Develop a Discipleship System
High-Impact Residency Program Focuses on Building Relationships
By Bener Agtarap
Introducing building relationships as an integral part of an intentional system of discipleship, the late Rev. Junius Dotson succinctly said, "Today, not unlike the time of Jesus, people still have deep spiritual needs and long for greater meaning for their lives. Some are searching for good news. Some need healing. Jesus still looks over our cities and villages and has compassion for all of the people . . . and so should we as his disciples."
In this webinar series, we established a theological vision for church planting in a post-colonial context. Building relationships plays a critical role in dealing with this current context that no longer trusts the church or thinks that we have anything meaningful to say that connects with people's lives. This reality means that church people must stop seeing themselves as privileged hosts and start exploring what it looks like to see themselves as humble guests.
"Today, not unlike the time of Jesus, people still have deep spiritual needs and long for greater meaning for their lives. Some are searching for good news. Some need healing. Jesus still looks over our cities and villages and has compassion for all of the people . . . and so should we as his disciples."
For many of us in the church, this can be challenging work. We tend to look at the world through one of two lenses: either we see our culture as evil or corrupt—something we must be saved from—or as a threat or an enemy. Consequently, many people in the church find their sphere of relationships almost entirely made up of church people. So let's get back to some basics and spend some time talking about listening to our community and building strong relationships.
Starting on Tuesday, August 10, our discussion will move from the theoretical to the pragmatic:
- How do we do this?
- How do we listen to truly hear what people are saying to understand their needs?
- How do we step outside the walls of our church and begin to form connected relationships?
We hope you can join us to learn about what it means to build relationships in a post-colonial context. Remember Rev. Dotson's words: "Let us be a people who once again engage with the mission before us, aware of the constant temptation to avoid this important work."
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