Equipping the Saints
A Chapter From My Upcoming Book -- Requesting Your Feedback
Hey friends!
Big breakthroughs on the book-writing front. Thank you so much for your prayers, and please keep ‘em comin’!!! I’m working hard to hit my November 30 deadline to finish the first draft of Unless God Builds It. Below is the second chapter and (possibly) the last one I’ll share before I share the whole thing with you. Excited for your feedback.
Hope everyone is having a great week. God bless you!
P.S. Tell me that picture for this post isn’t hilarious. 😂 I just copied/pasted this whole post into Google’s Gemini and said, “Make me a thumbnail for this post on Substack.” Ten seconds later, it generated that image! Pretty wild.
Equipping the Saints
The people of God have been trained to “consume church.” Like eager vacationers, they browse for the cruise line that’s just right for them — with the best shows, the right kind of food, activities they’ll enjoy, and (most importantly) not too costly — a nice getaway from the usual activities of life.
And can you blame them? We’ve built this ship. We provide the shows. We serve the food. We’ve created the ultimate consumer experience, and we advertise it as such: “Come hear an inspiring message and some good music every week — coffee, donut holes, and salvation on the house. Sign up for one of our classes or groups, and go deeper in your faith. Let us know if you want to serve, and we’ll plug you into one of our volunteer teams. We think it’d be good for you to do all of these things, but if you choose not to, no worries. You’re the customer, and we’re still here for you.”
Of course, some cruise ships attract more vacationers than others. With way more bells and whistles, they garner thousands, not just hundreds. Many of the smaller ships take pride that they’re not so big and fancy, that their guests enjoy a more intimate and down-to-earth experience. But for the most part, regardless of size, flavor, and flare, they’re all still using the same model as one another — a crew that creates an (hopefully life-changing) experience for its passengers, and passengers who engage at whatever limited capacity they’re comfortable with. A crew that has no real authority over the passengers, and passengers who hold the crew responsible for the experience they desire. A crew that needs to keep the passengers happy to keep this thing in business, and passengers who have no sense of ownership, who are ready to shop around for a better experience.
You may not agree with my assessment that most churches are operating this way. After all, the idea that immature Christians have a tendency towards passivity and consumerism isn’t a new concept but something that most leaders are aware of and are doing their best to counteract. In their preaching and teaching, they express the importance of going beyond mere Sunday attendance. They tell you how important it is that you use your gifts to help serve the body, to support the church’s mission with your tithes, to join some type of small group where you’ll form deeper relationships, and so forth. In a sense, their messaging is: “Stop being passengers, and join the crew! Help us build this thing!”
However, no matter how hard they try, no matter how many passengers eventually join the crew, it’s still a cruise ship — a fundamentally flawed system if we’re trying to build a church without consumerism.
But unlike a cruise ship — where passengers are served by a professional crew and can opt in or out of whatever they choose — a sailboat requires everyone on board to be the crew, actively participating in the journey at hand. On a sailboat, you don’t have an option. If you are going to be on this ship, you literally cannot avoid being treated like a crew member and trained in the ways of catching the wind. If you want a more leisurely experience, you must choose a different boat. By design, therefore, the sailboat has zero consumers.
I promise this is the last inch of the “cruise ship v. sailboat” analogy I will use. But it should again help us to see the difference between our design for the church and God’s design for the church. What I’m suggesting here is that God designed it to function in such a way that its members cannot avoid becoming effective servants for the Lord and playing a vital role in the shared mission. As long as they can avoid it, many will. In this chapter, we’ll discuss what is necessary to achieve that in the church. But first, I feel it’s necessary to cast some vision.
Your Purpose on Earth
In the Introduction, I stated that you are on this earth for one primary reason, and that is to build up the Body of Christ, of which you are a vital member. Notice, I did not say it’s the reason you exist but the reason you’re on this earth. The reason you exist, I would say, is to know and be known by God. But if that’s the case, then why not just die and go be with the Lord forever, which is far better (Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8)? The answer, as Paul says, is love — i.e., that you might continue with others for their “progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:25).
Maybe you’ve heard that your purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever (a standard Christian answer about the meaning of life). I would say, yes — and you can only do either of these things by making the Body of Christ your main concern, to lay down your life for your brothers and sisters (John 15:11-13; Philippians 1:29; 1 John 1:4; 3:16).
Others may have told you that your purpose is to become like Christ, to be conformed to his image (Romans 8:29). I would say, yes — and to be like Christ is to devote one’s life on earth toward building up his Body (Matthew 20:26-28; Philippians 2:3-8; Ephesians 5:1-2; 5:25-27).
