THN

ilSGIPI,IilG
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nIII:lt

ASTWY OF
MOVWIEATT
THEDISCIPTTNG
OFCTIRIST
ANIONGCHURCHES

EditedWFtaatlR. Yealdey,
lr.
Flmtil R. Ye.nklar
[r.
, _ _ _ _ . - _ _ ; t ,! - -

Hd,wardW.Norton
DonE. Wtznnt
GeneWtzant

GospelAdvocateCo.
P. O. Box150
Nashville, TN 37202

THE DISCPLING DNEMIVIA

Copl"righted@1988by GospelAdvocateCo.
No part of this publicationmaybe reproduced,
ALL RIGIIIS RESERVED.
storedin a retrievalsystem,or transmittedin any form.or by any means
r,vittroutlhejriorae+rrissionolthep-ublisher'
tr IS ILLEGALAND U_NTI?IICAL
TO DUPLICATECOPYI{IGHfEDMAIERI.AL
The materialin this study representsa considerableinvestmentof effort,
skill, time, and finance6froh both the authorand the publisher'If thi5
materialis photocopiedand circulatedto avoidbuving a book for eadt
student,ihe autlior is defraudedof duly earnedroyElties,and the
publisherdoesnot sell enoughcopiesto supportthe publication.
Publishedby GospelAdvocateCo.
P. O. Box 150
Nashville, TN 37202
ISBN 0-89225-311-8
SecondPrinting, 1988

COI{TENTS

PART I
Church Growth ResearchConcerningthe Discipling
MovementAmong Churchesof Cirrist
ByFlaailR. Yeakley,
lr.
1. The DisciplingMovement A Mixed Blessing. .. . . . 1
2. A Psychological
.... .. . 23
Study
39
Alternative
Examined
3.
Explanations
4. A Discussionof Differences
69
5. Dealing with the Discipling Dilemma

PARI II
The Impact of the Discipline Movement

On MissionWork Doneb,vthe ehurehesof ehrist

ByHowardW.
Norton
6. MissionWork [n Searchof the PerfectSolution . . . 89
7. DisciplingChurches:An ImperfectMissions
99
Solution

PART III
HistoricalRootsof the DisciplingMovement
Among Churches of Christ
ByDonVinzant

8. Rootsof the lvlodernDiscipling

Movement .... ... l1g
9. What Other Groups Have LearnedAbout the
DisciplingMovement
10. A SelectAnnotatedBibliographyof Materials
GenerallyUnfavorableto Modern Authoritarian
DisciplingTactics..

PART IV
A ReferenceGuide to the DisciplingMovement.
Among Church.escf Christ
ByGene
Vinzant
11.A Guideto th-eDisciplingMovement
...... l7l
12. Pillar Churchesand FutureChurchPlantings . .,. . . 177
13. BostonChurchesCountry by Country
. . . . " 183
L 4 .B o s t o n a n d S t a t i s t.i.c. .s
.....189
Appendix,byFlavilR.Yeakley,
Ir. ...
Editot's Update, SecondPrinting,
August, 1988..

.. .... lgz

PARTI
CHURCHGROWTHRESE/4RCH
CONCENNING
THE DISCj/PLING
MOVEMENTANIONG
CHURC}TES
OF CHRIST
lr,
fu FkztilR. Yealdey,

ABOIN THE AITTHOR

Flavil R. Yeakley,Jr.has servedasthe director of the
Church Growth Institute at Abilene Christian University since L984. He was chairman of the speech
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Pr08ram atrf,ne uruverslry or rursa rrom

t974throughL984, Prior to that, he spent over25years

in full-time local church work as a gospelpreacher.
He is the author oI Wlty ChurchesGrow Church
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and numerous articles.

He is a member of the North American Societyfor
Church Growth, the Association of Statisticiansof
AmericanReligiousBodies,the ReligiousSpeechCommunication Association, and the Associationfor PsychologicalType.
He receivedhis B.A. degreein psychoJogy
from the
University of Houston rn 1970,his M.A. degreein
speechcommunicationfrom the University of Houston
tn !972, and his Ph.D. degreein speechcommunication
from the University of Illinois int975.

CHAPTER

1"
G MOVEMENT:
THE DISCIPLIN
AMIXED BLESSING

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religious groups under various labels. Several de.-^-:-^r:^-^

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disciplingmovementin variousplacesthroughoutthe
world. Thosesamedenominations,howevethavebeen
troubled by the doctrinesand practicesassociatedwith
this movement.
The word'tdiscipling"is used in this rnovementto
mean much more than making converts.It is used
primarily to describea systemof intensetraining and
close personal supervision of the Christians being
a-sbeing superiorto
discipled"Disciplesare rega-rd-ed
are said-to be Chnstians who
training.
much mere than mere teaching. There is an intense
one-on-one relationship between the discipler and the
Christian being discipled. The discipler gives detailed
personal guidance to the Christianbeing discipled. This
guidance may include instructions concerning many
personal matters of a totally secularnature. The person
being discipled is taught to submit to the discipler.
Furthermore, the person being disgipled is taught to
imitate the discipler. Christians being discipled are
lequired to confess their sins to their discipler. Such
confession is followed by rebuke, correction, admonitnorp Chrisfians

T)i

The Discipiing Dilemma

tion, and prayer. If the person being discipled seems

reluctant to confess sins, the discipler asks probing
personal questions to elicit the confession.
Discipling is hierarchical. There is a clear distinction
between the discipler and the person being discipled. A
Christian might have many peer relationships,but only
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the person who must be imitateci anci obeyeci.Rfter a
Christian has been discipled for a while, that Christian
is expected to start discipling others. The result is a
pyramid of relationships that resembles a multi-level
marketing system. Invarious denominationswhere the
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has been for the founding pastor of a church to be at the

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small group of other pastors. Each of them, in turn,

disciples a small group of lay leaders. The lay leaders
then disciple members one step lower in the pyramid.
That hierarchical system continues through as many
steps as may be needed as the discipling movement
spreads.The growth of the discipling network typically
goes beyond one local congregation to include many
other congregationsestablished by the parent group.

The result is a pyramid of

relationships tftaf resemblesa multilevel marketing system.
This description of discipling, of course, does not
perfect$ fit every group that has ever been aparto the
discipling movement. This composite description,
howevet is very close to each of the groups that has
been a part of this movement. The focus of this studyis
on one particular manifestation of this movement: the
discipling movement among churches of Christ. There
is general agreement among those inside and outside
this movement that the Boston Church of Christ is the

The Discipling Movement

leader of this movement today. That congregationis the

primary focus of this study.

AboutLabels
SomeComments
For the benefit of anrt readers wrrlo are not familiar
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neeci to begin with some comments about various

terms. If conditions were ideal, it would not'be
necessaryto use labels that set one grouP of Christians
apart from other Christians. Conditions, howeveD are
not ideal. Christians are not perfect. The church has
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tory. Discussion of these divisions is not possible

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used in a judgmental way. In this study theselabels are

used only to describea social reality with all judgrnent
being left up to God.
The term "chutches of Christ" is used throughout
Christendom with referenceto the spiritual fellowship
of all the saved. Pioneers of America's Restoration
men as Thomas a:rd Alexander
Movementlsuch
Campbell, Barton W Stone, and many others-used
this term. with reference to their congregations to
atnnhncizp
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of hpino Chrisfians
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Churches and Church Membershtp in the United States

L980.1Thesmallest of these groups has the rnost liberal
theology. They are known as the "Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)." They are listed as having 4,324
congregations with 817,65Amembers in the United
States.A more conservative fellowship that is somewhat
larger is listed as "Christian Churches and Churches of
,Christl' becausesorne.of their congregations use one
designation and sorne the other. This group is listed as
having 5,293 congregations with 929,550members in

TheDisciplingDilemma

the United States.The largest and most consewativeof

these three groups is know as "churches of Christ."
They are listed as having \2,719 congregations with
1,239,612 members in the United States. This fellowship differs from the group known as "Christian
Churches and Churches of Christ" in two significant'
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congregationai worship must be specificaiiy authorizeci

in New Testamentteaching. Becauseof this, they do not
use instrumental music in worship. The group known
as "Christian Churches and Churches of Christ" uses
instrumental music in worship because they believe
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specifically forbidden'in New Testamentteaching.

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"churches" rather than the singular form to emphasize

their independence as local congregations with no
central denominational organization or headquarters.
They often use the lower case "c" in the word
"churches" to emphasize their purpose of identifying
with the fellowship of all the savedwithout forming any
denominational organization. The Boston Church of
Christ and other churches of Christ identified with the
disciplingmovement grew out of this most conservative
of th-eRestorationMovement fellorrshins.
Seteitldil6rentiermshaGb"urrrrs-e5t=od"scrib-^tkle
discioling movement among churches of Christ. Some
supporters have used the term "restoring churches."2
Others call them "multiplying churches."3These selfservjng terms are judgmenial toward other churchesof
Christ and thus have not been acceptedby most critics
of this movement. Some critics have called this the
"total commitment movement." Supporters have not
generally acceptedthis term becauseit focuseson just
one part of what this movement is about. Most critics
have been reluctant to use this term becauseit implies
that the critics are opposed to total commitment.

Ilne DisciplingMovement

The most common terms which critics of this movement have employed use some form of the word
"Crossroads." They talk about the "Crossroads movement," "Crossroads churchesi' the "Crossroads philosophy," or "Crossroadsism." These terms have been
used becauseof the key role the CrossroadsChurch of
Chricf
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was

first introducedinto churchesof Christ by CharlesH.

(Chuck) I-ucasin this congregation.
Uncierthe ieaciership
of ChuckLucas,the Crossroacis
Church of Christ achievedrapid growth through its
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began training people for similar ministries elsewhere.

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ters who had been trained at Crossroads. Howevet

most of these churches that employed Crossroadstrained campus ministers eventually divided into discipling churches and churchesthatoppose this approach.

. . . most of these churches that

employed Crossroads-trained campus
ministers eventually divided into
discipling churches and churches that
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Termsthat identify all discipling churcheswith the

Crossroadscongregationare not especiallyuseful.
Supportershavenever acceptedtheseterms. Furtherhnra
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away from Crosiroads. Lucas left the congregation in

1.985and is no longer the leader of this movement. The
Boston Church of Christ is now the.leading congregation among the discipling churches.
Terms such as "discipling churches" or the "discipling
movement" seem to be the only terms acceptableboth
to the supporters and the critics of this movement. The

The Discipling Dilemma

disciplingchurchesuse the term "discipling" in referenceto a particular form of evangelismand a particular

way of teaching,guiding, and influencing peopleafter
they have become Christians. If other churchesof
Christ use the term "discipling" at all, they generally
iimit its applieationto evangelism"The idea of discipliourr6

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uhderstandingabout how this term should be used.

Otherchurchesof Christpracticeevangelism,
but not in
the sameway the discipling churchesdo. They also
provide teaching, guidance,and influence for those
who havealreadybecome
Christians,butnotin theway
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mind notbetng called "discipling churches."

TheBastonChurchof Christ
Supporters
andcriticsgenerally
agreethattheBoston
Church of Christ is now the leader of the discipling
movernentamongchurchesof Christ.Therapid growth
of this congregationhas been.amazing.Indeed, that
growth is the most persuasiveargumentin favor of the
disciplingapproach.
TheBostonChurchof Christwasoriginallyknownas
the Lexn

Church of Christ since it began in

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congregation had existed for several years without

achieving much growth. Membership in the spring of
1979was around 40. In June of that yea4 they employed
a Crossroads-trained minister and ihi:-ngshave never
been the same since.
Kip McKean was converted at the CrossroadsChurch
of Christ while he was a student at the University of
Florida. He was trained by Chuck Lucas. After leaving
Gainesvjlle, McKean attempted to develop discipling
ministries in several congregations. These efforts met
strenous opposition. In June of.1979,Kip and his wife,
Elena, moved to Lexington, Massachusetts,to work

The Discipiing Movement

with the small congregationin that Boston suburb.

They brought with them about L0young peoplewho
were being traihed for servicein disciplingministribs.
Half of the memberswho werein the LexingtonChurch
of Christ when McKeanmoved there eventuallyleftmost becauseof their opposition to the discipling
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slmall group achieved a remarkabie record of rapici

growth.
Therewere68baptismsinthe lastsixmonthsof1979.
Then therewere L70baptismsin 1980,250baptismsin
1981.,365baptismsin !982,402 baptismsin L983,594
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years
baptismsin L985.In the first seven-and-one-half
they bapof iv{cKean's
minisiiy with this congregation,
fi2ed3,370people.It now appearsthattheywill baptize
Thatwould meana total
between900and L,000in 1.987.
of well over 4,000baptismsin just eight-and-one-half
years.
' Growth was so rapid that the Lexington Church of
Christ soonwastoo largefor its building. They rented
the building o.fthe Arlington BaptistChurchuntil they
grew too large for that meeting place.They started
meeting in the Boston Opera House. When they
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the Boston Bruins play iee hockey. Early in L987, they

were averaging around2,500 in attendanceon Sunday
mornings. Virtually all the members were attending
one of ihe 62 house church meetings conducied each
Wednesday evening and at least one of the 260 Bible
Thlks conducted at various locations throughout thb
Boston area each week.
Early in his ministry with the Lexington/Boston
Church of Christ, McKean decided that the discipling
approach could not be developed properly in existing
churches. There were divisions in almost all of the
congregationswhere the Crossroads-trainedministers

The Discipiing Diiemma

introduced this approach. Furthennore, these ministers found it difficult to keep new converts faithful in
congregations where many of the members did not
appear (to thqse ministers) to be totally committed,
really spiritual, or seriously involved in evangelism.
McKean decided that he would not train workers and
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Lucas had done ai.Crossroacis.insiead, he deciciedio

concentrateon planting new churches.
Thestory of the new churchesplanted by the Boston
Church of Christis evenmore <iramaticthan the storyof
rapid growth in Boston. In ]une of.1982,they planted a
new congregationin Chicago. By the end of 1986,that
congregation had baptized 567 people. In July of.L982,
the Boston ch.urch started a nev/ congregation in
London. By the end of 1986,that church had baptized
627 people. InJune of1983, the Boston church sent a
team to plant a new church in New York. By the end of
L986,that church had baptized64g people. The Providence, Rhode Island, House Church of the Boston
congregationbecamea separatecongregationin fune of
1985.By the end ol!986, they had baptized 83 people.
In August of 1985, thb congie$ation iri Boston sent a
team to begin a new church in Toronto, Canada.By the
end of 1986,theyhadbaptized 159people.In L986,the
-our.eWcongre$atibn5f
Bostonehurchaoiantedf
|nlune
they sent a team to johannesburg. By the end of that
year they had baptized 33 people. In dugust they sent a
team to?aris. By the end of the year they had baptized
L0people. In October they sent teamsto Stockholm and
Bombay.By the end of the yeaj the Stockholm church
hadbap$zed nine and the Bombay church had baptized
two.
This is a total, counting the baptisms in the Boston
church, of 5,509 baptisms in just seven-and-one-half
years. The figures by the end of L987will be even more
impressive. No other congregation among churches of

TheDiscipiingMovement

Christ today has a record that comes close to this.

Indeed, one would be hard pressed to find a similar
record of growth from such a small beginning in such a
short time in anyreligious group anywhere in the world
today. This amazing record of growth should not be
minimized.
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siory-. Sever=alof the churehes staried by ihe Boston

Church of Christ have already started new mission
works on their own and many more are planned for the
near future. Now other ciiscipiing churches that grew
out of the work at Crossroads have started following the
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workers and sending them into efsting congregations,

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this book, Gene Vinzant identifies all these discipling

churches that have been started or that are now being
planned.

Concernsof Other Churchesof Christ

Other churchesof Christviewthe amazinggrowthof
the discipling churches with mixed e.mo_tions.
ThSy
rejoicebecauseof the numberof peoplebeingb apfized.
They arepleasedto seethe emphasison missionwork.
They are concerned,howevegbeca-u-se
of the previou-s
ciffislons aruftFo probla-msthey h-a-veseen ln thE
discipling movement. They fear that the rapid expansion of this movementwill mean the spreadof these
problemsthroughout the world.
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churches of Christ feel in regard to.the rapid growth of

the discipling movement. They fear that the people they
are seeking to reachwith the gospel may be confusedby
the presenceof two different drurches of Christ that are
similar in some ways/ yet quite differentin other ways.
They fear thaf the people they are seekingto reachmay
react negatively to the methods of the discipling

TheDisciplingDilemma

10

churches and that this negative reaction may close the

door to evangelism by all churches of Christ. They also
fear that when discipling churches are started in areas
where other churches of Christ already exist, the new
discipling churches may recruit members from the
existing congreEations.Their main concern, howeveD
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teaching anci practicing things that they shoui<i noi be

teaching and practicing. They fear that the doctrines
and practices of the discipling churches are damaging
people psychologically and spiritually.

TheHierarchyof DisctplingChurdrcs
The gap that separatesdiscipling churchesfrom other
churches of ehrist has recent$ grown much wici.er.An
ecclesiasticalhierarchy is developing among the discipling churches. Other congregationsthat grew out of
the work of the Crossroadschurch are being taken over
by the Boston church. This takeover is not just an
informal matter of influence/ although that is the way Al
Baird and Steve Johnson represented it at a forum at
Freed.Hardeman College on October 10, L987.4Thelt
said that the argument was just about words. Other
churches of Christ, howevet, do not just object to the
words used 16 dgssribe this takeover pro-cess-Wbat
fhprr nhipnl ln ic r,{zhef thp dicr"inlin o chrrr"chee admii
e v r v

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ihev

Jq ^v iu- r- 6 .

An ecclesiasticalhierarchy is
developing among the discipling
churches.
In this new system that is emerging, there is a new
organizational structure in which one congregation
officially assumes the oversight of another congregation. The evangelists and elders in one congregation control, direct, and.exercise authority over
other congregations. This hierarchy extends through

il.

The Discipling Movement

severallevels so that the Bostonchurch has direct or

indirect conhol over a large network of congregations
throughout the world. The plan is for the Bostonchurch
to er<ercise
direct control over severalkey congregations
known as 'lpillar churches" with the pillar churches
controlling "capitol city churches," the capitol cit!
nhrrrnhac

//cmall

nnn*rnllino

ni*tr

nhtt*.Lac

anA

"

Fho

smaii city churches eoniroiiing "eouniryside

churches."5
The pillar churches in the United Stateshave been
icientifie<i anci bounciaries have been cirawn t'or their
"spheres of influence." Seven such pillar churches in
fhp

Tlnifpd

Sfe+oc

hnrio

hacn

irlonfifiprl

thrrc

fqr

Thoco

are the discipling congregations in Atlanta, Chicago,

T)onrror
vvrlvv4,

l\Torrz
rivvr

Vmlz
^vrr\,

T).nrilr{onna
^v.vIBvIr!9/

Qan
vqrr

T'liaan
vr96v,

qo-t{
llg

Qogqrr

Francisco.In addition.,17 piIIar churchesoutsidethe

United States have been assignedvarious foreign
spheresof influence.TheBostonChurchof Christis not
listed as a pillar church. It is at ihe top of the pyramid,
directing the 24 pillar churches.6
This new ecclesiastical
hierarchyis a cleardeparture
from the doctrine of congregationalautonomy taught
by Churchesof Christ since the early days of the
RestorationMovement.Thatis not reallybeingdenied.
What is being denied is the validity of the congregational .ufonom] doefine ASittraF been ttn-ghFa:raf
understoodamongchurchesof Christ.
The doctrineof congregational
autonomyis basedon
the New Testamentpattern. That pattern includes
i-J^^^-J^-+
I rqsysr
rLrsl

l^^^l
l L lvL(u

^ ^ - ^ * ^ ^ ^ +gErcrlrlJl
:^*^
L\-,l rSr

Tr I^^^
tD. tL \lt'rgD

*^r
^,,rl^^-i-^
t luL o.ttLl t(rllzg

any level of church organization above that of the local

congregation. It does not authorize one congregationto
exercise authority over another congregation. The
departure from this pattem and the development of an
ecclesiasticalhierarchy was one of the major factors in
the apostasy that turned the church of the first century
into the Roman Catholic Church by the sixth century.
The doctrine of congregational autonomy has been

12

The Discipiing Diiemma

very important in the history of the Restoration

Movement. Churches of Christ and Christian Churches
divided in the late 1800s.One of the issuesinvolved in
that division was a Mssionary Society that functioned
as a level of church organization above the level of the
local congregations, In the early 1900s, there was a
rlirrioinn

lra*rrroan

*1'a

fl.-iaei^-

a-L"*-L

- /T-\i-^i*l^.
\_-__-r-*,

nf

__

Chrisi) and a more conservative anci inciependeni

Christian Church. There were many issues relating to
theological liberalism that led to thai division. The final
break, in the L950s,came over a "restructure" plan that
shifted control from the local congregations to a central
rlannmin

atinn

rl

nroenizr#nn
rJuqlrvrr.

Churchesof Christ cooperatewith one anothet but

*lro
arrv

ttt^iaol
LJrrlqr

anaa*iaa
rrq!!r!r

io
to

tn
tv

n-againn
E STLIDS

anaa
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aaga
LGrlg

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Lu

^.'^:,{
avLrILr

^**'
crry

appearance of anything that would violate the autonomy of a local congregation. When a congregatin sends
out a missionary to start a new congregation, for
example, the supporting congregation has oversight of
his work, but they do not claim to have oversight of the
congregation established by that missionary. They
mlght offer advice to a new mission congregation if
asked to do so, but they *ould never exerciseauthority
over that congregation. They would never attempt to
direct or control that ehureh. They would- regard- any
such a-ctiona-sa-vioiation of congregationa! autonomy.
The recent development of an ecclesiasticalhierarchy
among the discipling churchesis a clearbreakwith their
roots in the heritage of the Restoration Movement.
T Ay I t r^ +
v rrcrl

+L^,.
rrlsy

^*^
q.rE

l^:*^
q\JrlrEr

-^-.rtlrw

:^
lD

^
d

^1^^utedl

--.:^1^r:^vIUIcrtIUIr

^c
ur

congregational autonomy.
In November of. L986, the Boston Church of Christ
had this statement in its bulletin: "We are excited to
announce that the Elders of the Boston congregation
have assumed oversight of the Kingston Church of
Christ, a two-year-old mission effort originally planted
by the Miami-Gables congregattorl."Tln a pattern that

L3

The Discipling Movement

was soon to be repeatedthroughout the United States,

the preacherfor the Kingston congregationwastakento
Boston for further training and the Boston church sent
in its own preacher.
One week later the Boston Church of Christ announced another takeover. In L985, the Crossroads
nhrrrch

heA

*aroalarl

\/ionna

Arrcfria

fnr

a norrr nhrrrnh

pianfrng. The sponsorship of this missiorr effort was

shifted from Crossroadsto Bostonand the leader of that
mission team was moved to Boston for further trainirg.8
On April 29, 1987,the Gateway Church of Christ in
St

T-nrric r,rrec faLpn

rrndo'r

thp

Rnctnn

rrrnhnplla

Thp

Shandon Church of Christ in Columbia, South Carnlina

v4L,g,

c*rrfar{

}ha*

nnnorooa*inn

almncl

^no

rraar

aqdiot

After the takeover,one of the preacherswent to Boston

and the other to Chicago for further training. The
Chicago Church of Christ, one of the pillar churches
directed by the Boston church, assumed oversight of
the St. I-ouis congregation. They sent in their own
preachers to direct the work. They changed the name of
the congregation to the "St. Louis Church of Christ."
They describedthis as a "replanting' of the work in that
city. Ever since then they have referred to the date of the
replanting as the beginning of the work in St. Louis.e
takeover attempt that was not completely successful.
Kip McKean said,
At the invitation of Sam Laing and the other evangethe Elders,
lists of the AtlantaHighlandscongregation,
the Lindos and I sought to inspire an evangelisticrevival in the congregation.However,due to opposition
from within the congregationto such Biblical principles as the authorityof the evangelist,one-on-onediscipleship and the calling of every member to
evangelism,the Eldersand I were askedby thesesame
evangeliststo considerplanting a new congregation

14

The Discipling Dilemma

where the before-mentioned principles would be
taught and practiced.lo

What happened in Atlanta, according to personal

correspondance and telephone conversations with
those involved, is that some of the members of the
Atla-nta Flighlands con-gregation refused to accept the
^1^:*
LILIII.I

aL^&
IIICTI

&L^
IItg

D^-r^L'VDL\,II

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authority over the Atlanta Highlands congregation.

This casefollowed the same pattern seen earlier. Sam
Laing moveci io Bosion for furiher training. The Bosion
church sent in its own team, including an evangelist
and 15 full-time rnterns. The Boston ehu-rcha-ssumed
the oversight of the "remnant" which formed this new
congregation Those who wanted to be a part of the new
congregation were interviewed to see if they would be
acceptable.
Kip McKean said concerning the new congregation,
"My vision for the Atlanta congregation is to become
the pillar church for the entire Southeastern United
States."ll He then went on to list nine cities where this
pillar church would plant new congregations.The pillar
church statusof the newAtlanta congiegationraisesthe
question about the status of the older Crossroads-type
congregations in the Southeast. McKean listed eight
suth ehufChsanci said that t11eBoston ciiuieFpienn-d
to help these congregations while training the Atlanta
church so that it wpuld be "more than capable of
meeting all their needs."l2
'Tlra
rrrL

nav*
ll9^l

mnn*lr

UlVrlUl,

+L.o
llrg

L"ll^r,iVqUgllrr

^f
VI

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Lllqrlll

included a report of another takeovet this one in

Berkeley, California. In June, the preacherwho started
that church-Tom Brown-went to Boston for further
training and decided to stay in Boston until he co,uld
plant a new discipling church in Los Angeles. The
Boston church sent a preacherto initiate what was called
the "rebuildhg" of the Berkeley congregation. In

1.5

TheDiscipiingMovement

August, the Boston church officially began directing the

church in Berkeley.On August2, Tom Brown, Al Baird,
and Kip McKean outlined for the congregation the
plans for the "reconstruction." Notice that all three of
these men were members of the Boston church-not
the Berkeley church. There were three elements in the
reeonstru-etronpla-nthe Boston-chu-rchimposed-on the
Berkeley ch.urci.
First, they had to move from Berkeley to downtown
SanFranciscoandbecome "the SanFranciscoChurch of
Christ." Seeond, aii their evangeiists and women's
counselors had to resign and becomeintems. McKean
explained that this was required so that "when they are
appointed in the future, they will be recognized in
Boston a-sw.ell a-sin or-rrchr-rrchpla-ntin-gs,such as in
Bombay or New York."l3 He went on to say,"I foresee
this to help form a uniform standard of recognition
throughout the rnultiplying ministries."la The third
requirement in this reconstruction is that "every individual who desires to be a member of the new San
Fraircisco congregation will need to count the cost of
bei.g a disciple."ts If this requirement means what it
did in Atlanta, the memberSWill have to be interVieWed.
to seeif they will be acceptable.
Another takeover was announced recently in the
bulietin of ihe Mssion Church of Christ in San Diego.
They said that they had agreed to follow the Boston
church 'witha true disciple's heart." As insiders in the
discipling movement know, that language means total
crrhtniecinn

r,rrifhnrrt

rrrracfinn

Onnp

fho l\rficcinn

nhrrrnh

submitted to Boston, they were recognized as a pillar

church and given oversight over California, Arrzona,
New Mexico, and Texas.One of the congregations that
now reports to the Mission church is the East Valley
congregation in Phoenix. I recent$ interviewed a
preacher who had been invited to move to Phoenix as
an "elder intern." He declined the offer when he

16

TheDisciplingDilemma

learned that the East Valley congregationis directed by

the Mission church in San Diego and that they are
directed by the Boston church.
A similar situation now exists with the Denver
Church of Christ-a discipling church started recently
by the Crossroads congregation. The Denver church
hac
rrv-!'

nnr^,
!rL,YY

ininar{

*lra
E!!9

Rnalnn
srJdLvlf

lriaurnhrr

ec n nillqr

nhrrrnh

The Boulder church has been toid that it must merge

with the Denver church. Other discipling churches in
thatarea are expectedtoworkunderthe oversightof the
Denver church.
There was a very revealing statement in the Boston
hrrllolin

in q nn*o

af *ho anrl

nf a tr,rrn-t,laoo

cnroarf

licfino

all the church plantings that have taken place and that
aoo
qrv

nlo--o.{
l/rqr.r.vs

}r.r
vJ

tlra
urrL

Rnclnn
svslvr

nhrrrnh

anr{

lrrz

nlhar

discipling churches:
As discussed at the Leadership Meeting at the L986
Boston World Missions Semina4 here are the mutually
agreed upon guidelines for targeting a city:
L. Prayer and fasting.
2. A man (of intern status) who is qualified and commended by the brolhers.
3. Contact churches in the targeted city.
4" If another congregation has a planting in that nation, no targetrng of those cities. Exception: if the

mifieifiphntecfchureh agiees,tfen there mat be

anothercity targetedfrom anothercongregation.l6
The third and fourth rules are incompatible unless
one understands that two different kinds of churches
are being d"iscussed.The third rule means that the
discipling churches have to let other churches of Christ
know that they are going to plant a new church in their
city. That is all. No cooperation is contemplated. They
can move in next door to a congregation not identified
with the discipling movement and all they have to do is
to notify them of their plans. The fourth rule, however,
is talking about discipling churches only. In that case,

77

TheDiscipHngMovement

they cannot even send a mission team into the same

nation where another discipling church has already
been planted:-at least not without their permission.
This statement clearly shows that in the thinking of
those who lead the discipling movement, discipling
churches now constitute a totally separate fellowship
frnm

4ra

follnt^rcLin
----- - ----r

nf

n*lror

nlrtrrnlac

nf

f-lrria*

Tlric

attitude is refieeted even more eieariy in their irequent

use of the term "remnant" to describethemselves.They
see themselves as a remnant sent by God to call the
taitht-ui out of the "mainiine" churches. Stiii more
recent developments suggest that the circle is being
rlrqrrrn

orron

fioh*or.

Tho

nlrlor

rlieninlino

nhrrrnhac

started as a result of the work at Crossroadsare being

o-^lrrrlor:l
ulrquLs

if
u

*harr
LrrvJ

raf-tca
r9rsov

sn
rv

inin
Jv[r

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llfg

annlaciaclinal
9LllL9lsglrLqr

lriorlusr

archy headed by the Boston church.

. . . in the thinking of those who lead

the discipling movement/ discipling
churches now constitute a totally
separate fellowship from the
fellorrship of other churches oJ Christ.
Some of the leaders of the original discipling movement that came from the Crossroadscongregationare
now iesisting the takeover attempts by the Boston
church. john C. Wiriieheaci of the Crossroacischurch
recentiy wrote abooklet, "Stop Look, Listen," in which
he warns againstthe Boston takeovereffort. The MiamiGables congregation has been resisting the Boston
takeover attempts. NoW the Boston church plans to
start a new congregationin Miami. 16What is happening
now, howevex, is only the logical extension of what was
taught at a different level earlier throughout the
discipling movement. If every Christian must be
discipled in a hierarchical discipling system within a
local congregation, why not insist that every congregation must be discipled in a hierarchical discipling

18

The DisciplingDilemma

systern that puts one congregation in a position of

authority over another? There is as little Bible authority
for one of these ideas as for the other.
Now, howeveg the Boston church has started teaching a doctrine of authority that goes far beyond what
was ta:lgh-t earlier in the d-iscipling movement" They are
gaanlri**
lsqLrur16

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nrql

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IISUIEVVD

1C.1.7
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opinion. They are claiming that this verse gives authority in matters of opinion to evangelistsand elders,
zone leaders, house church leaders, Bible Talk leadersi
and disciplers. Al Baird told members of the Atlanta
Highlands congregationthat it would be a sin to refuse
to obey the irrstructiorrsof a discipier-even in a matter
of opinion with no biblical justification at all becauseof
the ciaim ihat Goci has piaceci ihat ciiscipier over that
Christian. Some observersbelieve that this is what was
being practiced all along in the discipling movement,
but they did not admit it or try to defend it until
recently. What is happening noq howevet is that
discipling with its requirement of imitation and uncon'
ditional submission isbeing extendedto congregations.
The Boston church is disciplingits pillar churches.They
are discipling other churches. Eventually this Bostonled hierarchy is supposed to extend throughout the
rrznrlrjl

Diiemmas
In writing this material, I have had to point out some
very serious problems with the discipling approach.
That may make sorne people think that I regard the
discipling churches as being total$ wrong and other
churches of Christ as being perfect. This is not what I
believe. I see much good in the discipling churches. I
also seemany failures among other churchesof Christ.
But when I discuss the good things I see in the
discipling churches and the failures among other
churches of Christ, some may think that I totally

19

Ttre Discipling Movement

endorse everything about the discipling movement.

This is not at all what I intend to communicate.
Thesedilemmas,howpver,simplyinvolvethe discussion of the issue, not the issue itself. The discipling
dilemmais far more serious.It involvesthe questionof
how we ean help others becomemore and more like
T^e"JEDUD

!-k*ict

r^'i*lsntrt
yYILIIVq!

VlUlOl

eoaLi-a

+1-am
ll.ellt

u14Url6

c.r;az
v vr
v

in

[1

nr;t'c;ern
v
vs^

tY r.

image and thus changing them in ways that have

nothing at all to do with Christianity.
A central element in the debate over the discipling
movement as it has appearedin various denominations
throughout the world has been the charge that this
Ill()velllglll

i---^1--^^

lllvulvuli

^^^r-^1

a uuittl.ul

aL ^!

:^

e ^-^:--

ttr6rt rD rursrBrl

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of Christianity. Critics of this movement charge that its

r

Ieacrels

,,- -l-r.-

are maKlng

,-- ----l-----

mempers

------

over

-fr^--

artef

rl-^:--

^-.--

Lrle$ uwrr

image. According to these critics, membersare conarechanged

trolledin suchawaythattheirpersonalities
to conformto the group norrn. Thesecriticsarguethat
such personalitychangesare destructivepsychologically and spiritually.
. . . members are controlled in such a
way that their personalities are
changed to conform to the group
I IUI II I..

