Devoted Discipleship
On March 9, your Sunday School leaders took about two hours together for a Sunday School Rally. The focus of the rally was on discipleship. We started that rally by clarifying our purpose. The purpose of Sunday School at CHBC is to provide small group Bible studies for followers of Christ, as well as curious unbelievers, which provide Biblical teaching, relational community, and caring ministry.
That wordy purpose statement can be broken down into three key points:
- 1 – Study the Bible with believers and unbelievers
- 2 – Build community
- 3 – Care for those who attend
Ultimately, what Sunday School is helping the church to do is to make disciples. I spoke recently with Jerry Ross, who has been the Minister of Education or Minister to Adults at Quail Springs Baptist Church for the past fourteen and a half years. I asked Jerry the simple question, “What is a disciple?” He said, “A disciple is someone who has a personal relationship with Christ, who is growing in their faith and in their relationship with God through Jesus, and someone who is helping others be introduced to Jesus as Savior and begin to grow in their faith and in their relationship with God through Jesus.”
That is a pretty succinct way of describing a disciple. A disciple is…
- Someone who has a personal relationship with Christ;
- Someone who is growing in their faith and in their relationship with God through Jesus; and
- Someone who is helping others be introduced to Jesus as Savior and grow in their faith and in their relationship with God through Jesus.
After engaging in conversation and discussion about what a disciple really is, the group looked at 8 distinguishing characteristics of how disciples grow and mature. Lifeway Research were the ones who discovered these 8 marks of how disciples grow.
- Bible Engagement
- Obeying God and Denying Self
- Serving God and Serving Others
- Sharing Christ
- Exercising Faith
- Seeking God
- Building Relationships
- Unashamed
The point of learning about these 8 characteristics was to change the way we think about Sunday School. We do not just want people to attend a Sunday School class. We want Sunday School classes to be foundational for a believer’s growth as a disciple. Disciple-making must move beyond the Sunday School class, but at CHBC, we will not be equipping believers if we do not have Sunday School classes who know their purpose, and who are being trained to accomplish those purposes.
Why am I sharing with you things the Sunday School leaders were doing and learning? Because I want you to know that they are serious about wanting to make disciples. They are not just asking the question of whether a person is present, but they are learning to ask the question, “Are group members growing as disciples?”
They truly are becoming devoted to discipleship. And they want you to be devoted to discipleship as well. That is one of our seven fundamentals of the church as seen in Acts 2:42-47. Pray for CHBC to be a church devoted to: Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry, Worship, Prayer, and Stewardship. Take the simple step of devoting yourself to discipleship by faithfully attending Sunday School.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
