Bishop Stephen Soe and HKSKH clergy at the St Paul’s House of Prayer
This year, the Province organised a Lenten retreat for the clergy on 11 to 12 March, held at the St Paul’s House of Prayer. Joining us was the Bishop of West Malaysia, the Rt Revd Stephen Soe, who led sessions on the topic of discipleship.
Why do we need discipleship training?
For Bishop Stephen, the modern church is one where many of her members have been to church for years, and yet are still lacking spiritually. This manifests itself in problems such as a weak foundation in faith, a lack of prayer as norm, a fear of evangelisation, and a general malaise and lack of direction for growth. In truth, discipleship training is not just a core ministry of the church, but also a key factor to growth of the faithful. Without a systematic approach to discipleship, the church will be filled with immature Christians, and its leadership will be likewise incompetent. The church, then, will grow weak, and the gospel it preaches will not ring far.
Discipleship training is no mere bible study or talent development, it is a long journey that is constantly updated, aiming to morph a person into an imitation of Christ, becoming a witness to him, and a proactive servant to others. The relationship between the ordained and the laity has be built upon the concept of ‘the priesthood of the faithful’ and the power as established by God – the church should operate on the balance between the ordained and the laity, enthusiastically discovering the leadership potential amongst its laity, so that both arms can lead the church to its shared future.
The church is, by its nature, made up of the people who have been called by God to be his witness, via the purification of their lives and service to others, with Christ as its centre. The aim of discipleship training, then, to is enable the faithful in committing their whole to this calling, in being a servant, a witness, and in growing as a Christian, in imitation of Christ.
Bishop Stephen giving a talk on discipleship
Goal-oriented discipleship training
Bishop Stephen believes that a goal-oriented approach to discipleship training hinges upon its ‘intention’ and ‘systemisation’. That is to say, the church needs to be systematic in leading its new members into the discipleship structure, which is a journey that matures these newcomers as Christians. Such training is not limited to courses and classes – it is a life-long journey in devotion. Our Lord Jesus proclaimed the gospel precisely by training disciples; in fact, the majority of his time was spent doing so, and his disciples were the ones who completed the mission of Christ.
The aims of discipleship training is the commitment of the faithful, to be a servant, bearing witness to the Lord, and imitating Christ. If the church can pay due importance to discipleship, then its members will grow, its clergy will also grow, and the church as a whole will be healthy. A healthy and growing church possesses eight qualities: leadership delegation and trust, grace-led service, passionate spirituality, healthy hierarchy, uplifting worship, holistic sub-groups, needs-oriented preaching, and mutual love amongst the faithful.
The process of discipleship training starts with evangelisation, and continues with the acceptance of a new church member (either from a different faith or not), nurturing (baptism, confirmation, and joining a sub-group), training (in leadership or in specific ministries), and participating in service (as a group leader, or attending courses in theology or specific areas). Drawing from examples learnt in the Diocese of West Malaysia, discipleship training has to be systematic, sustainable, holistic, and expecting a certain standard from its students, so that past students can become future teachers and leaders in leading the new generation into becoming disciples.
Discipleship training uplifts the role of the laity, and morphs the church from a solely clergy-led structure to a clergy-and-laity joint enterprise. When more are trained to share in the church’s ministries and leadership, the sustainable growth of the church is ensured in the long-term future.
Discipleship and the Great Commissioning
The ideas of Discipleship and the Great Commissioning are deeply intertwined. Church planting the most effective way of evangelisation, but if evangelisation can be combined with discipleship training, then the effects will be even more potent. If the church lacks in vision and a culture for evangelisation, or if it lacks in trained leaders (especially lay and female ones), then evangelisation will be a difficult task. The work of the Holy Spirit, together with human and financial resourcefulness are the key to successful church planting.
Jesus’ own strategy was to train disciples. He ordained twelve, and they followed him wherever he went, culminating in Jesus sending them out to spread the Gospel. As we read from Matthew 28, when Jesus commissioned his disciples, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.’ This is not just the mission of the church, but the responsibility of every believer.
The early church approached discipleship via two main routes: the commissioning of the twelve disciples, and the mission of the seventy-two apostles. Both went as groups, with an emphasis on proclaiming the gospel, healing the sick, and driving away evil spirits. All of these were done by the power of God. The key of discipleship is in the power delegation and training given to the laity, so that leaders can be nurtured, and teams can be built. Such training is done in both classes and on-the-job as practical experience, all led by teachers.
The metrics for discipleship include: studious reading of scripture and putting it into practice, prayer, worship, witnessing the Gospel, and service. The early church grew because of leadership, prayer, training, and evangelisation. Leadership training should be simple, structured, held regularly, professional, and done in a supportive manner.
The church needs to free its lay members, and balance the roles between the clergy and the laity. Theological education should not be restricted to a handful few, and pastoral opportunities should be opened to more. Prayer and fasting were characteristic signs of the early church, and training is the emphasis of teaching God’s word, and following the Gospel. The keys to leadership training lie in learning from the moral character of Jesus, complete commitment, servanthood, and enthusiastic evangelism.
Discipleship in practice and challenges arising
Discipleship training should be systematic, sustainable, holistic, and sets a standard for the faithful, with a set goal that past students will become future teachers. Bishop Stephen briefly described the ‘Zúme’ (‘yeast’ in Greek) course structure, with its emphasis on training and practice, methodically equipping its students with the foundation to evangelise and putting God’s word into practice as future leaders of the church. The bishop also introduced the SOAPS method of scripture study, which has proven helpful in guiding church members deeper into their understanding of the bible, putting the truth learnt into practice, and sharing their faith with others.
Inevitably, discipleship training isn’t always smooth-sailing: from unexplained absence and missing homework, to unwanted characters or egos disturbing a cohort, or even passion dying off due to a busy life or other reasons – all of these are potential challenges that will arise. Group work is integral to discipleship training, and team leaders are key to maintaining the coherence of each group.
After going through discipleship and ministry training, those gifted with leadership or teaching potential will be allocated to lead their own groups, and the others will be guided to serve, in order to prevent undue criticism from brewing in their hearts. Each of these groups are organised such that they support one another, and share with and pray for each other. The course structures are planned to emphasise putting things into practice and changing one’s life.
Bishop Stephen concluded with a reminder to the clergy that discipleship training is the key to the church’s growth, the faithful’s maturing, and the leadership’s nurturing. It is not just a course, but a spiritual devotion that spans one’s life. It is the future of the church.