There are several and I'll mention one now.
The obstacle that may be the most difficult to overcome is that CGGC has not ignored disciple making in the past but it has been promoting a false definition of what a disciple is for a generation. That definition is the logical fruit of the CGGC's essential doctrinal error that has guided the body for 80 years. Let me be clear, this doctrinal error is one that is practiced but is not acknowledged in any official way.
The false definition of a disciple was stated concisely, brilliantly and memorably in the 35,000 by 2000 campaign:
More and Better DISCIPLES: 35,000 in worship by 2000.
Despite what Jesus taught, our leaders have been teaching that a disciple is some who attends a church worship service.
Not only does the CGGC need to teach and practice discipleship as Jesus taught it, leaders need to go to the people of the congregations and confess that, for generations, they have been leading our people on a false path. And, honestly, that many faithful people in our churches who trusted in the truth they preached and have died will stand before the Lord having practiced a false righteous.
Past leaders will have to be called to the carpet and made either to publicly confess their error and beg forgiveness or they will have to be denounced and, put out of the body for advocating false righteousness and leading people away from Jesus who is the Way.
There will have to be powerfully emotional repentance and confession. And, forgiveness by those who have trusted the false teachers and followed them.
Can current CGGC leaders turn so radically from the falsehoods of the past? I doubt it but I hope they will.
Bill,
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with Ben Sternke? I think he's in Indianapolis right now, but writes some great stuff. You should look him up on Facebook and friend request him.
I haven't actually read this yet, but just the other day he posted this article on 'Why You Can't Make Disciples.' http://gravityleadership.com/cant-make-disciples/
Thanks for the heads up, Dan.
DeleteIt was a great little article, Dan.
DeleteHe makes a point I would make--and have made in other contexts. We fall short in proclaiming truth: You need to proclaim a true gospel in order to make disciples.
Back in the day, when Ed announced the CGGC Mission Statement, I said that, because the Statement mentions proclaiming the gospel, we need to address the issue of what we understand the gospel to be. Of course, we never had that conversation as a body.
As far as I can tell, our gospel simply says, "Come to our church." And, as Stern says, that message will never make disciples.
Having read the Sternke article several times, I'm concluding that he almost muat have had the CGGC in mind when he described why we can't make disciples.
ReplyDeleteHe mentions two "gospels" that won't make disciples.
One says that your sins can be forgiven and you can go to heaven if you believe it.
The other says that we can do something about injustice.
Neither ever have produced disciples, as Jesus used the word.
Interestingly, the CGGC still preaches the first false gospel in some circles and, it seems, the aim of MLI has degenerated into advocacy of the second gospel.
If we strive for either gospel, we won't make disciples according to Jesus' way.
So, we are going to have to rethink truth, or the gospel, if we are going to succeed in disciple making. The word New Testament people used for this rethinking is "repent." We are going to have to repent.
No one on a CGGC mountaintop wants to do that.
Having said what I've just said about the two inadequate gospels, I don't think we preach either of those. We've fallen lower even than that.
In the end, what we preached is the plea, "Come to our church." No Jesus, or very little Jesus is involved.
How corrupt.
Without repentance as a first step, we are doomed.
We must repent.