The discipling dilemma offers two equally unacceptable alternatives. One extteme is to insist on changing
people at all costs-even at the cost of their persont^^^J

Iluu(I,

---r^-^---

autulrullry,

^-l

arrq

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uruqu.slltrDD.

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EA-

treme is to avoid such unhealthy changesby not helping

people change at all. The way to escape from this
dilemma is to recognizethatthere is a third alternative.
We can help people change in ways that are uniquely
Christian, but avoid making them over after our own
image. A related dilemma offers churchesof Christ twp
equally unacceptablealternatives. One is to acceptthe
discipling approach tolally in spite of somevery serious

20

The Discipling Dilemma

pro-blems.The oJheris to reject everything about this

approachin spite of its many strongpoints.
After yearsof careful observation,I havecometo the
conclusion that the discipling churches are right in
many of the things they do. They emphasizeevangelisrnandgetvirtually all of theirmernbersinvolvedin
evangelism.at sonnele'rel. The5rha-,'ea rrerJreffeetive
-*^Il

-^--^---^^^L
1^ ^----^
-^1:---DII r6rrr urr
Lrup dppr ucrLr r ru e valrBerrsrn

TI-

--

--- f,,1

r ^

. r Irey are cauefur I(J

make sure that prospective converts are thoroughly

taught before they bapfue them. They place a great
emphasison missionwork ancisencisorneot theirbest
peopleto the mission fields. They are conservativ.
e in
doctrine-

Thpv
----J

-snpnd
r---

mncf

nf fheir

rlr.rnarr ln crrnnnr"f

the preachingof the gospel and little on paying for a

chrrtch

htrilrlino

Thprr

ar"a qn*ivo

in

4r

nnnfrnnsinc
lvrlarvrrLur6

cin
our

in
sr

the lives of their members.They get their membersinto

personal relationships that could encouragespiritual
glowth if used properly. They are bapfizng a large
number of people. They have a low drop-out rate.
Thesestrongpoints areimportantandtheymustnot be
ignored.Byway of contrast,yearsof carefulobservation
have forced me to the conclusion that manv other
churchesof Christ arefailing in theserr".y ur.ui where
the disciplingchurchesare succeeding.
There is, however, a very serious problein in the
disdpling chmcleS fhafis not gene?ailyfound-in oTher
churches of Christ. The next chapter presentsthe
results of some researchconductid ir the Boston
Church of Christ. A psychologicaltest was adminic*arorl
relvrLe

*n
Lv

nrra*
vvur

Oflfl
/vv

*^*l^^*trtsrrtvgrD

^f
uI

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Lrl4L

^^*^-^^^r:^LuIlSIgStcrLI\J.rt.

Resultsof that study provide convincingevidenceof an

unhealthy pressure toward conformity in the Boston
Church of Christ. It is changingthe personalitiesof its
membersin unhealthy ways!Laterin this book, you will
find severalfollow-up studies done after the'original
researchin Boston. Resultsof these studiesprovide
compellingproofthatthe personalitychangesarebeing

2L

The Discipiing Movement

producedby the disciplingmethodsemPloyedby that

church. VariouscomparisongrouP studiesshow that
these personalitychangesare not generallyfound in
other churches of Christ or in various mainline denominations-but the very sarnepatternof personality
changeis observedin studies of various sectsthat are
L:-Ll-.

*^-:-..1^a:-.^

Discipiing churcheshave some very seriousproblems in spite of the fact that they are doing a lot that is
right. Other churchesof Christdo not typicallyhavethe
sameproblems,but therearemanywaysin which they
are failing to do what they ought to do. Churehesof
,^L*:^&
\.I.LI.IDL

-,'^,.I1

VVTJLI!\I'

I^^^

ICILS

^ e^**:l^l^

CT LETITUIS

lil^**a

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if
II

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of the
only two options.Fortunately,eachcongregation
^1----^I^^^
utlLllullED

^t
uI

i/1L-3^L
\-IIIIDL

:^
lD

:..J^*^-l^-r
llllrEycrlLlE.rll.

A 11 *^*L^
..:l'll l.rlslrtl/ErD

qrs

expectedto study the Bible for themselvesand reach

their own conclusionsregarding matters of faith and
doctrine. No individual member and no local congregationhas to choosesides and acceptone or the
other of these two equal$ undesirablealternatives.
There is a third alternative.Churchesof Christ can
correctall their many failings,do everythinggoodthat
the disciplingchuichesare doing, but avoidthe errors
that are producingthe psychologicalmanipulation.
many failings, do everything goocl that
the discipling churches are doing, but
avoid the errors that are producing the
psychological manipulation.
NOTESEORCHAPTER1
rBemard Quinn and others, editors, Churches
in
andChurchMembership
the UnitedStates1980(Atlanta:GlenmaryResearchCenter,1982).
2RobertNelson, Understanding
(Gainesville,
theCrossroads
Controuersy
Florida: published by the author,L981).

22

The Discipling Dilemma

3Milton ]ones, Discipling:Th9MultiplyingMinistry (FortWorth: StarBible

& TractCorp, L982).Notb: while ihis book seemdio be the origin of the
term'multiplying churches,"the authorhasan independentministrynot
identifiedwith Crossroads,
Boston,or any otherdisciplingcongregaiion.
aAlBaird,WinfordClaiborne,EarlEdwards,andSteve
Jolnsoi, "biscipling, Church Growth, and ChurchUnity," TheThird Annual Preachers
and
ChurchWorkersForum,Freed-HardemanCollege,HendersoryTennessee,
October10, L987,Audio Thpe;
5d,"!!^#*
vurrsllr,

D^^e^*
uuDautr

-L.--^L'^!
lttqllll

ul

-r-;^t
LILIIDL,

6El,,l,'ai;-

P^-+^uvrlvrr
p^^3^uuDtvlt

tr!-,,-^L
Lrrqrlrl
-L----L
Lltufltt

^f
vr
^t
uI

-LJ^e
LrrltDt,
-L-:^L
LltIlDt,

-7 l ! , , I I ^ 4 rqurrarl,

!^------)4LLV4Ly
A..*.:L
AuxuDr
rr^-l--r^^-1\uvglttuef

,
+,
afr
Jv,

1^cn
!7o/.
16at
L2o/.
zJ,

I)2oo.

sBulletin, Boston Chruch of Christ, November 30, 1986.

eBulletin, Chicago Church of Christ, May 3 and
July L9,1987.
loBulletin, Bosto"nChurch of Christ,
1ay ZA, WiZ.
11lbid.
lzlhid.
l?Ibid.
"t+hid.
rslbid.
l6Bulletin, Boston Church of Christ,
January 4, 1987.
lTBulletin, Boston Church of Christ, August 30, 1987.

CI.IAPTER

APSYCHOLOGICAL
STUDY

Leaders of the Boston Church of Christ felt that the

^+^-*Drury

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cllrlclz[r5

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mented by a qualified church growth researcher. They

felt that such a study would be more credible if
conducted by someone not identified with the discipling movement. I was given the assignment.
The initial data-gathering stage of this resealch was
conducted during a ten-day visit to the Boston Church
of Christ in April of 1985, Leaders of the congleg_atign
cooperated fully. I was allowed to sit in on all the
leadership meetings" I observed training classes,Bible
'Ihlks- Wed
house church meetinss, and
Srrndarr

tnnrnino

ers at all levels in the consresation's orsanizational

structure. I also interviewed;v;
100newionverts,
The initial stage of the research also included interviews with leaders of other churches of Christ in the
Boston area'. These interviews focused on relations
between their congregationsand the Boston Qhurch of
Christ. In many of these congregations, there were
members who had belonged to the Boston Church of
Christ before leaving because of their dissatisfaction
with the methods being employed. I questioned these
members about theii experiences.
23

24

The Discipiing Diiemma

Method
Considering all the criticism that has been directed
- . . - , . . ^ : - - . ., . r

rl-.-

agarnsf

D--r^,-

f.ne DOSron

^l-,,,--l-

Lnurcn

-l

n1-

-a-r

or \-ftllsf,

!r

!-

-,-----1--t-l

tI lS remEur(apre

that they were as open as they were in allowing this

study. Their openness is strong evidence that they
belie.,'ed that therwhad nothing'to hide. Tb.e;t e.,'en
Perlruueq. me r() conqucr rwo qJrreren[Psycnorogrcar
studies. One sfudy involved the two newest converts in
each of the 35 house churches that were meeting at that
time. Results and implications of that study will be
discussedin Chapter 3. The focus of the present chapter
is on a much larger psychological study that involved
over 900 members of the congregation.
A central element in the criticism that has been
ciirecteci against the Boston Church of Ciuist, other
discipling churches, and the discipling movement
generally has been the charge that these churches
employ methods that produce unnatural and unhealthy
personality changes. Critics charge that discipling
churches tend to make the members over after the
image of the group leadeg the group nonh, or the group
ideal. Supporters of the discipling movement deny that
any such personality changes are taking place. This, of
course, is an empirical question that calls for an
-

-,-----,.tr.

,--

-1,,

^*-:-:--1

Errr.prrruar arlDwer.

-r

rnl^--^

r----

:afa-,--

lrle.fe are IIlaIly

- |

-- ----i-

----L^,-:-^

llryulefle$

-i

-!

--i

---^-:-r^l

au$uEla[eu

with- the eonv.ersion processthat qanne',rerbeexplained

cnion*ifinalkr
eLrlrrr4rLquJ.

TLic
rrrr9

nrrao*inn
yqlotrvrt,

L^'^'o.'o*
rtvvys
vEr/

qatrrn"s
vvut

+lro
utr9

^*acyrvo-

enceor absenceof personalitychangescanbeanswered

by the appropriateuse of a personalityinventory.
TheMyers-BriggsTypeIndicator
The personalityassessment
tool used in this study
wasthe Myers-BriggsTypeIndicator(MBf!.t 16e MBTI
is one of the leading non-psychiatricpersonalityinstruments in use today. Unlike tests used to diagnose
mental or emotionalproblems, the MBTI simply indicatesnormalhealthy differences.

ThePsychoiogicat
Study

25

The theory behind the MBTI was developed by Carl

G. Jung.z He observed that there are two essential
psyehologiea-lprocesses.He called these "perceiving"
and "judging." Perceiving means becoming aware.
Judgrng means reaching a conclusion. Jung observed
that there are tws opposite but equally valuable wa5rsof
oerceivins-'--0-

He called these "sortsinc,"

and "it.filifi,an
--------if
---

"

He aiso observed ihai there are two opposiie bui

equally valuable ways of judging. He called these
"thinking" and "feeling." According to Jung, all people
use aii four of these psychological functions, but not
with equal skill. Each person has a preferred way of
rrornoirzino-oifleor

concinc

nr
vr

in*rritinn
rrrlsrlrvrr.

also has a preferred way of judging-either

llo.tr
lqut

^o*c^l/lrovrr

thinking or

faolinc

The two ways of perceiving in Jungls theory are quite

different. Sensing is the process of becoming aware
through the physical senses.Thosewho prefer this way
of perceiving and thus use and develop it more tend to
have good contact with reality and the ability to see
things exactly as they are. They are able to focus on
details that others might not notice. They tend to be
very practical. Intuition, on the other hand, is an
immediate awareness that comes from memory and
associationsrather than just from the physical r"ttr"r.
Inose wh_opreter thls way ot perceiving and thus use
and develop it more tend to'focus on the big picture
more than on details. They are able to see meanings,
implications, possibilities, and relationships lhat others

*i^L+
uu6rrL

anr
rr\rl

aarina
llvLILE.

The two ways of judging in ]ung's theory are also

quite different. Thinking is the process of deciding
between the true and the false. It is an objective,logical,
critical, ana$tical process. What Jung called "feeling,"
on the other hand, is the process of deciding between
the valued and the not-valued. It is a subjective,
personal, value-oriented process. Feeling is not emo-

The Discipiing Dilemma

26

tionality. It means making value judgments. Both

thinking and feeling are rational processes.
In addition to a preference for one or the other of
these two ways of perceiving and one or the other of
these fwo ways of judging, Jung observed that people
prefer one or the other of two opposite but equal$
tr.aluableattitudes. He called-these 'exlrzNerslon-"a-nd
"introversion.'f Extraverts use their mosi fuiiy developed psychological process (sensing, intuition,
thinking, or feeling) externally for dealing with the
outside world. They deal with their inner worlci
through an auxiliary process-their second most fully
r{artolnnarl
Y vrvyvs
vL

6r^dacc
rrvlveo.

Tnfrnrrov*c
v vr

urlrv

Lul

nn

*ha

nfhor
vrrrvr

henrl

rrc.p
sev

rrqrlY/

intertheir most fully developedpsychologicalprocess

--ll-r
lrquv

f^-

IvI

-^fl^^+:^^
IEIlELLlvrl

^-'{

qrlg

t{^ol
gEqt

-^ri$lr

vyllrM(L

+La

nrr*oilo
vqlorg!

-^tn.lz{
vvvrrv

through their auxiliary or sebondmost fully developed

process. Extraverts receive energy from the outside
world. They get energy from being with people.
Introverts may use their energieswith people, but they
get their energy from within. Everyone extravertspart
of the time and introverts part of the time. |ung
observed, however, that people have a preference for
one or the othei of these attifudes.
Isabel Myers and her mother, Kathrine Bttggt, elaborated onJung's writings to develop one otherimportant
<iistrnction"They observecithat som-epeopie preter to
deal with the world through a iudging process (either
thinking or feeling), while others prefer to deal withthe
world through a perception process (either sensing or
:-&.:a:^-\
rrrlLulrur[,r.

qal^^-IrrEy

-^L2^^A
llrJLruELl

r1.^r rL^^^
LlrclL rrruDE

-..L^
wrrL,

--^{^yrErEr

$^
Lv

exfraverta judging processtend tobe highly organized

while thosewho prefertoextravertaperceptionprocess
tend to be adaptable.
There are L6 different psychologicaltypes in ]ung's
theory as elaboratedby Kathrine Briggs and Isabel
Myers.All 16of thesetypesaregood.Eachhasits own
unique set of specialgifts. Thereareno bad types-no

The PsychologicalStudy

27

types that are less desirable than others. When the

MBTI identifies a person's preferences and thus a
pexson's psychological type, what is indicated are
simply normal healthy differences.
Eachof the 16MBTI types is identified by a four-letter
code. The first letteq,either "8" ot "I," tells whether a
Berson prefers an extravertedor an introverted attitude.
TL^
rrlr

-^^^*J
DELvrlu

l^+^*
rsllsr/

^:+L^srlrlgl

ttct,
J

^UI

il:l.r ,t L^11- -.-r- ^11- - -- ir- I\r

IguD
w"nglngr
fflg

person prefers sensing or intuition as a way of perceiving (the letter "N" is usedforinfuitionbecause the letter
!'I" was aireacly use<ifor iniroversion). The thirci ietter
of the psychological type code, either "T,, or,,E,, tells
whether the person prefers thinkjng or feeling as a y/ay
of judging. The final letteq either ',1" or 1'p,, telis
whether

fhe
- - - - nerson
r---"^'

nrpforc

n irrdoino

.rr q narnoirzino

orientation to the outside world-wheither the person

prefers to deal with the external world through the
preferred way of judging (either thinking orfeeling) or
the preferred way of perceiving (either sensing or
intuition).
Changesin PsychologicalTypeScores
A pef56n'5 tiue pSydholo$iCaltype is inborn, according to Jung. Some of the preferencescan be observed
yery early in life. A person's true type doesnot change.
Fle-althy gr-Wth, maAurationf an-d dCvei@ment takplace within a person's true type. Changesin psychological type do not indicate normal healthy growth.
Such changes indicate some pressure in the environment that causespecple tc deny their true type and try
to become like someone else.
It is not healthy to pressure a person to deny his or
her true type and become a copy of someone else.
Tt1a g to change a person from one psychologicaltype
to another is like spanking a child for using the left
hand. One does not produce good right-handed people
that way. One produces very poor right-handed people

The Discipling Dilemma

who are very frustrated. It would be far better to help

the left-handed child develop the skill of using the left
hand.
In Gifts Dtffering, as Isabel and Peter Myers were
discussing how children develop best, they wrote,
T'L^
lltg

fi*^.+
uttsDr

^-^**1^.
qq[ryrto

^f
vr

+'ma
lJyl

,jlo.ro'!n-amon*
sL YLrvrurvr

eacrr!*

terlran

chiitiren's immediate environmeni encourages their

native capacities. Flowever, when an environment
squarely ionflicting with their capacities forces chilciren io <iepend on unnaiurai processes Qr at"iitudes,
the result is a falsification of type, which robs its victirns of their real selves and makes them into inferior
frustrated copies of other people.e

br the MBTI Manual, Mary McCaulley said,

Isabel Myers believed that type preferenceswere inborn, but that environmentalpressureswere important in determining the likelihood of optimum type
development.. . . Myers wrote that when externalinfluencescausefalsification of type, emotional difficultieswill follow. It is for this reasonthat this Manual
cautionscounselorsto checkcarefullvwith their clients
and with their own observationsofthu client for evidenceof type faisification,Thrisis particularlyimportant in counselinebecausea eoal of treatmentis to
identify a-ndstrengthen the inherent preferences,not
to continuethe falsificationprocess.a
In PsychologicalTypes,Carl iung wrote{
As a rule, whenever such a falsificationof type takes
placeas a result of externalinfluences,the individual
becomesneurotic later. . . . A reversalof type often
proves exceedinglyharmful to the physiologicalwellbeing of the organism, often provoking an acutestate
of exhaustion.s

The PsychoiogicaiStudy

29

Thesequotationsshouldbeenoughto emphasizethe
point that changingpsychologicaltype scoresdo not
indicatenormal healthy development,but mayindicate
a dangerousfalsificationof type.
Misguidedreligiousinfluencescouldbe an environmental influencecausingpeopleto deny their true type
enrl

frrr

a^fl^

J
rl-^

fn lranarma
-t^----

LElllr lltc lifury

^f

a nnnrr
- - r J

nf
- -

-^^t-1-:

-.-1-

or a rapol

cnffia^no
-

r.-!-

olca
-t

-rl

!-

l\rf a*tia
r.a

Elrrlrao
r

w.tto f,Ileq. au nts IlIe to pecome

another Moses, but he never succeeded.Finally he

stoodbeforeGod in judgment and God said,"You are
not con<iemnecifor vour thiiure to becomeanother
Moses;you are cond.emned
for your failure to become
yourself."
Christianity, of course,requiresonekind of changein
rrarcnnnli*rr

f-lrriofianc
Vrulglrslrg

qa*a
rL

lrai-VVgt6

*orlo
tllq$g

n"aVVSI

ofta*

ruttl

d.a
tltg

image of JesusChrist. His divine nature, howevec is

reflected in individuals whose gifts differ. Christian
growth does not require falsificationof type. Indeed,
spiritual growth is hindered by any effort to deny one's
true type and becomea copy-ofsomeoneelse.
The MBTI can be administered with three different
setsof instructions asa way of checkingfor falsification
of type. Suchfalsificationof type would be indicatedby
changesin psychologicaltype scores.When a family
counselo4for example,has reasonto suspectthat a
-een4gerisbein$pfessureeltobecomea copyof a father
or mothej the counselormay havethat teenagertake
the MBTI three times. The first time the instructions
are, "Answer the questionsthe way you think you
would have five years aga," The second time the
instructionsare, "Answer the questionsaccordingto
the way you think, feel, and act at the presenttime."
The third time the instructions are, "Answer the
questionsthe way you think you will answrthem five
years from now," If the results indicate that the
teenager'spsychologicaltype scoresare changingqnd
becoming more and more like that of a parent, that

The Discipling Dilemma

30

result could indicate an unhealthy pressureon that

teenagerto becomea copy of that parent.Sucha result
would suggestthe direction the treatmentof that family
ought to take.
A similar approach was taken in the study of the
BostonChurchof Christ. Around 900membersof that
^^-^-^^^r:^-

L^^1-

&L^

FrL^-,

1\ /fDrFT

-..

*^

^^1.^A

+a

answer the questions three times. One time the

mernberswere told to answerthe questionsthe way
they think they would havebeforetheir conversion-or
five yearsago for the few who had beenmembersthat
long. The members were also told to answer the
^..^^r:^-^
YLTSDLIUTTD

rL^
Lrrg

-..^*,
vvrJ

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LrrsJ

,^.^.,11
VVrrLLrLt

^+
Al

+L^+
utql

*-aoa-l
ylsoslrl

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rsrre.

Finally, they were told to answerthe questionsthe way

aL

^.-

Llley

rl.:-t-

uulrs

tL

^-:

urgy

-.-:ll

wur

6rrrswEr

rL

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ussrL

discipled for five more years.

The instructions made it clear that there are no
i'good" ot ."bad"
"rigfit" or "wrong" answers and no
outcomes-just indications of normal healthy differences. The instructions stated clearly that no one was
telling them that their answers ought to change. The
instructions said that the purpose of the study was
simpiy to find out if there were iny changesand, if so,
what those changes might indicate.
Thic

kind

nf
- . . )arnrrn
* - * r - r annlinefion
r * - . - ^ - . . . - inrrolving
.o-----o-a
- single

Fs*Ictogical insirum^-nf G not'lhe approach a c..{inical

psychologist or psychiatrist would take in diagnosing
psychological problems of an individual. Severatrpsychologicalinstruments would be used and there would
be exiensive counseling before any diagnosiswould be
made if the focus were on an individual. The purpose in
this study, howeveD was not to diagnosepsychological
problems of any individual. What was being investigated in this research was simply the overall grouP
pattern. The focus was not on any individual, but on the
dynamics of the group.
It should also be understood that this was not a

The FsychoiogicalStudy

31

longitudinal study that determinedthe psychological

type of people at three different timei. What was
indicated was the present psychologicaltype manifested-by these people, their perception
of.their past
psychologicaltype, and their perception
of their future
psychologicaltype. Howeve4,any significantchanges
in the patternof fh.esepereeptions.
v".outaindicatero*"

7,i^A

^C
I\IItlr Lrr
6ruup pressure,

a t,: - r, a
.
A rugn qegree oI cnange anl a

cgnvelgelcein a singletype wouldbe convincingproof

that the Boston Church of Christ has some iiina of
group ciynamicoperatingthat tends to produceconformity to the group norm.
Tf the

sttnnnrfarc

nf +ho r{icninlinc

ann-^o^tr'
qrl/tvqLtr

L^J
!r4u

L^^vEgll

correct in their claim that no personality changes were

recrrlfino
--"**-.t

{rnm
,Jv$r

}hoir
rrrvu

ma*trrnrlo
urerrrvsD/

+tr
i!ruD

-}'".t.'

Dltru/

-^,^.,f 1 L^-.^
vvvLU.lI

llclv(:

found no statistically significant changesin psychological type scores. That would have cleared-ttre Boston
Church of Christ of all charges on this matter. The
results would have given them a cleanbill of health. For
such results to be credible, howeve4 it was essentialthat
the leaders andmembers of the congregationnotbe told
that changes in psychological type scores do not
indicate healthy growth. If they had been given that
information and the results showed no statistically
significant changesin psychological type scores,critici
of the ciiscipiing approach wor:id_not harreacceptedthe
results. They would have claimed'that the results were
biased by the mernbers knowing in advance that their
answers were not supposed to change.
Tr rhrov

^l \vr rf E
u rt rT T 4
r v^r*r-l l D

vysrg

^l
yaDDgtt

^..! :\rLtL III

ry^vr c^ L
J -u^t^gJu-L- -r a y

evening house church meetings. Some membels were

busy with retreats that weekend and did not have time
to take part in the study. No pressure was put on
anyone to take part. Howevet around two-thirds of the
members did take part. There were 835 members who
filled out all three fcirms. A few others filled out onlv
one or two. Among the males, 328 filled out the past

The Discipling Dilemma

32

form, 402filled out the presentform, and 388filled orrt

the future form. Among the females,47Lfilled out the
pastform, 478hlledout the presentform, and 450filled
out the future form.
St:udies
Cornparative
P^f^*^

']io^"ooi-c
EY-------(t

+tr'o

-oor'lfc

nf
--

+lric
----

clrrrlrr
- - ----J

in

lho

BostonChurch of Cirrist,it is necessaryfirst to discuss

the resultsof somecomparativestudies.It would not
meananything to find a pattern of changingpsychologicaltype scores,inthe BostonChurchof Christif simiiar
studiesin other churchesof Christ producedthe same
-octt1*c
ILD

WLO.

The MBTI was administeredto 304 members of

^tr'n'*
Loo
ulqrLIlED

af, l^l^-ias
va vllllol

}tr as asa
srv
lrrql

nnl
rrv!

qa nartr
rsrs

n{
vr

+lro
urlv

r{icninlino
weLrrJgro

movement. There were L50femalesand L54malesin

this sample. They were given the samepast, present,
and future instructionsasthoseusedin the study of the
Boston Church of Christ. Not a single one of the.se
individuals changedon all four of the MBTI scalesor
evenon three of them. Threepeoplechangedon two of
the scalesand 33 changedon one of the scales.All36
who showedany Changeat all in MBTI scoreshad veiy
low preference scores on the scalesinvolved in the
ehangrngseores.This level of changeis aboutwhat one
from randomfest
wouiii p:xpect
- - r - - - un-ci-er
- - - - - - theseconeiitions
error. The MBTI, after all, is not a perfectindicator.In
this comparativestudy, howeve{,there wasno observa'
ble pattern in the few changesthat took place. Those
-.,L^
WItfJ

^L^--^A
L.LlCtIfErg|.l

C-^*
III'JLII

E.,a-^.ra-f
|j,\LICIVEIL

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LLf

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llllluvEILt

Co*ca*
ssrrovr

*n
!v

Intuitor Thinker to.Feelet or Judgerto Perceiverwere

balancedby otherschangingin the oppositedirection.
The overall distribution did not change.
Another comparativestudy was completedjust recent$ using this samemethodologyin studiesof 30
memberseachin five local congregationsrePresenting
five mainline denominations.Thesesfudieswere con-

ThePsychological
Study

93

ducted in Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and

Presbyterian churches. Results were the same as those
observed in the study of churches of Christ that are not
identified with the discipling movement. Therewere no
significant changesin psychological type scores.There
was no pattern in the few changes that were observed.
Overa-lld-istributionsdid not chlnge.
TL:^

rrrrD

:^

rD

-.-L^t

^-^

wrlcrL urle

-.-^--1 t

wuulq

expect

slncg

malnllng

denominations typically recognize and respectindividual differences. They value this diversity. fhey encourage inciMciuais io become what they are uniquely
capable of becoming and not mere copies of someone
else. Thns is not the case, [gr,a,rsr7g4'+,'ith. certain
manipulative sects. It is conformity that they value, not
d-iv,elsi1U The;' tend to make people o.,'el #ter the
image of a group leadeq,the group norm, or what the
g{oup regards as the idealpersonality. Suchpressureto
falsify type is one of the reasons foi the psychological
damage oftgr experiencedby their memblr-s. They are
made to feel guilty for being what they are and inferior
for not being what the group wants them to be. As the
gap between the real self and the pretended self grows
larger and lar$e9 the self esteem of these members
sinks lower and lower. They become frustrated and
depress-ed.Theymay develop serious emotional probiems. Tlney may become so ciepenrient on the controi
exercised by their leaders that they engage in irrational
behavior.
With this characteristicof manipulative sectsin mind,
annfhpr

nntnrrnrefirzo

cfrrr{rz

rraa

.{^-o

T'l^;-

-+,,J.,.,^^,l

the samepast,present,and future instructionswith the

MBTI to sfudy 30 members each in six local groups
representingsix manipulativesects.Groupsincluded
g tlis study were:the Churchof Scientology,
the Hari
Krishnas,Maranatha,the Children of God, the Unification Church ("Moonies"),and the Way.Resultsof this
study showed a high level of changein psychological

The Discipiing Dilemma

34

type scores. Results also showed a clear pattern in the

observed changes. The past distributions tend to be
normal. The present and future distributions deviate
increasingly from the normal distribution. The changes
in these six groups showed a clear convergence in a
single type, In three of the groups, the movement was
*n'^,atA

EQET

Ti^'n

-n.rar{

fnrrrarrl

II.QTT

f)no

mmzprl

toward EI\TF].One of the reasonsthe publication of this

book has been delayed so long is that this comparative
study of manipulative sectswas not completed until the
summer of T987.

Results
A nrr

^^*^-Jiqyygrrur^

o+ TLa
qr
rrru

LvqLr\
'oaL

n
vrf

*Lrlro
h i c hvvv^
nnl

rliccrrccac

all *ra

details of this study with all the appropriate statistical

tables. What is discussed here are simply the major
conclusionsof the study in the Boston Church of Christ;
The first result of this study to be discussed is the
observation that a great majority of the membersof the
BostonChurchof Christ changedpsychologicaltype scoresin
thepast, present,andfuture aersionsof theMBTL Among
the 835 individuais who'took all thiee foims of the
MBTI, less than five percent showed no change at all
and less than seven perce4t had the same past and
future tvpe"
- J r - - 'Amon-g the rest, a comparison of past and
future tyoes showed that almost 20 percent changed on
one MBTI scale, 35 percent changed on two, over 26
percent changed on three, and over L2percent changed
^11t^.-^^^7^^
fL,,^ ^--^-i^6^i-^
^- lII
IULII
DL6IIED/ Ll[(rD E

ull

PsrrErrLul6

q^

tOtal reversal of

type. The mean number of scale changes was 2.L8

among the 835members of the Boston Church of Christ
who took all three forms of the MBTI. The present
distribution was significantly different from the Bast
distribution. The difference between past and future
type distributions was highly significant.

The Psychologicalstudy

A second result of this study that must

be noticed is
J
.
that the obseraed
c'

notrandomrirrr'ffi
,8'r|ro':r"J:::':rfyrg::rt:;':tr#t;;

type.Ten of the 16 types show a steady

declinein t?re
percentagewho came out as that type
in the past,
present, and future versions of the
MBTI, Three
transiiionai
tvpes show an increr"o frnm *^^r r

andthenusnurp
a*cill;;;

rrtu,",o,,iffi:$T#;

werethreepopulartypes_
in this study:ESFJ,
ESTJ,anJ

JlLayi"li";;;;
_tTII:I:T..y::.:
vviii,, uaiiic uuir w-ith these three type

rhepercenrage

indications in^tte

past, present, and futuru ,"r,..rlir. f"r"""i"ju,

figured separatelv for male." rrra f.r.,r^c cin^^ *^r^ --"r"r

femate
disiribu
rion,diff;, ;il til;#;-'Jffi
""

:=.:i:,:

In thg past, prgsgnt, and frrfrrra roc*l+o +L^ -^--^--, - -

ofmates
whbcame
;;; ilFil;ffi*

ffifiiI':;?;

54.23while the percentagesforfemales

wentfrom 5.10
to

34.31to 53.4b.ESTJs
iiff", rr"* Li;rl, only on the
scale.
The
percentug"of maleswho
ll*ryS{::lllg
scored
asESTJwentfrom 7J3 to'r.5."g2
totd.i; *hii;
for
femates
went
from
4.67to 13.81
lhlpgt:":_r3gSs
to
23.04.ENFIsOtfl_:ifrol ESFJs_only
on thuq.ari.,!intuitionscale;Thepercentages
of maleswhocameout
ENFJwent from i.z2 to "a,.ze;- iq.81
while th.e
p-ercentages
1 ^

1 -

for females went from 0"64 tct ? e7 +n

Ther.ewas a ciearpattern of changingfrom

introver_
sion to extraversion,from intuitiofr io
sensing, from
to feeling,ana from perclvmg ro judging.
In
:lrlnking
past, present,and_future iesults,tne
the
percentageof
a preferencefor extraversionwent from 33
to
il:r^y,l
.9:4
wnrle
the percentages
for femaleswentfrom 3g
:,
to 64 to 95. The.percerriuguof mut"s
who had a
preferencefor sensiig p"r."itior, *.rrt
fro* 66 to1gto
80
lvhile the percenta!6sfor ?emit.r;;;l];;;
;; ;d;
and
then to 82. Thl percentud ;f males
with a

The Discipling Diiemma

*:1t tuom41'to 65to 76

preferencefor feelingjldqt"t
73 and
while percentagesf5i tei'tateswent from 53 to
of males^witha preference
then t6 71. The"percentage
ior u ;"agi"g orientationilent from37to 80to 95while
femaleswent from 34to 80to 95'
t";;;;;;;*
"o.,i"ta"seJfor];; eitraversion, sensins, feelinp and
i-:----.--; r
LeIlLrsLr
Juqglrlg

.- -----:Lv rurrrssr

^r^Lla

.^r}rila

+he

onnositg

and
oreferences for introversion, iniuiiion, thii'rking,

i" change'Amongthosewhostarted
ffi;il;l";;;d
' by! 9.5
5r *rt""& tt, gr percentiemainedunchanged
into
of thosewho startedasintrovertschangeci
"l*""t
e*o"g thosewho startedwith apreference
il;;il
ior Sensmg

;;

-.,^-^a^PercePtrulr,

QD *asaanf
<>4i/trLurrL

ramair,|
----------o
N*rsr^' rrnchanqgo,

whb startedwith a preference

?s t;t?dnt of those
r A *^-rl-noa.^'lrn ctarfod with a

for intultton

cnangeq'

r\rrrurrb

LrtvDe Yvrrv erErLv--

for fee"lingjudgm"ent,72 percentremained

with a
"t"i"i""."
ffiil;;;
,i*rqpEt.etti ot tho.sewho started
*13
thoL"
thin^kingchanged'Among
;;;f;;d..'for
itarted with a preferencefor a judging orien:al:l'i1
tno.se
oercentremainedunchanged,but 95 percentot
orientaperceiving
a
i"ft"li"tt"d with a preferencefor
ti; ;ilged' Therdwasa highly significantmovement
preierenies ioi introveision' inruition'
;;tt;ffi
rr^j-l-i-*

LIlllr.t\rlr$r
^^-:^:-.J
Utrf f JIII$r

o-rl norr'pirrinq
and
----qrrs
vr!v-'-.-O
r/
f , ^ o l i n c 16/ n n r l
irrdqinq^
IEs$r

toWard

extraverSiOn,

.. _ rt- ^ 6
ti:::
ThoJe who -"verethe leastlikely to ehangewerc
'-^:hn.alreadvw.ere ESFJs.They averaged only 0'32

;ffi;;it

ooposite

tvpe,

whowerethe
ro"t vrnit scalei'Those

-l:
*::e"*:T:g:'^:hiii"1:1S"

;;"rik"t i""

Il\rr-'

rney

avcraSsLr r've

lrrBrro--

---

Thefewaia strongpositivecorrelation
aiJr"* ta'",'r"J.
a typeand
betweenthenumberof differencel6etrareen
number
the
mean
tfr" gsfl *odel, ontheonehand,and
hand'
other
on ihu four MBTIscaleson the
;i;#F;
model'-the
Themoreu p.rron differedfrom the ESFJ
the
*"i"-iit"ry ihut p"rron wasto changeon moreof
MBTIscales.

