Discipleship in Education

A Plan for Creating True Followers of Christ in Christian Schools

Allotta

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781532630880
• Topic: Théologie et religion
• Subtopic: Formation religieuse

Students are often tested to evaluate their academic knowledge, but few Christian schools use objective measures to determine if a student has become a true disciple of Christ. Unfortunately, there are few organizations that provide metrics for measuring biblical knowledge, let alone any sort of comparative evaluation of students engaging in the Christian disciplines, forming a biblical worldview, or actually being impacted spiritually by the programs of the school. No matter whose statistics one chooses to believe, the inescapable truth is that the church is losing its young men and women at an alarming rate once they graduate from high school. The solution to this problem is simple, but increasingly difficult to solve with each passing year. Discipleship is what is needed for young people to truly identify who they are in Christ, so that they can begin to develop godly habits and ultimately grow in their knowledge, faith, and desire to serve the Lord and his Kingdom. Christian schools have some particular advantages in the area of discipleship; however, their full potential is, at the moment, untapped. Discipleship in Education is about preparing everyone from administrators, teachers, pastors, and parents to be ready to unleash that potential.

Part I

The Who, What, Why, When, and Where of Discipleship

In 2013, I set aside nearly a year to conduct research in order to determine the most effective way for Christian schools to disciple their students. I surveyed over two hundred students in six different Christian high schools. Before we dig into the specifics within the students and the schools, we need a working understanding of what it means to make disciples. Jesus’ work with his twelve disciples has to be the greatest illustration for what God wants from his followers today. His words of “follow me” might sound simple and basic, but those twelve men began a journey at that moment. This does not mean that everyone was willing to become a disciple. The story of the rich young ruler is a sad reminder of what so many miss out on: “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”1 One must be prepared to drop everything and follow. Even if there are elements to discipleship that are simply difficult for someone other than Jesus to perform, there are models of what it means to be a disciple, the way to call on a disciple, and examples of teaching and motivating disciples. In the second part we will look deep into the insights offered by the Christian school students and key staff members such as principals, Bible teachers, and others. When all aspects of the research materials are pieced together, a comprehensive discipleship plan can ultimately be revealed.

1. Matt 19:21–22.

1

Who Is the Solution?

Why start with the solution? Easy, the solution is the best part. The problem would not exist if everyone had not forgotten about the solution. Plain and simple, Jesus is the solution. Jesus exemplified and taught discipleship. Discipleship is a core Christian belief. It is foundational in any discussion on Christian distinctives. Being a disciple and making disciples is grounded in biblical, theological, and historical contexts. Even when the terms disciple or discipleship are not being expressly stated, the concepts behind Jesus’ “follow me” statements to the Twelve, his final words in the Great Commission, and Paul’s letters referencing “formation” or “maturity” are obviously discipleship references. Disciple-making is the mode by which Jesus chose to grow his church both in width and depth. Dietrich Bonheoffer put it more plainly when he said, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.”2

This is no given. It’s easy to see how Jesus has been “driven out” of the public school system, but even in the Christian school setting Jesus is being asked kindly to “step aside.” Schools are dropping the word “Christian” to gain a broader appeal or to get access to more government bucks. This is no subtle change. There was a large Christian school in my area a few years back who dropped the denominational moniker from their name (that certainly makes sense), but then soon after dropped the “Christian” to keep with their more progressive direction. They assured all involved that nothing else was changing from the curriculum, admission, or hiring. They just wanted to sound more like a British boarding school. (Ok, I don’t think that was the reason, but they put “The” in front of their name. Come on.) The parents of the school noticed such an abrupt change within the student body that in just over a year’s time, there was a school board vote to bring “Christ” back into their school. I haven’t seen another school revert back so quickly. (That cost a pretty penny in branding I bet.)

But schools such as that one face a more clear and present danger. It is more subtle and can be missed. More and more Christian schools are doing away with the requirement for Bible classes. It might still appear in black and white in the handbook, but in all practical reality if either the parent or student raises a simple objection, the Bible class is out and a more “college worthy” class is inserted. The same thing is happening in the core classes. Courses once taught with Christian textbooks have been slowly replaced with state-mandated curriculum or AP classes that have no room for “supplemental materials.” Schools don’t want to get behind the ever-moving educational curve and thus Jesus is asked to put his hand down and sit in his seat. He’ll be called on when needed. School administrators have tough decisions to make because they have a dozen different entities breathing down their necks. But the first step to solving the problem of losing another generation for the cause of Christ is to get him off the back row and back in the center where he belongs. Discipleship is the way this can happen.

When Jesus called his disciples, he kept it pretty simple: “Follow me.” These statements are clear examples of how he viewed discipleship.3 He chose twelve followers and poured his life into them. Jesus continues to use this phrase in crowds, to the rich young ruler, and other individuals with whom he comes into contact.4 The Apostle Paul even borrows the phrase in his exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”5 Seemingly, Jesus and Paul viewed being a disciple in very simple terms—be willing to follow. Now the theology behind what must be done to truly create a disciple of Christ is much more in-depth and will be explored in the subsequent chapter; however, from Jesus’ perspective, he knew the act of following would then lead them to the opportunities and the knowledge that was forthcoming.

Jesus’ clearest declaration that he wants disciples to then make more disciples can be seen in what is now labeled as the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19–20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This is the theoretical basis for Discipleship in Education. How can Christian schools more effectively live out this mandate?

Paul helps the Christian better understand what really needs to happen in a disciple’s life for him to be a true follower of Christ. How is Christ formed in our life? Paul so badly wanted his disciples to be formed in the image of Christ that he described his desire for this as childbirth pains (Gal 4:19). The root word for formed is morphe, which is also found in Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18. “It suggests that the inner being of the person is radically altered so that he or she is no longer the same. Information alone will not make the difference. . . . Ultimately, knowledge, valuing, and behavior lead to a change in one’s inner being, the existential core of personhood. Thus, continual transformation occurs. . . . The goal of transformation is to become a disciple and, even more importantly, to become mature, complete, and perfect like Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:28–29).”6 It is easy for the purpose of education to merely be seen as an accumulation of knowledge, but for a Christian school to be truly “Christian” they must be making biblically based, Christ-centered disciples.

George Barna exclaims, “Discipleship matters. It matters because Jesus modeled it and commanded it.”7 More proof is not necessary if it is what Jesus wants; but the Bible is riddled with examples. In the Old Testament there are Moses and Joshua followed by Elijah and Elisha. In the Epistles, the most prominent example is that of Paul and Timothy, but several others are scattered about. Nonetheless, it all comes back to Jesus. His three-year ministry on this earth was mostly spent discipling twelve men; most of whom would turn around and disciple more people, which forever altered the course of history.

Church planter and frequent speaker and writer on discipleship Aubrey Malphurs declares that the way Jesu...