as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. Paul was obviously a model for Pastors and Leaders throughout the history of the church, but did he leave behind a pattern for those future ministers to follow? What would Paul say is the main pattern for his ministry to the churches to which he ministered?
Paul’s Pattern for Ministry
Paul did not leave future ministers in the church without a pattern, in his own words, of a successful church ministry model. In Philippians 4:9, Paul gives a great example of how he ministered within the Church at Philippi. He writes, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (ESV) In this verse, Paul gives four ways in which the Philippians received discipling from Paul (which was most probably the method which Paul used with every other church to which he ministered).
The first method the Philippians received was learning. Paul taught the Philippians to grow in their love for Christ through growth in their knowledge of the Scriptures. In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul encourages Timothy to, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (ESV) This was Paul’s exhortation to one of his most prominent disciples; therefore, the method which he used with the church he discipled must have followed a similar pattern.
The second step in Paul’s discipling process of the Philippians was receiving. The Philippians not only learned the Word of God from Paul; they received the Word which was spoken to them as true. The Philippians believed the Gospel and the teaching which accompanied it.
The third step in Paul’s process of discipling the Philippians was hearing. The Philippians not only learned and believed the Word of God; they heard the message that Paul proclaimed as a message which should be applied. The messages Paul sent to the Philippians through the Scriptures could be shown to be practical for daily life.
The final step in Paul’s process of discipling the Philippian believers was his life example—what they had “seen” in Paul’s life. Commenting on this verse, Ralph Martin notes, “The multiplication of verbs, learned, received, heard, seen, shows how well his readers would be able to appreciate his character in which, by the grace of God, the virtues he had enumerated earlier were displayed.”[1]
Paul’s expectation of the Philippians is then expressed by the phrase, “practice these things,” followed by the promise that “the God of peace will be with you.” Paul’s living example of the teaching he gave to the Philippians empowered him to call for their obedience to the teaching, undergirded by the promise that God would send peace to them as they obeyed His Word.
Modern Examples
The methods which Paul used were teaching, example, exhortation, and promise. How are today’s American churches attempting to follow this Apostolic pattern? What methods are modern churches using to disciple their members? Grace Church, led by John MacArthur, offers a variety of discipling options. The men’s discipleship group currently studies the book, The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne. They “meet once a month from September to May.”[2] The women’s ministry is currently studying, “Becoming God's True Woman” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. They also “meet once a month from September to May.”[3] The church also offers ministry to the families of the seminary students of the Master’s Seminary, which is also affiliated with Dr. MacArthur; as well as smaller group meetings which meet throughout the week in various homes of members of the congregation. These groups offer home group Bible study for members of the Church’s congregation.
Bethlehem Baptist Church, with Pastor John Piper, offers a variety of different discipleship options for the members of the congregation. The Church offers ministries for parents, which “supports, equips, and encourages parents in their efforts to raise children in the fear, trust, and delight of the Lord.”[4] They also offer a disabilities ministry, which is designed to “support people with disabilities and include them in the life and work of the church.”[5] The Church focuses much of their ministries on family discipleship, although they also have ministries for men, women, and children individually.
Saddleback Church, led by Rick Warren, offers its members a number of ministries for the purpose of discipleship. The men’s ministry lists this as its purpose: “Saddleback is a church built on the five biblical purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission. Our goal is to help men understand and apply each of these purposes from a man’s unique perspective and responsibility.”[6] The Church also offers a women’s group called Women’s Connection, whose purpose is stated as the following: “Women's Connection provides Christ-centered spiritual growth and encouragement for all women in our shared journey of faith at every season in our lives, in order to deepen our relationship with God and others.”[7] The Church offers a number of small groups as well in order to foster further growth among the members of the congregation.
“Where Do We Go From Here?”[8]
The ministries offered by many American churches are designed to further the growth of the members in their love for Jesus Christ. How, then, can these churches continue to foster the growth of their members in Godliness? George Barna offers helpful advice by stating, “Successful pastors care about the discipleship commitment of their people, they monitor it closely, and they respond when the numbers suggest a waffling of dedication to spiritual advancement.”[9] The success of discipleship ministries, according to Barna, depends largely on the commitment of Pastors to their discipleship programs and the furtherance of participation in these programs. The above listed Churches use different approaches to reach the same goal—growing disciples. All of these churches use the Biblical approach of teaching, receiving, hearing, and modeling to grow these disciples to be more like Christ. Michael Mitchell offers the following advice, “We can narrow the concern for motivating students to two considerations: the issues that stimulate change in learners’ lives and the factors that will cause learners to pursue the study of a lesson that will make them different from who they are now.”[10] The Pastor’s goal will be to ensure that the disciples within the church are learning in order to grow in their love for Christ—not simply learning to gain knowledge.
Conclusion
The materials I would use as a Pastor would probably align with the ministry opportunities offered by Bethlehem Baptist Church. I believe the family is the primary area of ministry for every believer (especially fathers), and to offer opportunities for fathers and mothers to understand in a better way how to Biblically raise their families is a great idea in my opinion. The opportunities offered by Grace Community Church would also be personally beneficial for men and women who are seeking to become more deeply devoted to Christ. These studies would be a very beneficial opportunity for personal growth, which could then be used to minister to other believers (or even unbelievers).
[1] Martin, Ralph P. Philippians. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
[2] Church, Grace Community. GCC- Men's Meeting. 2011. http://www.gracechurch.org/ministries/Custom.aspx?MinistryID=32&ID=129 (accessed April 21, 2011).
[3] —. GCC- Women's Ministries. 2011. http://www.gracechurch.org/ministries/Custom.aspx?MinistryID=32&ID=145 (accessed April 20, 2011).
[4] Church, Bethlehem Baptist. Family Discipleship. 2011. http://www.hopeingod.org/ministries/family (accessed April 20, 2011).
[5] Ibid
[6] Church, Saddleback. The Herd. 2011. http://www.saddleback.com/lakeforest/adults/men/aboutus/ (accessed April 20, 2011).
[7] —. Women at Saddleback. 2011. http://www.saddleback.com/lakeforest/adults/women/aboutus/ (accessed April 20, 2011).
[8] Barna, George. Growing True Disciples. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press, 2001. Pg.98.
[9] Ibid, pg. 115.
[10] Mitchell, Dr. Michael R. Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples. Bloomington: CrossBooks, 2010. pg. 164.
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