The psychological Study

gT

What all of this meansis that the Boston

Church of
Christis producingi"
*u*fuirif*i"ry
ru*"
pattern
{r
of unhealthy perionality change-tiui'i,
observed
in
studiesof welt-i<nownminiputa#ve,u.t
. Whut"verthey
aredoing thatproducesthispattem;;;&
to bechanged.

Wn!! aii_ofihis meansis that theBoston

Churclrof Christis producing;;;;

aerysame
patiernof
rymle.rs.{,he

unhpnlfhrr vroraaunlil", ^t-l-- ^ - ,, ,t .

__-_:__...-,"J
re,owrLwLtLy cftunxg mat $

obseraed
in studiesof welT_knoin

manipulatiae sects,Wh.ateoer{hptt n-.

doingthatproduces
thi, ;;;;;;;
nhnu
v t , w t , 6nnrl
0w.

"iia,

i, u,

The six
srx manipurative,sectsthat showed
_-,r,ru
the same
pattern as was observed
in the
^ D^^r^_
tle sfrr.Iv
jn
study nr
of +tr
the
Boston

_?ln:ygristare1rtully;;ii.a;",lLrlril,io??
:|i:1""1T.,:*,:,q::iuil).;;;.r,r""y"iti:ffilH:
dtl"
*,:lf:

:dentitie !i,til;r;i;#

;d; ;##:;

i^1l_'.1jg1gf
:lhgqaniqticbiaq.BJ;;;torrheirderini-

;h";Jh;;;fi H:"f#';
,*::;,r*"New rebi.ament

and
most of the .orrr*routi,oa
":*,j^:1T.1.:11cnrisi1oa"y?""rir.*,['o;ili
i

jkj*:'::*::.i:"
T#:T:
;ii'"-*:fril;f#.'",";iff

--:-J
ur.LlrlrrvquL[15
natural
a n r l ,unhealthy
r-1,^^trt.--^---,
'...
natural
and
personality
cilnft;vqv'r6
The data in this study th"
ilt"""Ct,r..h
of Christ
do not p-rove that any certain
"f
individual has actually
changed

his or herperlonalityin a; ;;il"ltd-;;.

it.
do prorrutfraithereis-ugroupdynamic
*g
l"*:vep
operatingin

that congregationthat influences

members
to changetheir pers6_nu.iitiu,
," ."#"r* to the group
norm. To the extentthat the rne*U-Jri"r"rpond
to that
group pressure,the observedchanges
in
piychotogicai
type scores are likety to becom8-(";
il"" ;t"?;

TheDisciPlingDilemma

38

is
become) achral changeq in the personality that
manifested.
This study that was conducted in the Boston Church
of christ has not been conducted in other discipling
ghurches do
churches. Howevel since other discipling
tfr" tu*" things that the Bsston church does' it is
in other discipcr:ti"ent+'!v
rrn'!ikel.; th.atsinnilar str-rel-ies
ting chuiches would find different results'

NOTESFORCHAPTER?
Indicator@a7o
llsabel Myers and Kathrine Briggs, The Myers-Briggs.Type
Press,1976)' - -^ ^.
Ait",-a;iii"r"ddonsulting Psyd6ologists
Perrl 192i)z(-ail

G. !1Jng, ySVCnOtUSruu. tvL'Y> \Lvrrqvrr'

.rrJU.fftiu"ri unap"t& S. ilIy.td, C4it Dffiriig (PaloAlto, California:

Press,1980),
Psychologists
P' 189'
Consulting
ManTlpeIndicator
1i;;i
fi{;;is u'a tru.rVr.Cuutt.i, theMyers-Briggs

"c;iil;,' i;;s-"rd'''1i'r'v'r''oiogists
p' &'
1e85)'
F;esd''
,ri'if;fi Aii;
slung,p. 415-

Ndf.il"if"

is thoroughlyrrarnedin theuseof theMBTLIn 1983he

r^r
rs>tdrLrrin
outstanding research
for oursranurrti
""ir.or
Award lor
t^'nn
*ra Isabel
Tcnhpl
Briops Myers
wer8lriemorial
MemorialAwarct
Briggs
won the
of theAssoas-treasurer
served
He
theory'
type
pwch6iogicit
ti* tuav
of
isa member
ffi#;d. "fPr5i'h;i#;;i ij'i6r.* i6eott"oogt'1e87'r,e

tor
Association
by the
b{
conducted
t.aiii"f ptogram
rraErlt.iii-ti"g
l*g'ury condicted
i#?""iitv
;d ility;ith" uEil
1*,A:t:'fl9:j:i
"itii"

jgt;*,.*ng;g
ij;;fti;d#ryil;il;;;""rtiii"lll,ry:T.9111
reMBrlnowbeing-p'll':*1lJ
;'d'ili;il;;#?lr-t;;;i"dveryolgltf
ptE
e;;.;;irft

Psy.r,orogittt

t' r" rseztrte.autlor waselecte?asthe'next

type're'
his type'resome of his
Type. Some
PsychologicalType'
for Psychological
oresident iiof !i"'eti"".i"u""
the Association lor

Type^(inpress)'
Hammer,lournal$ Psychotogical
"Imolications of Commumcatton Dryre
t-20.
fVpt 6 $e83).
(
Researchin PsychologicalTyp;6
rcor\,," Research
Theorv"
'1?;';;;;;;;;"sdi;1;;;?;;"t'Jeq"{'dRdlqstmentsasanA.pp]oach'ror

"Coinmunication Style Prefere:tces anct

in PsycholagType"'Reasearch
i" Psychologicai
Srml
ofsi*ifu.ity
Ettects ot
Studving ilff".it
Stri'vi"s
iwl iyp{s (1982):3G48.
---i"

elev-en
eleven
pre.sented
author.haspresented
PaPfs
to'thesepublications,the author
i"'"'aiiuiti
ihaitii" i"Cese
^t1"f:Y1l'::l:-Yt*lg*3
Associationreporting on his type"t'"iriili-""a"utio'iur.o"iuiu"lu'"f
e;;tnication
i;;";i-,#H;;;
r6fatedresearch-.

CHAPTER

3
ATTEN\I
ATIVE EXPLN{ATI)N S
EXAT/IINED

The facts presented rn Chaptet 2 (znd .!ien:,..^_-r

much
more
fu[vir,unuppe"-Ji*'ui"tr,"-.xJlr
t H#j
demand

an explanatiod
L. It is a fact thatmost of the membersof the Boston
Church of Christ showed a high fu""f oi .ir"ig"
in
psychologicaltype scores.
2. It is a fact that the observedchangespresented
a
clear pattern convergencein a sin"gle'typeiUSfy.
9f
Therewas sfrong
tendlenryfor introv?rt, iJlu.o*.
3
extraverts,for infuitors to becomesensors,for thinkers
to become feelers, and for perceivers'i; ;;;;
judgers.
3' It is a fact that this kind of pattern was not found

amnr,*l-|^^^l----^1,
-t ^a
qiiiurE,
.,firer cnEircn-es
ot chrisiloT

arnong mernb^_rs of

five mainiine cienominations,but that itivas r"""a

,"
studiesof six manipulati-ve
sects.
These facts cannot be ignored. They must be ex.
plained.
I offeredto the leadersof the Bosron
^,The-explanation
Chwch of Christ was that these oUsu*ea ;;i;
indicate a dangerousfalsification typ" proJ"..i
Uy
9{
some kind of. group pressure. Chap-ter'4
**u*irr",
unique doctrines ind. practices oi the aircipii"g
churchesthSt may accouhtfor the r"r.tttr;#-;r*
observedin this,study.Beforeconsiderinjih"r"ii-,i"gr,
39

40

TheDisciPlingDilemma

however, it is necessary first to examine various

alternative explanations that have been offered by the
leaders of the Boston Church of christ and various
other individuals.

iesusasan ESFI
I(esuits of this researchwere presentedto the leaders
oftheBostonChurchofChristinDecemberofl.985.In
that two-day meeting, they rejectedmy expla.nationand
offered several alteinative expianaiions. The first of
these had to do with the psychological type of Jesus'
pd +hat ali the Boston ehurch of Christ
v.[\IiJi+.rt
lIrv aennrm,,
46svs
MLr\sq!r

is doing is makingpeopleover afterthe imaggof Jesus

..L;^L
\-IUfDL.

+h
rr^
^^-.1,i.{lorl
simolv-J Droves
----'E
lrrs} t +hie resea!"ch
"
I
LVIlLIuseq
I It

that Jesuswas an ESFJ.

My responsewas that one cannotdo a person?litytest on aiity. Jesushad all the gi{ts, not just half of
them. ESFJshave four Very important gifts' As extraverts, they havea naturaleasein dealingwith people'
As sensois,they havethe grft of practicglity.As feelers,
theyarecomfortableinth*ehumanrelationsareaand
are'probably sensitiveto- how other people{eel' As
organized'.nSfls,
iudgers, they have the -grftof being
that are just as
gifts
other
four
have
h.owuoe+d-onot
lr.Portant.Introvertshaveiheg'iioiCollCIrtratioi^],
reflection,and easein dealing *ittr the inner worid.
Intuitorshavetheabilitytoseemeanings'relationships,implications,andpossibilities..Thinkers
have the eift bt objecti'relogical ar'"a$sis.Perceivers
have the glft of nexiuitity. on-e can arguebasedon the
gospelreiord that Jesuswas an extravert'a sensot a
ieele{,and a judger. One can alsoargue' howevex'that
and a
lesus was an introvert, an intuitot' a thinker'
perceiver.
The four psychologicalprocessesin Jungrantheory
mav also be viewed is four communicationstyles. In

AlternaHveExplanationsExamined

4L

their book, Fiom Imageto Likeness,,

Grant, Thompson,
arrdClarkesuggestthlt thefour gospelswerewritten in
rne rour communicatio_n
styles.l
-rtyt". Matthew,sgospelis
written in thinker
He emphaii"uir-*"
"]gutty
His_
gospel
grgl'tl.
is
a rogidal
llTg:;esll
that Jesusis the.Messiahpromisedinihe OIJ
"rj"*."i
festa_

mgnt. Mafk'S
OSoel is wriffpn
in co-c^.
-;.-;::"-?'-"-","--tells li+tlp .'rf -^1L-.+r'^*-qD DarLr,
-^tr
r.rLr.rtrIlrpllaslzes

o+rrla rY.*iA
T\r^-t""",'='.
wnatJesus

djd:
Yl*'s gospel is a gospel of'power. It is short,
sffalghtto the point, action_oriented,and results_
oriented. That is the way gooci sensorswrite. The
gospe!of Luke showsus the human sideof Jesus.We
learn from Luke how lesus felt anrf
rerha*fra .,ol,o.r
^i;i;il1"."1#";

Thisemphasis
is

"or,rirt"r,t-;th
gospel is quite different
from
rr ID
!^
__. __
___- fhp crrnnn#n
rL ananal^ rL

6voysrD.
asthough he stepsbackfrom the detailsto"focus
more
on the
presents
more
John
of
a
theological
Tglhg..
gospel, This style is consistentwith the way intultors
write.
- Anyonewho studiesall four of the gospelsshouldbe
able to identify with Jesusregardlesiof whether that
person is an extravertor an introvert, a sensoror an
intuitou a thinker or
I {eefer,ajudgef or u p.r..iu* aii
s o.f,their
ps1'chJlogr*l
iyp;;rh;;i;
f::*?.
beabletoIgs,*qf
identify.withJesus.
Someth?gis
with

uvr.

vr JSDL{D I,|. u-ruy ure .trDIJs can lGentrty

with Him. Such a result woutd indicate tf,af one li

of Jesus.
onecannot
adequatety
L::?^.lTp^:1l
l"ttobserved
explain the results
in the

study th" i;;i

Church of eh_ristby arguing that Jesu-s
"f
was an ESFJ.
Suchan argumentr6flectstoJsmalla view of His aivine
nature.
Effectsof RadicatConaersion
A secondalternativeexplanationofferedby leadersof
the Boston Church of bhrist is that the observed

The Discipling Dilemma

changesin psychologicaltype scoresmaysimpfyrgll.ect

the e"ffects'ofradicil conversionfrom non-Christian
They pointed out that the majority of
iu*!to""ds.
their"membersdidtbt gtow up in churchesof Christ'
They
but convertedfrom nott-Chtistiano-ackgrounds'
I did
study
sugeestedthat the cornparative
eorrectly
-*o*1*'"
Effi-rrr.16

nf ch:rrches

qrrlvr

wltll

identitigd

tne crrsclplng

of Christ

mover[errt

that a-re not

^l
^ fai*
rqu
a
wcrD-rr\''r

-.,^^

comparisonin this regard.-It is likely that around 75

in churchesof
perclnt
'Chritt. of those indi'Iiduals glew yP
Leadersof the Bostonehurch of Christ argued
that people who have experiencedradicalconversion
r'^IfuIIt

-^/-L-l^+i^*
llulr-\-rLrrDLr4rr

1honlzatntrnrlc
uqLNbrvsr'

tnaw

fpnd

tO exagqe-- -- Qa

rate the difference befiareln what they were and what

Tney are nuw.
1a

---

,,-^

-^

^-,-

I"repliedthat suchan explangtionmight account.for

thedigreeof changein psychologicaltype stores,but
in a
that it"would not eiplain the patternof convergence
present
single tvpe. Furthe-rmote,in such a case,the
disiribuli,on would have been closer to population
norms than the past distribution' What was actually
distribution wasthe closest
observedwas thit the past
-while
the piesent and future
io poputution norms
from thosenorms'
deviated
distribuUonsincreasingly
study in other
comparative
F:[n',vevprsinceth-eorieinal
rlvvvsve-,

srrrvY

churchesofCh.ristinc-tucled-manyindividuaiswhose.
experienceswere not comparable to the experienc3qot
most Christians in the Boston church, leaders of that
church asked that additional studies be done'
One of ihese follo-w-up studies invcl';ed goin'g back
into other churches of Christ. This time, however, the
only individuals included in the study were those who
had recently experiencedradical conversion from nonChristian blckfrounds' Results of this sJudy did no1
,.ipport tr.tealte"rnativeexplanation offered by leaders of
the'Boston church, The pattern in this studywas not
similar to the pattern observed in the Boston Church of

Alternative Explanations Examined

4g

Christthe waythey thoughtit would be.Instead,it was

very similar to the original study in churchesof Christ
not affiliatedwith the discipringmorre*errt.ft,ere weie
no statisticallysignificantchangesin psychological
type
scorggr-The
past,present,and-futuredirtrib.rio"r'aiJ
not
$iffer significantly. Therewas Ro convergeneein a
single tvpe.
f l r a -isi.
f^ll^.....*^r---:--:,-,
-r
r
iAun niv.ii
iuiiu.nr_iip Stiidy rnvoiveci
gOing back intO the

data from the BostonChurch of dhris"t.Th[ ti;;

1":.:]"1 -*n:* yur a comparisonof those,"f,o f,ui

S,ruwrr qp rn cnurches of christ and those who

,experienced radical conversion from non_Christian
backgrounds.Resr;ltsof this shrd,-,r{ir{n++c:r++.^.--.r
&L^

alteriative"*pru"uilo"-orr"r"ffi
i""dJr'i#.ffi ;;
Ihe
natfprr'r
rryrrrfld
d.oi*
*^*L^-^
-.-r^ - r
r

CnUfCfl.

rr.Eu

lllErrrugl..u

,wn0

nao

gtgry" yp in churchesof Christ was not similar to

the
original.studyin churchesof Christnot identified
with
movementthe waytheythoughtit would
I",it::qng
De.mstead,the patternwasvery similarto Ihatof those
memoersin the Bostoncongregationwho had experi_
enced radical conversion frori non-Christianb'uJgrounds. There ws a
de$ee.of
change
in
{g}r

tTiere
gfe scores.
w;sthed;;di;ei;
ttn".tg.?l
ot srgniticant differences among
pa_st,

the
present, and
fufure distributions. There *uritro tt_esamen.arfpr.nnf

converyerrce
rn thesameps)/ch"i"d.rl t)rp;tE;ij. " "'
^aqr'^#-

d-

Ind.iaidualswith a High Needfor Control

There

is a thircl

altorrnefirza cv*l^*

partern
ryrved
ffTtiffii,#:fff
"r#fiffi
the BostonChurch
of eirridt.Thisdpla'itioo *u,,rii

olf..r"{ by leaders_of
the BostoncoJgr"guuon.
It was
offered,instead,by peoplg outsidEtt" airJpfi"f
movementwho are sympathetictoward that riovel
in psycholbgica]
typescores,
according
llllro thrs!hySe1.
explanation,
maysimplybetheresuttof reachin!

The Discipling Dilemma

individuals with a high need for confrol' This explanation in a different forir was advanced by some defenders of the discipling movement before this study was
conducted in the B6ston Church of Christ'
According to this argument, the Boston Church of
Christ and"other discipling churches are justified in
qol16
",ci-c

l-ic,lr !o.rrc!c rlf rnnfro!

r:ver their rngmberS-gven

-!.+aar crrnarrriqinr',

more euidancg th-an would

1 "r--1 -"^ -.ffects-because

if this control nas some nailnrur urqe E
thev are assulned to be attracting individuals with a
osvcholosical need for such control. It may be true that
hiJciptnfchurches are attractingindivi<iuais who come
from ttoi-Chtituan backgrounds and therefore may
-^^J

r r r rr

v\gl vr r

"r't-d

be the casewith someonewho grew uP in the church'

mr^ ^r :^ - ^r rL ^ ^^*
^ +trrin a
Iflal IU IIUL LllE Dcllrts urur6/

g that
Ln-^rorzar.
-------- fheif
rrvvvv v er/' aa cerzin

membershave a psychologicalneed for high levels of

control.
With this argumentin mind, I conducteda second
psychologicalitudy in the Boston Church of Christ'
tnis studi involved the two newestconvertsfrom each
of the 35HouseChurchesthat werein operationat that
time. Theseindividuals were glen a personalitytest
dlied "FiRO-B"t The letteis itana for Funclamental
Interpersonal Rela-tronsOrientation in regard !o Bel
measuresexpressedand
he,vinr-This in-strr-lnnent
'wanteC leTels of inclusion, coniioi.' anci affeciion
behavior.The focus of the study was on the "wanted
control" scoresof thesenewestconvertsin the Boston
Church of Christ. Resultsof this study indicatedthat
oniy a few had high wanted controlscores'Most'nere
in ihe moderateringe. Somehad lciw wanted control
scores.The overalllattern was normal' Severalhad
higher scoreson wantedinclusionor wantedaffection
than on wanted control.
The resultsof this study did not support the view that
the BostonChurch of Christ is attractingpeoplewith a
psychologicalneedfor high levelsof control' They are

AlternativeExplanationsExamined

45

19rchi"g a wide range of people with normal and

psychologrcalneeds.ftre nigh level of control
*":t::
:nar -Jney exerciseover their members cannot be
justified on the basisof anypsychological
need.for r,r.h
control. Indeed, tryt higli fevel oi control may
be
responsiblenat leastin part, for the observedpattern
of
changingpsychologicairy,peseores.

Objectionsto Dioersity
i.rsiifts oi the psychoiogrcaitype sfudy-amons
membersof the BostonChurih of Christcl"u.ryi"Ji.uiE
f)^^--7r-

^ r

that SOmething

ta

is carrsins

fhoir

maml.a*6

+^ J^--,

rL^:--

uld"ty il ;;;il;-d#;ruffi;i
:r,::J
I"u
.typ1
Results Of the v.a-riou-" f11!!6'-^-'-111^qf-,rz:liaa
--r.^=.=d--r !L:

{1erngv9..fl
";;i,";;;il;iil#;,1?"#Jil:H;

Church of Christ and others shoUa not be accepted.

IT=

chanses
by ;rd;f
:Tlor_p" explained

;h";

Jesus was an ESFI.cannot be exflain6d as

exaggerationscausedThuy
by the effects of radical con_
versionfrom non-Chlsfu" backgrounds.They.u.rrrot
be explained or justified as bein! a result of reachine
qeople,with a psychologicalne6d for high il;,
;?
control. Ihere is somethingin the discipling meth_

,*:!gry:*i.Ts
rD, rL Dlr.uulq oe

thisunhJalrhy
pa_*ern.^w.
hite,;erit

cnanged.

This ieaves defenders of the discipline movemenf

wit\o$y
one argument. They car,r,bt a"."/ tfr"i tn"
psychological type scoresare changing and
converging
rn a slngtetype. They cannot dei:,ythat the memberJarE

!gi"g made over afrer tle iTagl of the group norm.

tfra!.th9
aisJiprins
meft,oa'orosy
i;
Ilg
:fl?j.d"ry
producing
this effect.Their

lastline of defense,
tfiereto.arguej$t thiq patterntr ;.;;tt"b[;h;
1_q1:,:: psychological
type is not gobdand that
:y:ltjll _in
ought,to changepsychologicaltype and
,_.^1T-11"r
Decomemore and more similar to one anothei.^

The Discipling Dilemma

Psychological type theory teachegthat one should

avoid tryinfto ctr-angepsychological type' What.some
neople t","uiin that staternentis simply that one should
l"oia change. They take such statementsas an excu'se
for a refus-alto change inappropriate behaviors or a '
refusal to grow ur:. Some people have rnisusedpsycho=
-----:-----o

'
i
t
ruSrLar

'--,- ^
r/ I/e

rL ^^--.
rr ruvr J

:'^'

,t^^+
'-'--

-^'o-'
" "J ,

Lrrrl
- ---

*het

ic

nnf

r,rzhat

type theory teaches'

nwchologicai
^
growth is a goal that is sharedby
bood fersonulity
-the
world's great religions' Such
type theory and
grbwth,maiuration,and developmentrequireschange'
VVnuttype theory seeksto point out is that healthy
6ru

-:.-LrvY lrr

r-1-^^

.^r^^^

-.,:el-i-

o ^o-cnn/c
t 4
l/Lrovr|@J

lrrrp

frzr.tp
r-

-a^n' r- l-

r- ]-O
- e S- -

ilot require denying one's tt 1"--tyqt and trying to

-,^-- ^r^^
^^-^ ^l-^
IAIL.atio i-.rnlrrod hptpic
pgcome

a coPy

uI sulrrsurls

crDs'

v Yr r q r r t l r r Y v r Y

a tension b-e-tweenthe need to achieve one kind of

'change and.the need to avoid another kind of change'
Charige is healthy when it is defined as growth,
matuition, or development within a person's true
type. Change is not healthY lvhen it is defined as
cienying ottJ's tto" type and trying-to become another

ulq tyPg
rype,ff,ete is noconflictbetwe=grr
llristianity
tiii,oty. n"ety cliinge ihat Chrisligity iequiibs in
hurnan behavior can take place within a person's true
in
lrrrro
rNTn
r v nnp npeds to cha-ngeps,rrchologicaltype
uyv.
^-^^-

lrlLlgI

+^ ft#Ar'
rvvv

. lu

ts

oo qo fhricfian
vrrrrvlrur'

qo

, '

healthY growth takes Piacewithin

a person's true tYPe and does not
-^^-.t-^
Iequllg

,J^-"i-a
L{srryrrr6

^v -r or e/ ce

frrrrqr ov

ftrJr n p

and

trYing to become a coPYof

someoneelse.
In the currentdebategverthe methodsand doctrines
of the discipling movement,it is important t9 avoidtwo
oppositebiit e{uaily dangerousextremes'The qsy5h9ldf,icalstudy conductedin the BostonChurchof Christ
illistrates one of theseextremes.They are producing

Alternative Explanations Examined

h{

4Z

of c!a1se.rhey areproducing
con_

lL:_y::lrin psychological
rormlty
type. That is unnatura]I, un_
and dangerous. But the Boston Church of
l:urjhy.,
unnst is not trying to prod.ucechangesin psychological
type scores.They have no interestiripsychoiogicaf
iype
thggry. What they want is for their members grow
to
''
Spirifuallv-

fo hpcnrno

mnra

liL^ r^^..^ r,L--:-,

vrurol/

Jsvqe

qrrU

, Y-;

L(J LrB

more evar.gelistic. They want to heip their

members
overcome-temptation and abstain from various
sins.
rhe way they go about doing this, howeveq,
is producing an unintenciecibyp,rodult th"t is not h""lthy.
Tt;y
are changing personalities by making their
members
'ft-^+

OVgf

after

the

srnrrn
C'*.-*r

n^rm
r.vr[r.

rlraL

^-,u^-^
--,,-,
s^L.!.errre flllltiE

avoided.

'
De

{n oppqsite and equally dangeroiisexiremeis io

make no real ef{ort at iU to help"Christiansmake
the
changesin their lives that theyieally ought to make.
Somechurchesof Christ that are
ti;
discipling movementprovide little
"ot'ufruiited;tti
if u"y i"Ji"ia"ui
assistance
to Christiani in an effort to help th;;;;;
a-sthgy should. Bothof theseextremesarewrong.both
should be avoided:jh: Tloly
lnirit ql,u"gu, F.opi;
beco31 Christians_but
not ry"*ufi"g';,
XH*:l in psychological
rdentrcal
type. The gro,.vti..
that coires

f19p the rioiy Spirltproalr*,

%"av wlih ;;;;

oitierent members ihat perforrn many

"
different funJtions- in many differenf ways. Influenees
th;t;;;"
people to becomeidentical in psychological
type do not
L
come from the.Holy Spirit.
NOrES FORCHAPTER3
lW. H-arold
MagdalaThompson,and Thomas
------' E. Clarke,FromIm_
Qr_ant,
ageto Likeness
(New yorli: paulistpr6ss,igStt
zfor the theorv behind this test
see:will sh,rtz, TheInterpersonal
r]ndert):orld(Palo Nto,-California:Con*ifting nry.iiffiri,
press,L972).Forde_
f3ill:gg^alling administrationand inteipreiario" rlu",Wiiisii rt":,-ii;";;if*
the
FIRO

Tesfs
(paloAtto;Californi",
Coi,i"rti"gpt h;i;&i}ffi;'fiiij:

CHAPTER

4
OF DIFFERENCES
A DISCUSSION

r^I!.^+
ia
it elrnrrf +ho
BostonChr-rch
----evv!v^^
srrv
rD IL 4VvuE
YY IIAL

of Christ

that

causes the changes in psychologi-caltype scoret *it-

----..-----r
:.+L^ *oorrinrre ,'.hentets?
Sincg
Oth-ef ehurcnes
v"
Lrtqrrerv'
ut LIrg

cussgq

Prsvrvuo

of Christ are not producing this effect, the causeor

.ur.rr"t must be found in ttre differencesbetweenthe
BostonChurchofChristandotherchurchesofChrist.
WhenChristianswhoarenotidentifiedwiththe
discipling movementattend the SundayP:fl".9 Y:1:
ship'ass6mblyof the Boston Church of Christ' they
oftitt 1*pott inat they seenoJ]ril-rSwrong' What {e1

e..embltisv"i.v'Til311 -*.li:
. ob;;*; i; thewoiahiP
Christ' The doctrines that
.

rhe.vseein- ^ 'other
- - - - : -churches of
sermonsare the sameasthose
;il;;;;;;;reached-inthe
rrvsr
rrrvJ
f^--*---- ,^ ^ri-^
tl^^t

;6ached in othef chufcres orehfisil. visitcrs notrcetnai

Church of Christ has elders,deacons'and
ih;[ot*"
evanselists.The organization,therefore,seemsto be
the sime asothercliurchesof Christ.Firstimpressions
of the Bosioncongregationaretypicallyvery favora-ble'
Several,obvious differencesbetween the Boston
Churchof christ and otherchurchesof Christhavelittle
to ao with fundamental doctrinal issues' The congregufiottis madeup primarily of collegestudentsand
sportsarena'They
;oii"t adults.Theymiet in a rented
frave"only one meeting a week when the entire

A Discussion of Differences

49

congregation comes together. Each member of the

Boston church is required to attend Sunday morning
worship, Wednesday evening House Church, and #
Ieast one Bible Talk a week. there are over 60 House
_Cfrurchmeetings throughout the Boston area each
Wednesday evening. These are Bible ctrasses
designed
to teach the members. There are o\.zer26ABibleTa[s rn
rFL^-^

tiii!
hp

R
nctnn
'uelvii

a r a a cduii
ao^L
ij.uci

r,,^^1WeeK.

ir-rS

afg

Smaii

gfoup

meetingsdesignedto reachnon-members.Each*""i_
ber is_e1,g9cted
to invite at least L0 peoplea week to
^lr^.J D:l-l
^
CTLLSII.LI
L'IUIC

T^ 1r IAII(.

Most observersfrom other churches of Christ do not

see these differences as beino siqnifinen+

t\/ncr rann--

nizethese
asareas
*n"t" r*"T*ifiilil;;;;;;.."
adapt to their own situafionc

in +hlirl"^,trratrc
e^*^
yvqJ
p.
gvrllg
v YY tr

havequestionsaboutthe way someof thesetirings are

done, but most do not raiseany objectionsov"rih"s"
incidentaldifferences.
There are, howeve{, some differences between the
Boston Church of Christ and other churches of Christ
that are fundamental. some of these differencesinvolve
facjors, jhat may pe responsible for producing the
unhealthy personality bhangesobdeivedin the psfcfroIogical type study of thJ Boston church. When I
presented my report of that study to the leaders of the
vvorvrr

lrrurLr./

uld(le

ueverat

spgcurC

sugggstlons

regarciing changesthat I felt were nelded to coiiect that

situation. It was my understanding that they agreed to
make these changes. My plan at tlat time was to wait
One

Veaf
J

and
_____-

fhpn

rpfrrrn

r.

*n
Lv

Rnc*nn
yvolvr

rn
tv

^^-,J,,^r
Lvt

tLl

LrL

ct

psychological type study among the new converts

brought into the congregation after these changeshad
been made. I was confident that such a study"would
find that the problems had been corrected ind that
personalities were no longerbeing changedto conform
to the group norm. In Novembir of t{gO, howeveu I

TheDisciplingDilemma

50

learned that the changeswere never made. I continue to

receivereports from other churchesof Christ in the area
and from counselors who work with the emotional and
spiritual problems of those who drop out of the Boston
Church o] Christ. These reports clearly indicate that the
changes I suggested have not been implemented.
tlr- Jrr+EEr-li
^^'{

+!r Lrr-o n
n n o16'r
r o os6a } i n n
LrJ!

annprrq

f n h e m o v i 'n--o

-O

f i r r t h--e-r -- ---

an<i furiher away from what other churches of Christ

would regard as true New TestamentChristianity.
'
.

r1^A Annds^da*inn
LIL(: r-vrr6rsbqlrvrr

onnoover
q
yreqre

{'n
rv

}ro
vv

moving further and furthef away from

wha-t other ehurcheBof Christ would
regard as true New Testament
Ch.ristianitl'.

ApProachto DisciPling
Other churches of Christ do not generally use the
word "discipling" the way it is used in the Bostorr
Church of Chrisi and other congregationsthat identify
with the discipling movemen!. Qther churches of
Cirrist, ho*ever, aie concerned about teachin$ theii
mernbers and helping them grow spiritually. They just
believe in ca-llingnible thlngs by Bible names and they
dn nnf helieve that the NewTestament ever taiks about
discipling someonewho is alreadSra disciple. If they use
the word"discipling" at all, they would generally use i!
to describethe process of disciple making. They would
use other words to describe the process of disciple
building. The fundamental differences in regard to
discipling, howeve4,go farbeyond words.
What the Boston Church of Christ calls "discipling"
involves a network of hierarchical relationships. In
other churches of Christ, disciple-building relationships involve peers. When I presentedthe report of

A Discussionof Differences

51

my psychologicalstudy, the leaders of the Boston

co4gregationdenied that they practicedhierarchical
discipling.But when the memberi of that congregation
turned in their psychologicaltype forms, I faa"tfrem
write on those forms the name of the person most
responsiblefor discipling them. I then charted the

relatronships and_ a_ll thg arrorr^/snointed sf:"aiqhi

- ; ; - o - " , , * r :r:,:
**rs*
hpir

hio*.l.nLt,
rrrErqrlrrJr.

r\T^.^, ^^---^-r^
r\sw
u\rrr.verLs

---i
are

,;-,;-;
qlscl.plgq

py

older

converts.The older.converts
arediscipleafy nibtefam
leaders.The BibleTaikleadersare diicipted ly House
a-L.--^L
1^- r - --, n
Liiiircn
ieaciers.
ihe House Church iei<iersare discizone
evanglists.The zone evangelistsare
pled !y
discipled
bvJ KioI McKean
and fho pldorc
-L

Tr tic
a-1,,
*t
^
9
VIUY
!!lt

^L

preacher and two elders who list one anoth", u,

disciplers
r

in neer
rplafinnchinc
f

E'rr*ha*^-^
sr
lrrvrtr(vtg/

;*
*-[t
lll)/

interviews with many of the-membersof the Boston

church, I asked them to name the person who was
discipling lhem and-to name the p-eoplethey were
fisgipling. I neverhadthe samepeoplelistedin lnswer
to-both_questionsexceptwith ihe'preacher and two
elders. Since that time, articlesin the bulletin of the
Bostoncongregationhavestatedthat in disciplingthere
mustbe aelear undefstandingas to who isaoiiig the
disciplingand who is being diicipled.
When discipling resembles a multi-level
will De rnfluenced to

become iike the group norm. To avoid the kind of

personalitymanipulationobservedin the psychological

the BostonChurch of Chiist, disclple.tVf..e-9tuay,of
relationships
need be peer ielationships.
Plilging
Making such a changeshould_to
not be too difficult for ihe
discipling churches.They haveplacedgreatemphasis
on the "one another,,passa_ges
in the gibte.Reciprocal
r_elationships
betweenequali would be consisteniwith
the "one another"passages:
Hierarchicalrelationships
are not.

