Discipleship and Equipping the Saints

Many years ago I attended a big conference on evangelism and discipleship in Dallas, TX. In the convention hall several of us had booths advertising our ministries to the attendees and my booth had a big sign indicating that we were dedicated to, Equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry. I was surprised to discover that quite a few of the delegates and attendees were offended by the statement.

One lady came by and stopped dead in her tracks to stare at our biblical mission statement. Pointing at the offending sign she asked in an accusatory tone, "What do you mean when you say you are Equipping the saints? What saints are you talking about?"

I attempted to say that we meant all Christians because every one of us is a saint but she interrupted me very forcefully before I finished with, "Oh no! We are not all saints. You're not a saint and I'm not a saint!"

To her, a saint is one who always has a halo around his/her head. In Roman Catholic theology it is a person who has no sin or guilt in his/her life. To me a saint is any person whose life is set apart for God and holiness. When we came to know Christ we were at that moment set apart for Him and His Kingdom.

But being born again into God's family does not mean we are mature and perfect in following the King. Just as a baby needs to grow and mature into maturity so does a child of God need to be trained, taught and equipped to walk and talk like a mature person.

I have two children and two and a half grandkids. My children are fairly mature but still learning and growing. One of the best ways to grow up is by having kids and rearing them. The grandkids range in age from nine to two to a fetus in the womb. Each child requires different levels and differing types of education.

Some Christians need Milk others Meat and some need Ministry Skills. Just as every one of my kids and grandkids must learn a trade or profession every believer is called to a specific, God designed and gift fulfilling Ministry. This may seem elementary but it is where we all must start if we are to follow God's call to Disciple, Heal and Grow.

As Dr. Rainer has found, however, few leaders even know that they are called in scripture to Equip the saints almost none know how to design a Discipleship process to fulfill the Bible's command.

This leaves me frustrated! My undergraduate degree was in Elementary and Secondary Education so I learned about designing a curriculum for children and youth and the skills necessary to help kids learn.

My graduate degree was in Student personnel and I learned how adult men and women best learn and how to design a learning community on campus.

My Doctorate focused on Educating and Training Counselors so I learned how to set up a curriculum that included TIPS (Theory Into Practical Service). I have seen lay care and lay counseling centers all over the earth so I know they can be very effective.

Designing and implementing a system to develop the church into a community of care, counsel and learning is not easy but it is possible. My frustration comes when I see that so few churches, leaders and seminaries understand the most basic elements of developing a growth system.