Discipleship and a healthy church
For this assignment, you will explain how a healthy church is the goal for discipleship. Next, you will
examine your personal church or ministry context and identify the top 3 areas that your organization
needs to focus on to create a healthier body of Christ. Finally, discuss some initial steps your organization
could take to improve its spiritual health. THIS IS A 5 PAGE PAGE PAPER BODY PLUS ADDITIONAL
TITLE PAGE & REFERENCE PAGE PLEASE.
Introduction
If the goal of discipleship does not orient towards creation of a healthy church, then it
becomes questionable. The ultimate goal of discipleship is a healthy church. Discipleship
denotes the willingness to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ and His ways despite the many
challenges that one may encounter in the process. A healthy church denotes a congregation
whose focus is not in the numbers of the members thereof, but rather the orientation towards
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DISCIPLESHIP AND A HEALTHY CHURCH
doing the will of God. This paper analyses the healthy church as the goal of discipleship and
gives the focus points of the church that need to be addressed in order to create a healthy church
and to improve on the spiritual health.
Goal of discipleship
There has been an observed trend in the church today which points to the goals of
discipleship as shifting from the focus to a healthy church. The goal of discipleship should be to
raise a healthy church that denotes the glory of God. Much of the focus of many disciples has
shifted to the growth of the church rather than the health of the church. The goal of discipleship
is on the growing of healthy church such that the glory of God can be manifested in it. 1 If the
health of the church is not made the ultimate goal of discipleship; then there are bound to be
problems. It becomes difficult to keep the focus of discipleship and it becomes extremely
difficult to withstand the temptations and difficulties encountered in the discipleship. When one
attaches the goal of discipleship to the healthy church, they are capable to withstand the
difficulties that are bound to be experienced especially in the process f the growth of the church.
The focus of the goal of discipleship to healthy church is based on the realization of the
difference between a big church or a growing church and a healthy church. The focus is not on
the growth of the church but on the health.
Areas to be focused
In order to achieve the health of the church it is crucial to focus on certain top areas and
give the necessary alignment. First, it is crucial that the church focus on the spiritual growth of
the church rather than the physical growth in terms of numbers. There has been much focus on
1 Joseph, Simon J. 2013. “Why Do You Call Me ‘Master’..?” Q 6:46, the Inaugural Sermon, and the Demands of
Discipleship.” Journal Of Biblical Literature 132, no. 4: 957.
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DISCIPLESHIP AND A HEALTHY CHURCH
the increment of the congregation numbers such that the health of the church has been neglected.
Most of the preaching has been aligned to encouraging people to attend the church and to even
encourage their neighbors at home and at work places to attend the church. There has not been
much focus on the health of the church in terms of how well they follow the teachings of the
Bible. 2 There is therefore need to align the teaching to the congregation to focus more on the
health in terms of following the teachings of the Bible rather than in the mare attendance of the
church sermons. This would go a long way in ensuring that the church is healthy n terms of
doing the will of God in accordance with the Biblical teachings.
The other top area of focus is on the orientation of the gifts of the disciples. There has
been much effort to encourage the congregation to make their offerings in the church without
much focus on how the growing disciples should learn to give especially the poor in the
community. Giving out offerings in the church is oriented to discipleship because; the ministry
of leading the disciples cannot be accomplished without the offerings made by the congregation.
However, this is not enough by itself because; some people could just give out of having plenty
and not out of their hearts. There should also be encouragement of the congregation to help the
poor in the society. This orients to the teachings of Jesus that we should help the poor and if we
do not love our neighbors; then we do not love God. It is therefore, crucial that the focus should
not just be on the giving in the church. There should be a shift such that the giving is also
extended to the poor and the needy in the society. 3 This kind of giving should be encouraged to
take the first priority because; God likes a clean heart more than the offerings. The helping of the
needy could even result to the growth of the church in the sense that; many people would be
2 Joseph, Simon J. 2013. “Why Do You Call Me ‘Master’..?” : 962.
3 Budiselić, Ervin. 2013. “A Proper Understanding of the Gospel as the Key for Healthy Church Evangelism, Life and
Ministry.” Kairos: Evangelical Journal Of Theology 7, no. 1: 21
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DISCIPLESHIP AND A HEALTHY CHURCH
touched by the helping spirit of the church goers and they would therefore want to be associated
with the church. They would therefore seek to become part of the church ministry and start
attending the church. It is crucial that the leading disciples focus on making the congregation
healthy even in their giving out of what they have rather than in increasing their numbers so that
the offerings can increase.