The Discipling Dilemma

Discipling, in the Boston model, involves each

membeihaiang only one discipler. In other churchesof
Christ, disciplE+uilding relationships involve several
close personal friends. A new convert who identifies
with iveral Christian friends is likely to filter out the
many ways in which they are different and focus on
thev
ha'.'e i:r colr.m,on-.Th-enew convert.,there""'h^i
.
.
-r- 1-- ^,-^ 1:7-^r-- r^ i,t^*+if-r
'^'i+lr
in
rarv f-hrici
YYrLrt +La
rorer

ls mucn

m(Jre

lllscry

l\J TLTErIUUJ

each of these friends and less likely to be made over

after the image of just one friend.
From the time when the discipiing rnoverrrent fir-si
began among churches of Christ at the Crossroads
^^i.*o-o+i^-dic,cinlins has
focused
on confession.
-----uvrrbruoql@o

Neri cdnverts are tiueht that they must confesstheir

-i-c
DltrD

rn
+Lair z{icninlor"wevrr
Lv Lrlg[

Tf +hprr
seem reluctant
------*--J

to dO SO,

they are askedaiot of persohalquestions.U tltqy-t$

have no sins to confess,they are askedto read L ]ohn
1:8-L0and they are told that a refusalto admit sin is sin
within itself. That at least gives them something to
confess.I suggestedto the leadersof the BostonChurch
of Christ thiian emphasison Bible study and prayer
would be much better than this emphasis on confession.They saidthat thel had alreadystattedmoving
in that direction. However, almost two years have
passedsincethat meetingand the.reportsI am getting
trom-th-eBostonareastrongiyindieatethat the Bosion
Church of Christ still emphasizesconfbssionas an
essentialpart of disciPling.
The Boiton church usesJames5:16to justify their
-^^--:-^*^-r
IgquIItrIlrgrlL

+ L ^ + /v-r rl rrr*oi rar qt irar un c

lltql

nnnfcqc

fhpir

qins

fo their

disciplers.Other churchesof Christdo not believethat

this irerse teachesany such thing. New Testament
scholarsare virtually unanimousin teachingthat this
verse simply means that if I sin againstyou, I must
confessitlo you and if you sin againstme you must
of Scriptureon the
confessit to me. Everyotherpassage
must be consins
that
teaches
confession
subjectof

A Diseussionof Differences

53

fessedto God and to the individualswe havewronged.

No other versein the entire Biblesaysanythingufio.rt
confessingto a non-involvedthird partp The"Boston
Churchof Christrejectsthe Romanca*r6rc doctrineoi
auncularconfession.Theydo not believethatsinsmust
be confessedto a priesi. What they are praetieins.
='bt
however. is spen h' l+ho.__ nL,,-^L^^ ^f
n:--t-,tlli::
qD
v:
vruro!
J

torm of auricular confession.

9g[t5r

cl

Every other passage of Scrinfirrp nn

the subject of confJstio* t;.i.,;; ttt

sins must be confessedto God and to
the individuais we have wronge{d.No
other versein the entire Bibi! sav*
anything about confessingd;;;-

!1y9lvedthird paity.

Other churches of Christ recognizethat self-dis_

closurecan have therapeuticvaluJ in somecasesfor
some people. Therewas a self_disclosure
fad i" pop
psychology in the 1960s.There were all sorts o? flroups; Encountef Groups, Sensiiivity fr"i"i"g
$r9ups, and the like. peopl6were encouragedto barE
their souls to these grodps. The

Duurs ytrul",re ana nurr otners" t sychologists

later did

some researchon the effectsof ielf_disilosure.They

found thatwhenthereis toomuchsery-aisctosiie

thri ;r*;,

too soon in a relationshipor that comesunder too

much

'il"Hf
qrydense,ou,ornioff,!!tlt"#{:{Jy'
;
fr1"."dr.rluy-c?nreallytrust. It oftenhelps
pressure, it creates g nnrouilnlht ma--i-n",!.

to .o"na" in
a friend. Self-disclosure,
howevex,is notilwavs helpful.
personality types ,"u* io benefit'from-;lf_
lgT"
ctlsclosure
much more than others. Many faithful
Christians have grownJo maturity in Christ withoui
ever having much experiencewith self-disclosure.

The Discipling Dilemma

Furthermore, self-disclosure is not what James5:L6 is

talking about.
Oth"er churches of Christ believe that the work of
disciple building needs to be done with the recognition
that some peofte'benefit from self-disclosure much
mnro flran .r+hprq Thev
J

flgnt

rc

plntl

UII

all

contend

\-rlrrDlr4lrD

, -

that no one has the

,-----L:^

q yrqvrr

tl.^a

*^.'

I^^

frJtpfU for only some. They claim that no one has the
right to make self-disclosurea law when God has not
*id. it a law.The rules of the BostonChurchof Christ
require that men disciple q9n and.women disciple
*oroett. Other churchesof Christ miglt s99that a1a
gooci practice generaiiy-for disciple-buildingrelafionships, but t[ey would not acceptit as a rule that
must aiwaysbe foiiowe<i.
Other ihurches of Christ believe that any selfdisclosurethatis doneneedsto bedonein thertqh] way,
It takes time to build trust. It takes a lot of shared
experienceto build relationshipsto the poilt Yh:l"
is appropriate.TheinterviewsI hadwith
seif-disclosure
membersof the nostonCfrurchof Christconvincedme
self;
that they are getting into some TSlly ,he4y11.
build
to
time
disclosinglong before ttrey havehad-the
trusting ielatiinships. When I askednnembersof the
D--r-DO,SIUII

-^-^-^-^r:^-UUIrSIsS4trlJrl

+ ^ irqurrl}J
lan*ifrr
Lv

+ho

nprcon

r^---'nnsf

f-_
e-

sponsiblefoi efsei;olingthem, atleastone fourth could

-n4
an*onllrr
IlvL
lvrrvll

cnol! the-tlame

of that Derson. That does

not soundlit e ifre kind of relationshipswhereintensely

would be appropriate'
personalself-disclosure
other churchesof Christbeiievethatif self-disciosure
is going to takeplacein disciple-buildingrelationships,
th6seiivolved. must be tiught to treatthings disclqsed
asbeing strictly confidential.Suchmattersmust not be
revealei to oihers without the permission of the
individual involved.All too oftenin theBostorisystem,
however,things disclosedto a discipler one {ay are
linown allthe way up the disciplinghierarchy$e ryx!
day.The disciplingliierarchy thus becomesa glorified

A Discussion
of Differences

55

informant network. As such, it is an effective

means of
control-but it is not a good atmosphere for healthy
disciple building.
In the Boston Church of Christ, those being discipted
are taught that they must submit to theiidis.ii,ie;:
Passagessuch as HeLrews l3i:17havebeen taken
out of
.

eonfpvf

fn irrcliftr
+L;- -^^..:-^*
, --- ---J

^-^ | - r
I
urLrrt vl DLrr,rIltlJUlUIf . fn f,ne

pasi rwo years/ i have interviewed many Christians

in
the Boston congregation and many others *ho
were
once involved in the discipling movement in Boston
or
eisewhere. Many of these indiriduals tord me that
their
r.ellire{ total submission without question.
lt::tlr_"rr
6^^4

L^-^

--^-

A __:o._
l a f q e -^.*J-"-^.J
tnainri+rz
_;

n f +L!rvDE
I-^-^ ;*.J:,-:r--^r^
vf
llrq.r.!.vlL{uals

r -r t
tolcl me

tnat

therr

n:clplels ottengaveordersthathad nothingto do with

spiritualmatters.Thosebeii.rgdiseipie<i*"i! toi i *hut
coursesto takein school,what field to major in, what
careerto entet whom to date or,not date, and even
whom to marry or not marry. Leadersof tfre di;;tpli;;
movementadmitthatsuchabuseshavetakenplace,bui
they claim that theseare merelythe excesse,of yo""g
people with rnore zeal than jldgment. fhe systern]
hoye,verpuls young people#ith[qt much opuri.r,."

into
w[eie;t;h;d;;, Jr"r,t-ry
."^ti-19g_**t positions
ml*y of theseyoungpeop6
l"^-Tfffl lu1lne1mo1g.,
hlv,gnoyha.{3lglttz
ofrJme
l"'eIq:*
sull lnvolved_ i:r the sAme ahrreog. "tdi
The Boston Church of Christ now teaches
that
Christians must obey their disciplers even in matters
of
opinion where there is no biblical justification for
the
'
'nL^--

atrJo.o
d;.'^*
-r-:,-,
,r
. - - '
uiilisiD
6,iv-cil. inej/- ciarm tnat Hebrews

13:-17refers to

matters of opinion and they claim that it includes

the
authority of evangelists, elders, zone leaders,
House
uhurch leaders, Bible Talk leaders, and disciplers.
The
Boston church claims t$t
have
corrected
any
possible abuses of authority !.hey
by'giving their members
of appeal. tf a member i"sgivln an order by a
1l_"^19,h*
cl$crpler
that the member does not want to obey, tirat
member has the right of appeal to the Bible Talk
leader.

The Discipling Dilemma

56

The BostonChurch of Christ now

teachesthat Christiansmust obeytheir
disciplerseven in matter-qof opinion
wherb there is no biblical justification
for the orders given.

The appeai can be taken aii the way up the hierarchy tc

the Hblse Church leadeq,zone evangelist,and even to

the eldersand the leadevangelist'But if the ordergtlen

Uy tne diseipler is- approve{lY these leaders' that
memberis required tb-obey.The only exceptions.are
that membersare not expect:d19.ob:L*-.o.t9:iijl:
would requirethem to go againstihe ijrbieor to vioiaEe
their own consiience.fhe tiouble, howevex'is that the
what ihe Bibieieacires
leadersarethe oneswho <iecicie
shouldrequire'
conscience
person's
and thus what a
are supChristians
that
Discipling churches teach
They
posed to iiritate their disciplers.
!!PP!rt this
doctrine with verses where Paul told Christians to
imitate him. One of theseversesis L Corinthians1"L:1'
wherePaulsaid,"Be imitatorsof me; asI am of Christ"'
Other churchesof Christ believethatall Chri tiansa1e
supposedto imitateaboutPaulis his imitationof ]esus
and TimothyirnitatedPaul
Christ.If PauiimitatedJesus
.r:*^r1.r,
ancl

somgone

- gISg
-r - - :-^:t^r-il
lllutateLr

lurtt',urJ-sJ

tr

r.hnin e'pts dor,rrn to us there woirld

!l

fqu

/rL-:^r:^-:a.'
rvllIIDLI6[Il-l'L

"

*1'a
rurrv
urs *ima

*ro
rr'v

be little real

l^ff
Y IsIr.

When a ihurch practiceshierarchicaldiscipling-with

eachChristian having a single or primary discipler to
whom sinsmustbe confessedandwho mustbe obeyed
and imitated, it is inevitable that the churchwill make
people over after the image of the grouP-norm'That
iuris peoplepsychological$and spiritually'
D octrineFollowsPractice
Throughoutits history, the churchhasbeenplagued
by pragiratism. The pragmatist finds methods that

A Di.scussionof Differences

Sr

seem to work and employs those methods. If chalpragmatist

to the bibteto find ways
1"1S"1,-,h:
to justify the methods1vr{go
he has alreadydecidedto use.
That_apprgach is quite different from the approach
taughtin the Bible.Christiansaresupposedto b6ginby
going to the Bible to tind what God wants them Io do.
Doctrinemust cometlrst. Doetrinemustbethe founJation

for

nrae*ira

IA/i+h
, trlrr

+hnga,*aa:ar^
rrrE l/rqSurcllrDtD/

L^-.-^--^-Iruwgvt-D

-r- (log-

trine follows practice.

associated with discipling that were
-.The practices
r;lion"o^^.l
:rL^
-^-r^--^
-,
,.
ur:-u:ib_ucq
in
Ei-re-pre-v-lous
sectlon
cio noi grow out of a
solid theological foundation. They were not discovered
through careful Bible study. they grew out of a
pragmatic concern for finding methoJs that seem to
work.

Doctrines

are now beinJ devplonpd

practices.D.isciptingh";#;

tn irrc*ifrr +lra

i;-#-A;';y'#;

where doctrineappearsto follow practice.Mosf of the

cutterences
betweenthe disciplingchurchesand other
churchesof Christare in the ireak practices.Only in
recentyearshavedoctrinaldifferenc6semerged.
Organizational Drffey
ences
^,I1 lh" discipling movement among churches of
Lnnst, preachersappearto havemoredecision_making
^-J
^-J-:-i-r---.!
anci
aq.il:riruSffailVe
authOfitv
ihan fhe pir{prc hqrro TBoston - for e'a nn nl a .l o^i oi ^'- -:::
* : ; ^-;:--^"^ -:
:- l;

,r"l ^i,-i^* ;:;

L:i_::::::"o,"::.i'oT=,''

r*eerurgsor

*,H:lffi,?l;j,Jff:;
r;o"}'Uil"=#:'*","ili

have interviewed many otheis who have observed

lfese meetings.One thing that all of us noticedis that
{n y9f"1n presidesatthesemeetings,makesvirtually
all of the decisions,and givesinstruitions to the other
evangelistsand to the elders.I askedthe eldersof the
BostonChurch of Christ aboutthis practice_which is
most unusual among churchesof-Christ. They de_
fe1a9a the practicewith the claim that they r."ognir"
talbnt and use it. Observersfrom other churchts of

TheDisciPiingDilemma

58

Christ have never questioned McKean's ability as an

executive or administrator. What they have questioned
is the propriety of any eldership turningover thatmuch
authority to any Preacher.
The discipling movement, of course, did not begin
among chuiches of Christ where local congregations
---^
qlt

l--l
rvu

l^-v),

.^1..*^1:+.,

^f

*an

co+rrinc
---'---a

ac

alr{ar"c

overseers, anci shepher<iswith the assistanceof deacons and ministers. It began in denominations where
each local congregation is led by one pastor. Wlut
developed in that context was a ciiscipiing irierarciry
with one pastor at the top of the pyramia'- 4: fu
-::^-:-l:.^qruLr.Pur

*^-.^*aat
v ElrtEr
15, .!..!-L(J

o-oooz{
rL Dt/rEe-u

i!!n l rrv
n

n
hrrrnhoc.
Lrrsr!

of

Chrisf-

*any obserners believe that the real power has been

r- -r I
ngrc[

t^-f)y

al^^
ulg

---^^^L^-^
PlecrullclD

-^;+L
wllrl

^IJo*o
ErusrD

carrinc
ourv[r6

nnlrr

ac

figureheadsand with deaconsplaying gnly a minor

rJle. If discipling churcheshaveelders,they typically
have only two.-Some obseruersbelieve that this is
becausetwo eldersareenoughto meetthe requirement
of plurality,but not enoughto getin the way of the real
structure.
power
^
Many observershave noticed that when eldersare
selectedin disciplingchurches,it is ihe preaChefwho
selectsthem. In-casesthat I haveobservedpersonally,

pil=qqbriq
l9r 4"qry!_lgghq'.!"f l'ry119.ry'!"q
nrrnlifiod rnpn fn inin their coneregations
--^-at---r--_vuquuLu

a-nd become

41d"r interns." If thev successfullycomplete a period

of discipling, the preacher appoints them as elders.
Other churches of Christ follow the pattern of A cts6:1-6
in the seieciion of elders or deacons.In this case,the
congregation did the selecting of the seven special
servanis and the apostles appointed those men the
congregation selected.Other churchesof Christ believe
that a man would be lording it over the church if he
became an elder without the consent of the members.
Leaders of the discipling movement claim that their
cbngregations have so many new conyerts that their
members would not know how to selectqualified elders

A Discussionof Differences

59

or deacons. In Acts 6, howevel the

Jerusalem congregation was made up of new converts
and yet the
apostles trusted them to select these leaders.

. . . when elders are selectedin

discipling churches, it is the preacher
who seiectsthem.
the practiceof discipling churches
'. ^Tol.::-","t?lyears,,
nas
dftered from that of other churchesoI Christ in

ru5crrcrro f,ne aumorrty of the preacher.

Until recentlv,
-^-^--)

L^,7

howeve4the discipfihgchurch", au"i"J-lhil;;,;

practice differed from that of nfher" nh-,,--!.^- .-c 1-7---:^t

rheyctaim"a
tnuitn.i,;;il"g;ffi ffi:il;in:i;
*t-^t^r^:-- nr-'

e l d e r s . T h e v a r p n-^":"^.9".
r r f ^ - o o r - " ourqlulb
Li^*

rrl(r.Lurarlll. rneynave

started picking up the doctrin" of"".ru.,g"listic

oversieht
that was advocated,examined, and rejJcted
in the e#ly
days of the Restoration Movement.
the.doctrine of evangetisticoversight,
.,_
1.:::119,to
rne
evangelist is in charge of a congregationuntil
eljers
are appointed. When efd9r9are appointed,
the
list does not just appoint those ulaerc
"uu.,j.selected
bv the
congregation-following the selection pattern
of'acts
6. Instead, the evangelist selects the eldersIn the
Boston version
L:_^

of tnJ old evansplictin

!r!

n,,o*oinr-.+
r^^
vvLror6rrl
L{(JU-

.l_ _
thre
eVangelisfconfinuet to rnake moJi
t r"-.
1rrrl-/.
decisionseven after eldersare appointed_.
"f in
Whether
doctrine
in practice,the ita"r, of the Boston
\-nurcn ot9!".rt
Uhristfunctionprimarily in an advisoryrole.
It is their lead e-,rangeiisi
w-hoiJ ar rhe t"t ;f ;il;
hierarchy.,Now thelh-ave goru or,* step furtner
Uy
teaching that their iead eva-ngelist
is at ihe top of I
o{ colgregationg.Thiy useEphesiar,,i,rO to
|M*lL
support
their claimwith the argumentinut tf,"
Iists,arethe ligamentsmention6dir, the NIV transration
""u"i"or tnts verse-the ligaments that hold the
various
congregationstogether.They claim,therefore,
that the
evangelistis an officerof the universalchurch,;;t
td;

The Discipling Dilemma

ministering sewant in a local churgh. That would give

their lead evangelist the right to direct congregations
throughout the world.

Now they have gone one steP further

by teaching that their lead evangelist is
a-ttire toP of a hierarchY of
congregations.
The trouble with this interpretationis that this is not
whatthe verseteaches.Theligarnentsof Ephesians(:\5
are the Christians,not iust the evangeiists'The body
they hold togetheris primarily the local*lTl, i:':1:
universai church. Uther cnuicnes oi \--iliisE Liu irur
believe that the evangelisthas or 1."*t anf au],no$1
other than the authority to preach the gospei' iire
practiceof the disciplingchurcheshasbeenconsistent
io, ,.uurul years witt the old rejected doctrine of
evangelisticoversight.Now their doctrineis getting in
line with their Practice.
Criticsof tne disciplingmovementhaveobjected.to
the practiceof havin! paitoral functio-nsp:{9rm99 by
p*optu who are not qulmied to be elders' When there
and the
are onty two elders in a large ,co]1greg?gon
funciions are delegatedfrom uldt3.,to,":1:
pastoral
t
'..
.
Tr--,-^.-r--.-^L
I^^l^*6
+Lv^ E
l i } r l i " T164!
alL
srvrv
rvlll.tr{-r]
rscllfsrD
evanselsE
I

to

r1{Ju5g

too,to*c
+n
dicninlorc
ereLrr:lr
!v
lgqq9ro

r.tr1

has verV littlg

ihe -Averaczerrrember
----o-'

shepherds.Thedisciplinghierarehyof
coniact-with'.h.e
the Boston church is an efficient means of control'
Critics, however, deny that this hierarthy it a ProPer
way for elders to peiform -their spirituai counseiingteachingduties as shePherds.
LeadErsof the disiipling movement defend hierarchical delegated shefherEing with the example of
Exodus t8:15'26 where Mosel instituted a judicial
svstemwith four levels.Disputeswent first to a ruler in
.irurg" of L0people.If the disputecouldnot besettledat
that'ievel, ii went to a rulei in chargeof 50 people'

A Discussion of Differences

61.

Disputes unresolved at that level went to a ruler in

charge of 100people. Appeals from that level went to a
ruler in charge of 1,000people. The only casesthat were
brought to Moses were those that could notbe resolved
in a lower court. This was an effectivejudicial system.
Military organizations have found a iimilar chain of
comman<ito be an efficient means of control. But there
ic nnfhinc

in
4r

*lraRil^l^
urE srvrE

+^ i-l:^^r^
LU [r\tr\.6u,E

LL^L /-^)
Lrlcll \rULl

:-^L^,- s - s t1- tlltIgllqgq

f,nls

]ewish j_udicialsystem to be a model for the shepherding work of elders in local congregations.
Critics argue thai hierarchicai cieiegatecishepherding
.
gjve.stoo *all pastoral functions to young people aI
the bottom of the- nvramid
-------r J

r,rzhnare nnr
nrralifia'{ +^
tr
o
^]vr
lv
ug
YqqurrLq

pastors.JamesS. Woodroofpreachesfor ihe Churchof

Christ in Burlinofon
_ _______o__--l

- M^.."..hrrco*lc
-v-Evs6!rrsu!!!u.

Ero
cai.l
+L^r:L:^
rL
oqru
tttqt
llt
llID

congregationthereare many peoplewho by reasonof

yearsought to be teachersand they arenot_but in the
t gurb,yBostonChurchof Christttrerearemanypeople
ryho by reasonof yearsought not to be teacheisand
they are.
Critics argue that hierarchical
delegated shepherding gives too many
pastoral functions to young people ai
the bottom of the pyramid who are not
quaiifieci to be pa_srors.
Dffirences regardingBaptism
Discipling churches delay baptism until they are
convinced that the person really beteves and has fulty
repented and is totally committed. Other churches of
Christ do not believe that Christians.have the right to
iydgg such matters. If people say that they believi that
tl"y hq* repented, ana tnat they want tobebapiaed,
other churches of Christ baptize them. There Lr", oi
course, extreme casesthat are exceptions to this rule.
But if other churches of Christ are going to err in this

TheDisciplingDilemma

62

matteg they want it to be in the direction of baptizing

those who requeqt baptism. Discipling churches seem
to err in the direction of withholding baptism from
those who are ready for baptism.
The elders of a discipling church in Florida refused
permission for a man to be baptized becausehe had not
He w.as
quit a job that required'him to work on Str-nd-a-\rs.
t^^1.:--

fUU-NIIfEr

r^*

I(rI

^-^rL^*:^L

ClIlULIlgL

L,,+ l:l
JtJlJ,

UIJL

l{tll

-^+
IIiJL

r ^ ^ l iIu+ - ^ , ^ , , 1 , { t r - o Iqu
s-is

Issl

Yvvwq

vE

to his family for him to quit his present job until he

found another. In the meantime, he knew that he
' neecieciio be baptize<i for the remission of his sins.
Other churches of Christ would have baptized him.
L.ead,ersof a djseipling ehureh in Denve4. eolorado,
metwith the elders of the Bear Valley Church of Christ
to discuss their differences" Leaders of this cl-iscipling
church were asked if they would bapfize a person who
said he believed in ]esus Christ, had repented of his
sins, and wanted to become a Christian-but that he
did not want to attend Bible Talk meetings becausehe
wanted to do his evangelism in a different way. They
said that they would refuse to baptize such a person
becausehe is not yet converted.
Many observefs believg that discipling churches
delay baptism until the disciplers are convinced that the
prospective converts will submit to their authority
'
wrinout q.uesnon. tne rssue is not their readiness to
obey the gospel, but their willingness to submit to the
control system provided in the discipiing hierarchy.

that d.iscipling
Many observersbelie..ze
churchesdelaybaptismuntil the
disciplersare convincedthat the
prospectiveconvertswill submit to
their authority without question.
. Many discipling churches have a tradition of requiring two confessionsbefore baptism. First they ask, "Do
you believe with all your heart that Jesusis the Christ,

A Discussion
of Differences

63

the S.onof God?" After an affirmative answe, they ask

this second question, uWhatis your good confession?,,
The answeris Jesus is Lord!" ieadeL of the discipline
movement admit that this second confession is noi
required. They understand that the first confession
implies the second. That understanding, howeveq,
has
not fiitereci <iown through the discir:-iins -----------Jq hierarch._,

Some
--"j:."

of the
.Jr
non^lo-o+ +1^^l^^g^-'
lrlL \/rrrrno
Jvurrb pcupie dr [fte OOfiOiI: Of thg pyramiCi

believe that a baptisrnis not valid unless Uofi contessionswere verbalized.

R/f^*-.
-^^-f
.-rrvian{
peopie^ -w-ho
have come to ciiscipiing churches
.
from other churchesof Christ have been taugit by tt
diSciplers that thev must be rebanfizprT T oerlooo nf +t
"i,o

BostonChurchorbnristua*it tffi;;"d
of all their baotisms
_ _ _ are srrch rrphanrio-o
vvBrrru[re.
r

fir" pe?#;

r-r^-1*,:^..,^
rtf tsl vlgyvJ

with leadersof other churchesof Cirristin the Boston

areaindicatethat over half of thosewho havegone to
the Boston Church of Christ from these othEr con_
gjegationshavebeenrebaptized.Whenthe Crossroads
Church of Christ sent campus ministers to work in
Interviews with leaders of other
churches of Christ in the Boston area
indicate that over haif of those who
haVgqOne

io

fjhe Errc+66

f;!111aaJ. a!

a-'r.*:^r

f,-^11-^-^
-rt
\-rr.rrDLrrurrl
Lrrese Otnef Congfegations
-

have been rebaptized.

other churcheS of Christ.

sueh rehenfiqrn

rnnn,,^ $aA G^-

alotmorethanfivepu..;;to;tffii*ilil:#r"r;;

that the BostonchurahisJa-kingover the'Crossroadstype churches, niany of theii members are beine
rebaptized.fle p.sycfrological
functionof therebapUsrfi
phenomenonis similarto the psychologicalfunction
of
tlre "1epl_anting',
terminology uied w[en the Boston
churchtakesovera congregation:
bothserveto denythe
validity of the previous religious experienceof the

TheDisciPlingDilemma

&

individuaL This cuts that individual off from his or her

roots spiritually and thus gives the discipler more
power to control and change that individual.
ludgmentalAttitude
What is happening in the Boston Church of Christ is a
-^

- l

guulr

--.--^--1^
gxalltPrg

^f

uI

L^-.-

Iluw

lL^

I:-^:*li-ft

LIIE |lrrDLryur6

-tr"to^Lac

triarrr

Yrvvv

lrrsrlrrvP

other ctrurches of ehrist. W-hen haif of the peopie who

come to the Boston Church of Christ from other
churches of Christ in the area are rebaptized, that gives
+haco n*hor nnnorooafinns
- : - - imnression
- - ' - the
"^-r--------

that
- - - - thevr are

not regarded ai being faithful Christians since their

baptism is not consideredvalid. This impressionis
reinforcedwhen new convertsin the Bostonchurchare
dold not to attend the other churchesof Christ in the
area.Leadersof the Bostonchurchexcusethis with the
claim that relationshipsare important and these new
converts would not have such relationshipsin these
other congregations.It is true that relationshipsare
important,butthat doesnot justifytellingnew converts
thit other churchesof Christ in the areaare dead, that
they arenot spiritual, or that they could not provide the
discipling that the new eonvertsneed.Inte+viewswith
over L00new convertsin the Bostonchurch and over
100 others who have ieft the Boston church have
nnnrrinnpri rne that thpse
iurismeniai
-"--t----o

comments

about

otl-rerchuiches of Christ are the rule, notthe exception.

.

wnen

r.
t.
qlsctPllng

-t-,,,--1-

^-

cnLtrcnes

-^11

uau

rL^--^1-.^^

LrlerrlDsrvED

rL^

rrr's

"temnarrt," this gives the same impression. Leaders of

the discipling movement try to explain that they are just
talking about a small group of Christians whom God
uses to achieve great growth, but they have tied their
use of the "remnant" terminology to the Bible and in thg
Bible it was only the remnant that was faithful all others
were lost.
Discipling churches now constitute a totally separate
fellowship. They cooperate with one another. They are
in competition with churches of Christ that are not

A Discussion
of Differences

65

identified with the discipling movement. This

competition, clearly- implies a yuagment that tnur"-olt.,
cnurcnes ot Christ are unfaithful. In recent years,
leaders of the discipling movement have become
in_
open.in expressing their judgm."i tnut tt
:I:":Tgly
q$crpnng
churches are the only faithful ehurehesand"
..,

thaf

all irfhrtr

nl'r,-^l-^-

^c rt^-t^i
v^

vrrrroL

^,-^ ,

qrs

? ,

urucullllLtl.

In recentyears,leadersof the
discipling movementhav.e become
increasinglyopen in expressingtheir
judgment that the disciplingchirrches
are the only faithful church6sand that
all other churchesof C_Luist
are
unfaithful.
Gift Projection
. Gift projectionis the tendencyof someChristiansto
i"-agr other Christiansby our grfts anJ to insist that a[
other Christians must deveiop il
*rtO and set
involved in our minisrries in order t" df"itd;i:Tf;;
1tfiTd: ignoreswhat the Bibleteach",
"b;;;dift;;;;
giftsandb;i"s
i"";i;#;
l"ylp difrerenr

!H:tf mrrustries.
qrrerent
arfa

---

other churchesof Chrisi beiieve that a[ ehristians

aL^..1-J
L^:-----t
DrlvLuLr
ue rnvolveqrn evangelismin some wEty,
but they

do not insist that all Uein"SfveJ in tnl ru*.

way.They
believethat all Christiansshourdrr'tut" th-eirfairh h,r+
they do not require thar att Ch"i;ti;;;;;
thir; ;h.
sameway.
My study of the BostonChurch of Christconvinced
me that only 1"0to L,5percentof their members
haa evli
corrvertedanyone.What I am talking about
dh;;;
wno have taken a leading
in the teachingand
-role
thar brought 6thers to the poinr oF obe1,"^t:ildlig,
qlence.
r told the leadersof that congregaiionthat they

The Discipling Dilemma

ousht to reioice that so many of their members were

inriolved in Lvangelism at this leve1.But I also told them
that they ought t6 rejoice in the fact that virtually all the
rest of iheiimembers are involved in evangelism in
other ways. I call them the "grinners,'1 although that is
n-ota titll the Boston chqrch recognizes' The grinnels
aIg

.r
t - -.-r- ^ :---iL^
YYrrv urYrlv
LItE ys\Jyrs

^L1^^^+ th ^+Lo*c

+n Rihlo

Thlk

eachweek. fnuy regulariy aitenciBibleTaik' They d9

not leadthe Bibiefalt. fney just sit thereand grin and
say"Amen." When the peoplelheybring with them,to
gi6te Tatt get interestedenbughJo!u receptiveto !h9
gospel,it iJusually the BibleTalkleaderwho doeswhat
.t
tney

'r ,! tfle
cafi

^--^
ulre-url-urlE

r^^^Li-a
LccrLrurr6'

Ehr*
vqL

fLrrv
ha

*tvBlrrr-ro
pnchins

is
--

It is two-on-one,becausethe
nof real$ on-on-one.
' t ' .rr:-*
eL^
-s^^66c
crinninO
glmner

ls rlgnt

f,nele suPPUr trltS Lrts yrvlLee/

br$rrurro'

;Youneedto do whathe says'"

Ind occasioiallysayin8,
After this personii baptized,the grinnerbecomeshis
disciplingpartner.It seemsto me that the grillgrs 3r9
bein| e#ngelistic. They are sharing their faith' But'
most"ofthefeadersI talked to in the Bostonchurchfelt
that the grinners needed to repent and get with the
nt3%iti*g

churchestalk a lot aboutbeing{ruitful" or

"produitirrJ." Somehavetaughtthat the only fruit of a
Ciristian is anotherChristian"Th-atis not the way the
Bible'usesthe fruit rnetaph.or.Leadersof-FneBoston
Ch.urchof Ch-ristunderstind that, but membersof the
congregationstill thinkthat makingconvertsis the only
way to be fruitfui or Productive.
The Bostot .ottgiegation provides orJy one role
model for their members.The peoplethey brag on are
those who are making a lot of converts'I urged the
leadersof that congregitionto startprovidingotherrole
that they brag on some of their
models. I suggest-ed
Erinnerswhdnever have convertedanyone,but who
Xreat leastinvolved in the evangelisticeffort and who
help the churchin otherways.Theelderssentme a tap-e
;#"; sermonwhere Kip McKeandid this, but it will

A Discussion of Differences

67

take a lot more than one sermon to overcorne

the
influenceof previousyears.
nyip just onerole modelmay explaina part of the
psychologicalmanipulationdiscussedearfieJa .n"rcr,
with only one role model is likely to makeits members
rheimageof that one,*odel. Thisis
,-o.y-:l{rT
Iikelv to hannpn in a nhr,.^L -^,L^*^ rL^ -^---r- "rp;i"ii;
- u.v

fA^
laqd
igqiiac

+h ^+

Liicil

+h ^-^

Lrlere

: -

- -, t

tS Oniy

One

Way

grLrlrvrrD

tO

DUUII

aCIVanCe

in

leadership.-Indiscipling church"r, ii.," way members

th{tfey arqqualifiedfor variousteaaershiproles
l^r",_":
is by maicing a iot of converts and helping^
those
converts make a lot of converts. What tiris"system

ignOfes

is the imnnrlarroa

nf -o-,,

n+L^- ^:tL^

Ll-.-.

needectin a congregation.
erifigs

of the &s.Ll;rlc'

!?1r\r4s4s+

!!=-r !-'- ,
!--^!.:-^==,--

churches
r'"""
t'ffi:H:;
"?i-.J=iiffi
gifts, the value"."ir."?ry
of diversity, or
the conceptof the cn"urct

as a body with qany different membeisthat perform

Tany,different functions i1 gany differeni -uy"
severalcriticshavesuggestedthat discipling.r,"r.riu,
re,sepb-te giant repr-oductivesystem rather than
a
I
whole bodv.
Legalism
The public teaching of c

chrrrchac

8race.

