The Disciple-Making Disciple (DMD) is inherent in the perpetuation of the church through all ages, world without end. It is this model referred to by D.L. Moody as noted author of Disciple-Making Disciples, Dr. Christopher Moody quotes D.L., “It is better to train ten people than to do the work of ten people, but it is harder.” [1] Alternative models of church have surfaced since the governments of the world labeled church as nonessential and watched the church bunker up on internet church as a satisfactory answer to their due diligence of reaching the world. The idea sounded wonderful but was a very temporary solution for an overabundant problem. The cold hard truth is, that even during COVID as people left this world at a higher rate, it only verified the need to get the gospel to the people. Can the Internet Church and Traditional Church (DMD) exist simultaneously? While an internet layer may be a nice addition to gospel understanding, it is a poor replacement. Sure, there are great things happening from the distance of the internet and this gospel education helped to solidify the seeker's curiosity and can keep a broad brush stroking the water colors of Christianity. However, there is something to be said for investing in ministry multiplication via the exponential factor of one-on-one vested disciple-making-disciples. It has been said that you may impress people from a distance, but you can only impact them close up. A disciple making model of church involves people coming to the gospel with more than just information and not even information/inspiration split, but from the framed dilemma that there must be a moral decision so understood for a person to be saved and that prompting is best clarified in person on a person-to-person level. (1Pe 4:17) "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" [2] There must be a person-to-person hand-off to make the gospel and its perpetuation more readily obeyed.
Author Christopher Moody presents the placement of deacons and elders as irreplaceable parts in the disciple making churches movement. "Elders are to be about that task with intense focus using their leadership in mid-sized groups (in homes or Sunday Schools) and disciple groups (groups of 3-4) as tools for disciple-making. Deacons are to make disciples by using the work they organize as a training opportunity for instilling the values of service and obligation into other disciples." [3] God has planned for the Pastor to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12)
While not all Mega Churches are cut out of this same cloth, as a bonus comparison, a mega church type of ministry many times uses an event coordinated and oriented vision of mass evangelism. While mass evangelism may be a short sited answer for keeping people out of hell, the justification is found wanting when compared to the exponential multiplication model of disciple-making-disciples model (DMD). The event-oriented church has sometimes been describes as being a mile wide and an inch deep. DMD has enough allowance of time and space so that the impact covers the depth and breadth that Christ is longing to see in His church.
The gifting of each believer is many times left out of the internet models of church. As Moody describes the gifting of each believer he paints of picture of energy, synergy, and fulfillment, "As these gifts are genuinely manifested, they result in passion meeting purpose with effectiveness. In this ministry aspect, a believer finds himself most effective but feels more energized than tired. When disciples of Christ are engaged in God’s work for their lives, the outpouring of His provision energizes them in a manner that can only be understood as supernatural." [4] This usefulness of the gifting of the saints is many times left out of the staff run Mega-Churches or even (Traditional Churches without understanding of a Scriptural model.) Again, while not all churches or mega-churches are the same: a staff ran church is a staff ruined church. Oddly enough, I learned this saying from a mega-church that had a balanced approach to using the spiritual gifting of believers. Every member was a minister in this particular church but that is not the norm in our society.
It is almost apparent but needful to point out that an internet-based ministry cannot effectively use the spiritual gifting of God's church. More than two ministries can co-exist, but the internet-based ministries need to have a label that best summarizes their most useful design (for informational purposes mostly). The Disciple-Making Disciple (DMD) is inherent in the perpetuation of the church through all ages, world without end.
Bibliography
King James. King James Bible Oxford University Press, 1769.
Moody, Christopher B. Disciple-Making Disciples : A Practical Theology of the Church. Franklin, Tenn: Carpenter's Son Publishing, 2021.
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