De(v/f)ine discipleship

Discipleship is a term I could not grasp for a long time. During the Eurochurch conference I was pleasantly surprised a lot of time was spent defining the term. Below is the definition that was created:

1. There can be no discipleship without community, then it is instruction. This points to the necessity of a personal relationship with people as a prerequisite for discipleship.
2. Offer a reason or a goal for community (this is communitas), because to commit to something without a goal is no real commitment.
3. Understand the context where people live in, love and serve the world around them. This refers to that Jesus sends us as he was sent.
4. Be vulnerable, available and accountable.
5. It requires spirit, soul and body, none of them can be left out.

I have also seen it defined in another way:

• love people
• look whats happening
• truely listen to people, because we tend to fill in a lot of blanks
• live among people
• learn to connect
• link concretely to people locally

One thing is basic and clear among this term, that discipleship has to happen out of actual life. Sharing your life in an honest way with the people around you creates a natural setting for spending time influencing each other about deeper issues.

A more systemic view from Dawn European Network: