TCC is Crucial to Building a Legacy
TCC = True Christian Community
Last week, brother Mike sent me (Rob) an instructional document that he had prepared for his local church in Hawaii. The document contained spiritual and foundational principles for the local church, particularly the church’s education. What’s interesting to me and relevant to this topic is brother Mike’s insight into the role of teaching within the Biblically called-out community. Here are two principles Mike shares:
- There is an expectation within every local congregation for experienced, mature believers to teach the younger believers ( Titus 2:1-3)
- Those that are taught are expected to mature and become teachers for the next generation of leaders (2 Timothy 2:2 Hebrews 5:12)
For the word "teachers" I’m going to take a little Hebraic license and expand its meaning to "disciple-makers" for that is the goal of teaching in the Church — not just to impart brain stuff (knowledge) to students, but to raise the mind and character of disciples. Also notice the word expectation. That word covers everybody in the Church. You’re either expected to be a disciple or to make disciples depending on how your Christian character has matured.
- Where in your Church does the modelling, maturing, & discipling of the Christian life take place?
- Who in your Church does the discipling? Is it a Leadership thing? Or, do qualified and quality members also have avenues of discipleship?
- How is discipleship conducted? Are we trying to raise kids in a classroom? Are we forming intellectual brats or serving & reproducing disciple-makers?
- What is your view of discipleship? Is the first thing you think of a program, notebook, or study guide material? Or, do you see it as a special, formative teaching relationship utilizing a number of tools both spontaneously and systematically?
The Trump Card (not Donald)
While classroom training is important, yes vital, to the believer cannot the same be said of the comprehensive, disciple-making process? Do we not see Jesus doing both? I believe the Church is falling short today because we’ve Greek-ed ourselves right out of Hebrew. The Hebrews followed their teachers and believed it was a chief honor to be covered in the dust of a rabbi. Classroom teaching alone forms sedate students. Discipling-teachers, however, form warriors. In other words, there’s more than theory; there’s laboratory.
And, I believe the very best place for this nurtured-shepherding to take place is in the small group where one-to-one training can be implemented and guided. Again, I ask, Do we not see Jesus doing the same thing? Take the Sermon on the Mount… Jesus’ front-row students were the Twelve. Most likely, the crowds gathered to "listen-in" to the Disciples’ training. The Disciples served the Lord and the crowds. Later, Jesus dismisses the crowds to deeply train the Twelve, but He never dismisses (doesn’t preoccupy Himself with whether they follow Him or not) the Disciples.
Therefore, we have a model that shows us that True Christian Community is forward-looking. It’s concerned about God’s kids and where they’re going. It expects growth. Also, TCC is accomplished with an intimacy that includes both oral teaching and practical formation. And, the best disciples are formed out of a close-knit communion with the Lord and one-another. Those are the disciples that will reproduce. They will build a legacy.