:- *^a
rD ITt-'L

what fiiters down throulri the disciprinr rrr"lr".irIAIL^+ *^^-1^

^r r1- a
..

peopleatthebottomof thett;ilidi;;i;;il;
]Vhat
they must

earntheir wayto heaveri6ythe merit of their

works.
Discipling churcheshave many arbitrary rules
that
,
have no biblical foundation. Stme of in"r"
,J.,
probablystartedaswiseadvice.Ho*ulr"i *f,"i,r"rt"j
aswiseadviceneededby s-ome
peoplein oneplacesoon
becamefixed rules bound-on
in mlny otn*
c:ngr.egaliong.Requiringthat everyone
"".ryo"u nuuuurr"ho.r.
u
Ty ol quiet time may be goodadvice,but God did not
give this as a law. Thoseivrro haverecentry.o*i"i

The DisciPiingDilemma

68

from non-Christian backgrounds might need some

advice about whom to date or not date, but there is no
law in the Bible requiring permission of a discipler
before dating. Furthermore, the emphasis on rule
keeping that spreads throughout the discipling process
communicates the wrong message. Some Christians
r - r -r-- - l r--- -----^^r^l
vJ oqbbveL"*
L'E rrErysq

rrr4y

^^^l^
o""^l

ns tagcnlo
--^o--:l

i--

o
c a v r l -- f-n- a-o---

their evangelism or other areasof Chrisiian serviee, but

those goali are not laws from God. An over-emphasis
on goils and targets for evangelism communicates a
meslage of justification by the merit of works.
Discipling churches have a practice of requiring
,-,-- ^,-^^c-l/rvorsruv!

^^---^*t^

r^ *.,*i*n
^"1
I'D LtJ VYITLS U4L

a lic*
s- uor

nf
vr

all

+ho

cinc

ihulhune ever committed. Other churchesof Christ

..

nnq.

sucn

,-,-1 ^

a rutj

r-

t-^

^-.1^.:L^*--

IU I)e alurtrd.Ly

^l

L^-'&

l\rfantu

4. L/SDL' rYrqrr/

n}lianl

vvreLL'lv *n

the practiceeven if it is not treatedas a law. They feel

thatit suggeststhe wrong emphasis.This requirement
a worksaboutfsfrng all sinspriorto baptismsuggests
same
the
is
not
That
life.
changed
the
of
centeredgoipel
Christlives-the
thing as the gospe! that changes
centeredgospelof grace.

fher" are significantdifferencesbetweenwhat

the discipling churchesteachpublicly andwhat
.r-. -..-..---..^l-^^---,--:-^r^
rngv J
comfltu.LlluaLtr

'

-*:--^r^1=.
lrllvcrlEry

*a ttrrais
Lv LlrEu

*amhate
rrrlrrrvv^e'

differencesbetweenwhat the
There are sien-ifica-nt
discipling chuiches teach pullicly and what they
cotr,municateprivately to their members'There are
significant difierencei between what the discipling
cr,iurchescommunicateverbally and what they communicatenonverbally.You cannotget a book that teaches
you the Bostonsystem.Youhaveto go to Bostonandbe
irained for at leait a year.The reasonfor this is that the
real messagein the iloston Churchof Christis not the
public *.iugu that is verbalized;it is the non-verbal
messagecommumcatedprivately by the nature and
emphisis of the disciplinghierarchy.

CFIAPTER

5
DEALINGWITH THE DISCIPLING
DILEMMA

If members of the ch.urches of Chrisi had oniy- two

alternatives-a discipling church or a non_evarrg.lirti"
6ft113fi-mrnr,
oin^-A
__.__
-_--.-.J- ,^r"rrrl.{ rL6qrq
.;

+1^^
J:^^:-r:-urs \rrsurpung

-rr
cnurcn
as

the lesser of the two evils. Churchesof thrist that

oPposgthe disciplingmovementneed.to facethe most
powerful and persuasive argument in favor of that

movement and they need to face it head on.

That
argument is the pragmatic argument based
on a
comparison of results. Disciplingihurches are growinE

fasterthan otherchurchesof chtlst. Theycraim?r,"tlr,i3

Provesthat fhey aie dght.
Th: gap
,
_betweT th-* grgwth of the discipling
churchesand otherchurcheJofChristis sier:ifieenih,,i
.Irsnotasg*arustfi ec[s.iFFgch,rr.
-;

:rl--r

--

Other discipling churchesire iot senerallv srowinq es

fast as the Boiton Church of Cirisl dfra'y-*" ?"i

geneT[{,growing asfasttodayasthey wereu f"* yeu.s
aqo. {urthermore, figures puUnsneaby the g6ston
Church of Christ indiiate that their net growth rate is
1ot a9high asthey haveclaimed.If you countall those
tn.ey.havebaptrzedand subfractthosetheyhavesentto
migsion fields, the result indicatesa retention rate of
g"ly^95 percent, not the 25 percent they now claim or
the 95 percentthey used to claim. Soiireof these,of
course/have moved away from the Bostonur"u. in"

The Discipling Dilemma

Boston congregation, howeveg has not yet demonstrated a good retention rate among those who are
converted-in Boston and then move away' Their net
growth rate, therefore,, is not- as hlSh as they have
Elaimed, but it is still higher than the growth rate of
other churches of Christ.
r-.!.
io i+nnr*ent

tn nnfice. hotaterler, th-at othgr ehurches

of Christire not cleciiningrapidiy the waythe discipling

churchesclaim.It hasbeena causeof someconcernto
me that my own research has been used by the
.disciplingcirurchesto suppori their-ciaim ihat other
churcheiof Christ are declining rapidly' I have been
J^i-a

L{LrUt6

6irnTar'
vuJ

Du!

tacorrnh

nn

tratterns

of
-

growth

and

of Christ in lhe United States

decliie a*ong churches
'TLoco
J^- ^t*^^e

tft rraaro

ItI4IulUDL4r.,Jsqro.

rrrvuv

arlrrrar/q

rlrnbablv

orovide
I------

the

best availableestimatesof growth ratesamong church3s

of Christ in this nation. These surveys indicate that the
rate of growth declined from 1965 (the date of the
earliest lurvey) to 1980. But that was not a decline in
total mertrb"itnip. Churches of Christ grew in tlis
period".It was iust the rate of growth that declined' The
irr*"nt indicate that in 1965 the rate of growth may
have 6een as hlgh as five peicent pef yeaf' There was an
average.decline of one third of one percent per year
from-:t96Sthrough L980. If these survey estimatesare
accurate, gro*t-rt- stoppeci in i980. Beiween i980 ar'd
1984,there appears to have been a decline ot arounci2'5
percent. 'In- i984, howeveD the pattern started to
thutteu. In 1985,there was a very small growth of 0'02
-- -----"-'

Pgrcgllt.

r.. ,t noz
lLl

L7()91

+L^*a.rrae
r nr^16 crrhc+4nfi4l gfOWth
Yv4D q rrlvre
LrlErs

Of

around 0.5 percent. These irnprovements do not reflect

growth in ihe discipling churches. Th"y have been
Studied separately' Churches of Christ that are not
identifred *itn *r" discipling movement have started
growing again. The gap between.the -growth ill the"
[iscipHilg Jhurches and tne growth in other churches of

Dealing wiih the Discipling Dilemma

7L

Christ, therefore, is not as great as the disciplinE

churches have claimed. That gap, however is'reail
Discipling churches are growing faster than other
churchesof Christ and thalfact isihe most convincing
argument in favor of the discipling movement
The Frobiemwith pragmaiism
Theproblemwith the pragmaticargumentbased
on a
of
growth
ggmpgisgn
rates
is
that
it
proves
too much.
'|aL^
iiie

J:^^:-1:^
-r-, -. r
r
.
ciiscipiir-rg
chufches cio not reaiiy beiieve that

numerical glow{s alwaysproof of divine approval.

ygul YolSei Cho'sFull GospelCentralChurchh"Seou!,
Korea,hasoverhalf amillion members.Thatmakesthai
cOnqregatiOn

the largesf
___g___

conqrpoafinn

-r

in Clrric*a-,t^*
vrfrlrtvltvvlll.

sr

Leadersof the disciplingmovernentamongchurchesof

Christ qo
the growth of Cho,sIongregation
as proof ofloLrggard
divine approval.The Jotabeche
Medodist
PentecostalChurch in Santiago,Chile, and the CongregacaoChristain,Saopaulo,Brazil,haveexperienced
amazinggrowth-but leadersof the discipling move_
ment among churchesof Christ.do not regird that
grlwth as evidenceof God,sapproial.
In the biblicalrecord,someolbod,s greatestservants
had little to showin the wayof visibler6sults.Noahwas
a *-^^^l*
- ^C-:-LL^^---,-,,
t
-r00
a
pi_eaciier
oi nghteousness
who
preach_eci
for
years
y"y" buiiciing the arig but he convertedonly his i,vife,
their three sons, and their wives. Jeremiahwas a
faithful prophet of God, but he was ignored and
persecutedby the people of his generatiin. Success
from God'sperspectivecannotalwiys be measuredin
terms of immediatenumerical churci growth.
Christians should_notbe over$ imlressed by the
pragmaticalggmentbasedon a compaiisonof growth
rates.Church leaders,howeve4,needto recognizethat
this pragmatic argument is very persuasive-tomany

The DisciPlingDilemma

72

people.Theyneedto be prepared,therefore,to explain

wtry ttre discipling cI'rurcheshave grown faster than
other churchesof Christ.
Comparing Results
A *a-t

^f +1ro rorcnn

_-r_-_
.
.r

Iastgr tnan

.r

otngr

-r,,,---l-

r{icninlino

cnulcngD

--

nhrrrnhpc

e
L
^tfal^--:^L:^

arp

orowing

rL^atL^

l:^-:-I:-^
ur \errrrst rD LrLctl.urs (rrDuryurlb

methods they use get a large number of members

actively involved in evangelism as teachers. Churches
that ar-enot wiiiing to practice gift projection or ernpioy
high pressure methods are not aslikely to get that many
*o-lrorc

inrrnlrrorl

in fhic

rnlo

Tl rpmains

to be seen.

canbesustainedovera
howeve4whetherthis aPProach
l^-^

lurr6

*o-ia'{
yslrvs

^f, +i-a
LuIrL.

vl

T-)annminalinnc

r,rrhptp

+hp

disei-

pling movementstarteddid not find that this,approach

worked for more than about one generation.Thereare
suchtremendoustime Pressuresin this approachthat it
tends to result in a major burn-out problem.The discipling movement has no leal ministry to the weak.
Peopteeither becomesuper Christiansat onceor tfey
drop out. In the denominationswhere the discipling
moiementstarted,internalpioblemskilled or seriouSf
limited the movement within little more than one
generation.
Denominations where the discipling
movement started did not find that
this approach worked for more than
about one generation.
Characteristicsthat are uniqub to the discipling
movement do not account for most of the growth
experiencedby discipling churches.Among .hot.hft
of Christ, disciplingchurchesarenot growing primarily
becauseof what tliey are doing that other churchesof
Christ regard as being wrong. They are growing
primarily becauseof what they are doing that is right.

Dealing with the Discipling Dilemma

7g

One o_fthe major reasons for the rapid growth of the

_
Boston church of Christ and its aaugtrtei churches-is
t|$-planting new congregations is the most effective
of
all church growth strategies. Only five percent
of all
:o"gl"g{tgns,grow after they are25 ye;s old. In the
decade of the I9T0s, every denominatironin the United
Statesthat increasedthe nun,ber cf l,c,.=l.-.!nfr^r.+i^.+.

grevrin toialmernbership
urra
a;""*ifr;rr:ffii;i
"rr"ry
reducedthe numberof lbcalcongregations
declinedin

total membe-rshipIn virtually uil Jf these cases,the

iRcrease!n the number of cong-regations
camebefore
the increasein totalmembershififith" periodbetween
1945

"|,965, ehrrnhoc
lrfBrlt.Le

and

^s^l-L*:^'
vr
LrlrrDL

?.-^--^ ^ ^---

rr

wgl..u

Sengrally
regardedas being one of the fastest_growing"religout

grollns
e_ _ __r _ in fho nalinn

T* -^,oo
,1- , 1
"^^-I^ , ural
rL
vvqD i*
[r +L^t
LrlctLpgrl'ucr
cnurcnes

of Christ started more new corrglegationsthan ever

before.Fewnew congregationshaie b'eenplanted since
L965and the rateof growtn hasdeclinedsince1965.
Most churchesof ehrist that are not identified with
movementare more than 25 yearsold.
'lhat
$p,ajscinting
is one of the reasonsthat they are not-!Virh*#';
growing
today as fast as the discipling .t";;h."
generation/of course,manf of tfre aiscipting.h;r;hu;:
will be more than 2S-yearsbld_.The rate of glowth has

alreadybegun to decline in the discinlinsch?*;h;;;;;;

-

^--^___

,1!

,a

___J ___

--"-^r-gao

----

'rvr^

lrrqrLrrED

qr vrvDDrLrGlLtD.

l.lrc:

tltql

-ralg

LrI

growth has even started to decline in the Bostonchrrrnh

of Christ.
A1glh.rimpoitantreasonfor the rapid growthof the
-,,
r_:-__-r*.O
Iisatl'tllfidrhrrrnlrna
-"^L
^^ rL^
l:r^-r
ar
lrrsrLrrsD

DuLrr GtDtlre DuSf,On LnUfCn

Ot Uhfist

is the staff-to-member ratio. At the time of my

ri.rt uirit
in April of.1985,the Boston congregationhad
one full_
time workerfor every2g membeis.iuturry of these
were
not consideredt'staf{ by the Boston chuich. Most
were
interns prepurit g for leadership of a church_
1_y[-11""
planting
team. But the way these interns were being
trailed involved spending less than half their
timE
studying in the Boston school of world Missions
and^

The Discipling Dilemma

74

the rest of their time they learned by working the

system. They were availablefor serviceas disciplers,
gilte Talk leaders,House Church leaders,and whatever elsemight be needed.GeneVinzanflssurvey of
discipling cr.rurchesrn 1987,as reported in the last
secti6no{ this book, found an averagestaff-to-member
roria n4 nrro tn zl0 The fp.am that *,^;en-tinto TOfOntO ha-ellfE

EVsga

oniy iwo who were caiied"evangelists,"but-theyhad

moie than two dozen others who spent full time in
evangelisticwork. Theybaptized100peoplein the first
yeal,-'butif you took 25 or 30young. energetic,zeaious,
dedicated,ialented Christiansand had them work full
sima
in
.nv
E4rlE
ursArJ

mainr

Arsjv^

ni*rz fhrrrr rarnrrlrl nrndrtce

r---.--:-

comnarable
-----r-------

results.
fL-,-';rt.ac
LIIUILIISO

nf
fhric-f
VMlrrOl

+h.at
aye
not affiliated. with- the
urv
Brss

discipling movement typically have staff'to-member

ratioi of iround one to 100.In the 1986churchgrowth
survey,I askedhow many of the baptismscamefrom
the work of full-time ministers and how many came
from the work of volunteer workers in the congregation.Resultsindicate that well over half of all the
iariit conversionsin 1986camefrom the work of fulltime miniiters.
There is still anotherfactor to considerin explaining
wh-y the diseipfing churches are gtowing faster than
^+1'-or.h,r*nhel
,-f ihric+
Lrrsrv
vrrrLr

This
esneciaiiv
acoiies
ic ihg
--r
----f I

Bostoncongregation.WriJersin the churchgrowthfieid

havesuggeitedfor many yearsthat Christiansneedto
experiericethe church at three levels: ttie assembly
r^---^r
lgvgl,

^cllt

i-r^-*a,{i^s^
IItLgIIITg(rraLs

a+nrrn
Srvul/

l a ' rY
ol
re !r

rhnrrf

+ha

cizc

nf

House Church in Boston or an adult Bible class in

another congregation, and the small grouP level about '
the size of a-Bible thlk group in Boston or a friendship
circle in another congregation. Church growth researchershave found that it works best to bdng new
members in at the bottom rather than at the top. New

Dealing wi"rhthe Discipling Dilemma

75

members can be assimilatedmuch better if their

conversionand most of their teachingtakesplaceat the
gmatlgroup level. It is easythen to get them into the
intermediateand assemblylevels.
New members can be assimilated
*..^L
L^tL^-:f
Ll- -t.- rrlLrurl
usLrer u Inell convgrslon

anct

most of their teaching takes place at

the small group level.

This is the way the BostonChurch of ehrist a_ssinrjlatestheir new members.Conversiontakesplacein the
contextof a Bible Talk group consistinggenerallyof no
Tore than i..5peopie. They may not even know about
the Sundaymorning assemblyat the BostonGardens
untii they_areweii into the teachingprocess.When they
g-oto_theBostonGardensfor their first erperiencewith
tfrat large 9rowd, the people who are sitting around
them are their friends from their Bible Tirik group.
Around that group are other people whom tfref trave
met at the Wednesday_
eveningHouseChurchrneeting
their
r_rgighborhood.
They do not feel that they arE
1nlost in a big crowd.
Churchesof Christ that arenot a part of the discipting
movementtypicallybring peoplein atthe top ancitry to
-.'^L
rL^*
-I^-,-art- - r
- t
1
pusii riiirr ciow-rrto tne ilMo iower ieveis. They ma;r try
tO converi
thgm

in

neonip

E__-r__

ai *ha eccom-hlrr lo=,ol

Tf +!-^-, L^^*.,^.i+
ivYvi.
I.i._J
vrrvEIL

a Ong-O1l=nna

e*r-'riltr

rla-'

L*i--

r1--..= z^

t1.:^

assembry.
Atthe#-*ili',h#i#il"td;;llJi :X;

supposed to attend Bible classes.Some of them never

make it that far. Those who start attending Bible classes
may learn about some small group meetings. Most
never make it that far. The few-who take part"in small
flor.p legtings maylearn thattheyare supposedto get
involved in evangelism. Very few make if ihat tar. I[is
quite-possible, howeve4 for congregationsto get their
members involved at all three levels and brirg new

The Discipling Dilemma

76

mernbers in at the small group level without evet

becoming a part of the discipling movement.
One of the most impressive things about the Boston
Church of Christis whatthey are doingwith their Bible
Tblk groups. Writers in the church growth field have
suggested for many years that conversion requires a
*^:*+

^f ^^^+^^t-

^^J

^ -o4,.^'arr
r'-^-"-J'

TLa
----

^ninf
r --

n{ nnnfanf

ic a

way of meeting non-members. The paihway is the

orderly sequenceof eventsthat canbe expectedto bring
some of these non-members to the point of conversion.
Churches of Christ that are not identifieci with the
discipling movement used evangelistic meetings and
a.'on^olicti^
EV4IISEUDLIL

^-oo-lrinc

in
ur

yluqLrrurb

n*har
vlrrvr

nhlral:'

conrinpc.

ac

thp

poinf of contact a few generations ago. That worked

-..:rL
WILIT

^^*^
D\,Illg

-^^^1^
ygtjyrE

iUr

^-^-'i^.'c
yrsvrvuD

-o-o-o*inac
bslrslqlrvllo'

T+
r{nac
Mvvu

nn}
rrvr

did
work with most peopletoday.Thesecongregations
family
grouPs-a
in
small
a lot of personalevangelism
or two of members studying with a family of nonmembers. These "cottage meetings," as they were
called,provedto be effectivein teachingmany People.
Sometimes people taught in this way had to be
motivated from the pulpit'before they made the
aecisionto obef the gospel.ThehomeBibleatudiesanal
evangelisticpreachingbrought many Peopleto Christ a
ago.hr reeenf,vears,howeve4.thesemethods
few rvea-rs
h6t7a
rlqvv

ha6n
vvgrr

iacc

atrafftrzF

The secretof the BibleTaikapproachis that it is a nonthreatening

way for a non-memberto be introducedto
-of
the study tne Bible. Bible thlk lessonsare simple,
^--^-a-^1

P-faclrcitl,

---l:^l

aPPrItrLr

^L--)2^^

DL[lLlIcD

tL^t

Lrlctl

l^

Llu

-^L

rl\rl

f^^..^

ll-LtlD

a*

\Jr.

aa**gn-

Lurrrrv-

versial doctrinal issues.They provide an opportunity to

get people into the Scripturesand to show them that the
Bifle ii relevant to their lives and that Christ has
answers to their problems. These occasions also
provide an opportunity for several Christians to build
relationships with the non-member visitors. Once,the
non-members get interested, they are receptive to the
evangelistic study that follows.

Dealingwith the DiscrplingDilemma

The secret of the Bible Talk approach is

that it is a non-threatening #ay for a
non-member to be introdiced to the

study of the Bible.

t-vretheory that,"^,8_s
dlscussedin
^.The ps,vchoio.sjeal
? Iral^o
ln a-^f
^t-..r--- ir- ^ D!r-' - m '

( lhanfrrr"

_..vrFD

rv .oyrarrr

wrry rne Dtore lalK approach

is so effective. psyihological type preterencesare

styles.nxtraveits
learnbestthrough
::Y"1:11,9T'lq
parflcipation in a group ciiscussion.

Introverts learn bJst

mrough lecture, reading, or one_on_oneconversation.

The Bible
-

Thlk aporo""h
- ----! !

i* idpel

.rr-^

fn, av*ratra**a
en!rsY9!LD.

rvr

ItIc:

evangelisticmethodsother churchesof Christ use are

ideal for introverts.

Ex-trav-erts m ek o yrr7o nasna* &^( !!^ ^

population
u"ai"*olrE;;k; il;'"1, fo"iJffi."*
-witt,
Sensorslearn

best when the- study Udg.ins

practicalapplications,hands-onexperience,
lnd stepby-stepinstruction. That is the way nibh Talklessons
are conducted. Intuitors learn beit when the studv
begins with the background theory, tf.,e Uig pi.ffi
meanings, and implications. Evangelism"in other

begrn_s
*iih th;d"sy.ii;;
:*::1_.:r.",_*lg:
"1fhrist,tr.gigau,y
b-eliefs
fj1" rld gerpeople

:fj::.: at- the

|ght

beginning. Then

tfrinking
much

iio1s. Tnis approachis idealfor intuit&r. S;;r*, *;k.

rh: popularion
andintuitor,*ur"

:t-tu"l":.-:l!"l
only
30 percent. Those who prefer both ortraversioir
"p

and sgnsing

makp

nn ilQ-oo^oi+

^f +L^ q^-..r^r-:^-

d- ^

i,il.'J?ilffi.;#f"T#i;j,ti
,?1?1".
Trk;"pp,*.n
bothintroversion
andintuition makeup ninepercent

of
the population. The kind of evangelismother'churches
of Christ typically practiceis idej for them.C.o19i{e{ng this factor alone, discipling churches
oughttobe|lgtizinqfive timesus*arrypeo[l. u, other
churchesof Christ. It would be possible,h6weveq,for
other churchesof Christ to use a similar smdl;;""p

The DisciPling Dilemma

78

approach to Bible study at this non-threateaing, nondbitrinal level as a step toward more intense evanselism. They could do this without ever acceptingany
6f tn" objeciional features of the discipling mov9m91r
Another significantreason for the rapid growthof the
Boston Church of Christ is its emphasis on mission
r

rr,
---l-r:^--^
vEueY!
IlrsJ

wvll\.

rl-^a:.C
rrrsr

rL^-.

r^t-^

+L^l^oosnannla
--'r--r--

llrarr
----J

haveand s-endthem to the mission fieici, ihe restwiii get

better. Each team they send out takes a tremendous
amount of talent away from that church. But each time
thev send out a team, others rise up to take their piace'
Churches of Christ that are not affiliated with the
r! - -:,-r:(llsclPulrg

llluvgl.llg-llL

-r

L^.'^
r(clvs

f^'^'
*
lEvvs!

,-iccinnarioc
lrrlootvrrqrrv

nn

fhe

field-todiy than they did 10 years ago. Many young

r

PgoPle

r, -

wno

-.----!

walrf

r^

-J^

[u

Lru

*:^^:^*

lrrlDDlutl

*^'^*L

vvvr^

I-o.ro

trqYL

lroon

vLLr'

irustrated by the refusal of congregations to support

them or even consider their plea for help. Someof these
very talented and dedicateil young People have been
attracted to the Boston Church of Christ becauseof its
mission emphaqis. That emphasis has helped the
Boston churih grow. The lack of mission emphasishas
retarded the growth of other churches of Christ,

The lack of mission emPhasishas

retard.ed the growth of other churches
.Jl

\-!lLrDL.

Discipling churches place a major -emphasis on

interpeisonll relationships. As this study has already
made cleaq,I do not believe that they are doing it in the
right way. They are, howevel, to be commended for at
leist trying to get people into relationships that help

them giow-spirituafiy. When I wasgrowinq 1p w9 ai{

not haie "diicipling partners,"but we had friends"A
fewyearsago,frembersof the churchesof Christin this
nation did not go home from churchalone.We either
had sorneoneoverfor Sundaydinneror we went home
with someoneelse.And it wasnot just Sundaydinner'

Dealing with the Discipling Dilemma

79

Our social life throughout the week was centered

around our associationwith other Christians, Furthermore, the relationship was not totally secular. We
a.lmostalways got the songbooks out and sangtogether.
p_ruy.:a.together. We had some heated irguments
Y"
about religion that at least had the merit of beini Christcenterpd

- Bihle-haca.l

rsruLu_!_!_!v!!J.
licnrroai^--

IyAy=
/^ r^ll-^l

!q.-t.rr=Lr

- L"

{i iul

^L^--.

aiuuui

.-spiriE-dai iitr&ftfS. 'rrye -WeIe

intO One anOther,'S iiveS
ani*ir''^l

-^rt^-^

Tl7-

spiritually.If peoplegot out of line, we tried to correct

and unorganized,but I
]h::". I! was spontaneous,,one
beiieve-thatwe practicecithe
anothlr,,passages
in
the Bible.
ThingS

have

chanp.ed.
_ _____c___

Renonflrr

T lro',o
L^^rrqv!
vrsrr
^

J^:^*
u\rlll6l

some researchon friendship patternsin churches#

Christ. In this studv I use .a lrroefinr.-^ioo +h.+ -.rl-

thinsruuo"ii'iil;id
,several
been done

;il;il;

#:r #:

in churchesthat do not identify *ith th;

disciplingmovement.WhatI havefound is thatfrom 10
to 2O-percent
of the membersof thesecongregations
do
not have any close personal friends it iff in the
congregationwhefe they are members.From 20 to 30
percentof the membershavenot actuallyvisitedwith a
closepersonalfriend th9 .orrgr"gutionin the past
year-counting visits in
in either persbn,shome, g6irrg
out to do somethingtogetheuor just ta_lkingtJ onE
a * 4 I ^ ^ - - - - ^F G
- l,l a- a1-f i rl t - ,

diaiii-iF-

^h
___

+h^
____

t^i^-L^--

Y,
ur

'l
Lr(s

rrtvqE;lll

church, people come together as strangersand leave as

strangers and their lives never touch.
In the mod-ern church. npnnle r'n!.na

together rttut l"lr' ul*l*i.;"";"r their lives never touch.

strangers and

Another item on this questionnaire asks those who

have friends in the church what they do when they get
tog_ether with their friends away- from the cfrr.rrtf,
building and organized church activities. At least g0
percent report having only a secular relationship. The

The Discipling Dilemma

20percentwho pray together,study the !ib19togethel,

ot itrgug. in any other religious activity during friendship f,rie report doing this only once a month on the
average.
Dis"ciplingchurches,in my opinion, arewrong-in tfe
way thby ale trying to structure interpersonal relai:r their emphasison how
tionshine-but th.e'v
- J arerisht
V
lmPortanl

ir

- --

---1-a:^.^^t:

rnese relauulrsluPD

f^-*:*l+"^1
ars rur Dyurluqr

.wntrzflr
6rvvv rrri

Ho:tnrever,other churches of Christ could encourage

healthy, supportive, nurtuling, non-manipulative relationships without any of ihe errors associatedwith the
disciplining movement.
lr-frnrr
ch qrowth
and writers have
-- - research-ers
rJ ,.,hrrr
AYrsr
o- " "
denominations
conservative
years
noted ihat itt recent
'!rarro
Ilqvt

.-^:hi!e liberal denomina-tions

c'arrarnllrr cn n:r-ryn
Yv rr

have

6rv

6srterquJ

geneially deilined. Other writers more recentlyhave

iuggest6d that the real differencehere is between
dis-tlnctivechurches and non-distinctive churches'
Most conservativedenominations are also very distinctive. Everyoneknows who they are and what they
stand for. Most liberal denominationsare more ecumenical. They try to be all things to all men and it is
haider to get i A6arpiCtureof just Whothey are and
what they believe.
Amonf churches of Christ, those that apggq t9.b"
o-'o;,,.-,inp'ihe
fastesi are those that are cieariv distirrctive
J

from the world and from otherreligious$ouPs. Those

that havebecomemuch lessdistinctivein recentyears
have stopped growing and are dedining q"ld,tully:
,TL^^^
IIlUDtr

r1^^r
Lllcll

^-^

Crrg

,{ia+i-n*itra
UlDlullrrve

nnlrr
vruJ

inr
4

iorrrrc

nf

infprnal

brotherhoodissuesare declining rapidly. The Boston

Church of Christ and other discipling churches are
clear$ in the categoryof thosewho aredistinctivefrom
the world and from otherreligiousSrouPs.
Thesearejust a few of the reasonsthat help to explain
why the dislipling churcheshavebeen growing faster
than other churchesof Christ. One important reason
that I should not overlook is the qua-lityof the young

Deaiingwith the DisciplingDilemma

g1

peopfe who have been attracted to this movement. The

Boston Church of Christ has been especiallysuccessful
in attracting some super people. Sbme of the most
talented, dedicated,zeilous Cliristians Ihave ever seen
are in the Boston Church of Christ. I believe that those
same people could have produced similar results
without any of the objectionable fee.h;_res
cd the .Ciscip_

sl irn1o6

mn-'^*^*r
4tvvEulgllf.

One other factor must be mentioned, although it may

be unique to Boston. The Boston Church of Cirist has
over 60 House Churches. These are organized to serve
relatively small neighborhoods. Boston is somewhat
different

from ma-nv other maio-r" mpfr"nnnli+4n arcra ia

thatits"_"ighboih;d;;;;;;-lL;;,ii,riffi;,iff;#
feSult.

the

FTorrse Chrrrnhoo

in
ur

Elnor^uvDtvll

qa-^
rE

-^r^r!--^r--

lgr4trvgly

homogeneous.One is primarily Black. Another i"s

primanly Hispanic.Another is Chinese.In oneHouse
S.|yt*1.*any of the peopleareof Italianancestry.The
niUf9"nrc groups servewen smallergeographidareas
and thus are evenmore homogeneouJ.
Therearelimits to
heteiogeneousan assemblyoriented church canlow
become.The BostonChurch bf
Christ has managedto becomean extremelyhetero_
geneouschurch at the assemblylevel beczuseof its
emphasis on two smaller leveli of intera-ction.That
t

S?iFt dEEfOaCn,
I r

hOv.rever-

rarnrriri he nncciLlo
yvuurvrv

;-

ur

^iL^*
vtlls:l

churchesof Christwithout any of the ibosesassociated

with the discipling movemeni.
tvV'ltichWay the Church?
The title of this sectionis takenfrom BobHendrens
yxg9lle1tstgdyof legalismin the disciplingmovement.l
11that book, the author expresseshij concernover the
direction being taken fy aisciptingchurches.I share
that concern,but I am alsoconcernedaboutdirections
being.taken by churchesof Christ that oppose the
diseipling movernent.

TheDisciPlingDilemma

82

Leaders of the disciplihg movement among churches

of Christ believe that their movement is the wave of the
future. They believe that by the early part of the next
century, theywillhave thousands of conflegations a1d
millions of members throughout the world. They also
believe that churches of Christ that do not identify with
rL^

l:^^:-t:*^

*^"^mnn*

'^'ill

noaco

ln

owiqf

r,rzifhin

another generaiion or iwo. i do not share that v:rew;

I believe that in its emphasison control, the discipling
movementhas the seedsof its own destruction. Contsol
is manipulative. Control is dehumanizing. Controijs a
sick way of relating. Some people say that a benevolent
J:^+^+^*6lin

L{ILLCrL\,rDrtry

ic
*1ro mnc*
lrf,vo!
lD L!.L

affinionf
vrrrvr

fnrrn

nf smrprnrnent^
"^

o-'

If

that is true, it is true for only a short period of time.

D^^*l^
.|'guPrg

-..:ll
w!u

*^f
lll.,l

1^**
lvrrS

^-zl"ao
Erlqure

orralr
Dulrr

a crrctorn

Lladership of the disciplingmovementhas already

shiftedfromCrossroadsto Boston,but it is not likely to
remainin Bostonfor morethan a few years.As Boston
movesin one direction, other centersof influenceare
likely to emergeand move in other directions.The
discipling movementamong churchesof Christ, in my
opinion,ls likely to fragment before the end of this
centuiy. Some people who were attractedto this
movementa fewyears ago have alreadybeen disillusionedand have left the movement.Therewill likelybe
*-'..i
rrlqrtv

;..r'p
rlfvrg

future.