Still others might say that our purpose is to love God and love others, or to know God and make him known. I would say, yes — and to know God is to love God (1 John 4:8), to love God is to love your brother (1 John 4:20), and to love your brother is to make God known to your brother, that he might know God, love God, be built up into Christ, and thereby make God known to others just as you did to him.
So then, have you ever considered that the Body of Christ is your chief responsibility? That your whole life should be ordered around helping God’s people to grow and mature?
Among all the things I hope to impart to you (though only God can), there are few of greater significance than this revelation about your purpose on earth. For it is the fuel to the fire that God has put within you. It is the “why” behind everything in this life. It is the joy set before you. It is the mind of Christ, from which comes maximum clarity, all endurance, and every spiritual fruit. It is the vision you need to thrive and the vision we need to thrive together.
And yet, most Christians — apart from church leaders — don’t see it. They may see that they’re called to raise a godly family, work hard, go to church, and generally love people. They may see that they’re called to turn away from sin and walk in holiness, to shine the light of Christ wherever they are. They may even see that God has given them a role in their local church — so they tithe, join a small group, serve on a volunteer team, etc. But too few understand the ultimate responsibility (and privilege) they’ve been given in Christ, which is to directly contribute to the spiritual growth of God’s people, the building of God’s temple — a.k.a. discipleship.
No, this is not a job for a small percentage of individuals. Despite what you may have learned, building up the Body of Christ is not a unique or special purpose given to the pastors, the priests, the missionaries, and all the others who have “felt the call,” as they say. The ministry is not merely for those who are “in” ministry, nor is it a secondary purpose for those who are not. Rather, it is the sole reason that you and I are still here, as opposed to being with the Lord in heaven. We have work to do, and it’s all toward the same end.
Our Shared Calling
I find that there’s no better place to start in our thinking than at the end. If we don’t know the goal that we’re trying to reach, then our life (whether that be our separate, individual lives or the life of the church) will be either aimless or misguided. So, take a moment with me to reflect on God’s eternal plan for his creation. What did God have in mind when he made everything, including us? And how did he intend on executing that plan?
There are many ways we might describe the end that God is working towards, but my favorite — and probably the most concise — is this: “that he might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:10; cf. Ephesians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 15:28).
But what does this mean, really, that he will fill all things? In simple terms, I think of it this way: God (the Father) fills Christ; Christ fills us; and we “fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over [it]” (Genesis 1:28). Therefore, God “fills all things” through Christ through us. He exercises his perfect dominion over creation (think “kingdom/reign of God”) literally through us (because he dwells in us), and all of creation comes into his proper order through this immutable channel of submission and authority. Then, everything will accurately portray who he is.
This means: no disease, no mental illness, no hatred, no disagreement, no natural disasters, no addiction, no rape, no murder, no trauma, no injustice, no fear, no shame, no poverty, no sin, and no death. Instead, there will be only love, joy, peace, health, righteousness, life, and an abundance of every good thing.
Notice, though, what all of this hinges on — us. It depends on us being reconciled to God through Christ and being filled with his fullness, so that, by his power and presence within us, we would bring all of creation into order. Hence the following scripture:
“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility… in hope that [it] will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19–21)
Therefore, regarding God’s eternal plan for his creation, we aren’t just in it along with a bunch of other stuff; we are the crux of it. We, joined with Christ and fully grown up into him, are the linchpin to this whole operation. The only way that creation is set free from its bondage to corruption is through our transformation, or maturation, into the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27; Ephesians 4:24). The way that God’s reign will be fully established on earth is through our perfection, by which we effectively become extensions of God in Christ, allowing God himself to interact with this realm through our physical presence in it.
It’s this end that the Bible refers to as our “calling,” like in the following verses:
“[F]orgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
“… that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…” (Ephesians 1:18)
“I… urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” (Ephesians 4:1)
“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call…” (Ephesians 4:4)
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord… but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…” (2 Timothy 1:8-9).
“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him…” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling…” (Hebrews 3:1)
“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election…” (2 Peter 1:10)
The “calling” that these scriptures talk about is not unique to any one of us but something we all share in Christ. While we certainly have different gifts, vocations, appointments, and/or assignments, God gives us these to contribute to our shared calling. You may be on a journey to figure out what your gifts are, and perhaps it’s unclear what vocation you ought to pursue. But let there never be a doubt in your mind as to why you are on this earth. It is to build up the Body of Christ.
