This is the model used by not only the vast majority of discipleship and ministry schools, but also church Bible studies, Sunday morning sermons and – interestingly – the public school system. There’s just one major problem with this model:
The failure of this model is probably best exemplified in public schools in the United States where nearly 20% of high school graduates do not possess basic reading skills. But perhaps even more telling is a look around at our culture. Every Sunday hundreds of thousands of Christians gather on Sunday morning to worship the same God and get “equipped” for the week. We gather an army that should be influencing culture, but the morality of our culture continues to decline. This is far from “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) reputation of the disciples less than 30 years after Jesus’ resurrection. Why?
If you contrast the “western” discipleship model with how Jesus made disciples, you find key differences:
We call it “Ignite” and it’s goal is to facilitate transformation, not just impart information. We believe in engaging the whole brain and making room for Holy Spirit to bring revelation that goes far beyond our ability to teach. In addition, we are committed to not just teaching concepts, but creating a safe space and giving lots of opportunity to practice what we learn.
If you are looking for more than just simple teaching and long to impact the world around you, we invite you to join us at one of our workshops, currently running once a month.