#147 The Connection Between Discipleship and Leadership
Introduction
Considering the relationship of discipleship to leadership in ministry is that of a military chaplain in the Air Force. This context affects the facutes of the ministry that is lead. Therefore, in this context the chaplain is generally the leader who may be developing disciples. The primary role of chaplains is counseling, and the result of this is that the chaplain will be discipling many people one on one. But hopefully this will also be developing small groups and as leaders are developed through one on one counseling. This paper examines what great commission leadership is and how it compares to the discipleship process, what the goals of discipleship are, and the kingdom leadership principles.
Great Commission Leadership
The process of developing leaders and disciples are very similar. In either case the goal is to communicate a way of being to a person and have them take on the role they are learning about. Disciples are defined as followers. Particularly as followers of Christ. Whereas leaders are people who influence others to act a certain way. Christian leaders can influence others to become disciples. The role of a leader and a disciple are very intertwined. In many ways though a Christian leader is a disciple who has taken it a step further and is now making disciples. Discipleship is defined by who you are and your why, “leadership is primarily a heart issue.” The question is where is your heart? In a non-christian leader the heart may be directed at any number of things like money, honor, professionalism, or serving others. While Christian leadership is defined by your relationship with God. As The Three-Dimensional Leader suggests, “There is no Christian leadership without centering your life around and surrendering to Jesus.” Discipleship as opposed to leadership is accepting your role as subordinate to God’s will. To be like Christ is the goal of discipleship, “and looking at Jesus’ life helps us better understand what it means to be a mature believer. Before Jesus focused on doing something, he focused on being in relationship with God and with his disciples.” This is the foundation of good christian leadership. We must learn to follow Christ before we can disciple others towards Him.
Leadership comparisons
The suggested leadership style of Earley and Dempsey in Disciple Making is… is similar to that of Putnam in DiscipleShift. Both books suggest making discipleship the central method of leading the church. In Disciple Making is… it is suggested that to be a leader in the church you first must become a leader in your home. Dempsey writes, “To be a leader in the church, you must be a leader at home. If you cannot lead your wife and family, then forget about leading the church.” This reflects the Biblical mandate that Paull writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:4-5 (NASB) “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)” Putnam does not give as much attention to the foundations of a good leader. Putnam suggests that the job of a leader is to “guide and equip the saints so that the entire church becomes a mature community in which disciples flourish. It involves releasing the ministry and gifts of all believers. It’s about creating a place where everybody learns to be a minister by growing, serving, and making disciples themselves.” This agrees with what Dempsey writes about leading in the home first. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:12 that pastors, evangelists, etc are given “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. When pastors guide and equip the congregation, like a good father prepares his household to go into the world, that church becomes one that creates disciples.
Healthy Church, the Goal of Discipleship
A healthy church is the result of discipleship. As people are discipled they become better Christians, more attuned to God’s will, and more aware of their spiritual gifts. Healthy Churches and disciples as a goal can be derived from the Great Commission. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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 passage gives us the goal of the church which is to make disciples. There are three commands in this passage. To go, not to sit still, to not wait around in the church. But rather to go out into the world and find people. Second to baptize, which is to say bring them to Christ, not just other christians but new believers. Third, teach them as disciples to go out and do the same. Dempsey and Earley reflect this message when they write, “We make disciples of Jesus by proclaiming and showing the Good News, connecting people to Christ through the disciplines and then connecting them to each other in small groups and connecting the groups to the mission.” Discipleship is central to having a healthy church. A church is defined by its parts. And its parts are small groups or its individuals. The health of a church is related to the health of each person in that church. It may also be said that, “Healthy small groups are the best place to develop Christ followers as evidenced by the fact that Jesus Himself used a small group to develop the first group of world changers.” If Christ used a small group to teach His disciples and to build His church then we ought to do the same. As we follow Christ in how He chose to build His church we see healthy churches come about.
10 Kingdom Leadership Principles in Context
The is a strong leadership structure already in place. In the military everyone has a rank and is sorted by ability and experience in one area. In leading others in this context this structure may be used, but largely needs to be overcome. As those who lead in one area may find themselves a novice to the faith and led by one of their traditional subordinates. The ten Kingdom Leadership Principles help to work through these issues in this context. The first principle speaks to this issue that “There is only one King and you are not Him.” This principle helps Airmen to distinguish their work life from their Christian calling. The second principle builds on the first by suggesting that we all are not leaders but rather followers of Christ who influence others to also follow Christ. While the third principle says that all of our ministry belongs to God. Meaning that we can be detached from the ministry, people do not follow us, and it is not our ministry. These and the principles help to detach the chaplain and other ministry leaders from their ministry and to be properly ordered in relation to God.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have considered the great commission of Matthew 28:18-20. How the great commission relates to the call to lead and be disciples. The interrelationship of leadership to discipleship. And the ten kingdom leadership principles. As well as how healthy churches are made up of many disciples.
Bibliography
10 Kingdom Leadership/ Followership Principles
Blanchard, Ken, and Phil Hodges. Lead like Jesus Revisited: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016.
Dempsey, Rod. "Comprehending Spiritual Leadership." In Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence, 193–194. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013.
Dempsey, Rod, Dave Earley, and Adam McClendon. The Three-Dimensional Leader: A Biblical, Spiritual & Practical Guide to Christian Leadership. Bellingham, WA: Kirkdale Press, 2023.
Dempsey, Rod, and Dave Earley. Leading Healthy, Growing, Multiplying, Small Groups. Wordsearch, 2018.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013.