For example, you are not “called” to be a stay-at-home mom. You are called to build up the Body of Christ and appointed to work at home as a means to building up the Body of Christ. Or again, you are not “called” to build a business. You are called to help make disciples of Jesus Christ, and you’re appointed to your business as a means of making disciples. Try putting on this mindset with everything you do, and see how it begins to shape the way you relate to your job, your church, your family, etc. If you cannot figure out how to connect the dots from what you’re doing to what you’re called to do, from your appointment(s) to your calling, then pray for God to reveal this to you. It is profoundly important.
Once you accept this, you may discern that this appointment alone doesn’t quite meet the standards of your calling. And you’re right! That’s not because it’s flawed but because it isn’t the whole picture; it isn’t all that you’re appointed to. For, in addition to your vocation, you are appointed to relationships with other believers — i.e., the local church — whose spiritual (and, yes, material) needs you are partially responsible for. These people cannot reach their full potential in Christ without you and your love towards them. Their maturity depends on your maturity. And your relationship with them — as Christ with his disciples — has greater eternal potential than anything else you do.
Will it Pass Through the Fire?
Another way to look at it is this: The scriptures testify that a day will come — known as “the Day” — when Jesus Christ returns to judge the earth. On this Day, everything in heaven and earth will have to pass through the most intense and all-consuming fire that creation has ever known.
After the Flood, which God enacted to put an end to all flesh, God promised he would never again destroy all flesh via water (Genesis 9:11-16), but he always knew of a coming Day when he would destroy it by fire (2 Peter 3:6-13, Isaiah 66:15-16). When that Day comes, everything that can be burned up will be burned up. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, “in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:27; cf. Isaiah 66:22).
Although we Christians will be saved if we hold firm in our faith ‘til the end, there is more for us to think about than merely making it through the fire. I find that the scripture below offers some wonderful insight in this regard:
“For we are God’s fellow workers. You are… God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, previous stones [which the fire will not consume], wood, hay, straw [which the fire will consume]—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:9-17)
Do you see here that only one thing will pass through the fire, and that is the church, God’s temple, Christ’s Body? It is only the people of God that will remain, who are the living stones being built up into a spiritual house for God (1 Peter 2:5; cf. Ephesians 2:21-22, Hebrews 3:1-6). And do you see, as a result of this, that anything you work towards, anything you build in this life, that does not directly contribute to the building up of the saints, is in vain and will perish? Though you yourself may be saved, if everything you did on earth is burned up, you will suffer great loss.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. As a living stone, yourself, as a member of Christ’s Body, if you learn to work properly, relying on the Spirit within you to love others, you will make the body grow (Ephesians 4:16), and you will have much to rejoice over on that Day when you get to see with your own eyes what you’ve been building this whole time.
And since we’re speaking about serving the church, it’s important that you understand what I mean. I am not talking about the buildings, the seminaries, the denominations, or the individual organizations that you’re a part of, which we commonly associate with the word “church.” Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, and all the rest (sorry if I missed you) — these are not the church. Schweitzer Church, Fellowship Bible Church, Hill City, High Street, James River, Hope, North Point, and Life 360 (all “churches” from my hometown in Springfield, MO, USA) — these, likewise, are not the church. The youth ministry, kids ministry, young adult ministry, small-group ministry, grief ministry, outreach ministry, prayer ministry, and all the others — these are not the church, either.
Do you know how I know this? Because they won’t pass through the fire. Therefore, if these are what you’re building, if these are what get you excited, if these are what you’re serving and hoping to grow and using as a measure for success — as opposed to the sanctification of people — then you are flat-out misguided. For all of these things only exist on earth. They are not eternal or spiritual realities, but temporal things that will one day cease to exist.
But the church — i.e., the people — will remain.
In similar fashion, you need to know that your marriage will not pass through the fire (Matthew 22:30). Your spouse will if they are in Christ, but your marriage will not. For all the saints will be married to one Husband, Christ. So be careful not to lose sight of what your marriage is about, which is to love your spouse as Christ, with the hopeful intention of helping to conform them into his image. Also, your earthly family will not pass through the fire (Matthew 10:21; 12:48-50). Your family members will if they are in Christ, but your family (according to the flesh) will not — i.e., there will be no Hotchkiss family in eternity. I tell my kids that they won’t actually be my kids in heaven; they’ll be my brothers and sisters, and we’ll have the same Father! So, just like my marriage, this is what my relationship with my family is all about — making Christ known to them, that they might know Christ.
