Everyone wants results. It is basic human nature to expect good outcomes from hard effort. To experience otherwise is utterly discouraging and disappointing. But good fruit takes not only effort, but Time. It is not simply a task of sowing, but also of continual watering, weeding and feeding. Taking short cuts may seem like a good idea in the moment, but ultimately the final fruit will be compromised. Hurried growth always has a bitter taste in the end. Hence the slow work of Discipleship. We all have a part to play...and we should be busy, but unhurried, about it...
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the Equipping of the Saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may Grow Up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ.”
At the Bible Schools, we have purposed to abstain from “artificial” supports and stimulants of the Ministry Growth Movement. No additional foreign missionaries. No grand buildings. No high-tech gadgets. No creature comforts. No toys, no trinkets, no shiny things. No light shows, no smoke machines, no visuals, no projected Bible verses on a big screen. No toilet paper. No financial support of Pastors. No commentaries, no video teachings, no downloads, no handouts. Take your own notes...by hand. No distractions nor interventions that mask the Reality of the tremendously difficult Context in which our Pastors and Ministry Leaders live and serve: the urban slums of East Africa. This is done purposefully, after many mistakes, substantial blunders and missteps in our early years. Mistakes are part and parcel of being a missionary. But Impatience and Ministry Growth stimulants most certainly are not.
There is almost too much emphasis on cross cultural sensitivity training for missionaries. Perhaps the most salient point is simply this: “counterculture” is not the one in which we minister. It is the one from which we originate. The missionary must learn to jettison norms and proclivities from his or her homeland that hinder making Disciples abroad. Perhaps the most damaging one is an over emphasis on Time. Quick, speedy, near instant results are not only desired, they are expected by us, and those who send us. Supporters, donors, sending churches, mission boards, etc. ask for reports...and rightly so. But all to often “successful” missions, projects and missionaries are measured by the numbers. “Salvations” are counted, enrollments are pushed, members are numbered, dollars are added and churches are multiplied. As if more is always better, and quicker is always more efficient. Not only is this short-sighted...it is more often than not self-defeating.
At Disciple Support Ministries, we operate with a different approach. The ministry team is, by vast majority, strictly volunteers. Graduates of the program who have voluntarily returned to Disciple the next generation. The paid staff is all part time and minimal in number. The team is entirely indigenous, save one (me!). Everyone involved on the field is a Disciple we have personally raised up through the Ministry.
We “grow our own”...just like Jesus did. No “hired guns” are brought in to teach, administrate or coordinate in any regard. We work from within...with “what” and “whom” God has put in our hands today.
The team building is continuous, careful...and painfully slow. The immediate results are typically meagre by any carnal measure. But we are not counting.
We are building men and women of God.
Not ministry mannequins in a religious factory. Jesus ministered to tens of thousands, discipled hundreds...but poured His heart and soul mostly into just twelve. And with the remaining eleven, He turned the world, not upside down, but right-side up.
As it is on the Mission Field, so should it be in the Church. We emphasize to our pastors the “slow cooking over an open flame” approach...rather than the microwave. Work with “what” you have on hand...without constantly complaining about what you don’t. Work with “whom” you have on hand...without wishing God would send an angel to speed you along. It is in the trenches of human frailty that we slowly fashion Vessels of Honor. They are not mass produced...rather they are intricately woven, meticulously molded and painstakingly perfected. Discipleship is long, slow, hard work. It won’t be done on a short-term trip. And ten years will just be a start. That’s why so many discard it in the pursuit of “Annual Ministry Goals and Objectives.” And on the way to impressing ourselves and others with “effectiveness,” we can obstinately pass by the very Purpose for which God laid hold of us: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ.
And so once again, as it is on the Mission Field, it should be in our Homes. We are not dealing with objects. We are dealing with people. Oftentimes little people. The chronic overemphasis on academic, athletic and/or artistic accomplishments has become obsessive, if not abusive. We are to emphasize Character in Christ...not scores on a report, credentials behind our name or balls in a net. The frantic running “to and fro throughout the earth” has not been for Discipleship, but rather for “one-up-manship.” Just look at the bumper stickers proudly proclaiming our children’s accomplishments (“My child is an Honor Student at...”). Look at the FB posts, blogs and photos we proliferate by the terabyte! And along the way, we avoid the chronic spiritual immaturity that will shipwreck our loved ones. We’ll travel across the State for another soccer tournament on Sunday morning. And once again compromise on the family devotions, Bible studies and prayer time with those under our care. We squander the precious few years to Disciple, encourage and build up Christ-like Character in our Home, our Churches...and even in Ourselves.
Paul the Apostle would have none of that. He nailed the flag to the mast...
“But as we have been approved by God to be Entrusted with the Gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts...Nor did we seek glory from men ...But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel of God, but also our own Lives, because you had become dear to us...as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
The enduring testimony of Disciple Support Ministries will not be the Bible Schools. I refuse to set such low standards. It has been, and will continue to be, lives changed into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Disciples. Men and women of God. Equipped for the work of ministry. Making a beachhead for Christ in the dark alleys and squalid shacks of the urban slums.
Jesus has given all of us the mandate to “make Disciples.” Let us relentlessly, patiently pursue the attainable goal...within the days He has also numbered.