-aT;a+ione
Ttam t-heit ia*=
svrL

tn fhe neaa

The wave of the future, howeve{, is not likely to be

found in those churches of Christ that over-reactand go
to an opposite extreme. Sorr,econgregations,in their
effort to escapefrom Crossroadsor Boston, are running
n-tylol'
all the way past
-of ]erusalem and ending up in
their
told
recently
one congregation
The eldeis
'We forbid anll evangelism except the
members,
preaching done at this building wh91e we can make
iure thai it is doctrinally correct." They went on t9
condemn any kind of home Bible study or personal

Dealing with the Discipling Dilemma

gg

evangelism
.?utg,,the Crosswordphilosophy.,,That
showshow ?.:
little they know aboutwhat is going or,.

Somecongregations,in their effort to

escapefr9* Crossroadsor Boston,are
running all the way past Jerusalemand
n^Ji--

---^

qI/

i--

[r

Da.uytvIl.

in churchesof Christdonotreallyknow
,S9*.upe_ople
yhat-tle disciplingmovementis all about.Thev have
heardabout "Crossroadsism,,
ancithey know thit thev
are against it. Since they do nbt know wnJt
"Crossroadsism" is, thev

fhaf lahcl rn anrrrl,i--

"orll.r
theydonotlike.some
d";f;";;;il;

il;,ilil,fi
their neEativeover-reaetion-s.
Elders of churchesof christ that are not identified
wjth th_ediscipling movementneedto know what to do
lvhen they learn that lheir city hasbeentargetedand
that a disciplingchurch
is about to be plant"? i'tn"i,
area.Thefollowing adviceis offeredfor-whatever
it mav
Deworth to suchelders.
Do not think thatyou canpersuadethe leadersof the
disciplingrnovementto stayawayj ust becaus"
t; ;;k
to
They
honertty
U.ti"rr"
thlt
t"*
.stay.u*ay.^
is unfaithful, spirituilly dead..and F;;
:gngregation
iost.
Thorr
L.oli^i'
rI* r+ll ---irr t
r .
r f icJ/ irElru ve-r.rrallr.r-rFWlri

b cloi n g vnr r r rYrerrrFru

f"":l ti theypersuaciethem to leavejrourcongreEation

and Jointheir congregation.
Be informed. D-oiot believe everything you read
mo.rement.Investi gui, '*, y-our:!:",r Learn
-rl" *r.Tling
selt.
the facts.
I believe that you should estabrishleader-to-reader
communication, but I do not believe that it would.
be
yjr: 1g provide a platform for the leaders of the
crlsclprrngmovement to use in teaching their false
doctrines, recruiting y_ourmembers, and"sowing ais,
cord amongbrethren.I do not believethat it *o,ild b.

The DisciPlingDiiemma

&t

wise to openyour pulpit to them or to havethemspeak

at brotherhood-widelectureshipsor workshops'
If your congregationis not activein localevangelism
and-missionwort throughout the world, you needto
recognizethat your congregatonis ripe for a hostile
take5ver.Your membersneedto know that they canbe
i-:;.^.!rra.4 ir,: !,.,cnl +..rnnc'oliem and nnission t*tork with-ou-t
r.- - D^,--^--r-^^1^^ eL^&:r
joining a ctlsclPllng congregauon. rrenerrtusr 6rtD\rLr.al rL
grYvrvvs

is not easytolteal sheepwho arewell fed.

If your congregationis not active

in local evangelismand mission
-vVOiKI

.t

---,.I-

tniougiiuLiL

^--t

tL^

iiis

-'rr''*J-L-lr.:,
.-^-ll
.'^rr

y'Jta

-ooJ

!!EEV-

to recognizethat your congregationis

ripe ior a hostiie iakeover'
You need to be readyto readr and restorethe many
drop-outs who will be harmed p-sychologicallyand
tpititoutlyUytheirparticipationinthismovement:The
time when ti.,eseprbblemsaremost likely to developis
in this movementreachmidwhen the young people
-of
psychological type produces a
life. Falsification
Ceriousmid-life efisis. There will be major burn-out
problems, serious depressioryand a variety of other

irr.4q:g'.*d.q1'p-I*1T-*l:T,.11:Tg::-;*^
YOU SnOUlel

nOj,,

ln

III,V Ut,llluultT

'urctfr

!L e-lly

urvrL

difJicultthannecessaryfortfiosewho havebeencaugh!
uP in this movemeni to return to the fellowship-of
cliurches of Christ that do not identify with the
z:li aninlin
woLryl$16

m nrrotn

aftf

In rejeiting the errorsof th9 disciplingmovement'be

carefu[not t5 throw out the baby with the bath water.
Youshouldtestallthingsandholdfasttowhatisgood
(L Thess. 5:2L),Discipling churchesare doing many
ittit gs that are good. Do not rejectthe goodwhen you
rejec"twhat is uJa. e[ow room tor diygr,qityin the body
of Cntist. There are things that might not fit your

gs

Dealingwith the Discipling Dilemma

cgngregationthat might be both usefuland properin a

different congregation.
-Discipling churches are doing many
things_that are good. Do not reject the
good when you reiect what is bad.
AIIOW IOom

fnr dirrorcifrr

in *he hn,..lrz nf f-hrie}

ar9_thegs
;;""i;E;; ;i, ;il;;

#;.d;,,'

'r'hefe

*hu,

might be both useful and proper in a afferent conoroca*inn

v6qrrvr
6r

r.

Helg yogl mgqbers get into non-manipulative,

nurturing, disciple-buildingrelationships.I havefou-nd_
the study 9f psychologicaitypetheory to be usefulin
this regard. Things that heip an extrav.
ert qrow soiritually might norie hetpful'for
;il;J;
Wnai il
useful for a sensing type might"; be harmful for an
intuitive !ype. Thinking typesand feelingtypesneedto
be guidedin different*ays. Judgingtypesuita perceivTg typ_"r lolory different pathwiyi-to maturity in
Christ. I believethat this, inpart, is what Solomonwas
talking aboutin Proverbs 22:6when he said.,"Trainup a
child in his own wayand evenwhen he is old he wilI not
departfrom rf." HoweveX,
Carl]ung,stheoryof psychological-typeg.i9
onty oneof manysylternsfoi..t*sityi"g
inrlirzirft

rol qj[ErErrLsD"
Ai(lo-^^^^^

l f.-r^
lvlLil-tt

rllurg

IreeLl.s [c! og lgarngo

-an$-taughi concerning the most effective discipleapproaches for different kinds of people.
i]"ilciing
Several writers from various religious groupl ha,re
already started this effort"2Mu_chmore wJrk ijneeded
to
lpqlf thes_eqllncrples ro the task of disciple-making
and disciple-building among the heirs of tire Restoration Movement.
In this concluding section, I have taken the liberty of
o_ffering
_some advice along with some speculati,ons
about what may happen in the fufure. yo'u know, of
course, that I am not a prophet. I do not know what the

86

The Discipling Dilemma

future holds. I do knowWho holdsthe future and that

is enough.

NO.TES FORCHAPTER5
lBob Hendren, WhichWay ihe Cftarcft (I'Jashville, Ter.r,essee:20th Century
Christian, 1985).
2There are several sources-in addition to those already mentionedthat are useful in this study. The following would provide a good introduc'
tion to the field.
Christopher Bryant, lung and the ChristianWay (lvltnneapolis, Minnesota:
The Seabury Press, 1983).
Christopher Bryant, Prayer and Different Typesof People(Gainesville, FIorida: Center for Airplications of PsychologicaiType, Inc., 1983).
Gary L. Harbaugh, The Faith-Hardy Christian (Mnneapolis, Minnesota:
Auesbure Publishine House, 1980,
C"hestir P. Michael and Marie C. Norrisey, Prayer and Temperament
(Charlottesville, Virginia: The Open Door, Inc., 1984).Note: To undbrstand
ihis book by Michae-l and Nonidey, one should begin with a study of t9q'
perament theory in David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates, PleaseUnderstandMe
iDul Mur, California: Prometheui Nemesis 6ooks, L978).

PARTII
THEIMPACTOFTHEDISCIPLING
MCIVETVTENT
ONA,{ITs/oNWORKDONE
BY THECHI]RCHES
OF CHr0lST
by Hoanrd W; Norton

ABOI-ffTHE ALITHOR
Howard W. Norton is the chairmanof the division of
Bible at Oklahoma Christian Collegeand editor of the
ChristianChronicle,an international newspaperof the
, churchesof Christ. He worked ftomL96l to 1977asa
missionaryin SaoPaulo,Btazd"
Norton was the associateeditor of the Bible correSays,ryhich
spondencecourseentitled Whatthe-BfuIe
iuculates today in severaldifferentlanguages'Hg.cg
edited the book entitled Stepsinto the MissionField:
GroupEaangelism,
from First ConcEtsto First Conaerts
/'r^zo\

\Lzl

O)t

-^-L:^L
VVIIILIT

..^-

vvslD

rrmil*ar
vvlrLlerr

lrtz
flra
urv
vJ

an

Patrln

MisSiOn

Team. He wrote The Eldershipand the Missionary:A

, r-----,-7 r^-- r--s^.^^.-)^.-t
Arti.ainaa
rvttDrLvlLot
lvulnuul
IUr IrruYPYrLwYIL,

$trra
eLLvrrv
vLrv oonnnrl

ar{ifinn

nf

which waspublishedin 1980.

' He is one of three directors of the'Pan American
Lectureship.He takesa campaignSouP to Brazil and
conductedmeetings thete eich summer.Recent$ he
servedas the pulpit minister of the ColtegeChurch of
Christ in OklahomaC1tY.
No$ong1a{.uatedfromAbilerreChristianUniversity
wiiii hia fichelor of Aits degiee rn T957,from ff'e
University of Houston with the Masterof Arts degreein
"1964.anri trom the Universidadede SaoPaulowith the
ttv

zt

4LL4

Doetor of Human Sciencesdegree m r7'd't.

88

^tT

frFh

L.trt.f\t"tt1r(

6
^ rTaoT-\\f
f Af^rrl,
n 7 nr
^tnrr
wJJJDTW|y yVL/ I\; Ily D.tr.fIl(VrI

Uf

drfn

lnb

PERFECT
SOLUNON

]\fiaci^rvlrDDrvrr

'^'^*lyyurF-

:lll

-L,.*^L^^
L!r(rILIlgD

^C
u.!.

taL-2^L
\-L!.ltDL

l--^
rrcru

-^-^^-r
paSucLl

through at least four phases during the twentieth

aa*tr.--.
Lsrrtury.

T-

rrr

^^^L

-L^^^

Ed.Lrt prla15c,

^L-----1^^^

errululleu

^t

uI

^7-,-t-L

L.nl].sl

1-

----

navg

searched for the perfect solution for evangelizing the

world.

Phase1: Pre-World
WarlI
First, therewasthe pre-WorldWarII missionwork
that focused its attention on nations of the Far Eastand
Africa. During that period evangelisticmen and women
searched for the solution to the problem of apathy
toward world ev.angelismwithin the church. Names
pioneering efforts to spread the word of God in the
Orient and for their desire to stir interest at home: the
]. M. McCalebs, Clara Elliott Bishop, Sarah Shepherd
Andrews, the Barney D. Moreheads, the Orville Bix,
lers, Hettie Lee Ewing, the families of Harry R. and
Herman J. Fof and the George S, Bensons.
As pioneer missionary families worked to evangelize
the Far East, other courageous families braved the
mysteries of Africa in order to preach the gospel there.
We remember people like the John Sherriffs, the W. N.
Shorts, the Ray Lawyers, the John Dow Merritts, and
89

90

The Discipling Dilemma

the George M, Scotts, whose names became synonymous with African evangelism.
Their great spirit canbe seenin a statementby George
S. Benson: "I had rather be here in China teaching these
poor people the way of life and enduring hardships for
]esus than to be anywhere else in the world.'1
God, no doubt, k-nows other people whom we ha-ve
-^r
II\JL

*^*+:^-^l
IIIgIILIUIISLI,

L^*^
IIgIg

L,.r
-.,L^
I..'Ll.L WIl\J

l:*,
1
IIVgLT

^-J
-..^-1.^A
Cr]T\l. WT,,IAEU

at
AL

+*aa*
5ITE4L

sacrifice in order to obey the Great Commission and

seek the lost in strange and distant cultures. Whatever
has been accompiishe<isince those pre-Worici Vr/arII
ciays is due in iarge part to the inspiration given to
ehr:rehesof Christ by those heroes of the faith whose
task was difficult in a world where travel and communication were quite pnm-itiv.e compardd to wh-atwe enjo;i
today.
Besides the isolation and loneliness felt by those
brothers and sisters, who were separatedby thousands
of miles from families and friends, their greatest
frustration probably centered in the lack of widespread
interest among Christians in the United Statesfor what
thef were trying to accomplish. A lack of financial and
rnoral Suppoit heie at home, coupled with a geneiaf
lack of concem for evangelwng the world, stood in the
rvay of fulfilling Christ's command to go and preachto the
-'^-J

---'---

r'--'------

a iack of financiai anci morai support

here at home, coupled with a general
leek

of t.nn.prrl

fnr

przenoolizino

fho

world, stood in the way of fulfilling

Christ's command to go and preach to
' the nations.
PhaseII: Post World War II
World War II was a turning point in the history of
Christian mission work in churches of Christ. It

Mission Work

9l

appeared that this hated war would

provide the very
solution to the lack of missionary.or.um
and become
the means for stiriing interest in-worfd
missions. In
*ul{ ways/ it did just that. Because
of the war
ancl the accompanying orders
"f{,'ni
to travel u, ,ofJil",

ilf:i3:il:ii#t'$,:$::rt::t%iti"ffi;
;:*";:::l

ihey neverknew existed.

Ch"i*ri"* l;,,";*;

okfi ;;" Eil;J;'H;l"ll'"#

T.*i',Arkansas,

Alabama, and other statesideregionsfound

themselves

in foreip-n r+iiuD
lendo iiiii
r,lt ^f
^r,.^- ^Yl-,-ui ciEies
arrd towns-with

strange
sounding names. To their astonishment,
they could not
find a single congregation of the ch,riches
of
in
v' chris+
!r'^reL r!!

most of the places ttrey visited.

Amazed that the gospel as thev knpr,r, ir hcrt h^i, s

reached
lhosepartsolthewortd,it"y;;;;;;ffiffi";

the bloody battlesof World Waril *uJ*

t*r they would
seeto it thatthe ,,enemy,itheyhad s"."
arrrirrgih;G;
for world peacewould ir"* tfr
to hearand
" "pp"ri"nity
jl:.i:o,*ly.raboutJesusb'hrist.Thuyp.o*i*J
_1,"?
rrrern$erves
rnat they would do everything in tfreir
power to establishlocal congregations
of-the New
Jestamentehurch among tf,""pe8pfe whoaelostneaa
had stirred such deepcompassionin
their ile;il;;;

::T::lthesesoldieri,.itmeantrh;tii,il;;ld;'d';
iisa

f-l+L

^..^

-. --

, t r !

' rssr

!u

vrr

wsurq-Deresponsiblefor supp.orting
those
_::::::D
wrru wenf,to preach,

Meanwhile; Olan Hicks began theChristian

a mission,mindednewspaper,in 194l.ln Chronicle,
spite oii
world with its attentionfocusedor, **u
thJt;;;r;
battlesin the history of the ilrtd,
"fHicks turned
Ol"n
-opportunities
his attention to the unbeli";;t[
for
evangelism and church growth t#
r,i, visionarv
instincts

pTdicred.for
chuiih." of cf,riri;"

ffiJi.d
once World Wa1 II was over. He bugu"
to
raise the
consciousness
of local churchesin th"eUnited St"t.;,
urging them to prepareto sendmissionaries
all overthe

The DisciPlingDilemma

o3e1e{jheir
world iust assoon asthe war-torn nations help them'
and
in
come
to
il;;; i;rh" ,riciotiousaflius
like him realizedthat if the churdres
Hi.L;;;Jt1r,"tt
the
r:^t -^-tas*^'q

+uJ".ronoelistic

task throughout

woildwarII'
wavprior.to

ffi1t5"#;;":;;iu"e

of the earth
the destruction thai t*"pt large^portions

*8[:t-J,T#ffi
--- t-^-,^

L^-^anaA

#l"i#;troreisr'e"anoeristora-nv
iI

grouP,"^#;; c;*u"y urtt'-rnFJJw;;

religious
Chri:'1aT:1Y*::?
Uneofthe81eat
in Europe.
end.ed
anLrs*rvrrvrrqr
of this century, his inspiratigryt exa1l're
martPower
the brotherhood for a<iciiti'onai
' ^ , r a^ -:^^:^*oo"
-^rro-pnt whose effgctsare still
"tt."ft
$rvvv*rY
a llusDrurr4rJ
sparKec

ut*g"fuli l"-11I* *^--,.^,hn rocnonaedto the call and

vY^rv r!vr.-----Llr4ru
unlorf,unalely/
unPreparedfor
went abroadto preachthe gospil were
married cou*nut tftuy encoirntered'tniividuuqlld
point or else
pf"t *"ia oftengo aloneto somemission not real$
whom they hai
join a Soup *- **t"tt
Thosewho did
known prior to thei;;;;ival on the field'
tenures'broken
thelatterweruu*otiottal$ alone'Short
and ev,enlrokenlivesand famdrg-arns,
;#;;;;"th.d
but frustrating
ilies sometimes,"sotied fiom the Sineerc

*norraa
&;;;;;;-oitr'o"
|33111o,"^Y:q:K
:i:
;#;il; *ort .o**on explanationfor missionary
vY\JrIu.

rrrv

Arvv!

------

. .,
^ -.-^^ ilinnoa,inoce
\/ly'd-D lvrrtt+rvss/
IalIUfg

-^'i""t

-,7
anrj

i'ne

^_ll*^aan*orl

sgneraiiY

a(jcePls'Lr
-.r r
-f

solution for this maior occupationalproDlem.or

i#;;;ir;i;;
ffibil" ;;;;.hy

with the
"teamevangelism"'
;i""d bv worldllar II' it appeared

neededto be
that "team urrunguit;' wasaltrthat was
success{ul.

dashed
-Jr**t,
@kenspiritl,
and evenbrokenliYesa1$
fu*iti.t sometimesresultedfrom the
of
lincere but frustrating exPeriences
thosewho had hoPedto evangenze
the world.

Mission Work

phaseIII: TbamEaangelism
I wasatAbileneChristianCollege
-;"t?ilng
in 1953_195
T, and,I

b;

missionaries
|l;:lf _i:1,:1q,,J.":h;i
qL'vui
iiis iieeci to go to the mission
field with u t"u*.
The
rhetoric madeit ,o"ia fif.";;;",

would be the
panacea that wou_ld
-_ii:.=_,=,
_-_-- -.:-,"-.rsrur/
-qo!-_:e
r.++*!=, arr
proplgms
fia!.l

^--r

On the

t:- ,rt_

mrssronto preachthe gospel to

the whole *6rrJ. b",
own missionarvteamf6*iua o"
tt aUl"rr" .u*prl il
thespringofliST andleftforsaop;;il
"
Rraoiii*-c^-_.r

.t-,
fpgricaonJune 1961.E^rti"r-;;;;;;# H;#:l
*o"uJ toairsiiawitrrthehope
^"rfr,111.:!_:s:
lr.oinga workin Ed
Europe

that would U" ay"u*i. u{J

-u1r
Iasting.
J\T^r ^-. t-r. r
i\ur
oniy*cilci
crou-psform foreign mission
work but

also for the eva"ngefu"ti.";iri.3^i-r"n"a

States.We
beganto hearabo""tooa", *-o"uri.ii,
,,r.t
usExodus
Bayshore,
Exodusnr.frgrt.i
n"oa"s
Burlington.
Exodusmovementg
""J
group or team
-to9ktf* ia."
evangelismand added
"t
to that coi"upt
the idea of

vocationalmissionarieswho *o"fa
f" ,!ff-r"pp"rti"g.
plan,
one
o,
*o.u
fott_iiir-u
-U;rder.this
workerswould

.ity..ofthe

bL., wherethe
ffI:;i::^':-1:
__unii.Jchurch
wasn*meri.uiry
sma'
or
;*,tJ;JffiJff
larger continEencv
of nrpmho," ,;^-,:;;

q*rs;

w(Jrligrs

end

cao!.
6'**l
ln
.lrnAr.,a ^* r*1.-1,__l_ ]'""^ -".ryruyrnent
SChOOIS,
"! elrrvvrD,
commeree,.
ot indusfrrr
rlr.{ q:r.'t .,,_^-j_i;^_-j
Dupporr tnemselves in thg
"*.,r
rnnt' nr^i, .^^-r,

pl,i;il;#ffi# il:;
ti,uro,t.
H* j .^I111*::T
ana;Jr;#;ffi;H::,ff #:l
lj^TTj,1,"f"":;rlTef
.::,lg"11srn"
e_ctsoluti'ol-rorr"d;;i#;

missionaryproblems:ro""ri""rr-u.,J1""f"#"ff
n:T:*

:T;1
support.
Unfortunately,justgoing tq the
foreignfieldwith the
gospeldid not r-esolveihe
;;b-ilJii.,,r'uuungetized
world, and team evangeliim
*ur not u perfectsolution
Going in a groilp *u, U"tt"i tiun
,:ir*l
going atone,
but the wise men
us
had
underestimated
l*9"g
the
difficutt human reiationihipr';hJ;uld
inevirably

The DisciPlingDilemma

94

closelytogether
arise when men and wornen worked
under stressfulconditions
his handswhen a
Satanis surely J going to fold peoplemove to
youns
*;;;i.uge,
difficulties
"na-cti**Ittua
through-the
;;rk
towo. He will tidly
d;;.

an{ iry to
i"t"tou'it6nalrelationships
have ever

#ffiJ;

,- ^ r-^'* .^';+hin In everv team i

was
uio"f *itn i:il* t:1* members
missionaries
tttegroupof
il';;tggEJ ri,igl" pr"ourem

il;#;-;fi"s

faced.Whileteam'evanSll1sm
*:,tt,1"1ff"*,:Tf::
nurrrdrr rvrqlrv"intensules
eliminate

loneliness'

it

problems.
In everY team I have ever known'
--^r+i-l- crrvrto
n'lnno'a;ith
fello-w team
r.t

getlllrb

members was the biggest single

grouP,ot
Problem the
missionaries faced'
qrouos that moved'to the northeasternpart
rrvnArrq,

of

dhu{nai
erience
:11t?l:
tl'
of planting
F

;t ".P
; iJ
urureqDL61L'D
tne
-h:lffJfffi:
""d.;tdilficuky

b:li::
f,il ;; largetv
Pl"!l"*:irlortheasta church whose q:moers,j
;tr"""tt1y,,"i1l:1g1"::3if;
southernincustoms;'f
hoP:T:*
i'{iddashe.d

i:J*il ffi?.h;il;

'
all"pAfns

--:a1^:lrultlll-I]

+Ln 6v^rlltq
LIrs v^vssv

lliov(jlllgf
---- '

lLD 4D Dsrvlrv

---'' among
'strife
$rlvr!'**
Lr14! internal
Y
;;;;;^
l4uL that
t!-r-e fact
a*.^/o.r.e to the
,-:,.

--I
r- -*1^^*-

tn: meltu-sl:
' I

procruceq
rejectionby the communitvhad
il;G;d
sacrificial
of
u"q v93tt
few visible results ffii ;;;;;
ideathathadappearedto
effort.Teamevangtil;jth;
evangelism-wasnot
be the perfect,orotio" ior world
so perfbctafterall'
.
..-^t.
for the
At somepoint during.thet: yu?1:.:f:earching

qvvv^v

- --..:a--

lA^d

^fnrill(-tJ(I

j",f111"0",1"_,*?T.
p*i;;t,:il-::

?Sl*:n*'*n#"il.-:ttri'f";iig
order to carrY out t

Mission Work

95

lfeys9lvgs, throug-h additional rraining and private

t-tu4y,
to thetaskoilearning all tneycoufa
from various
denominationsand our oiarnexplriences
about successfulmissionaryendeavors.Th: id"u
was
that if we
could learn the ciusesof f"il";" ;;Jiir.."r,
in foreign
carie$,on by
of
Christ
TI-.1":_
and_
"ff*ts we could
vlrr.Er groups,
"f,*.f,.,
tea_ch t)rorler

m+fhn.4c in ,_.,,*

coursesand_
eliminate
:nost or'trru'pioalu*l}li;

missionaries on the field.

Without doubt,the ideahad merit.

evtrr
-'r--r/

+ha+
^t*^- eciucauon
^--r----, r
aiiqi F
LjuLLc-r

enabledthe churchto.arrive

"
that missionaries "t i;i":;.

difficulties

Thetruth is, how_

oi missionaries

pii*t

6;

has not

solution for the

r"!!1
a : -.nitre*ri+=_

adminisfratortold me, "afrh""ifr-;;";;;.'ffi:{

missions education than we h"rro-o,,o- ri^.r L^r^--^ -

have fewer people..o"th;61uki'*_'*i;;;:H::

#:
started eauciting th";. Frril;"r;.
of
those
who
went through-our training progr;rre
not effective
missionaries.SomethingiJwro;g ;;'
things-wrongwas that roo much
of the
_,9^T-"jjle
mrsslonarymethodo-logytaught in
the coursescame
from ruraiThtudWorfailtu"g?u"i
puia
ts the urban environment to *nten fitfle anention
,;;"y;il;
church's
Lrrurcns

m$stonaries go.
missionaries
so. What
Whaf *znrlra
i- the-African
+L^ At:^^,
works in
bush wilt not necessarill,,,r..".d
i"-S;; ' paulo.
a v-'4:'J' utaLail
Rrezil cta
ciiv
rrf nrror
'ra
1 E nill:^-:-r^
^r- r,
>-'Z

v-rsa ir rritjiiulFii:rflaoftantsjfhas

^a t^_^
t ^ * ^ , : - - _t---

f:lql.le

- ,

?^-*^.r-*
f-Lo^
a
i q " t \ V i i d iq
lq^wrr
U frwL
(jf
lJI

ro.iearnthis lesson.When we should UusS

ha_v=

#,.]::::""^11,T^r,:i::"onmissionaryprincipl.r,ro*u
missionseducators.a"a''ti*io"uri"rl##';ffi

7#;T
naffow set of method^sthat were
supposedto wJrk
;ffitl

weila[ overthe*orra.-ifrJ,troubte
is, they

c1n jqagine, then, the frustration

^,Y,.,
of
educated
missionaryteamswho followeatfru well_
ou*pi"
of pioneer missionariesand ;;;;';;."ad
to preach.
J]rey followedthe exampt",
rhe
Saopauto
Missionary Team ot tgOt;"e-;G;zed
"rp."filiik.
their own

The DisciPiingDilemma

gG

carry out
evangelisticteamsto overcomelonelinessand
to
sacrificed
{oreign missions effort' Thev
*
good
frorn
"fi*ti*u"J
*itti""ary education

i.l*tl

"t"irfur"
schools. They went-to ttt" *ittiott

field and worked

little to showfor
;il:N"*
-th.et
iears later,theyhry".ugTy w-entin faith'
a'frusiration!They
*ff*it= 1 /-hat
--rt--^..^L
+oon
rernrL
ovefeame
-liiiur:Err':T'
overeame ioneiiness_
_:;:;^*--riLii r^.irrr
iD DLr
ignorance through e<lucation, anci cnurcrt Eruw

woefullY slow.
that
itis ;'dy when we comPrelend their frustration
iviove*. .u" understandwhy fhe BostonlCrossroadsfieid'
afp6al to missionarieson the
;;;il;mucrr
PhaseIV: The DisctPlingMoaement
of
Discipling churches such as the Boston Church
folworld
Christ areatsoin searcnof the perfectsolution Boston
the
of
so*" of the uccomilishments
J;;t.
of Christ are imPressive'
Church
or.t knows how to reachand teachthe
i;;;tir.-.t
they are
lost and their record of baptisms Provesthat

4r..r-t

r:
WOffq

:"'l*

bostons

^--^-*^!in'*

EVaITE)suDur'

Tn
^B_vI-eno.iai
-.-'-'
ur

contf.rbiiiion
-

ai

.
nnn.
rL^
^L.
,"'.1,'tt;;-i;;^^r^*
c^1,;nar in
--,' church
*' 1986- the
lvrlDDrurr us'urrsr

vYorrtl

.-':-'
nnnn ^,
In L98Zat
savea total of over$1.8million for missions'
evunt, the church gavemore than $3
f# #;;;
regulal
*iffio" iot world evangelism' Th; church's
of
Sunday budget .uUt ]5t a weekly contribution
--F;;tth,
$55,000.
at
the Boston church has solved' for now
on
money
of
feurt,tneproblemof spendinghrleesums
for its weekly
r*ritiJ.iUy rentittgtittulosion Glrdens
scattered
worship service. freekday meetings are

Mission Work

97

tfuoughout the Boston atea in ,,house churches.,,

Yo"* that goesto pay mortgageinstallmentsin manv
cnurcnes
can thus be directed into the church,srnaiir
thrust, which is evangelism.
*church
Fifth, the Boston
has shown remarkable
success producing.leaders
who areableto duplicate
_rn
- --r-:-"wlat is hapneningi:r Boston.
Sixth, the Boston church has been very effective
in
reaghgq and evangelizinghighty cupuUfu
you"il;;pb

andadults.TheyriavereirndhtL t"ir.to tirer,eritsairi

minds of huncirecisoi talentea;;"0t" who

oncewere
cold to the Chrisrianfaith and everitoday
*ilIt"y;;
attention to marnlinechurches.
eonclusion
For thosefrustratedmissionarymen and women
on
distantfields aroundthe world #ho hurr"worked
their
hearts out and havefew numerical-resultsto
,no*
the effort, news of the apparent r".."r, oiajJ;il; fo,

againthi:irdreamr#;il;.;;'#;

:ll*Tlgnites
perrect
solution for foreign missionarywork.
Indeed,
the six impreisive accomp'lish*."t, of the
_
Bostonchurch aslisteb.abovewoula iiuf." u"y
*irri*ary heart beatfaster.
fn
rv

iLn
tlt\;

D^^r^LrtrDlull

Disciplingchurcher-h;;" not found the

:iyl
":ry.
solutioneither.Thenextchapterwill
t:f,1
ocplainT:sio:rary
the inadequacies

of the forto'lCrossroads
approachto world missions.

NOTESFORCHAPTER6
lThis statement appears
at the bottom of a poster_photograph collection

ofpre-worldwar u iriissionaries.
ih;til*

trHfii"d,,churches of chrisr

98

The DisciPlingDilemma

MissionaryPortraiture,,'andwaspublishedDecember30,tg26,.byDonC
library collec'
io;tne;6f t;"irriui -t<*"t".ty,IFuas in the Restoration
tion of OklahomaChristian College'
ztn ttre tasiiection of this book;Gene Vinzant outlineswhat the Boston
have done and plan to do in world
church and d;;.il6lft.t'*ittli
evangelism.

CHAPTER

7
DISUPLINGCHURCHES;
AN INIPERFECT
MISS/ONSSOLATION

We saw in_theprevious chapterthat churches

missionarieshave searchedthioughout *,"-y""r, and
ro,
the perfectsolution to world evanielism.
So,fua.tfru;,
havebeen unsuccessfulin their quist. Wu
t urr"i"r.e,
beenableto reachthe unevang"ril;Jlusi
""""*n ""a
gff.eytivelye19ugh ro be satilfieJ;ih
seldomcanit be saidof theseefforts;"y*dir,,n"
""i"8fr"rrr.
world that, like pauland his comrades,we ,,have
the-worldupside down, (ActsL7:6).i";pi;;;;;"r_turned
. andsof inspirationalspeechesaboutg;d;il;
ufi rfru
world with the gospel of JesusChiisl ".nurencs
Christ have nor reaciredthe world i" ;;r;;-;;rio". ot
Exciting rhetoric and high hopes have gi,ien
*uu i"

i:T::ilffiX':#?i:Ttr**::t:"i:i::'Fionmrn

',err reaoersnav grven up entirely

vr'*rrY
1'^ lJ^^
,l;::ll:
l^^r --,-,oiiii *Liic
iuea rinat,an
evangeiizeci worid is a poisibilitv.nn

It is no wondex,then,'that the ilp;;;ir;";;t'd;,

amassedby discipling churchesin t].reur*u,
versiory retention, cbntribution for *i;;i;";; of .*
;;;-oJ
planting have influenced other
*"1"1
Lnflst acrossthe nationand aroundtheworld;
"_n,rr.f,u,
Wearea
peoplewho lookforvisibreresultsfrom ourevangeristic
efforts. In far too_Tany.orrgr"guiions,there
havenot
been
visible
rlsults"
ifr
i".unt
years.
Tany
sequently, when word spreads that churchesConcom-

The DisciPiingDilemma

100

mitted to a certain methodolory tre experiencing

phenomenalnumericalgrowth and havea plan to reach
ihe whole world in this generation,brethrentrom au
ovlr the world search io find the reason for their
success.In spite of period'sof apathy,in our heart of
hearts*" uri a brot-herhoodthat longs to grow' that
r

- - .-

.l\.[tbD

LV

-----^^)

i*

^-^*aalicm

lhaf

lnnos

to carrv

OUt

oqlLvvs

the GreatCommission.
ilf ^^,1
MUUI/L

nl
vl

f ntttinttc
\'wwarvwo

fh*iffiicm
eP""v"'
vf

When word reached us about the growth rate in

r
r
CnUfCneS

rlr IlKg

t1- ^
IIIC

ra-^^^-^^lIvI(JDDII.;rLID

1-l.rrrnh
ulrsrur

nf

Chricf

in

Florida,andthe BostonChurchof Christin

Cainesvitle,
r
a
^,.-inrra
lA/lrat
r,rrpre
Soston,

we wsrc LL*rvuD'

lvlassacnusef,rs,

II

they doing right that so many of the rest of us were

Joii'tg *t6tgi How was it that they were growing
Jru*"uti.uuy"*n.r, othersof ourfellowship wereexperiencins little or no growth at all?
r,Velhenstartedhearingeriticism'Sinceit is common
ones
peoPlecriticizethe successful
to hearunsuccessful
thattherewasa
in almosteveryeltdelvqr,w suqpectqd

o."t a""i ;fF;b"at fid anvyin tho-e\yhowerc

were
v

ilegative about whai the discipling churches

r^:-^

quIIrH.
c66^lfrn

Aa +L^
Llts

oomo
pqurv

r
!-ctnTIPs

-1^^--L
i.lttrlt)L

l1L
:..

