By Bob Zomermaand
(First appeared in the June 25, 2007 issue of the Christian Courier.)
Although Elvis Presley died 30 years ago, he lives on in the thousands upon thousands of Elvis impersonators all over the world. These are people who go to great lengths to look like, sound like, move like, and dress like Elvis. They want to lose their own personalities and become like the King of Rock and Roll. They are what I would call Disciples of the King. Their goal is to not only keep the legend of Elvis alive, but to get others to be like the King himself, just like they are. If only Jesus were so fortunate!
In the pastorate today, we need more disciples of the Great King of the Universe. We need people who will do all they can to lose their own personalities and to be made in the image of Christ Jesus. In short, to be disciples of the Great King! In the pastoral context I would put it this way: the more a pastor becomes like Jesus and lives like he did, the more that pastor will display excellence in his/her role. That excellence will be seen as others follow in the pastor’s footsteps and, incredibly, more Disciples of the Great King are formed.
As I look back in history, I see many such individuals whose influence for the King is still felt today: Augustine in his many books, John Calvin in his commentaries, Mother Theresa in her life and writings—to name just a few. All of these are individuals whose writings have “discipled” other followers of Jesus over the centuries.
The giants in the faith have left us a splendid legacy. In their writings they speak to us, counsel us, and shape our ideas of faithfulness. They mold us into the image of Jesus. They remind us that we are not the first who are walking the life of discipleship. Pastors grow in their imitation of Christ by turning to the authors who have struggled with the challenge of following Jesus in their day.
These spiritual giants demonstrate to us the principle that for a pastor to find excellence in the ministry, it is essential to be engaged as both disciple and discipler. Christians of the early twenty-first century are not the finishing point of the Christian faith. We are those who have received the legacy of faith. We are called to hand it on again to new generations. Excellence in pastoring must include personally discipling the next spiritual generation.
Undeniably, pastors nurture as they preach, as they teach, and as they live among the people of their congregations. Beyond that, they need to be involved on a personal basis with a few disciples into whom they can pour their lives. The disciples, in turn, will then become disciplers of others. A pastor, I believe, needs to be totally committed to the mission which Jesus gave the church—to “make disciples of all nations.” The role pastors play in the lives of a few others at a personal level is crucial to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
A couple of years ago, the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence initiative in my denomination surveyed over 500 pastors regarding their activity in the making of disciples (defined as one-on-one or one-on-two). It was reported that over 40% of the pastors who responded said they had no discipling relationships with anyone. The demands of the work of the pastorate have so overwhelmed the time of a pastor that she/he has no time left to fulfill the Great Commission on a personal level. In conversations with many pastors, I have heard again and again how much they enjoy being able to lead a key member of their congregation to a deeper level of faith. It is when a pastor seizes that opportunity that a sense of faithfulness to one’s calling from God grows. When we as pastors have someone with whom we “do life” as followers of Jesus, we personally shape the next generation of Christ-followers. I believe that such a desire and calling led all those authors to pen those books that I love. Those giants in the faith in previous generations saw the value of committing time to the writing of books that would shape the spiritual walk of all who read them.
We do not all have to write books. But I believe that discipling happens as we do life with a few people into whom we pour our God-given insights. We can disciple members of our churches and those who are not yet members of our churches. The excellence of all aspects of one’s ministry blossom as a pastor personally hands on the faith to a few others.
How do we find those whom we will disciple? Let me share a story of how “God will himself provide” the person with whom you can share life. The time had come for a disciple of mine to literally leave for a far country. I asked him to join me in asking God to provide a new disciple, one who had very little experience in the faith in contrast to this disciple, who was a deeply devout Christian. When we began to pray, God was busy in the life of a young man—a first generation immigrant. He was on an internship in a city some distance from his home, and one evening, instead of heading for the video store to get another movie, he turned into a church parking lot. He saw cars outside, so he thought he would go in to find out what went on in a church.
The Christians welcomed him and brought him to know Jesus. Then it was time for him to return to the university and his living quarters—which were found in the local mosque. He went back to the university not knowing how to go about finding another body of Christians. A few weeks later, God had arranged a mind-boggling series of events that led him into my life. That fall, I began a discipling relationship with the young Pakistani man that would last for three years. In that time, I would again grow immensely in my love for the Word of God as I walked with someone who read the Scriptures for the first time with eyes of wonder and adoration for God.
The great news is that if you desire to be used of God to lead another person into a deeper relationship with Jesus, God already has the person picked out. We just need to become aware of what God is doing in us and around us. No matter if you are a well-seasoned pastor, young Christian, or someone at any point along the spectrum, anyone who is one step ahead of another can help to show the way in the journey of faith. No one can ever be too busy to do this good work. It is, after all, the heart of the Great Commission from the Great King of the heavens and the earth! May his disciples so increase that we fill the world with the image of Christ himself.
