Christian Citizenship Report

Introduction The first disciples of Christ lived, worked, and matured in the presence of each other. They were not isolated. They did not seclude themselves from others. Instead, they embraced each other, worked through circumstances with one another, and fought the good fight together. These relational components helped develop the first church. The Lord created the church so that people could be mentored and publicly discipled to grow in their relationship with Christ. Of course, the goal is maturity in Christ and this spiritual growth only happens over a period of time. We will look at the details of how disciples are made in the context of the local church and a Christian community. With this examination, we will discuss the role and …show more content…
Putman et al. gave a fantastic foundation of what a true pastor should look like when he said, “…enter ministry with authenticity—forgiven by God, continually cleansed from sin, and a model of growth, not perfection.” In order for a pastor to be effective in his role, he must strive to live out such authenticity. In addition, it is necessary that a pastor understand that Christ is alive. We serve a god who cares immensely about each disciple. Therefore, he or she need not take full responsibility of making disciples. Our heavenly father is even more concerned about making sure the job gets done. It is only through this authenticity that pastors can enjoy what they do and develop relationships within the church that will lead to true discipleship. This foundation is critical to the local church being effective in making disciples because the pastor is the DNA of the church. One of the most important roles of a pastor in relation to discipleship is to create vision and direction for the church. A road for discipleship cannot be created without a leader providing a glimpse of what the big picture is all about. A leader must spend time in God’s word and his presence in order to hear God’s voice. God sets the agenda, but it is up to the pastor to hear from God and communicate the overall vision clearly and effectively to the church …show more content…
When people work in close biblical proximity with one another, growth and maturity is the end result. Proximity is essential to the learning process of disciples in all stages. For example, I have two children who are in elementary school and are in a fundamentally important time in life. If I were a traveling dad that stayed gone most of the year, I would miss critical opportunities to train them in the way that they should go. Short of using today’s technology, it would be near impossible for me to impart critical and foundational truths to them without being in close proximity. Reality is that I must be in their presence on a regular basis. Putman et al. says, “ Proximity allows space and time for unplanned, teachable moments.” The saints of God must be present in one another’s lives with caring, biblical interaction to have a healthy discipleship