Bishop Ken Carter: Discipleship as Spiritual Formation and Mentoring: The Heart of Fresh Expressions of Church
Ninth in a series of reflections on Fresh Expressions of church, the Florida Conference and United Methodism, and our relation to the "Nones," "Dones" and the "Spiritual but Not Religious."
If we are listening to God's call in the present moment, in increasingly non-churched and de-churched environments, we may discover that we are being led back to a fundamental experience-an encounter with the living Jesus. We encounter him in the gospels, even as he is anticipated in the Old Testament and as his message is embodied and proclaimed in the later writings of the New Testament. The encounter is always one that calls us into deeper relationship, which we call discipleship.
Discipleship as Spiritual Formation
So how do we become a disciple of Jesus?
Becoming a disciple or apprentice of Jesus is a cumulative process. It involves small steps and giant leaps of faith. It is like swimming against the stream and riding the rapids. It is unconscious and intentional. It is planned and spontaneous. It is work and at the same time a gift.
1. As a cumulative process, discipleship is a daily spiritual practice: reading scripture, sending a tweet about a passage of scripture or a God-sighting, memorizing a verse, offering an intercession, acting with kindness, writing in a journal.
2. Discipleship is also a weekly activity: an hour of worshipping God, a meal with a mentor or with friends, reflecting deeply on the neighborhood as a context for mission, encouraging a small group of Facebook friends, contributing money to God's mission.
Note: While the Christian life may begin as an individual search, it can only be sustained and supported through participation in a small group, where we are loved, blessed and held accountable. The contribution of the Fresh Expressions movement is that these groups are not confined within our local churches, although they may happen there-this is the " mixed ecology." And, as we have noted, this is deeply embedded in the practices of the early Wesleyan Christian movement (class meetings and band meetings).
3. Discipleship as a sustained habit might include monthly experiences: a day of silence and prayer and deeper scripture reading, meeting with a spiritual director, reading a book/spiritual classic, a deeper act of service in the community, serving in a leadership role.
4. And discipleship as a more reflective and long term way of life might include annual practices: an extended pilgrimage or retreat, a mission trip, an evaluation of financial giving to God's mission.
5. Discipleship is a lifelong process ; in Eugene Peterson's language, it is a " long obedience in the same direction." It will help to document your spiritual formation; for some, there are life-changing events, and for others, the process is more gradual and even generational. In the Wesleyan tradition we have called this sanctification.
The Bible itself can be read in this way:
it is the journey of God's people from slavery to freedom;
the passage of Jesus from baptism and wilderness to suffering, death and into resurrection;
the experience of the disciples who follow Jesus, listen to his teaching, witness his death and resurrection, receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and are sent into all the world.
For the non-churched (nones), the language of becoming a disciple is entering a new world of practices, habits and relationships. For the de-churched (dones), the path of discipleship requires a detachment from negative experiences of church in the past and a turning toward the gift of new forms of church. And for leaders , lay and clergy, there is the essential and lifelong basic work of spiritual formation. At our best, we will be most effective and faithful as we accompany each other into the future that God is preparing for us.
Making Disciples as Mentoring
Once we are on the path of being a disciple, we soon discover that we are also called to invite others into this way of life. Thus, we want a simple method for making disciples or mentoring friends to be closer followers of Jesus.
So how do we mentor (or make) new disciples?
1. Listen to the other person. This may happen in a meeting, perhaps in everyday life and in planned or unplanned ways, or over a succession of conversations. In a culture that is cynical about faith, it is not wise to rush this step. Listening is a lifelong activity!
2. Reflect back to the person that you are wanting to get to know and understand them. For many persons, this is a rare experience to discover that others are listening to (honoring) their stories.
Note: These first two steps are essential and cannot be bypassed.
3. Connect their story with your own story and a part of the gospel. This assumes that we know the gospels (the importance of daily reading) and can access the presence of Jesus in most any human situation: fear, loss, anger, poverty, betrayal, confusion, pride. You may share an experience where the power of Jesus helped you to overcome an obstacle. This connection is not about institutions or denominations, but is instead about relationships and the spiritual journey.
4. Ask how you can be in prayer for the person. And ask if the other person will pray for you. This places you together on the same level.
Note: Here you will want to be as humble as possible, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to speak through the gospels and the act of prayer. At this point the action is more important than the response, which you cannot control.
5. Seek to connect the other person to your community. In our time, the basic steps will be a group that meets outside the church (say, in a coffee shop) or in a context of mission and serving, or in a new group in formation. Don't worry if you get stalled here, but don't hesitate to name your own worshiping community. It is a relational process.
6. Stay in touch with the person, and continue to develop the relationship, no matter the response. You are investing in the friendship for the sake of the other person, and not for any congregational or institutional gain.
7. Continue to pray for the other person each day, and occasionally let the other person know you are doing this.
There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between becoming a disciple (spiritual formation) and making disciples (mentoring). We often learn best by teaching and leading; and at the same time, our lives are shaped, formed and enriched by deep friendships.
It is also true that where spiritual formation and mentoring are not present, our Christian life can become stagnant and rigid. How do we break this cycle?
If we are stuck, we might seek out a spiritual director, pastor, coach or guide. This person is likely less appealing to us because of credentials and more through an authenticity and depth of faith.
Note: A word about generations. Many younger adults have a strong need to live in relationships with persons who are older (not of their generation). At the same time, many younger adults have a great deal to teach older adults. This is sometimes called reverse-mentoring. There is a need for both mentoring and reverse-mentoring in our church.
By definition, Fresh Expressions "come into being through principles of listening , service, incarnational mission and making disciples." And, so, our first priority is not to create Fresh Expressions of church; instead, we listen, serve, and become incarnationally present and disciple. In our time, this will take the form of spiritual practices that shape us, and intentional relationships that empower others.
Questions: What two or three spiritual practices or habits would strengthen your life as a disciple of Jesus? What happens weekly, or monthly, or annually? And, is there someone near to you who might be open to your spiritual mentoring?
Next: Fresh Expressions, United Methodism and " **Saving the Institution***"*
To Learn More:
Kenneth Leech, Soul Friend
Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount)
Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
"How Do You Define a Fresh Expression of Church?" https://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/ask/define
Note: Many in our congregations do not have a clear picture of how to progress in the Christian life. And many others have a desire to help others grow in faith, but don _'__ t feel competent to get started. I would be honored if those who read this particular reflection would share this very brief and simple statement about becoming and making disciples, and I welcome your feedback on how to improve it!_