*irna
r4rrv,
Dt

IIrg

hnr,vpver.
L je t ' - r --'
^f
\tI

+L^
LlrE

we
"--

ma*lrnr'lc
rrrLLr.vsv

heard
':

rrqpa!

VgfV
flv

oi".-"l'"-tf'r".i-stories that madeus fiinkthe criticism

w: thereroreadopted.an
;id.-il;;;;*;;;iidny
attitudeof "cautiousoptimism" aboutthisfast-growlng
movementwithin churchesof Christ'
AseditoroftheChristianChronicle,anintemational
newspaperof churchesof Christ,I found my-selffuT.g
a difficult questionconcerninghowto reportthe ttt"Jltbf brethrei whose methodoLogywas under heavy
attack.I decided to treat this group as I would our
mainlinebrethren and report their startingresults'.In
,.rpo"r. to somebrethrenwho criticizedthe chronicle

DscrplingChurches

101
for p ublicizing the efforts of discipling
churches,I wrote
an editorial in-an attempt to expLin
iuf,y *u continued
to cover the work of the borto*tiorrroua,
churches.In

j*l-:91:"a1, j ewlain"a*,ut *,l"Cirxtian

Chronicre
reportsnews aboutthe discipling
churche,U.*u*-*
tryt q"y are our brethren and theiraerions
are
Tlt:I"
newsworihy.
i then went on to erplah
Thisdoesnotmeanthat agree.with
ev,
yj.
erythingthey
do. Wehaveseriousquestions
aboutwhatwe under_
Stand to bp fheir.tof;.:*^^t r,- ., a
tiL_iiiiif,ion

ot fruti

bearing,

the de_
mands they make their *u*t"ir,-ril"ir
leadership
91
patterns, their insistence that
their way is the wav
io evangeiize,their t.:lgengy io;&;;ff;
.*'q'-H

:5t?l.ll"l.1:T"ilwhileth'erurioi"r"u."deadwood
diiq
Eileir stuciieci isoiation from
the brotherhood at
large.. . .

No, we do,notapp*"",f?"iy,rJ"r;
hear-about
the Boston/Crorri
iua, .f,"r"ii.r. Mentioning themin our newscolumn,i' ,,otil;,*,i"#;;

all their method.l

j j:*::l::xl::*1*l"",ll"rtobeapro-discipring
ff :I_::.:lj:-r:l:191LRarhe1!thoushtif,*";;;;"i:
poinr
outsome

lhatwoutd ultl.

ff"i"":;ffi;:";1fi'fii:

same
rime,would.uubr;th;;;;':
:?jT:l]rlld-,
good
will in mainlinu
r.v!
9_
lw rlrDrr
[u

irrrlc*^_u:
,-.${'$r!!rl

qlt{.t

,
$gygl

"orrn "t;;;;;:=::::f
+L^^^
rezi*h

.
felalrnr.le

L_^rr

ibiJl'"_Hfi
T#ft i
:::.ni":metnoaolo-J-wiosJfi

so impressive.
As the months wgnt
I discoveredmoreand more
brethren both in me !f.
ri"iteJ;;-*
countries who felt that the editoriai and in foreien
dorsedthe disciplingmethodgrogy. rr"a i"a.J-"""]
in"y regardedthe
chronicleand itsbditor aspro-Boitr/Crossroads.
I still
do not understanA,how'people'"r"i*a
at
that conclusion from the e.ditoriai Wi"tf*iif,eir
conclusion
wasdue to my inability to articulaie
.orr.*rr,, or to their
reading into the eait6riafwiJffi*"red
to see,I

The DisciPlingDilemma

102

always
want to stateclearly here and now that I'was
I
more'
;.u"tio"tfy optimi#c"--only that and nothing
;;;- ;;"J pro-Boston'Theie were always.*1"3-iT;
t18^t:.t
cernsthat the critics of the movementmight ?9 in its
the brotherhood to be careful
i"ri"*""a.d
-i',.:lmonl
toward these
and not adopt an attitude
j**P-".:"^:.^"t^-^*
of
r'^-*
=^,-i,!.4*rcc64e tho
L1g5-q!!ilit-v
r
Lrrqr vYvsr$
zealous

""ity

f)-rgLIusrr

I"---------

andpeacein the bodyof Christ'

CautiousOptimismGiaesWayto Pessimism
of .tlaf
afterthe aPpearance
As the monthspassed'

about the
editorial, I became'moreand more concerned
churches'
rlirprtion beine
a taken by- the discipling
-Finally, I decided to publish a seco'nd editorial that

outmoredlearlysoTe"l TT P"l:14,tjf 3::

three
"ll
about the movement. In that editorial, I outlined

*o J.i'tp

major objections.
churches
First a:rd foremost,the Boston/Crossroads
mmtheir
from
individual Christian liberty
t"t.
"*uu aott'i' by speaking
qh*:1\:
#;;.-f#y
'

il;i;;i

Pl?5..1"::
u'.i:9", l:tXl"^Tl1Y:"
andbindins
1.'
T
in christ' fhe leaders of
shoul

rrur Dvvsrs-^'* -TbJfree

people

who

r,

,-

L.--LrL^-. l^o,,a
the
have rlro

+,o
Eiiis ty v-c ur !L'rr6!
_
.
! - !- r a^ ^^ L^*'^*/{
+lac qnril1fltTes
anG
vEyvrru
f,u
Ilgnf
HU
" ,,^ J^'
*-^*t-^*o
*trct
fnllow--*urevr
IIIaL llts[rvEro
mgnts
]'-

CIgaIE

uulrtlrr4rrs-

they pay
If the membersprotestthesehumanlaws'
and eiare shamed':llT"d
th;;.;q;;;."r.'Th"v
feliowsh-ip'
the
iir"r iot""i into line or forced out of
we believe
i,Vftif" *" also believein church discipline'
based exbe
of fellowship must
ii"i*i,ttJt"*al
'
'
on God's law-not man's' '
clusively
-n ,"6ona seriouserror of the Boston/Crossroads
built on aumovementis its systemof ieadership'It-is
(orleader)
lead.ers
und inti*idation' The
iil;;ttt;fi*",
local conthe
in
;t thJ 6P of the authority pyramid

DisciplingChurches

103

gregation demand submission and obedience

from
their followers. Each*.*b", hu, u p;ro;;;;],
ou..
him or her11a supervisoryposition,and each
*"*1",
is accountableto his or hei supervisor/dir.ipf"i.
A aoo
trine of submissionholds the pyramid togeihei.
et tfr"

I::v-':,|.:t}|::ry::g1l"i"rpvramiioru"*,o.ity
r__r:* i/v,vei/ vr.s (,i iw.U peopig gafn
maStefy
^*l:-^

srrlrre

-^_-

congTegatlon.

OVef the

. . .

A thirdseriouserror of the Boston/Crossroads

move_
ment is that-it is inherenrly divisive. p;;;;;. versa,rionwith one of the leadersof this *orl._u"Ga, "_
convincedme that this divisivenessbegins
in tfre iieart
becausethesebrethrendo not teafly bEteveih;;i;"ru

-ih"y";-Jf;
sph
ere'
of.t"ffi;;; :
t="#,Jill,ffi1l
"the faithful remnant.,, The
^r
are anJr faithfu-l churches exra^+ +!.^ ------ :- !!- .
rest of rrs:rro"slt-ro..

theworkwehavedone,the;;r;il

years dedicatedto the causeof Christ_are

".r""r5i'il=iirrT
consideredunfruitful, lukewarm o, a.uJ- dp";;"rry
f*r'".nortov
Crossroadsleadershave drawn a circle to
keep out
anyonewho hasnot submittedto theirphif"r"pii
method_.
""a
The divis,ivenesscontinueswhen leaders
of this
movementdecide!o plgnt Aqhurchir, u n"w
ar""
woird.ThetaonvinCe
adti;iirriur *ortui;;; "f-ti,"
;",

bee-n
groomedforyearsto bea .rl"r.rri""l"ri ,rr":ir,"
,,

really wasting his iime and talent workino arnnno rl^

ttlttLa,^^*tt
rw\tvvqlllr

^-tts'

- 7t'

born
uguin
r;ll;-,;ififi:lffi i:tr;
.+;;r*.*words,
stream of ciiscouraging
the B"ostoJG;;;;;;
luhorp

ha

lein.^lf

-.--

movement persuadeschurch leadersin

the united
Statesand abroad to train at one of their
fur", iii.u
BostonorNew york for fwo yearsand then,.rra,
tt
o3t t9 plant a church that siphon, off
*.*U""r-of"*
churchesalreadyplanted.2

There is an obvious change in tone between

the tirst
and the second editorials. j,Vnut provoked
this move
toward pessimism'concerning the iiscipri"!
.*t"r.r,"rr

1.04

The DisciPling Dilemma

Ikasonsfor Changein Attitude

Short$ after the first editori{ lfpeare.d'.I had a
lengthy conversationin May 1986with a missionaryin
south America who advoiated the discipling meth-

thattreneedelfi*:, gf1|:?::
I advised.him
odology.

in cieaiingwiih ihis SrouP on iiie fiission iici(i uiauos

of the lon'g history o"fchurch divisions associaieciwith
the implei-rentation of that methodology. His response
local
war, "W"tt,-t think there may be times whena
it is
that
dead
--L.=*-^i.
-ac*c
so
is
+n
rii'.ddp
if
ihe
cht;rch
sr Y rvv
lv
I lgguD
clltllt-IL

not growing." This ftightened me becausehe was

talking to Z"t"uny abSut what should ha-ppen to
c h u r c h e s i n w h i ch myfri e n d sa n d i $dcieciicate< i
manyyearsof our lives' We knew thosechurcheswere
not feifect, but we did not believedivisionwould cure
tpit{t"uf problems.His carelessapproachto the ideaof
go uP in mymqd'
cirurch
--Not division causedflagsto
long after that conversation,I was in Lisbon,
Portugal,f"oran evangelisticcampaignin lqe 1986'At
the time, anciI beiiev6tiris is stiii true at the tir,e of this
writing, the church in Lisbon was the-fastggfqrowing
ctrurcnofihrist onthe Europeancontinentin termsof
the number of full-time worters involved in the effort.
We were in the midst of a marvelouscampaignwhen I
was consider4^.,-'{
nrrr thet
Lrrsl one nf the team members
lq'JLrr!'u- uur

LisbonT oT'i:"::. i?11:'::*ili.;)l;T;

ingieaving

r l\Tpw

Yorkandthencomebaci<toestaDfsr-lacoil-lPieleiJiiEw

work in Lisbon.
es aiffereni onesprobed this misiionary'sdesireto
leaveLisbon,traininBoston,andreturntoestablisha
new congregation,the story emerged that- church
leadersirinJston and New yoitchadcontactedhim and

. e n c o u r a g e d . h i m t o t ayork
k e t h i s s t e p . . I h a v e s i n c e bfirst
eentold
leadersthatthe missionary
by oneoi the New
contacted.them about training him' I do not know
which storyis correct.I do kno* thata commontacticin
the disciplingchurchesis to giticize anyworkthatisnot

Discipling Churches

theirs and discouragep-eopleabout the training and

work they havedone rvith mainline churchesof Cirist.
I! is 1o wonde4 therefore,that peoplewho leavethe
jlscrntinS churchesoften leave'thd .f,"r.n-""tir.iy.
They receivea steady diet of what is wrong witn
it
churches of Christ Lxcept the discipling ihurches.
When they reaeh_
a_deadend ,sith the disci?t+;-;;;;;
^']--Y^uro
6rvqr

f!!lqi
haf
iiD
c Duppuseii
crr--^^ool

+^ L^

^^ ^^^ r ^-- -,
..
io De so
gooci anci effective,
they often

see no need to attend a mainline church of Christ

that
they had been constantly warned to avoid.

It is_no wondet therefore, that people

who leave the discipling churihes

often leavethe churclientirelv.

The Lisbon missionarywa-sso discouragedaboutthe

highly successfulwork iir which he wasenlgaged
that he
wagre3dyto leavehis belovedco-workerbffilrnselfand
seek the
-perfect missionary solution in New york.
Fortunately,g-!od brethren-warnedhim againstthis
Anrrr"nrnh
an.l
L^ 1:^r^-^J
a^ ar- -,?T
+i/i,rvsiLii,

ciiiLi iie iisieneci r*o tnem. He continues

o"j:tTdT,g,

to cio

work in Lisbon,portugal.

ln the fall "tllg^.lirtic

of 1986, lTearned that there had"been a
serious division in one of the congregations
in Sao
Paulo, Braztl.It was the church wheie tf,e future
New

Ya-L
rvrA

^2
llu

-fr-ai^--^,--r
t
1
'lqR6
LIt.tUI.lgn
A!!Orlef
rv^
} + L,vv
tvvrus
nrh,ila J^:*^ 1-.--,,-o__ ___.r__uL,Irl5
4 rdlr5uagg
ctrhirr"nl
*.;*:.6,rrrsr.lrDr_[rp
rainina
in&^,-^L:^--t^,,Y

::-;_l

prrur

ro movmg

ancl

perma_

nently to Saopauloto begin #ssion work in tdsi . t was

very worried about plans of the New york church to
send
1;mssionary-teaminto Saopaulo,the citywheie
my wife
and I had lived with our family fo, io*"lO
ye,ars.When we arrived in Saopaulo in 1961.with
12
other families, therewere two tiny congregationsin that
citf By 1987,there wereL7or tb confie[ations. I
was
anxiggs about the negativeeffect thJNew york team
would have on the ihurches our team had hdp.e
establishand train.

The Discipling Dilemma

When I learned in May of L986 that one of my

missionaryfriends had agreedto help the New York
group set up their languageand cultural classesand
J.*d asa kind of host to the group I wasrelieved' I felt
that the missionarywho steppedforwardto help oYtT
this r.^,'ai'',^rould-be extremely eareful about their
r

clocfrlng

anll

4llLl

IltguruquruSy

- -,1 a
YYvuru

--,-1^ ^-:a^1:.^^I-qrurvorlslurorJ

rebuke them if they got out of line. What happened,

howevegwas that he liked a greatdeal of what he saw
According to two key leaders of the Santana congregationltheir membersbega4to feel pressurefrom
ihe-missionary while the New York group was in its
tralning Program.

r^tt

rl

[t--.-

vvnen fne l\ew

\/^--t-

-^-.*^f..**^Zl
lurra Sruuy re-LLrrrrsu

to the t}nitea Statesin August ot 1986,the two leaders

aflirm that the missionary began io utiiize an authoritarian approach. The members rebelled and requested the American missionary, his family, and their
fbflowers to leave the congregationand not corneback'
In other words, the Brazilian brethren withdrew felof the
la:rzehin
firnnnfhnce
-'
believed
to
be
svm-pathizers
-- - -J
-"
rrrvsv
rrvrrr
Dlrry
lvYv
discipling movement.
fhat aition sent a ehocA w4ve through churche o{
Christ all over Branl. While I had expected a division
like this to occtLrat some point becauseof the influence
^f
uI

rI-^
LIlg

l\T^-.l\Ew

\./^*tIvrr\

*^+L^rl^l^mr
lrrtlrrvqvrv6J/

T narror

r{rpernod

if

r,'nrriri hantren
This ciivision iook piace in
-r
- - cuicklv.
- - - . r f - - - so

October crt tg8e. In fairness to the missionary who is,

and always will be, a beloved brolher I do not believe he
would have accepted the methodology had lre witnessed its full cycle. FIe was impressed by the eariy
stages of the technique and never had a chance to see
the whole approach in action.
In Novemb-er of 1986atthe PanAmerican Lectureship
in Mexico City, a group of us from mainline congregations andfrom discipling churches met for lunch
Xttddit.,ttsion. Those present were Al Baird, elder of
Lindo, a leader of the Boston
the Boston church; Andy
'
churcn;

Jonn

balley,

,1 -r--- ^r
r1-^
T):-^11*^
T>^^A
an erqer t.lr rrle rrPE:rrrrs r\\ras

Discipling Churches

gfych in Hurst, Texas;DaleBrowry now an elderof the

Golf Course Road church in Midiand, Tixas; feston
a, missionary to Sao pauio, fruril u"a'
_G_ilpatrick,
.HowardNorton. Our conversation
wasgood,anait was
frank. We all askedquestionsof one anothe4debated
critical issues, and, I believe, left as -frienrtc
M/a
-'-:-=---Continrte

fn hp fria-Jc

o-J

;; .

L-^LL^---.v^vrrrvro

rv

lr'D

Llcly'

t."iP. awaii from thai meeting, howeve4,

convinced
.,
rnar tne leadership of the discipling
churches was
committed to the view that it had ,f,! *Sh,6;;f;
reiigious <iemancison members that God1rimseff
h;;
not made. I came away fully convinced
that the
T ^^*^

^-.-^--

leadershin

r--

did -rv!
nnf haliorra
i- +L.^'-^^"^-^.,^-vvrreyu er
LrrEtsul(Jrcttt0npilnClplg

Ol

where the Biblespeaksand be silentwherethe

1g_p_.ut
Bible is silpnf " Cln rrrE
rho^^.i+*^---.-lvrrlrcrry/ rL:^
rruu

rpeuevect
that

EToup
it had the-righ! to speakfor"God,''make
rutes for its
membersthat God hld not made, and hold *"rO.i,
accountable
for obeyingthosehumancommandments.
As I learned at I liter meeting in Boston_in
the
mainlinechurch
:PtTg of.!987,a meetingbetween"or;r
Ieadersand four of the disciptingmovementleaders_
the Bostonleadersbas.ea
n_eir,,rignt"to *uk-;;;ld;""
rules that God had not madeon tii, premise:,,Fathers
fSye the right to makerulesfor their'childrenthat GoJ

did not make, and children who disoberr rhnea erlac oi*
rulsD
Drll
^ ^ - : - -

- i

^^

^----^1--

.. ^

"

:J

"'y-o:

the rules. The churchis rnoreimportant than rh";";1,,-

and elders have the respo"ritifity foi i;;did"tr;

church. Elders,therefore,have thehght to bind"rules
on membersthat Goddid not bind. Thise *ir"-air-"ir"y
the elders'rules sinagainstGodjust as
- surelyasif Coi
himself had madeth6 rules.,, '
Once the full impact of this kind of fallaciouslogic
sank into my mind,-I knew that I was going to
havjo
speakagainstthesepreceptsand not be silent.
-the
In Decemberof f9g6
elders of the Memorial
Church of Christ in Houston, Texas,asked*"1;
fltl;
Houston a-ndtalk vrith fhen.rnhn:;**-LaAuogurs
i#rrg

The DisciPlingDilemma

108

the churches of Christ in Sao Paulo becauseof the

proiectedNew Yorkchurchplanting there'TheMemoiJ'church had investedm-oneyand energyduring a
timespanof some25 years' Theyhad fully supportecl
evangelist fvlodesto Pellegrini and me for
il;;ilil
that meeting came an
ss'"ral of &osl rvea-rs.Out of
r -^
r^ a-^.,al
*n Qan Pqrrln
IJUrr

lnvltauOn

IUI

.
wlves,

were

v tL'LqLtL

qrtu

ute

and warn the brethren concerningthe <iangers.we

believed they would be facing onge the New York
team-arrived permanerrtllrin the city'
rnissionary
--:i*ut
gtid ttratnnemoriil wanted both Don and me to
make tn"editficutt trip since he and I, along-with our
rr tne

^---^
orrglt

-.-L^
wrlL'

a+as*aA
Drcrrltu +La Can

Parrlo

to Brazil in 196L'The things

fufittio"uty Teamthat went
..!----^.'
l---:*+Lo1. Srin
ln
Snn
We leafngd

anC[ )(perlent-etr

u'Lrrrrb

LrrqL !*r

P"d"i;;t after Christmasof 1986and in the first few

-a"y,
Jr iggi_plus the information we havecontinued
to glean since-our return to the United States-have
made it clearto me that virtually every doubt or fear.I
orror. ontprtained

V gI

LIrLvr

lsurv5

abou-t the discipling

churches $

justified.

'

T,heSaoPauloExPeriance

Ite$ing on information we had gleanedover many

with bre*threnin the United
?:lnnthsanr!in"oo-ru-ltution
-w.'e
States.. deciciedto divid'e our Erazi eiiort lrrto E-wo
with the disciplingmovementhead-on'
"*tt
a".ia"a to conddct i seminar for church
il;;-we""Jaeal
i""a!tt in SaoPauloentitled, "A Study Concerning-Our
ft"uao* in Christ." Secondly,we determinedto follow
up the seminarpresentationby contacting?T?li[J ::
ttiutty Brazilian-andAmerican church leadersin bra^r
u, *6 codld to preparethem for what we thgught tfel
would haveto iu." i* the daysahead'Theplan worked
well.
tllvlrrrrs

rr-,-L

t-L^

k,a^

TheSeminar
r-='i$ar.innc
rrront
^r-rt
fo clr-urch- leaders all over Sao
VB!
YYEII!
III.VILcIIIUTTD

Discipling Churches

ng

Pauloand to someparts of the BrazilianInterior. All

in
all, we spentabouti0l-roursin seriouspublicstudyanJ
discussion.The schedulewasasfo[o#s:
Friday,
8:00p.m.-,Why We Are Here,,_HowardNor_
fnn

o-an

o;ri, p.in._--A

iJrDircaiStuciy of What paul Savs

ConcemingOur Freedomin Chrisy,I

Don Vinzant
9:L5p.m.-,,The New york Churchand Christian
Liberty,,_Howard Norton
10:00p.m.- Dscussion-po" Viorur,t
Saturtiay,
L0:00a.m.-,A BiblicalStudy of What paul Savs
ConcerningOuiFreedom in Chrisii
(2)_Don Vinzant
. 10:4 a.m.-,,TheNewyorkChurchandChristian
Liberty" e)_Howard Norton
LL:45a.m.-,,Is the NL# Vo* Cf.,"r.f, a Cult?,_
Howard Norton
12:15p.m. -Discussion_Don Vinzant
12:45p.m. - r,TheFutureofthe ehurch of Chrisfin
Brazrl,_Howard Norton
2:30p.m.- Discussionandplansfor theFuture_
Don Vinzan+

yvererf,rnar rne presentationentitled ,,Why

We Are
was very important for the approximatelVTS
::-r";
yn" we.representon Fridaynighi. Weexplained
lr1",p_t_.
rnarwe were there beca_use
we felt an obligationto let
BrazrlianChri6tiansknow that the New yorf group
that
planned to move into Saopaulowasnot fik;"t;th;
group o{ American Christianswhom we had
,eco*mended to them in the past. Braziliansf,aa aiwuys
accepted
-completestrangerswhom we recommended
anctasked
no questions.Weexplainedthatwecouldnot
conscientiouslyrecomrnendt:hisgroup of people
becausewe felt that they usedmethoJsth_at
vreiecontrary

The Discipling Dilemma

L10

to Scripture and contrary to the spirit of Btazilian

democracyand freedom.
We explained that we were there
becausewe felt an obligation to let
Brazilian Christians know that the
rr
i\e-w

\/^--riui.K

6iuuP

rL^+ ^lonno.l
tii4r'i-'t:.:t"'''t

l!:-:
n f!!,rv'*
fir.trza

into SaoPaulowas not iike any other

group of AmericanChristianswhom
to them
we had recomrF-ended
in the past.
rr:srhar awnlninpd
rAIo
that srouos of thiS krnd werg
rvs
t^ylau
Y YE ILII LIrEr

not welcometo iractice theirhethods on someof our

A:,-::,4^+
AIIIerlUAI

1-1+:.ia$ia+ nnllarro
r \'l LtlD ncrr I Lvutbv

.2!.!.rr!!!sesBu!v/
lqurr

that

SOmg

Of OUf

very besteldershipsstronglyopposedtheir approachto

the"Lord'swork, ind thaisome of our most respected
opinion leadersin the churchstronglyobjectedto the
uittumusthat characterizedtheir methods'
We explained that we were present to strengthen
those br-ethrenand congregationswho had been so
badtyq}akenbythechurch-p1o-b1-e-lsthathadcometoa
ii;;din Oato6e;of 1986witlithedisfellowshipp-roceedingsof the Santanachurch.Thedivisioii" S?it"lqYlt
Paulo church in the 30*hX fi'ct qreh har'rneninE
--i.','^hlo in a Sao
---^^-^^Li-+ns.,
L
i - + n s r z y ^{
.tf
t-hrisf
in ihai rneiroBolis.
errqrs
r
vt:d.I
LllDlvr
r lrD lvr v vr
vtcll.

the eventsat Santanahad alsoseverelyaffectedtwo or

threeotherchurchesin the area.Besidesthis, the Ninth
of ]uly church had almost exgeqenceda division
becauie certain brethren there h.ad tried to use authoritarian techniques on members in that congregation-the only church of Christ in Brazil with
eldersand deacons.
Weexplainedthat we did not want to seeanotherJim
did not
Jonessituation in South America' While we
teteve, nor do we believe, that there is anyonein tfe
disciplingchurcheswith the immediatetendenciesof a
r:-

JIIII

r-*-^^

Jt'JItgD

'-^-,p
i+
r.trrrzer,lr
s2id that Wg believ.ed. that
YYs uE$
lrl
\ruJqrrs,

Discipling Churches

11.1

movements like the one we were discussing

could easilv

degenerate
into that kind of u *or."*"r,lt;;;ilil:

effectiveness of the movement-r"q,rir"a

total submission to those in cnarge.
We reminded the 6rethren of the importance
of our
freedom in Christ. We know ,nuf- tlov
Irqnasr
.^
- - - ! - rlzoyo
rrqfyJ
rv
"'v

h a t z o o o . ___'o - a A_-- ( - ^ + L ^ t : ^ : - - ^
vylrrv*Lro*r/

n
r srrrsr-(Jslallsm/

anCl lifOtes-

rar-rusm
ancithe man_made
lawsunderwhich theyhad
oncelived in thosereligioussystems.W"
to let anyone persuade them to oo hanLJnrn
"rg"Jih;;
^il;d orr-t
,nevel
+^-I:^--

'l

bonciage
to man-made
rulesb"t ;h;i ;;b.
^t ^- ^ ^1 '

fi'J

nri*^i*l^

Lh,;#:j"'ff:y,l?^t11:Il"Biblespeaksandbeing
rrrL

urvrg.tD

Dllt:ltf,.

We told them that we wanted our visit to help

rrnifrr
_:ual

.anr{ i.\rvs_
l^-to
^'-x..c^
qiiu
diiiurtg;ao

^ n- . i

.,

restorethe

i-auio brethren that had been

theresince1956,thatG wantedtohelpthemdevelop
upt*
for,confronting thf. erroneousapproach to
evanleffi
and thatwe wantedto urgeSaopau'lochurches
to become
*:iT:,fin
their
local
congregations.
:vangelistic
uon vrnzant
and I divided_
the senainaiits-elf
into two
Vinzanttauglrtmaterialentitled,,ABiblicalStujv
ll*i-w.naltJaul
SaysColcerning OurFreedomin Christ.71
-9:
with teachingson Christianliberty
1",11?ll,llqeciall,f
rn ualatrans and Colossians.He showed
that th!
opinionso" Ct rirtlrrs, regardiessof
lllSt:q$human
now
nohttr
lhe
cnct +L^+ ^..^L
--,r-t:rv

Avqr

trrql

DLtr-.tl

-fulgs

a!"e

alperonar{

+^.

attain, is patentlyfalse from u f,ilfi."f ;;#;;*

Showingthat Christianliberty i, o"J oil#yrio.J;

precious spiritual blessings,he warned

asainst anv
movement,inside or outsiciethe church,thit,".k;;
Iimit one'sliberty in Christ.
tlg.bir,ding of human opinions on
^.,
Lnnstrans, regardless of how noble
the goal that such rules are desisned
to attain, is patently false frori a
biblical standpoint.

The Discipling Dilemma

112

Perhaps the greatest contribution Vinzant made'

howevei, was to point out that authoritarian movements
within Christianity are not new' He even suggested that
our discipling brethren might have learned their authoritariin approach from groups- completely outside
the R_estoratjsn Movernent-. As he demonstrates in
- r r1-:^ 1^^^l-

ycrr

aIluLllEI

vvvA,

rrue

vr

+1^^ ^tr'ariomatin

tnmrfrment

*", ,r.,"tinrough with authoritarianismfor a nuir,ber of

vears.Vinzant raised this questionconcerningwfele
in" t"ua.tt of the disciplingmovementdiscoveredthe
Theseprinciples' ne salct'
they
orinciples
4ow. t use.
'.
r
r.
.
- -,--11 ^1 :.^ ^tL^^,,+l^nsi*afiqn
always

almost

nave tneu Pararrsr rll ulrrEr aulrrvtrlqrrqrr

^-^-ra
^-l
;- +La
of crllts- If
LITV nunfinp
6UTU Uf

IIIUVCIIISITLD

LfflSf,IAN

and intimidation are not acceptable methods

Dower
r .
wnen

wg

--.- Lr- ^*
lftellr
vlgw

:- ^^-r^i*
rrl t-srlcurr

^o**o
yqrlD

nf
v^ +ho nhariqrnafie

movement and in various cults, then power andintimidation are not acceptablefor use in any church of
Christ no matter how noble the goal that w-e are
attempting to reach through !!e us9 of such methods'
- - seminar, I listed eight objections to
- - th-e
Tn i*r o-art
r - - - of

themethodologyofthedisciplingchurchesandtheir
leadefs.Fiqst,di-sciplingmethodologyenslaveschrlrcfr
bt diai"d awaytheir freedomto make theif
;;;dt;
own choicesin those aieaswhere the Bible does not
rrrc*
a T?ntnan Cafholic bishooI does not have
qac
e
lUOl

--^^1,
JUEq\.

tire rieit to ma-keone singie reiigious r"uietor r,eir'bers

;;.h;the lea-dersin chirrchesbf Christhave no right
to malie one religious rule and bind it on the members'
Their doctrine df submission to disciplers and other
ieaders,their doctrine of confessingsins to the discipleq,
their pressure on members to use their time and run
(or
their private lives the way the leaders want them to
suffeithe rejection of "friends"), their unwilljngness to
baptizebelievers until they lgIT to follow the human
dir'ectivesof the leaders, and their creationof a kind of
perpetual dependency on-the leaders of the church all
iuud to a frightening loss of freedorn in Christ. It is a loss
tnat

no

-a,,-:.

Li^^

LflIISfIaIt

^L^..11

^r'As

5t1t'JLrr\r Evsr

ad$aa
q6rL!

+n

ownoript,lce

Discipling Churches

113

. . . discipling methodology enslaves

cnurch members by taking away their
freedom to make their owi .nJi.", i"
those areas where the Bible does
not speak.
Sann^.1

+L^

*^!L^J-t--.

..r

vsivii(i/
iiie ri_re_r.i-ioc.oiogyoi the discipiing
-lf
churches
causes division within if,e foJy
Cn.irt.
Their
,,faithful
cannot
but
cause
*::t
?{,1h"
-remnantl

hef.u.lqs.o{
iiiiJ'l,Tl;,f
T"Hs*'i::_t:"9-"':$enrf
s/ rrrL/ vs!.Evs LLLaf,rnev arg tne
taithtul

remnant.

Other churchps

of Chrioi":rio*,,-!!=.

=-*3r'**-- r

exception,
u..
* ;ri# iil:#:"::l
"ith;;i;k;il
have God's trlessinos
or. *horr tr.rnr,!,i!L- --^^

rateac-ceptabretoui"r.",i",i#;ffi;"?ilJ:ilf,
,X'n:l:
ir:tllitg.-nurches

aregrowing. Th.y th;;i";;;;;:;;

P.
that God is blessingtheir. peoile in t',rtewurm
o, a"uJ
out of them, moveto a discipling
:i:::i"l:t?"1d,9.J
.l:t..n, bediscipledby someonethere.-and
then
effectivework for God. Thereis no room;;iltpil; do ui
churchesfor weakmembers.It is a movement
desiened
to accomrnodatethe drives of sypeim;*il;;;;
women.Thosewhoseenergyand interestlevels
do not
measure
l^^r ^-^

tE6t

L{gIf'

up to the ever-

6f^d^*

vrvlirq'ltt

rJM.luve

ttuf

(}t

tne way.
Third, the movementexaltsleadersto the position
dictators.Leaderssaythaijheyrv9i.o*u tf,. i"uroJ"j, of
of those who disagreewith tiie teadership.
The dfi;
howeveq,is that tliose wfro corrtlrrueto ask
questions
bu:3::
, prideful thgy continue to aisaliee are viewed as
and of a badheart.submlssionand rovartv
the currencyof the realm. f"opfe wno;;kffi;""; are
questionsare consideredinsubbrdinate,
airf"y"f
full of humT-qldg, Leadersmurif oruy.d.
F;d;;;""i
must submit blindly to their direction.
"
Fourth, the discipling churchesnauuu weak
doctrine

The Discipling Dilemma

174

of qrace.Disciplerstakea legalisticapproachto'spiritual
nr;*tr,. Instead of mere$ instilling inspiration and
-their iife in membersso that they
firin.iplus of the spiritual
own development,Christian
.u. *u them in
of
"forcedfeeding'" Disciplers
kind
erowth becomesa
you
readyour Bibletoday?Did
lrk q.testionslike, Did
--^-- i^rt- r^ -^m^^h^
Lq'rr

Jvs

pfay

+^io'
-- ---;i

rv::^':-----

Weren

toCtaya Wny

alrnrrf hic salvation?