In order to have a healthy church, it is crucial to also focus on the issue of the fruits of the
developed disciples. The goal of the disciples who have already developed their grounds in the
discipleship in Christ is oriented to making others healthy disciples. The disciples made are also
encouraged to make others disciples too. When the new disciples are brought to the church, they
are helped to grow spiritually such that they are able to bear fruits. If the disciples do not bear
spiritual fruits, then they are not healthy. 4 Therefore, the goal of discipleship as of being to
develop a healthy church is not achieved. In order to ensure that the goal of discipleship is
pegged to a healthy church; it is crucial to ensure that the disciples made are bearing fruits.
If the disciples are bearing fruits, then the church can be said to be healthy. The fruits to
be borne by the disciples in a healthy church, whose disciples are oriented to making a healthy
church, are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The area of ascertaining the fruits of the disciples should
be given focus so as to ensure that the church is healthy. 5 The new disciples should be
encouraged to understand the fruits that are borne by those that are led by the spirit of God.
Those are the fruits of the Holy Spirit such as love. When they have understood the expected
fruits, they are encouraged to bear them not just in the church but also in their lives outside the
church. When the congregation is bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit as the fruits of
4 VALIENTE, O. ERNESTO. 2013. “FROM CONFLICT TO RECONCILIATION: DISCIPLESHIP IN THE THEOLOGY OF JON
SOBRINO.” Theological Studies 74, no. 3: 672
5 Hewitt, Roderick R. 2014. “Evangelism as Discipleship.” International Review Of Mission 103, no. 2: 200-214
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DISCIPLESHIP AND A HEALTHY CHURCH
discipleship, then the church can be said to be healthy, and the goal of discipleship has been
accomplished.
Steps to improve spiritual health
There is need for improvement of the spiritual health of the church ministry. In order to
do this; there is need to take some steps. There should be more focus on the Bible so as to ensure
that the congregation understands the true meaning of discipleship. 6 The Bible is he Christian
doctrine that carries the focal way that Christians, who are in essence the disciples of Jesus;
should follow. The focus on the Bible would ensure that there are Bible sessions in the middle of
the week whereby; the new disciples are guided to understand the teachings so as to be able to
follow them in their daily lives. This view follows the observation made in the ministry. There
have been assumptions that the Bible teachings have become familiar to people such that there is
no need to give many teachings on the Bible. 7 This is not the way to go because; the Bible can be
taken to be new to any new disciple.
The other step to make the church healthy would be to focus on the health of the disciples
in terms of spiritual affairs. Sometimes there is focus on the physical growth of the church such
that the kind of life that the Christians live is not given much of attention. It is crucial to focus on
the life of the disciples or the Christians such that; they are encouraged to live a life denoting
following the steps of Jesus such that they can encourage other people to follow their ways by
living a healthy life that is guided by the will of God.
6 BARTON, RUTH HALEY, DIANE J. CHANDLER, TAN SIANG-YANG, JUDY TENELSHOF, and JAMES C. WILHOIT. 2014.
“SPIRITUAL FORMATION IN THE CHURCH.” Journal Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 7, no. 2: 301
7 BARTON, RUTH HALEY, DIANE J. CHANDLER, TAN SIANG-YANG, JUDY TENELSHOF, and JAMES C. WILHOIT. 2014:
297
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DISCIPLESHIP AND A HEALTHY CHURCH
Reference list
BARTON, RUTH HALEY, DIANE J. CHANDLER, TAN SIANG-YANG, JUDY
TENELSHOF, and JAMES C. WILHOIT. 2014. “SPIRITUAL FORMATION IN THE
CHURCH.” Journal Of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 7, no. 2: 291-311. Academic
Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
Budiselić, Ervin. 2013. “A Proper Understanding of the Gospel as the Key for Healthy Church
Evangelism, Life and Ministry.” Kairos: Evangelical Journal Of Theology 7, no. 1: 9-33.
Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
Hewitt, Roderick R. 2014. “Evangelism as Discipleship.” International Review Of Mission 103,
no. 2: 200-214. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
7
DISCIPLESHIP AND A HEALTHY CHURCH
Joseph, Simon J. 2013. “Why Do You Call Me ‘Master’..?” Q 6:46, the Inaugural Sermon, and
the Demands of Discipleship.” Journal Of Biblical Literature 132, no. 4: 955-972.
Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
VALIENTE, O. ERNESTO. 2013. “FROM CONFLICT TO RECONCILIATION:
DISCIPLESHIP IN THE THEOLOGY OF JON SOBRINO.” Theological Studies 74, no.
3: 655-682. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2015).
