Building a Discipling Culture:
Covenant City Church continues to fight to provide shared language that brings forth communal understanding which gives birth to shared practices surrounding our convictional aim as a faith community (click here). We desire to provide biblical foundations for practical application. In saying this, words matter. Words with their shared definitions function as building blocks which forge frameworks for healthy covenantal living.
Therefore, to develop a discipling culture, we must identify accurate, precise language that contextually connects with everyday expressions consistent with the Scriptural witness. Or said differently, our people must know what we mean biblically in order to faithfully do what’s been commanded. All of which is done within a particular context—within our own unique place and time (cf. Act. 17:26-27).[1] Culture, then—that is, intentional living exuberating vibrancy toward building kingdom qualities—must be saturated in language that contains biblical substance, purpose, and aim; language that finds its formation within the covenant documents themselves.
Grammar Matters:
When centering upon discipleship through the local church, we must work collectively to understand what’s being said. There must be clear articulation pertaining to definitions in order to produce adequate expression in sound, orthodox practice. This blog article, then, is an attempt to lay out definition that will inform and, hopefully, clarify terms in service of greater faithfulness in making disciples. Respectively, the words discipleship and discipling—though sharing the same etymological foundation—aim to convey two related yet distinct components within the life of Covenant City Church. The remaining article will seek to distinguish the two respective terms and place them in their proper context.
Discipleship. The term discipleship, fundamentally, is structured in the noun form. A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. Consequently, discipleship is a “thing” or “idea.” Stating the obvious serves not only to inform us of the grammatical markers, but, at the same time, to set the range in how the word is being used. Meaning, when we use the term discipleship, we’re not talking about the act per se, since the act itself would be better rendered in verb form (more on this below). Rather, the term serves to capture the broader concept, idea, or principle. Discipleship is the thing or idea that an individual steps into—process and all—when they step into a relationship with Jesus Christ through faith; that is, they become a learner of Christ.[2] Discipleship, then, which is helpfully defined by Tevin K. Wax, is “a holistic vision of life as a believer seeks to follow Jesus.”[3] Notice, consequently, that the term “holistic vision” speaks to the broader concept. Believers must understand that discipleship is their journey in being conformed into the image of the Son (Rom. 8:28; Col. 3:10; cf. Phil. 2:12).
For example, runners study running by, yes, running itself. But they also study running by infusing themselves amid the science of running. Meaning, they step outside of the act and examine the functionality of their body as well as the efficiency of each respective body part as it pertains to the goal of running and running fast at that. To this end, the term science of running becomes the subject (noun). It’s the broader concept at play, not the act itself per se. This situates us, then, to view discipleship as a noun—the idea of being conformed into the image of the Son. It also postures us to see the larger scale of discipleship—like running—in concert with its parts. How does each respective part—attending the gathering of the saints, community life, discipling groups, etc.—serve in the make-up of my own personal discipleship in Christ?[4] Or, to say it differently (and in reverse), how is discipleship expressed in each respective ministry within the local church?
Discipleship—meaning, its broader concept—is captured in Covenant City Church’s statement when it says,
Covenant City Church prioritizes the biblical mandate to make disciples of all nations (e.g., Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). All programs, events, and/or efforts will be driven to assist people toward joyful obedience to Christ Jesus. We believe in seven central components to disciple-making: (1) Gospel centrality, (2) biblical doctrine, (3) genuine personal relationships, (4) prayer, (5) modeling Christ-centeredness, (6) perpetual discipleship, and (7) covenantal community. The life of the church is inherently designed for discipleship. From the preaching of God’s Word to the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Table to the life of the covenant community, these unique facets coalesce into one unified whole in order to produce a disciple-making society. Everything that is done within the covenant community is to drive them toward greater affection and deeper knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This statement seeks to capture the broader concept of discipleship. That is, we desire to live out the aim of a biblical church which is to point people toward greater faithfulness in following Jesus. Therefore, everything we do as a church is in service to the broader concept of discipleship that glorifies Christ and enjoys Him forever.
