Oldal 39 [39]
EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP IN DISCIPLESHIP
church-historical roots of intentional discipleship and modern practices, an
interesting conclusion can be drawn: something is fundamentally missing from
today’s congregational practice.
REALMS OF DISCIPLESHIP: JESUS, JOHN WESLEY,
AND MODERN PRACTICE
The master’s footsteps: the realms of discipleship of Jesus the Nazarene
Jesus and his disciples turned the ancient world upside down. In examining
communal and relational functioning in the Gospels, it may be noted that,
alongside personal relationships (e.g., Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman) and
public preaching (feeding the five thousand), the uniqueness of Jesus’ ministry
lay in his wandering together with his disciples in a larger group of friends,
consistently investing time in them for three years. An assessment of com¬
munal forms shows that the broader circle of disciples included 72, while the
narrower circle contained 12 disciples, in addition to an internal group of four
including Peter, James, John and Jesus himself. One study notes, based on the
lists in the Gospels, that the 12 disciples can also be categorized into smaller
groups of four.’ The New Testament provides other examples of various sizes
of small communities functioning and cooperating together.®
John Wesley’s overlapping system of groups
If one examines the operations of the 18th-century Methodist movement and
revival in England, one finds a fairly similar structure there as well. John Wes¬
ley’s Methodist revival movement was built upon the dynamic cooperation of
different types of communities.’ 18th-century Methodists practiced four kinds
of community beyond intensive personal relationships (see detailed correspond¬
ence): they revolutionarily reinstituted public outdoor worship, and organized
societies, class meetings, and bands. This fourfold community operated in an
overlapping system, from addressing interests to organizing groups, extending
to deep personal character development." 1he smallest was the discipleship
7 Carl W. Wilson: With Christ in the School of Disciple Building: The Ministry Methods of Jesus.
Oviedo FL, Andragathia Books, 2012, 144-145.
8 Asan example in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the home churches, the Antioch circle,
and the circles of the disciple of Paul: Acts 13:1-3, 20:4-5.
° D. Michael Henderson: John Wesley’s Class meeting: A model for making disciples. Wilmore,
Rafiki Books, 1997, 81-122.
10 Robby Gallaty: Rediscovering Discipleship. Zondervan. 2015. https://www.perlego.com/
book/558341 (accessed: 22 March 2024).
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