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Ministers’ Gathering 2018 The discipleship challenge in the 21st century The Revd Dr Peggy Kabonde. Purpose: inspire, support and rekindle the churches corporate faith journey in respect of developing discipleship communities. Church’s challenge on discipleship.
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Ministers’ Gathering 2018The discipleship challenge in the 21st centuryThe Revd Dr Peggy Kabonde Purpose: inspire, support and rekindle the churches corporate faith journey in respect of developing discipleship communities.
Church’s challenge on discipleship • While there are external challenges to discipleship, there are also internal complexes in our churches today. Christianity and Church life is complex today • E.g. theologians want to argue about the right definitions of gospel and other subjects • There are programmes and projects which the churches run that turn into beaurocratic complex corporations, this reality impairs mission.
Learning from the early Church • The beauty of simplicity in what the early Church did is a huge lesson for the Church today e.g. the core practices of the early Church and historic sacraments coupled with evangelism and discipleship practices are part of the revival the Church needs today • The more complicated the Church becomes, the less impact it will have on the world. The Church should not lose or compromise its divine impulse in what it does or says.
Emergency of new expressions of Christianity • The capitalist and consumerism worldly lifestyles have not spared the church. The reality of Church shopping is uncontrollably growing, getting from the sermon, Bible study something that suits our comfort zones • Pastors and Church leaders are not spared in this, there is a tendency to choose churches that we prefer just as one would choose a car, clothes or shoes.
Church’s challenge on discipleship • Churches must challenge such mentality and expression of faith, the Church should not cater and fertilise the growth of such mentality. Churches should become places of Christ's invitation, to join God in what he is already doing • Be and do whatever is right philosophy of expressive individualism is fundamentally at odds with Christianity which calls us to bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (Christian life, church and theology, October, 2016).
Religious freedom – to what extent? • Churches must disciple people to bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture • To what extent should the church tolerate religious freedom? • Opposition • Attention • Attempting to please all.