Discipling. The term discipling is structured in the verb form. A verb expresses action or a state of being. In addition, verbs entail tense; meaning, a verb is captured within time—past, present, or future. Notice, then, that the term discipling, which ends with i-n-g, signifies an ongoing action or an action that’s in continuation. Or more specifically, it’s in the present-tense. Therefore, if Mark E. Dever is right (which I believe he is) in defining discipling as “helping others to follow Jesus,”[5] then the definition is set not on the concept per se, but upon the very act itself. It is the doing of discipling that’s at focus.
To this end, Covenant City Church hasn’t merely conveyed a broad conceptual framework on the idea of discipleship within her local setting. Quite the contrary, she has worked diligently to orchestrate an intentional course of action in having her members walk through being discipled and, in turn, leading others in the discipling process. One of the seven core tenants of our Distinctives in Discipleship (click here) is perpetual discipleship; that is, to disciple others to disciple others to disciple others. Consequently, we have structured a purpose statement for our discipling ministry which states:
The purpose of the discipling ministry of C3 is to provide an initial period of discipleship for its members to strengthen the believer’s faith in and conformity to Christ, and to equip disciples with biblical tools to faithfully minister to others.
Notice that this statement focuses upon what we’re doing (verb); not what we believe about a particular ministry. Therefore, at Covenant City Church, to say that we’re discipling is to say more specifically that we’re intentionally walking others through the book of Romans. That is, the Epistle to the Romans is our course of action and the substance to which our discipling is built upon. We want to help our people see through the text the beauty of the Gospel in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4, 6). We, in turn, desire to help our people see that we’re “not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (Rom. 1:16-17). To this end, we have a course of action in discipling members at Covenant City Church.
How Does It Go?
Though we’ve distinguished between these two terms—discipleship and discipling—in reality their function isn’t meant to be done in isolation. Quite the contrary, both operate within a Venn-diagram-of-sorts (see Figure 1.1). Meaning, there’s a distinction without separation. Or to put it more concretely, when we analyze Covenant City Church’s aim toward faithful discipleship, we must see that one component within the larger concept is the discipling journey taken through Romans itself. And vice versa, when we engage in the discipling process, we partake in one of the broader objectives in being a faithful, biblical church that is marked out by discipleship.
All this to say, by identifying these terms, members at Covenant City Church will be better informed on how they’re to approach discipling and discipleship within the covenant community. There’ll be seasons where members engage heavily in being discipled and discipling others. Whereas there’ll be seasons—due to rest—where they may not be discipling personally at all. That doesn’t mean, however, that they’ve disengaged from discipleship altogether. Their attendance in church service, Covenant Groups, or bible studies showcase that they’re still very much involved in their personal conformity to Christ—they’re still very much involved in the discipleship that makes up Covenant City Church. That is, a church that aims at being a disciple-making society. Soli Deo Gloria!
***footnotes***
[1] See Wax, Trevin K. Eschatological Discipleship: Leading Christians to Understand Their Historical and Cultural Context. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018.
[2] See McGrath, Alister E. Mere Discipleship: Growing in Wisdom and Hope. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2018.
[3] Wax, Eschatological Discipleship, 6.
[4] See Marshall, Colin & Tony Payne. The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything. Kingsford, NSW: Matthias Media, 2009.
[5] Mark Dever, Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus, 9Marks (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016), 13.
McYoung Y. Yang (MDiv, SBTS; ThM, MBTS) is the husband to Debbie and a father to their four children. He is a Pastor of Preaching/Teaching at Covenant City Church in St. Paul, MN and the Executive Editor of Covenant City Church Content Team. Along with his ministerial duties, he is a homeschool dad. McYoung is continuing his doctoral studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO, and his ambition is to use his training as a means to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.