So I'm thinking and pondering on this...
How about this? A two-fold approach to discipleship and edification (building up). Or you could think of it as two tracks.
Track One: An elder in the local congregation would be responsible for the discipleship of new converts. The more elders the better, as long as they can actually do this work. New converts need to go through a sort of 'orientation' process, to get them up to speed so they can contribute meaningfully in the general gatherings of the assembly. So, elders should take new converts under their wing, so to speak, and spending one on one time with them (or preferably one on household time with them, an elder discipling a whole household... more on that in a moment...) they should begin a process of instruction in the fundamentals of the teaching of Christ. This would be two-fold, on the one hand 'doctrinal' or theological instruction in the basic teachings of the Bible, and on the other hand 'practical' instruction in things such as personal prayer, worship, holiness, Bible reading and study, witnessing to others, etc. So, new converts would have something akin to a 'sponsor', they would be somewhat like 'apprentices' learning the basics of being a Christian and living the Christian life. The goal is to establish them in the faith, enabling them to be productive members of the Body.
Track Two: This would be focused on the congregation as a whole. There would need to be a systematic approach to teaching the Bible, geared towards meeting the needs of the entire assembly, with ample room for admonition and exhortation. The individual members of the Body would put their personal training (discipleship) into action in the meetings, slowly but surely contributing more and more to the content of the meetings from their own prayerful studies, experiences, etc, sharing whatever revelations God has given them (see
1 Cor 12-14), as well as exercising whatever gifts that are more administrative or logistical in nature than simply 'speaking or singing' in the meeting. Each congregation of course, being composed of a unique blend of individuals different from any other congregation, would have to have its own 'tailor made' program of corporate teaching. This requires wisdom on the part of the elders who have the oversight. They need to rightly judge where the congregation is at, spiritually, and how best to get to where the Lord wants them to be. That is to say, they need to be discerning in regards to what the assembly needs in order to grow and fulfill its calling.
However, a basic structure or 'outline' or 'template' could be put in place, modified as needed for each articular congregation. Perhaps a systematic program of Bible reading and teaching, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, through the Bible in such a way that all the main points are hit on (recognizing of course that the entire Bible cannot be gone through in that way in any reasonable amount of time). The particular books of the Bible chosen for this purpose would depend on the teacher(s) and the congregation. However, there ought to be a way to esentially go through the entire Bible's truths.
Something like this:
1. There should be a reading from both the 'law and the prophets' as well as the Gospels and epistles. The Gospels can serve as the base template. Broken down into sections or passages for each reading, whoever is teaching would need to prepare before hand the 'corroborating scriptures' from the OT and the Epistles which give additional explanation or application of the main passage in the Gospel reading. OR if there is a particular passage in the OT or NT Epistle that needs to be taught or explained, it can be done once a corresponding Gospel reading is found, and then those OT and Epistle texts can be taught when the appropriate Gospel reading comes up. This way, the whole counsel of God can be taught while using the Gospels as a sort of 'lectionary' of readings. Additionally, teaching is restricted to the text of Scripture - the Word of God itself gives the subject matter and the outline, rather than relying on a particular teacher's fancy.
2. In addition to the readings and the teaching from the elders, space should be given to those who have the gift of exhortation, prophesying, etc to share whatever God has given them. This will take care of the need for 'preaching' (as opposed to 'teaching', as some make the distinction).
I think this would provide a well-rounded approach to both individual discipleship as well as the corporate needs of the assembly as a whole.
Also, elders should get together, and have discipleship themselves as to how to fulfill their calling as elders, overseers, etc in the assembly. The role of 'deacon', or servant of the assembly, would be useful for identifying those who have eldership potential, and as deacons they would be 'in training' by the elders to become the next generation of elders. This way, each congregaton provides its own leadership, no nobody needs to be 'imported' from outside the congregation.
Whaddya think? Is it workable? Is it too grandiose? Unrealistic? Scriptural?
*About household discipleship: The ideal would be evangelistic preaching that results in the conversion of entire households. Preaching should primarily target heads of households, with the expectation that if the head of house converts, his household will convert with him. Thus, the entire family can be discipled as one, together. This is of course simply an ideal, and reality is often not quite as neat as that. But it certainly should be a goal, I believe.
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