A Theological Vision for Discipleship: How Principles and Practices Work Together to Simplify Our Disciple-Making

Abstract

In this article, I employ doctrine to understand the concept of discipleship from a theological standpoint and the practical outworking of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. My work suggests that disciple-making begins with the triune God as the one who creates and matures his people in Christlikeness. When rightly understood, this serves to shape how we, God’s people, partner with God in making disciples. Specifically, seeing that discipleship is ultimately God’s design and work, it follows that God’s people should make disciples in submission to and dependence on him. This sort of posture looks like allowing the principles by which God has ordered the disciple-making process to govern our disciple-making practices. In this article, I frame God’s disciple-making principles in this way: God creates and matures his people (1) by his Spirit through his Word, (2) in relation to the local church, and (3) over a long period of time. In response to these principles, God’s people should uphold the centrality of Word-based ministry, the importance of the local church, and the espousal of accurate expectations in their disciple-making practices. This ordering of principles and practices serves to simplify disciple-making for us by defining success, clarifying a biblical philosophy of ministry, and providing us with boundaries and freedom. Consequently, the theological vision for discipleship I present in this article is something that Christians desperately need to comprehend and appropriate as we are constantly presented with an assortment of new methods and models for fulfilling the Great Commission.