How Do We 'Make' Disciples of Jesus?

Faith & the Common Good Sept. 7, 2011

What does it take to "make" a disciple of Jesus Christ? How does a disciple, or follower, of Jesus look, act and live in comparison to the world around us?

The Rev. John Meunier, one of the best United Methodist bloggers, carries a link to a painful, poignant and provocative article, "Pastor's Wife Spills It All," that tells vividly what happens when efforts to "make" disciples fail. The post by Rai King tells the behind-the-scenes story of why her church planter husband, Shaun King, has resigned as pastor of the independent congregation, Courageous Church, in Atlanta. Her report is a cautionary tale about the dangers of pastoral family burnout, but it also raises serious questions about the nature of church today.

TPC's Take:Mrs. King's vivid account challenges those of us committed to the Matthew 25 vision of following Jesus. Among the questions we see:

• How can we persist in doing good when everything about American culture mitigates against a selfless approach to life and community?
• Is a changed heart necessary to do God's work in the world, or can good works come without need for spiritual transformation, as many progressives argue?
• How do we sustain hope and faith in the face of pressure to succeed?
• And here's the big one for the United Methodists among TPC's readers: How do we actually "make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world" (the denomination's official mission statement)?

Mrs. King's story shows that the task of "making disciples" is much more likely to fail than many denominational leaders seem to understand. Experience shows that less than 10 percent of any congregation's members demonstrate the kind of changed outlooks, attitudes and lifestyles consistent with Jesus' teachings. One of our spiritual mentors was fond of quoting G.K. Chesterton: "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."

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Religion News Service's David Gibson has a good wrap-up article on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's refusal to allow clergy to participate in the 9/11 commemoration services. The short answer is: Ain't gonna happen, but Gibson does an excellent job of explaining why.

TPC's Take: We stand by our earlier observations. Thankfully, there are enough religious services, especially interfaith memorials, around New York City to make up for Hizzoner's short-sightedness about including spiritual matters in the official commemoration.

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Over at the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog, Robert P. Jones of Public Religion Research talks about how attitudes among Millennial-age voters regarding gay and lesbian issues are far away from those of their elders. We quote from his article:

"New data from the Public Religion Research Institute shows, however, that this Republican campaign dynamic-opposition to same-sex marriage as a litmus test of conservative authenticity-has waning appeal to younger Republicans now, and promises to lose steam in years to come. Our new poll, “Millennials, Religion and Gay & Lesbian Issues,” released on August 29, shows a 20-point generation gap between millennials (age 18 to 29) and seniors (age 65 and up) on a whole range of gay and lesbian issues."

TPC's Take: The United Church of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations have all responded to LGBT justice issues over the past eight years with loosening or removing past restrictions on the acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. These changes have come as part of a new theological understanding based on biblical interpretation,  "new duties for new occasions"  to paraphrase the old James Russell Lowell hymn.

Next up is The United Methodist Church, scheduled to have its once-every-four-years General Conference in 2012. Watch this issue closely over the next nine months.