By Zach Martin
My DC’S name is Mathetai. You might be wondering, what a strange name for a Discipleship Community. It’s unique (and maybe a little hard to pronounce: math-ay-tie), but full of meaning. It is the Greek word for “disciple” or “learner.” In other words, it is a word to capture who the people are who follow Jesus Christ.
Why name a DC this Greek word? The name reminds us of what we want to be: disciples of Jesus, plain and simple! Since I started leading the DC in 2021, I have seen God do wonderful things to grow our community to be fully devoted followers of Christ.
Following Jesus Further Up & Further In!
Discipleship is just that: developing fully devoted followers of Jesus. It is seeking to always be growing to follow our Lord more deeply, more fully, and more lovingly. In his book, The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis repeatedly uses the phrase, “Further up and further in” to capture going deeper into eternal joy and relationship with God. In a sense, that is discipleship. Further up and further in toward the image of God’s Son. In our DC, I have seen people grow in discipleship in two main ways. First, I have witnessed our community have a growing desire to know God’s word deeply so that they might praise Him with joy. Second, I have witnessed the community act in obedience to God’s word in loving one another in the broader church body. And I mean genuinely loving one another: showing up, calling out sin, challenging one another, showing hospitality, celebrating new parents and babies (so many babies!), and the list goes on!
Not Always Up, But Always Upward
This growth in discipleship has been beautiful to witness. But it has not been easy to cultivate nor has it been easy to walk through. There have been challenges, mainly in the area of having a large DC. Having a large DC makes it difficult to know how people are growing. It makes it harder for people to feel cared for. Perhaps you have felt that a bit, even at a larger church. These are real challenges. In addition, there have been people who have left the community that brought some harder transitions. On a personal level, I felt the exhaustion of stewarding a large group of people through much of that. There were tough conversations, points of challenge, and many ripple effects. But, of course, God is sovereign and He cares for His people that they might still be made like Him. So, although not every step has been “up,” growth in discipleship for our DC has always been upward.
Lessons Learned
I have learned some valuable things over the years in being part of my DC and seeing discipleship happen organically. First, I have learned that teaching people to live out the Bible is not draining, it is life giving. People are hungry to know God’s word and live in light of it. Second, I have learned to be patient toward others as they grow up in Christ. No one can rush discipleship since it is not a program. It takes a lifetime (and eternity)! Finally, I have learned that discipleship cannot happen apart from the church. Members are to care for one another so that we all grow up in Christ. May God bless our efforts at Heritage as we seek to disciple one another and make more followers (disciples!) of Jesus Christ among the nations.