Pastoral Ministry, Part 5: Discipleship Programs

The primary means by which discipleship occurs within the local church is through expository preaching. Additionally, the pastor teaches and fosters an educational environment by which believers of all ages are trained to be disciples of Christ. Sunday school, discipleship training, home Bible studies, Bible drill, mission programs, Bible school, and seminary extension classes are a few examples of discipleship programs. No person should be expected to fill a role in the church without being afforded adequate training. Everyone from door greeters, to Sunday school teachers, deacons, and leaders should be comfortable in knowing what they are doing. The church should be a vivacious training ground, teeming with life and learning for all ages and stations of life. While in some respects, the metaphor of the church being a hospital for the sick stands true, a more accurate picture would be that the church is a medical school for the training of those who will go out and minister to the sick where they are.