You probably know this one, but your career, your business, and your wealth will not pass through the fire, either (Luke 12:16-21). So please don’t fall into that trap.
The point to all of this is that only people will pass through the fire, and only those in Christ, and only the part of them that is the eternal image and glory of Christ.
Therefore, if you want your life on earth to be aligned with your true purpose, then you must devote yourself in service — i.e., the ministry — to the saints. You must lay down your life for the transformation of souls (particularly those God has called you to serve), from one degree of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).
This doesn’t mean that everyone needs to become pastor or missionary. Those are specific kinds of appointments that only some are appointed to and gifted for (1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11; 1 Corinthians 12:27-30). It also doesn’t mean that certain activities are inherently more spiritual than others. Virtually anything in life, if done by the Spirit, holds the potential to build up the body of Christ (if even just you).
It does mean, however, that to walk in a manner worthy of your calling (Ephesians 4:1), you must live your life with hyper-intentionality toward the spiritual growth of God’s people. To live out your purpose, you must mature in the ways of God so as to effectively help others mature in the ways of God. This is what it means to be equipped for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12), and it is not the unique role of a pastor but of every Christian.
My question to you, then, is this: Do you think the average Christian is equipped?
Evangelists, Empowered, or Equipped?
The following passage is commonly regarded as one of the most important scriptures about God’s design for the church:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11–16)
Here, we see that Paul has the same goal in mind that we’ve already discussed, which is for the body of Christ to become fully mature. We also see that the “work of the ministry” is not just for the church leaders but for all the saints. In fact, the explicit job description of the church leaders is not to do the ministry themselves but to equip the saints for the ministry, so that each member — working properly — would build up the Body.
But if I’ve not been clear up to this point about how this contrasts with the common understanding of what it means to equip the saints for ministry, then I will try to do so now. Throughout my years as a Christian, almost every idea of “equipping the saints” that I’ve encountered has revolved around one of two things: evangelism or empowerment.
Through the lens of evangelism, it’s the notion that in order to equip the saints, we need to teach people how to share their faith with unbelievers. Sometimes this is less direct, like shining the light of Christ in the workplace or reaching out to your neighbors. Other times, it’s more direct — like sharing your testimony, taking someone through a pithy presentation of the gospel you’ve memorized, or just straight-up Spirit-led street evangelism.
Without assuming these evangelistic activities are good or bad, helpful or unhelpful, let’s simply recognize what they are not. They are not the same thing as loving one another. They are not the same thing as serving the saints. Therefore, they should not be confused with “being equipped for ministry.” I have devoted an entire chapter to this concept for later, so I’ll just keep it at that for now.
As for “empowerment,” the general idea is that it’s the church leader’s job to foster an environment where anyone can serve in the way they feel led: Do you like children? We could really use your help in the kids’ Sunday school class. If you’re into music, we’ve got a spot in the praise band with your name on it (assuming you’re halfway decent). If you’re good with money, Joe’s getting tired of counting the dollars in the offering plate each week all by himself. And if there’s something we’re not thinking about that you’d like to start, let us know and we can discuss whether it fits our vision.
But after all this, the members we’ve “empowered” still aren’t making disciples of one another. They aren’t growing in their capacity to effectively conform each other into the image of Christ through love but relying on their pastors to handle the business of spiritual formation.
It stands to reason that people are only capable of equipping others with something that they themselves already have, right? A fisherman is able to equip an accountant to fish, not to do his taxes. A father equips his son to be a man, not necessarily to be an entrepreneur. A math teacher equips her student to do algebra, not to understand history.
I ask you, then, what is it that the “apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers” (from the scripture above) all have in common that makes them capable of equipping the saints for ministry? It is that they themselves are equipped with the word of God that builds up the church. They are capable ministers of the gospel — i.e., the truth that sets us free, the power of salvation from beginning to end. They are faithful stewards of the mystery by which people are transformed into the image of Christ. They have learned the ways of God and born the fruit of the Spirit to an extent where they can say to anyone, “Imitate my way of life and thinking (Philippians 3:15-17; 4:9; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Hebrews 13:7), and you, too, will bear fruit.”
Ministers of the word equip people to minister the word, not to start a non-profit. Disciple-makers equip people to make disciples, not to usher people to their seats. Shepherds equip people to take care of sheep, not to organize social events. Etc.
