Writing Assignment 1
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
Writing Assignment 1
A paper submitted to Dr. Rick Garner
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course
Discipleship Ministries
DSMN 500
By
Hershel L. Kreis, Jr.
November 4, 2012
Toano, Virginia
INTRODUCTION
While there are those who may be uncomfortable with the idea that worship is a goal in making disciples, the goal of Christian education according to Mitchell is to make a disciple who worships Jesus. Mitchell points out that worship is more than just showing up at church on Sunday morning for an hour of corporate worship. He points out that worship according to John 4:19 -24 goes much deeper than just that time of corporate worship that we often think of as worship. He points out that worship involves the whole person, mind, body and soul. Anderson states that corporate worship is “an action of discipling and discipleship” and a “school for the Lord’s service.”
Discipleship is just one part of the equation needed to assist Christians in spiritual formation to maturity. Christian education also has a role to play. The goal of both discipleship and Christian education is to produce spiritually mature disciples of Christ. Education, as the term is used by Csinos and many others, is used to refer to learning that takes place within churches or schools. Formal Christian education and discipleship can be seen as points along a continuum that is designed to increase the spiritual maturity of believers. Mitchell’s definition of Christian education, when broken down gives a number of clues as to the role it plays in regards to assisting Christians to become more mature in their walk with Christ. When Mitchell speaks of Christian education as “engaging learners in acquiring the mind and skill sets,” he clearly shows that there has to be a transfer of knowledge in some fashion. Faithful expository preaching allows the Christian to understand how the Bible is not just a collection of 66
Writing Assignment 1
A paper submitted to Dr. Rick Garner
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course
Discipleship Ministries
DSMN 500
By
Hershel L. Kreis, Jr.
November 4, 2012
Toano, Virginia
INTRODUCTION
While there are those who may be uncomfortable with the idea that worship is a goal in making disciples, the goal of Christian education according to Mitchell is to make a disciple who worships Jesus. Mitchell points out that worship is more than just showing up at church on Sunday morning for an hour of corporate worship. He points out that worship according to John 4:19 -24 goes much deeper than just that time of corporate worship that we often think of as worship. He points out that worship involves the whole person, mind, body and soul. Anderson states that corporate worship is “an action of discipling and discipleship” and a “school for the Lord’s service.”
Discipleship is just one part of the equation needed to assist Christians in spiritual formation to maturity. Christian education also has a role to play. The goal of both discipleship and Christian education is to produce spiritually mature disciples of Christ. Education, as the term is used by Csinos and many others, is used to refer to learning that takes place within churches or schools. Formal Christian education and discipleship can be seen as points along a continuum that is designed to increase the spiritual maturity of believers. Mitchell’s definition of Christian education, when broken down gives a number of clues as to the role it plays in regards to assisting Christians to become more mature in their walk with Christ. When Mitchell speaks of Christian education as “engaging learners in acquiring the mind and skill sets,” he clearly shows that there has to be a transfer of knowledge in some fashion. Faithful expository preaching allows the Christian to understand how the Bible is not just a collection of 66
Bibliography: Anderson, E. Byron. “Worship: Schooling in the Tradition of Jesus.” Theology Today 66, no. 1 (April 2009): 21-32. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). Collinson, Sylvia. “Making Disciples and the Christian Faith.” Evangelical Review Of Theology 29, no. 3 (July 2005): 240-50. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). Csinos, David M. “"Come Follow Me": Apprenticeship in Jesus ' Approach to Education.” Religious Education 105, no. 1 (January 2010): 45-62. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). Houston, James M. “The Future of Spiritual Formation.” Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 4, no. 2 (September 2011): 131-39. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). Mitchell, Michael R. Leading, Teaching and Making Disciples. Bloomington, Indiana: Crossbooks, 2010. Samra, James G. “A Biblical View of Discipleship.” Bibliotheca Sacra 160, no. 638 (April 2003): 219-34. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). [ 3 ]. . E. Byron Anderson, “Worship: Schooling in the Tradition of Jesus,” Theology Today 66, no. 1 (April 2009): 29. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). [ 4 ]. . David M. Csinos, “"Come Follow Me": Apprenticeship in Jesus ' Approach to Education,” Religious Education 105, no. 1 (January 2010): 51. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). [ 6 ]. . James M. Houston, “The Future of Spiritual Formation,” Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 4, no. 2 (September 2011): 135. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). [ 7 ]. . Sylvia Collinson, “Making Disciples and the Christian Faith,” Evangelical Review Of Theology 29, no. 3 (July 2005): 240. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012). [ 10 ]. . James G. Samra, “A Biblical View of Discipleship,” Bibliotheca Sacra 160, no. 638 (April 2003): 219. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2012).