As we move forward with the mission task, specifically the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, I find it important to strike a balance between individual responsibility and corporate reality. Here our enlightenment western context sometimes ignores the ancient eastern context of the Scriptures.
We have made progress when we understand the concept of oikos but we can approach oikos from an individualistic angle or from a corporate angle.
I believe it is urgent to remind every church member, every follower of Christ, that he/she has the privilege and responsibility to be both a priest and a disciple-maker. The most basic component of a disciple-making multiplication movement consists of individuals reaching other individuals.
Casting vision in terms of how many people are trained, how many people are sharing their faith, how many people are baptizing and/or being baptized and what percentage of the population we want to impact can be very compelling. However, such vision casting should not ignore the community aspect.
Two Sides of Community
There are two very different sides of the community aspect. Both are important for the conversation of disciple-making. One side of community has to do with the church. The church is a community of faith, a spiritual family, a corporate expression of redemption. The other side of community has to do with neighborhoods, sectors, towns and regions. A healthy approach to both of these is necessary in advancing the mission.
The Communities where We Live
I'll begin with the second side of community. As we start disciple-making groups in neighborhoods and plant new churches in communities we should not only think of the individuals that will come to faith. We should think of how that group of disciple-makers will change their community.
In my study of the mission to and from Latin America, I noted what some Latin American theologians expressed. These theologians felt like the evangelical mission often focused on numbers of converts and numbers of churches while ignoring the plight of the people. This is why liberation theology made sense to Roman Catholics and those to the left of the Main Line Protestant churches. Evangelicals often lacked the understanding of the Kingdom of God as it relates to community.
(Samuel Escobar critically referred to Donal MacGravan's school of thought as "managerial missiology" because of its apparent sole emphasis on numbers).
We don't want to make the same mistake. The spiritual and social needs of a community are not an either-or proposition. The individual and corporate needs of a neighborhood are not exclusive. We must make disciples who think in the both-and. We must plant disciple-making communities who love their context, effect change, and never lose the evangelistic zeal.
The CLC offered a helpful article on this subject this week. It is not an exhaustive conversation but it is a good discussion starter. The Gospel, Gentrification and Shalom
Living out the mission of God must be evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively.
The Church Community
The church is made up of individuals who comprise a community. Each individual has gifting, responsibility and privilege in the community. But the community is much more than the sum of its individuals. There is something powerful, and perhaps even mystical, about the body of Christ.
The New Testament uses several metaphors for both the church and the mission: sower-seed-harvest, family of God, a spiritual temple built with living stones, a vine, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, a kingdom of priests, a holy people, etc., etc. Each of these metaphors can help us grow in our understanding and our practice. Overemphasis on one in neglect of the others can result in an unhealthy posture.
For example, while we recognize that every Christ follower must be a sower that scatters seed, waters the ground and harvests the seed, we also recognize that in the body of Christ there are different members with different gifts. At the end of the day, whichever metaphor you use, a plentiful harvest or a body that measures up to the stature of Christ, the result is a mystical combination of the work of individuals, the Holy Spirit and the complexity of the community system.
I have mentioned before that I believe that every Christ follower should make disciples and every disciple maker has been authorized to baptize. I also believe that the Great Commission is in the second person plural. (In Texas we say, ya'll. In Spanish we say, ustedes). The command to make disciples, baptize and teach is given to a group, a community of disciples. While every member of the community is expected to participate in the Great Commission, disciples are brought into a community. New believers are baptized not into an individual disciple-makers resume but into the church (Acts 2:41). Who baptizes is important but not as important as the fact that people get baptized into the community.
Ultimately, the Holy Spirit has gifted individuals in the church differently. Some have the gift of evangelism, others of teaching, others of administration, others of mercy, others of giving, etc. That doesn't mean that all believers should not practice all these things. It does mean that some are going to be much better at them than others.
While I have shared this view with our pastoral staff, I found it encouraging today to read an article from Alan Hirsch. It addresses the APEST (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers) construct from a corporate perspective. I have not read his 5Q book and I'm not sure if I'm ready to endorse everything he says and writes. But I really resonate with this article. I love the fact that he makes the cessation matter a non-issue. Definitely good material for reflection and discussion. How Does 5Q Make the Body of Christ Visible?
Specifically for pastors, Bob Roberts, Jr. offers some very practical help on leading apostolically. How to be an apostolic pastor in a local American church
I say let's challenge individuals to be obedient to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment while we embrace a community understanding of it all.