With this in mind, I reject the notion that training someone to operate the sound at the Sunday gathering, manage the slideshow, or serve coffee is equipping them for the “work of the ministry.” While every act of humble service is beautiful in God’s eyes, and may just as well be useful, we must stop conflating these things with being equipped for the work of the ministry because they can all be done without a single person growing up into Christ.
Equipping the saints isn’t getting people signed up for the hospitality team. It’s raising them in the Lord so that, having learned the ways of the Spirit and grown up in love, they are always hospitable to everyone. Equipping the saints isn’t plugging them into a prayer ministry; it’s teaching them to function organically in the ministry of prayer all the time. It isn’t just sending them overseas to build houses and pass out medicine. It’s making them effective ministers of the truth so that, wherever they are and whatever they’re doing, they’re prepared to meet spiritual needs, as well, to build up the invisible and eternal body of Christ.
Moreover, equipping the saints isn’t training them to facilitate a small-group discussion or lead a Sunday School class, which is often as far as we get. It’s training them, as the passage above says, to “speak the truth in love” to another, by which everyone is built up. They’re equipped when they’re bearing responsibility for the state of each other’s souls, when they correct and admonish one another, and when they exercise church discipline as Jesus taught. They’re equipped, not when they’ve read Boundaries by Cloud and Townshend, but when they’re walking closely enough with Christ to perceive the boundaries God has set for a relationship. They’re equipped when they no longer minister the wisdom of man but have learned to effectively minister the wisdom of God into each other’s lives. They’re equipped when they don’t rely on others to build community for them, but they pursue one another of their own accord and fight for one another’s transformation. They’re equipped when they no longer depend on their human leaders for direction and answers, but instead, they consult with their Chief Shepherd alongside one another. They’re equipped when they become a self-sustaining (or God-sustaining) church in their own right, making disciples of one another by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit that is always uniquely relevant to what God is doing in their midst, where growth is all but inevitable.
If you remove a pastor from a group of Christians and they continue to grow and thrive together, then the pastor has done his job — the saints are equipped.
Optional Relationship, Optional Discipleship
I want for every Christian to understand that we cannot achieve the goal of Christianity apart from relationship. Without Christ-centered, Spirit-led relationship, there is no discipleship, no equipping of the saints, and no fulfilling your purpose on earth.
To be honest, I don’t care a whole lot about what you’re doing for “Grace Community Church.” I care about what you’re doing for specific people in that church. Do they experience the love of Christ through you — not in passing while you greet them at the door, but in life as you live it with them? I don’t care so much about whether you’re actively evangelizing your neighborhood or coworkers. I care far more that you’re actively pursuing Christ-centered relationships with other saints, and that those relationships are effectively sanctifying both you and them. (God knows, if you aren’t, you don’t have much to offer the people you’re evangelizing, anyway, once they come into the fold.) I don’t care much that you attend your Bible study weekly. I care that your ministry to one another is mature, Spirit-led, and deeply transformative. I care that when you see one of your brothers and sisters sinning, you call them to repentance. I care that when they’re struggling with sin, trauma, or mental illness, you are equipped to lead them into the healing that only God provides. I care that when they don’t treat you like Christ, you continue being Christ to them, steadfast and immovable.
The truth is, I’ve never met a healthy Christian who didn’t have these kinds of relationships. In terms of spiritual growth, it is simply not optional, which I think is common knowledge among most pastors. Hence the effort to drive church members into home groups, life groups, cell groups, mentor-mentee relationships, and things of that nature. (Moving forward, I’ll just refer to all of these as “small groups.”)
The problem is, no matter how strongly a church exhorts its members to pursue these kinds of relationships, no matter how strong its small-group ministry is — in nearly every case I’ve seen, it is still optional. Which means that discipleship is optional. Learning to love God’s people is optional. Building up the Body of Christ is optional. Walking in a manner worthy of your calling is optional. Well, friends — please allow me to lovingly remind you that, as far as God is concerned, these are not optional!
I don’t know of any church or any spiritual leader who would teach that discipleship is optional. But the system that they’re a part of, which allows someone’s church experience to be devoid of formative relationships, quietly teaches that discipleship is optional, undermining their ministry. When I was the Pastor of Adult Discipleship at my former church, I frequently taught from the pulpit on the importance of Christian community. I spoke of it as an absolute necessity in the spiritual life, and I worked really hard to get people into small groups. However, large portions of the congregation apparently had no problem ignoring my admonition, and some of those who received it were still unable to find a group to join.
There was a point when God began to show me that my words lacked some integrity. I taught that these relationships were necessary, but the system that I implicitly endorsed was teaching that they were merely optional. To have full integrity in this matter, I either needed to stop teaching that Christ-centered relationship is necessary (which I would never do), or I needed to align the model with what I believed and start requiring every person in the community to join a small group (which I had neither the authority nor the slightest clue how to implement).
This was another strong conviction that led me to the house-church model. Discipleship should neither be optional for those who are inclined to avoid it, nor difficult to find for those inclined to seek it. And with the house-church model, relationship is baked into the church experience. Discipleship is not only easily accessible but virtually unavoidable.
At the very least, coming to one our gatherings requires that you go to someone’s house, meet people who will talk to you and ask you questions about yourself, and then sit in a circle for a couple of hours where you may be encouraged, prayed over, or asked your thoughts about something. Moreover, whatever you do or don’t do, whatever you say or don’t say, is seen by everyone and could be judged by anyone. There is no avoiding this reality within our church, so, if you want to avoid it, then you must avoid our church.
And that’s just the baseline. Beyond what I’ve just mentioned, we also strive to pursue each other outside of the weekly gathering, speak truth into each other’s lives, correct one another when we see sin/immaturity, challenge each other’s ideas, and work through our disagreements. This means that we argue. It can, at times, make life very uncomfortable. But we each share the responsibility (and the privilege) of helping one another be conformed into the image of Christ, which is worth far more to us than comfort and ease.
We still have much room to grow in all of these things, so I’m not implying that we’re perfect by any means. I’m simply saying that the process of spiritual growth cannot be avoided in a community that functions like this, and that’s exactly how it should be.
When people leave our house church for a more traditional church setting, it is often because they feel they “aren’t ready” for the level of relational intimacy that we have in our church. What I hear them really saying is, “I’m not ready for discipleship.” To which I would respond, “Then you’re not ready to follow Christ.” It would be one thing if they were leaving our people to go be close with another group of Christians — which I have no problem with — but that isn’t the case. They’re leaving people to go engage with programs. And each time this happens, I’m reminded of the painfully unfortunate reality that Christians everywhere — because they’re given the option — are opting out of discipleship, love, and service to the saints.
It’s Time to Take Ownership
There are two major implications that I hope for you take away from all of this — one for church leaders and one for every Christian.
For the church leaders, it’s time to stop pretending that your small-group ministry is cutting it. And it’s time to stop acting like there’s nothing you can do about those in your congregation who continue saying “no thanks” to discipleship like it’s questionable seafood on a cheap cruise line. Unless every single person in your congregation is having regular, close, Spirit-filled interaction with other believers, then you have not done your job. The pulpit isn’t enough, and you know it. The model itself is teaching them things that you aren’t teaching them, but you can change it — whether by modifying what you have or starting something new.
Part of leading/shepherding God’s people is holding them accountable to living in a manner worthy of their calling, which includes them being committed to spiritually edifying relationships with others in the church. It’s your job to create an environment where that is not only expected but required. There will be all sorts of excuses as to why a church can’t really require this, but they are all poor excuses. You can, and you must. It’s the weakest, most immature members who especially need you to stop treating them like customers and start treating them like the crew, apart from which you will be liable for their spiritual stagnancy.
If someone leaves my church to go to yours, I want to be confident that they will be immediately immersed in community — again, not that they can be if they look for it, but that they will be, even if they’re inclined to isolate. Until you can guarantee that, honestly, I fear them going to your church. And it shouldn’t be that way. There should be no concept of Christianity or “church” anywhere without face-to-face discipleship. Would you help me make that a reality?
And for every Christian — whatever kind of church you’re a part of, whatever role you have in it — it’s time to take ownership of others’ spiritual growth. It doesn’t matter how new you are to the faith. As a member of the Body, you serve an important function in the Body, and you’ll only find out what that is as you begin to love people and earnestly strive for their spiritual growth.
Start by praying for God to show you the specific Christians in your city whose spiritual growth you are specially responsible for (not that anyone is entirely responsible for someone else, but partially). Those people are called your church, and growing them up into Christ is your ministry. Learn how to serve them as Christ, how to pursue relationships with them as Christ, how to have spiritual conversations with them as Christ, how to pray and intercede for them as Christ, how to lay down your life for them as Christ, that they may experience his eternal life in full. Make this your aim, rely fully on God to achieve it, and it will be your greatest accomplishment and joy.
In the chapters that follow, I hope to equip you more fully for this task. What we’re talking about is building the eternal church, which is your ministry as much as it is mine.