--^,-

-r

rL^

E-:J^"

Di<l vOu
J

-;-l-+

il"lo
rrrbrtr Rsrerv

r you '11 urrc lrruqJ

it,riyt Yousayyou *"t" sick,but why didl'1yo":tt:

above it and come anyway? Advice must be taken' The

mood is, "Ifyou do*t take my acivice,i won't put up
. rr

---,-^

^,-^

wlm you anyrnure.

t,

. . . the disciPling churches have a

w.eakdoctrine of grace.
Guilt is an important part of the methodology'
Leaders and disciplers malie the rules, quiz the *eTbers to see if they are keeping the man-made ordinances, criticize them whenlhey do not, view them as
Prrdelur

-slnnelsranLr

-r

^--^-L,^Il-'
cvcrrllrq.r./

o
lrrro"*j:,

+hatn
if thPv
"::^: _ l-_-,_:|

lnootu ttot to submitto the opinionsof thosein charge'

G;ded ana aiiCipleismakethe iules,

quiz the mernbers to see if.they are
r1^^--:--^
KeguIIlH,

^*i+i-ioo
I-IILTLIAV

rl^^
Lllg

+!'ot
IIIVTIT

,t-. ^-^-- ^^
aU
T"ngIII

*^*
*o.lo
lllarl-rrrcrus

"

^vrsur4rrsvv'
orlinannpq

terhpn the-r do not, vigw

^.:)^[.'I
PIILTETLTI

-i-^asc
DutrrLro,

anrl
urrs

eventuallyshun them if they choose

not to submit to the opinions of those
'
in charge.
In the bulletin of the Boston Church of Christ for
August !7, Lg86,Ed Townsendhad an articlewith the
titlJ'Because You SaySo." hr this articlehe used the
exampleof Peterletting down the netsin the de-epwater
though-they had
ioJ 6..uose ]esus siid to, even
'worked
He argued
anything'
all night without catching

Discipling Churches

115

that Christiansmust submit to their disciplers

in the
same_
way Peter submitted to Jesus:totally, ur,iorrail
Og1r1tty,
without que_stion.
Although I did nothavethis
articleat the time of the semina4,
it ilustratesthekind of
control that leaders expect to dxercise
over their
followers.
E-?-4a-r-

!1

-r.

.crrlrr, [ne o.lsclpflng

churches

have e '.,oaalz Aan+_i^^ ^t

church esrowfh_-, __-- ivhJo"" tr .^lr*i-:l^

vvr[rllu.lrtu

Il"--;"""'::':
J:o
snows

tnat
God is respo_nsible
for growth, thesebiethrenleavethe

wu;ustwo* hardenough
##T:if:jj
__r_-i _rrL Lvrrsul :::1"::
nrcr.nuu.ology/ mrntsters can
make
church Srowth haonenWnrlrarc rrrl^
--^ r,, t s *^t
v v r r v q^-^
f f ____ .
.
rrul
plutlLlc_

mg must be doing something wron-q,

and chrrrchoc fhn*

arenotgrowingit theratetfieteuaEis
aetilil;

norm are either lukewarm or dead_

,h.

The truth, howeveDis that God does not

hold us
lgrsonaJlf responsiblefor churchgrowth. He holds us
gersolally responsiblefor faithfuTnessto the task of
preacnmg.Ettectiveevangelismdoes not always
pro_
{yc9 ipnressive results,aipautt Jsit to MarsHill and
Christ'b
teaching in Nazareth clearly demonstrate.

God does not hold us personallv

responsible for church growth. Fie

h.olds personallyresionsibfefoi
-us

.:ixth, diseiphng churches have a weak doctrine of

grts and ministries. paul explains in
L Corinthians
12-14 that we do not all frave tne same
gift. fhese

brethren,
irow9v9f,attemptto push
same mold

"r.ry";;;ffi;
and force them into situations
and twes of

behavior. qrite oftendo

fil;il;l##
_that
personalities
";i

of the members. Winning p."pl" "*i

l;
Christ, in the view of manyof thesebreihr";, i,
tli" ;nI;
valid test of a worker,sfaithfulness.

churches
usea methodotogy
for
^..*:TP
evangelsm t-r1plTg
and edification
that can be psycholofiially

The Discipling Dilemma

L16

damaging.The material in this book by Flavil Yeakley,

Tr.eoes into great detail about this particular abuse'
-E
r""ryreaderJhould carefullystuqy his findings'
Ei;hth, discipling churchesempfoymethodsthat are
simil-arto those uied by harmful cults in American
society.Is this movement a cult? I do not know' I do
l:nnsrr {rnm tallrinq tn nennle r,*rh-oha-ve eomg out of the
.
movemgnt

anc[

r . - ' l- -'- ^ -.--r^ ^ r^ ^-.^

rr4vE
wllu
To Inulje

-,.^-l.aA
vv\''rAsq

^1^ool.,
LrvsvrJ

r^rith
vrrr^

Deoplein the movement thatthe discipling churchesare

i rttlru" and that they do gain a kind of mind control
over the members. The movemeni has a hypnotic effect
^,, :a- --^-1^^-^
Ort IID lltgutugrD.

.'T,L:^ Li^,{
rLLf,D arlrs

n
nnfvnl
lvrrlrvt
vrf , a

ic nnf

nnr"mallV

of Christnorin a-nyof theirrnemberd

found-incl".urches
para-churchinstitutions. Any Person who is in a
ir^^:*rr*uIDLIyurrS

^L,,*alr ol.nrrlrl
road cnmp o---oood articles
on
orrvse

Llrsrlrl

how'culis function. If he finds a duster of cult-like

characteristicsin the church he attends, he should
remove himself from that congregationand seek the
fellowship of a more balancedchurch of Christ'
These6ight objectiveswould grow to twelveif I were
giving thJsemiirar today. The other four objectives
would be asfollows:
(i) Membeis *ho weie baptized without a total
commitmenttosubmitto their disciplersarenowbeing
re-hmersed in significant numbers. Even respected
^tr.,,.n1Ioar:ior.c
orr,,ino +he diseio'iins churehgs arg bging
rvqu
LIaUVrf

re-immersed.

(2) The Boston church is taking tharqe ,9j-tgcat

churchesin different parts of America.It is the "Mother
Church" that tells other churcheswhat to do'
(3) The authority of the evangelistis qrowing lo th:
poi"t that the primary evangelistof the Bostonchurch
iells evangelisisin oiher churcheswhat to do' Some
peoplethiikhe tells the Bostonelderswhat to do, also'
They deny this, however.

DisciplingChurches

117

Th9authoptyof the evangelist

is
Slowinq.tgtl"_poi"t thatth6 primary
evangelist of the Boston church tellj
evangelists in other churches what to
do.

(4) There is a growing

'

tendencrr fnr, *lroco tr-n*r^-^* r^

usetheallegori"cal
3nnloacrr-;'th.il;##ffi
Scripture.

;;

With this Gitment of tf*i*t, onecanmake

a text fli&rrwhatev.er he ,,^;ants
it to mear_r.
What Tb Do?

,"T:fl*#, jl"T::'j":lj"lt:1,-lle.worrd,e.specialy
rurqDt wlJI pru0aDLy nave to oeal
with

;,_,_;_:r;*!qrr

me cuscrphngmovementsometimein the near

future.
What can missionaries do when they realize
that a
discipling church pl1rting is going to iate pf"."
i,:rlnu
city or regronwhere they irorf? Trie answer
is not easy,
and I do not claimto haie the infallibleresnnneorn *!ra

question.
I do,howevex,
havet*.h";G;;'dil:il;

me list theseand commentbrieflyon e.aeh

one.
First,
.
{evelop a stritegy t* a."fi"g *itf, if,.r.
brethrenbeforeihematter6'ecomes
anissluewh"r" yo"

are. Thefe afe now enorrsh

qnnd hr.o+hrar
r.,i+l-^.:,.-.-!
___:-..o*.
vrvlrrrsrr
g
pgnwrlll
ovvu
enee ul tacing ihe problem that ihe-rp ic nn raaoni tr^-

any watchmitt to 6.

lr, ;,;;';;;:;;;

"",rnfrt
adequate
informatior,
*fru' ti," ;;iil;;r"#';"*

arrives.
_Second,rememberthat thesebrethrenof the discipling churchesare
Sgainsr"r"g"l#;U$
in otherchurchesof1e35ting
Clristl Wf,l" you
cannotneglecta
their errors,a strongevangelistic
g^:^"-g
9:t:i::"g"insr
worK-tn
your own congregationis one-of the-most
effectiveways to stand
their aggressivetactics.
"luiist

The Discipling Dilemma

118

Third, rememberthat thesemen and womenareour

brethren. We can resist their false teachingand their
durlgurot, methodologywithout jlrypinqto the conclusionthat theremust-bean immediateand petT-u":.$
with them' I personallylike
r"ototu in our relationship
'i"hom
I have met' They are
*itt of these bret-hren
-+varrt
tc Learnto be aszealousfor
zeaiousarrcisincere.I
ihe lost asthey are, but i want io teachihem the way of
in
the Lord mgr-eperfectly. I want us all to be united
Christ "for we be brethren."
Fourth, keepyourselfpure' Our battieis not against
we frusi not approachour strugglefleshancibiooci,'anci
wltn

rr
: - ----*^7 =^'o=,Tsrrro ndnnf the methods
tnem ln a c4r'rtdr wcLJ' u vvv qsvr

of

Sata" or the methods of sinful man [o fight I spiritual

r n1---2^L

-.-:1I

^.'ff^*

srrlvru

rlarneop-

battlg, tne cause or \-rurDl wrlr Dr*rsr "ninlr:l

"-iirir,,-prepare
the brethren in your areabeforethis
morru*eilt alrrives.If the SaoPauloseminarand ptiY.qtg
conversationapproachwill not work in your area' find
wiU. Do not leavethosein your charge
;;.tdttfrat
vrithout iistruction and warning' No onebut you can
adequatelyhandle this respolgibility'
Slitft, confront tle discipling pgopl" ry|":",llg
arrive in your arei. teli them that you Considerthem
Ui"tnt"" 6ut brethren who are dangerousto the work
rrr,;nc +n r{n T.pf fhem know in no uncertain
y\JLr crrs .LJLLL6
-thepeopie
i=i*-if -.ii-'-oi:w-Tiinot-Foleriteanlia-ousEof

trrhnrn (l.ri'has

siven vou to lead and protect'

J

'

Su"."tt, prayihat thesebrethrenwill not complicate

where
vour own irimigrant statuswith the government
in
h"i;g] Thot* working with visas Brazil
i;;;;
t;li.;;1h"t tr'tZtudocumqntsar6becomingharderand
harderto arrangebecauseof somehigJrlyquestionable
methods that tliey believe were used by th3 New YorK
team in ord"erto get into the country overthe objection
of
-- localBrazilianchurch leaders'
Eishth, if you do not want this group to work in your
city,iarritettreireldersandpleadwith themnotto come'

Discipling Churches

L19

This may not resolveanything, but the eldersneed

to
|<noqlour sentimentsand thole of otherbretf.rre"whohavebeen servingi1.th{ city overa period of y"urs.
.Tilft: pray_lhatall of us ian makeenough.hung.,
within the will of God that we can work iog.tn"r"in
peace.Praythat a spirit of love and unity may
iermeate
gVgfv
WOfkef

in vorrr ni*rr cn tlrn*no^^t^--.rtr

Godsentl-r"r j"Jirr"i H; ffinT.rs

rrr*i^"r^----;;-;
uvrieve
tnaE

Tenth, revitalize your own congregation. If

it is
lukewarm,if it is dead,dealwith it. dy tE.oi;;.,
ir.;rk
Go{ tg give you ihe strength ana wisao* t" t"rh
y"*
work into a dylamil
that
wiil
bring gi;;;
{olcejo,good
to the name of Almiehtv
Godl
- Eleventh,ae".top?#"irry f"r caringfor thosewho
drop
out

of the disciolino

rh',rrn:n r a.*

r.--!r L-- -

responsibr"ro,rr.ultiJih"i;;H;;;:,:#1"#";
the Bostonchurch.Such-peoplra foX;;;;a;;
carein orderto overcome
"*a bruiser"ihuiffi
tlie siarsand

sustainwithin the disciplingmovement.

Twlfth, keep reachingoui to thesebrethren
who are
:augry rp p the enthusiasmand falsehope that thev
the perfect missionarysolutibn. Most
l1_",1""1d
rnese brethren, I am convinced,want to please df
and

gl?lflg",t. I1 spiteof theiraedication,

theyareona

patn that leads to burn_out and spiritual

disillusionhAh+
f^fl:l^--r-

arierfu. vvruls-weoo not approvE offFeF

te-ctics.the-v

neveriheiess
brethrenfoi whom cn.isi aiea.-rJt"r"
aiwaysfreatthemwith the sam"to.rea"a r"rpJihJ ",
we desirefor ourselves.

NOTESFORCHAPTERT
r"What aboutNews from
Boston?.Christian
Chronicle,April
19g6.
2"secondThoughts
on Boston,,,cn itiii-Cirliirii'iebruarv
1982.

:: .PARTIII

ITWONCALROOTSOF THE DISCIPLING

MOVEMENTAMONG CHURCHES
OF
.
CHNST
by Don Wnzant

ABOUTTHE ALflHOR
Don E. Vinzant has served as the pulpit minister of
the Grandbury Church of Christ in Grandbury, F*9:'
since 1982. Before that, he preached for the Northside
Church of Christ in Austin, Texas,L976-\982, and for'
r-r-r!or-a 1*n:rr (-1r'rril Sntinos\
*L.^
vl/r4'tv/
Yitr615)c
\<q4-4
tIiC
\.!.1i'JYY
a^-A

Oklahoma

uLtyt

4^d.

Lv/5-LY/o.

rr^

-.*^

ChurChOf C-hfiSt in
vrr-.'

^aL^
^*i*i-al
rae waD urr rrrs .,rrb'rq!

Qan

vsv

PauloMissionTeam,Ig6!-1973.Heservedasthe dean
of the saoPauloInstitute of Biblicalstudies, 1970-L973.
He contributed chapters to StEs to theMissianField'a
missiontextbook.He iranslatedworksof RubemAlves'
Brazil's leading Protestant theologia-n/philosopher'In
addition, he haspublished numerousarticlesin vafious
--^1:-:^..^

IeubruLrD

:^.'*ola

J\rLrrr]ilD.

don receivedhis B.A. degreefrom AbileneChristian

University in 1958, his M.A. {uflu" from Abilene
Christian University in 1962,and his D' Mn' degree
from Austin PlesbyierianTheologicalseminaryin 1984'

CF{APTER

8
ROOTSOF THE MODERNDISIPLING
MOVEMENT

Disciples need
.to be called Christians again. It
rirst
in
Antioch
Jtappened
A;; n:nand it needsto
r\;.^i^^- r-rr',-^',-,.
happen todav.
The urnr.lo

"dis-cipl
eshtp,,
il 9J"i",
oH;TJ"ffiH iltio,#l
communicatewhat theyused

to. The termsmay,oilu

daybe rescuedand usedagainin tf,"
UiUli.utsense.For
lowa_howevegothe_rtermJused in the New Testament
for.Christiaagrowth *iff ,.*" *".iriu,*"*
where did the modern authoritariur,
airCpting sys_
temcomefrom?Who dreaqg_d
up this-pylamidschenne
?f," iiriu, of convertsso
.qj1y,:igevangelist conrrolling
"fi;'*jffi
6ut
*o*
lhey^sjild
,1lat
ffii#
baptisms?
What are!ys"
th6 roots oflhir _**ru*a
2z^

rsr..Lqr4r

rurrrl or autnorrtarianism

larsrelw rar.

rX,othe: retigious groups and his

tuur,
:I"::::t^",
abancioned.
There.isu ri'rguL&y ;r ri[r]d;" d;:,:;
warningsandcriticismof ttiis u,rtt oriturianism
asit has
beentried by others.The fact thr#i;",
beenrried bv

othersisratherembarrassingtotnoser,ii;if.lrtlrrr'i#J
someone in the churcheJ of Christ
inventJd *,is
approach. The reatity, howeveq,is
tnat churches of
Christ are amons theiast or,", iot;"*rt;;;"rh.
disciplingmoverient.

123

The DisciPling Dilemma

124

This Particular form of

authoritarianismlargely ran its course
in other religious Sroupsand has been
abandoned.
A Sp.arch|or Koots

there are five

As the following diagram suggesJ.s'
roots of ihe niod"rtt discipling Tolem;1t as
*tp;t"",
amongchurchesof Christ' Eachof these
ii now aDDears
co"siaeLa in this chapter'chapter Nine
;;;;fifb"
as it
oresents criticism of the discipling movement
frcnn"
otn.. reiigious qtfuPt-: Staterr'ents
fi;:ar!-di"
the
,idty religiousleaders"explul"*ny they reiected
disciplingaPProach.
The first root or the modern discipling movement
Directors
*uyU"?o""d in the RomanCatholicSpiritual
RoT11
throughout
later
of ine fifth century and
operateq
system
Catholichistory.TheSpiritualDirector
.

ln

^^'i.ro-fc! v fnr manv centurigs. Those

- --- -^L^-:^^ 6^-J
rrlu LvrrYvrf

mOnaSLcIIgD

secret
U.i"g ttui"ed were t91dil.reveal their most them;il""ghtt to their Spirltql Director.and9u!1it
;Jve?total$ to theirSpiritualdirector's,dttlti"::1t^::
;#

i;;;'d

and evil' This is essentiallywhat is now

^^ii ^i ^ z,r i onin'iin o r,-! :tiiin shio. " The idea of confessing
-:-. - q^ ,r^i-r^i
^L-,inrrclrr .nmtrs {rom thg Uathotic
sroLrrrv^
lLt
DII]D
. ,r:L:^- dll\l
^-r +t^^i+
'{^.t..irip
nf
arrricular confession.
-uv!!!*'v
Lrrsl
Iraqluulr

:-----in a
of abuses,the RomanCatholicChurchbuilt
Because
;"f;;;i"iheir'spiritualDirectorarrangement'They can
fouria that persona'ldomination and manipulation the
is both
easilvrun out of control when one person
t9
utta tn" Spiritual Director' ffey U^eS.a1
.""fitt"i
bPrrlruar
require,therefore,that the confessorand the
regar4
this
In
person'
be the same
;t;il;d;;i
the
where
about
*r" *oa"tn discipiing mo"emetttis
ago.
Catholictnui.f, was almost L,500_years
iU;;
one
They have not yet learned the danger of having

Rootsof the Modem Discipling Movement

th

afl
sE/
3ul

^
N

s
R

s,

dEl

<t

fJ)

.!i
I

FF

s
s

TTI

&.
p
x
!'{
F
Fl

r
Itn

,'z

Ud

1?

"}
\,'\

v
N

F.
rts

z>
o

t*{

,-. cD

HFq

FqF
Flj{

8H

enn

EA

F16

a
9*

Fl

FZ

PP

'il}<

<g

UO

?3

EE
\J|i

H6

trr

"uz'

;d
-{ U)
3l II1

\-3

TheDisciPlingDilemma

L26

person serve both as the confessor and the spiritual

birector for another Person'l

Thosebeing trained were told to reveal

their m-ostsecretthoughts to their
rr-r:l+..
+'! T'liganlnrn
vuuluv!
Dyllrlllqr

gr-thmit- . .
*anr{
:'*.-:.
.

themselves totaiiy to iheir SPintuai

director's decisions as to what $
good and evil.
In the RomanCatholicChurch tgday there is.rytl
less emphasis on each person having a Spintual
Director and more emphisis on eachperson.having
rpitit""f direction. Basei on his w-ork1v]ththe Asso.ciareponsrnar
tion for PsychologicalType,Flavil
"91u"y
t r *n o *u ' , c u tn -o n .C h u rch w a sth e fir str eligious
the
nt""o t" makewidespreaduseof ]ungiantypology'
tf""t"-gti*ss'Iype Indicator and other approaches.to
asa way of counselingindividu;t;;;i#?iff6i"ttces
-r---- . ., --r :r--^^e ^]- +L^i- lirzac clrnrrld take- ."
als about

tng sprrrtual

cl[ecLrurr

Lrrs* 'vLs

errvB'

and
Thev now clearly recognize the value of diversity
of
over after the image the
to mate *"rib"tt
;;;J;;
glouP norm.
Dioriew
llAbc'imnnism
evrrrrtLl

Asecondrootofthe<iiscipiin$ll-ioVii.reniistobe

Eurryin ihe Reformafo""a i" Pietism/Wesleyanism'

au:rdZinzendorf
Franke'tion, such men as Spenea
wantedtobreathe'."*nr"intoicecoldstatechurches.
was impressedby Spener'suse of small
-(ialrgn
i;il W;thy
pietitis) for this purpose' This influ;;;pt
E,."h him Io establish Metho&st societieswithin
to
Rngticuncln rches.Thesesmall grouPssoon came
Theychurch'
see"thernselvesas a church within a
of
f"iiuu.a that they had achieved a \ighel lev.el
rpitit""Uty than that experiencedby other Christians'

Rootsof the Modern Discipling Movement

l2f

*^"llltlh"yll"I-"_r^dt1theAngticanfellowshipand
Decamea separatedenomination.
Thisis simirarr" *h;tiiil;;;"d

*hun

Crossroadstrained campus ministers went

into churches of Christ
throughoutihe
nationunasi*tJirj"g

rhedisciphng

approach. The "Soul Thlk,, grorr- ho.o*o

v!!q4'E
o-,-.-.t.

Wifhin

a Errqrlri.
a1^r,-nL
a

a Lrrul-C-fl
^r--._-1,

FFL^^^.

,
rriuss in=foiv.eci
rn using this approach

saw'rhemselves
asbging,"purioi to tt*?lrl#:#4;
"!ead'memberswh9 iueri
in the disci_
plingministry.TheytL""gfrt U
""il""f""d
tfr.*l"f,uu,
asbeing
"il"r*hthe
"faithful remnant.i rh.; ;;-"-sil;;il;;
rule-keeping
and tnus demonsrrated
pi"ti? ;;.fij
j:Ir.i:1^11s.-alism,siictrarpirft
ilaciJrodivisiveness.
*fj":pilrlruces eno-runs

good elders.It tempts

,1IOy"g
toward elitism arrd_-1
icinci
of seif-importance.Study,
Pietismand you wilt fild
of much
that characterizes
";;;;;t#source
the discipli"s';i;*ur,t.,
WatchmanNee
A third

root of the authorifarien

ahnr^d^rr
r^
-,i^-:
BrrrvqLrt
ru LlIUcl-

ro11d
i" th;;G,;frffiiil;:T;
n*9,-:lb3.
ravoiite
?n*;s.ffiffi#
in^

^^_

L-

H:;"-l*, *::#::sthe

- v-^vv

!^r!vrv6rqr[

ul

IIraIly

a-ri-^l,ll'"'rrsrurc'ture
somewhat"n","i.
rlg"ri
il:ff:: f:n"':*::rj
because
he sufferedT":lr
, i;;; imprisonment
u,Iolg
.

:-

chinaco
Chinese.^**..-.*
Communists-r--li

^"5

Lrr.!.uugft

rt^ nt
tIats
l"tlt'nnlr+b

4s9

a ilfipf

ACcnnir*inn
Y
sevLrqllvlt

ir,:rL
Wtrtt

lqrr

by"the
he went
U-^Lt_,-_,-

anctcameundertheinfluen.;;]F;;ir;il"#;;;':,
r' *r r{!Er

headvocated
veryforcefu'y
a;;;il;i;
hp

arlrrn^^+^J

--^----

d-

rr

"delegatedaurhority." A, il;;;ti

lcdl-$t

i'

r; rd;:fi:i?

il Hjn reported,

Watchman Nee, a prolific writer

and leader

of the in_
digenousChinese
church*o"u*u"i-t'Jirn ;#ii;
tle Flock,

makes a strong pfeu fo, tfre need.

for
Christiansto obey delegateXj"tfr"ifty
irr'tt church.
.1".':h is a prace
n6t
"ofbroth^lh"and sisters,,,
ers
saysNee,"r,ryili.iil*:hrp
"but alsoforiie manifesta,
tion of authoritv.,d

The DisciPlingDilemma '

728

normal
Nee'swritings on spiritual ?"tlo, y and on the
.f,*.ft life ieflect ifI." nt'd of Asian authoritarianism
beforeWorld War II' According-JoBob.
inJ"t"*ifed
bhnket obedienceregardlessof
ffir{;-N;*q;"a
of obet*t"f! or righieousness simply for the sake
dience.a

rrt^^ r^..-Lr

+La* oonlr r.rafcon must

'.1"" j**"=";;l:
.
-t:lg

in the

Lord.

^li

useq

ri-r
rrlal

. -,,

haVg a "COVeImg

+orm
who has
q nerson
rvr e
Lsrr'rl fnr
t

fuA"t.d authority,who must|t-:b"ytd "":91S:

imitated' He alsotaught that

and who must be

ti#it;
who.is
Christiansmust confesstheir sinsto the person the
that
;**
Barrs -explained
ing.' i"*"*
in.ir
r.+a*+dno
n+"nr,*rtrit]-s" means that ideis, decisions, and
il the
iif.twi. must be culveredby someonehigher.
qives
(iUULI.LLTS

;::-:^
C-naUf

L'I

LV

Y LTfIE

:;^**^-t.
U\JlIIIIrqrrs,

(rI

+hrrc.
the
!r'"coverinE"
Lrrss
e

instruc-

..

- f

or
tions on many secularmattersand not just on matters
rJtrr.t rhis, 6f course,is'what the discip1i".g.:hyith:,t
suchasthe BostonChurdr of Christ call a,,drsclPlel-Oy
Nu" t ua anotherdoctrinethat hasbeen-picked
Y.p
tt-nere
taught
tfre-botio" Church of Christ' He
{at
rfllJa U" only one congregationin each city' iuan
C"tf"t Ortiz iatet advocied' the same thing'-Whe1

fr;;';-'tiaiFFtock''movedintoaerty,-th9rproglai"rne
ihemselvesas the only church (and the qlly,lo.:uf

l--"orr*,i byGodin that..citv'

?-:1t ll:

-.'*i$i*

WIILIIIEO

ao
.i

r-

= -i-*

disciplingmovementdid not b:at1,*n-l i:-:-:::"i: rt

churchofChrist'
crorsroudi
& cittiti

ffi;;fr

Kip Mg$eanor ChuckLucas' It did

U.gin with"i]r'.
Jia
"ot in churchesof Christ at aLt"
noi begin

ch Organizations
Parachur
in
Afourth root of the disciplingmovementis found
"Para."ttui" parachurch organizations'The term
with no
to er[ngelical-o.rganizations
;;;h"it
"ppu.a o, tpol-ttorship Traroparachurch
church affiliation
helped shipe the discipling movement'
ffi"irutio"s

Rootsof the Modern Discipling Movement

I2g

In 1934, Dawson Tlotman founded a parachurch

organizationknown as the ,,Navigators.,,'Trotman,
a
strong leader and a.true evangelisiicentrepreneu,
is
rememberedas having a someiarhatauthoriltariutt
urrJ
doglnatic gtylg. He rin a tight ,nip u"J *ul;;;
confrontationai anci abrupt ,iritn tni,ru who worked

uncier irim. He wouLd 3gg!;r '.^-,oyper"e

fi.; i:n:i r,c,^,.;*aar-r^
6uv6rqyruu
fru.Lqiiuii
nnafinn
ac i$ a^^,.--^,
^ i',---'-;-*;.-",-rrJ
aD
ii iiuuiiifec. 'to
ntm. He often haci Navigator

"houses" where a number of Navigatorswould share

lid"g quarters-with no lrint, ho#eu., of uny *orul
improperties. The kind of one*on_on.ioUo*_"p
Ji*
conversionthat Tiotmantaught wasvery similar'to
the
practicei_by t1.,"BostonChiirch of
fsclqling-apgroach_
L-nflSt
anrl
rr*har
r{io^i-l:*^
^L-----1^^^
e
E_ r$

vrr rer

qreLryurrSr

Since Tlotnna-n's deittr- li*

ur lLr.fLj-nes.u

.r,,..,ooa+g r +=.----o:----

has
; ;;;n; i;;dffi;;l?r,?lTlli,Hli
-adopt"t
Navigators

l*^TTd
?{,lh.u
tne abuse-of
discipling

,".untty warnedagainst

relationships. fhe article wXrned

a'our authoritarian intervention into the private
rife of
the one being discipled. The article suseestedrhar srch
a practice can foster.over-depende".|'i" td
;;.if;;
and furnish unhealthy ego-gratification for
the disci_
pler.7
aSgner parachurch organization that influenced
the
,.

*tdpSg

A*.n^A^

movement is i group known

known
Aq
as /'Cnrvrnrro

u o:tr
vltt

.-

-:

-Y

v4r1Hu9

are its leade_rs.

Thev,.

1I: 3s cheertuland sunny astfieir last name;";r;;.

Biil hasbeenin campuswork ror amoJ io;;;.ft;;.

l2if

t-^^

I-^^--

9Q-----

CampusCrusadehas led rhe way

fundamentalistsin severaluru"r. ' "*"d;;;;;li;;
Historian Richardeuebedeauxobservedthat Bright
is an authoritarian leader with a chain of command
qfacinghimself dearly at the top as leaderof Campus
C11sade.
Furthes,h9 says,thereis a lack;i;;t
self-criticism within jO9. *rllization.
"ff*il;;
CJncerninj
9rignt, Quebedauxadds,". .l fthasbeenvery difficult
for him to divorcehimserffrom the pietistic tendencies

The DisciPlingDilemma

130

despite his
toward legalisrn and suPerlprllu-ality,
words to dre contraty."B it should be noted that this
criticism comes in a work about Bright and Campus
Croruau that is highly favorable. Similar criticisms have
been made con.urrrit g the leaders of the discipling
movement among churches of Christ'
ffi-

Ing

/-l---.:^----t,i^

Afiaqtawoq*

w r L u l L > I I L U L L Vt v L v v e t t t e t t u

The last root of the discipling movementas it has

appearedamong churches-of Christ is seen in the
charismaticmovement.This movementdevelopedoutsid.etraditional denominationalstructures.similar doctrines had been taught earlier in Pentecostal
'the
denominationssuch as-the Assenibliegof God'
^!===--,l- uI
.^-E\JuLr,
t-^A
\-nurc.n

o*r{ *ho
ChUrch.
HOlin-esS
^r vrrlvvvslB'
rrrE Ponfpcosta!

dllr4

tntnehteLg50s,however,aNeo-Pentecostalcharismaticmovementbegan.Therewasno structureto this

erowing *orre*erll To this loose and amorphous
five men offeringleadershipwith a capital
il;;;"*;
7i"i" Th"y were known aJ the Shepherdsof Fort
fa,raeraai:, Florida. These five leaders were Don
Basham,Ern Baxteg,Bob Mumford, Derek Prince' and
Charfes'Simpion.Thesemen foimed the "Holy Spirit
fuu.fti"g'IUilssion," later renamed'Christian GrowJh
i;;-t-;--"til iit-,"., h.san oroducins taps,books, and a
m
- - - _o
^__
n_ _t_[j i . t t - mU a . E a - cf rae= i L d - N e a ; W i ' r t e : ,
r i_.-_^
Ivrurrelrrvv.

----J

--o,-

*-_

Algisartiile in christianityTodaydiscussedproblerns
that followed in the wake of the new charismatic
shepherding movementA disputeis taking placeover issuesof authority-and
discipieship. powerful figule-s!n the movementhave
builtup a chain'ofcommandlinkingmany'ocalgroups
aro,rt i the country to themselvs.. : ' Discipleship
involves submissionto the shepherdas he points the
way-and points out flaws in behavior' ' ' ' Some
travel to Ft. Lauderdaleto receivetraining directly
from Mumford and his colleagues.' ' ' Thosebeing

Rootsof the Modern Discipling Movement

1.31

discipled must consult with their

shepherd about
many personal decisions. In some
casei, shepherds
forbid marriages, reject school;;;
;

du*";-;;;;:iio'

plans'
or secretsins.. . .lcational

T'ho firro QL^-L^--.r^

^r n
or
.tort Laucierciaietaught and
*_;:.^'T: a ::l:p"".tcis
styie of ieaciershio thaf fherr n^llo.{",tar_nn
Praciiceci

to
l_*rlii8:': Theyusedthis terun," +"..iU.-"ir.*prr
lives of their members.tn'tgzi,
::L":l-*l:atterg,ttu"e
snoruy
they

addedthe authoritarian.tone
teaclring,JuanCirios Ortiz cameirorriargu'tina to their
to Fort
Lauderdale.His presentationsin Fort Lauderdale
had
yjdg relention-including scmefro* tf.,"church.es
Christ. Ortiz tausht the sinnetfring as ,//"t;F;;;;l; of

about on"

aorr#esation

to a cifv

Ho ato^ ra,,^Lr

authoritarianismr:.
p9i1r,*n", f,u^r"ffi#;l_;
1n".
should be told which
iidividu;;

tf,.y ,no,rld take

home with them for meals.lo
RussellHitt,s articleon the top religious
newsevents
went beyon-dthe discus^sionB?
Wut t*an Nee
?11:?S
r-rrarwas mentionedearlier.Thatarticle
alsodiscussed
problemswith the ,n"pfr"iai"g
"r"""i."r.
The charismaticmovement,sonenessin
the Spirit has
strainedby a disagr""*"it on rhe narure
*:l*lt
qrrLru rerno* *
.:1j.r:g:h.t,p.q"r."ir.g between Bob
Mumford of Chris-,=*

r;,Frori
da;;; .# il#HHTH"i:#l:::':
_da

Mumford is charsedwith constru"ting

u" o"" iti"6a',
denomination-tif,e friurur"f,y of ,lr'h8pnurar,,
whose
arithonlf over their chargesii calleda
threat
ffrritryl
to . . . the interdenominationalchiracter
of the charis_
matic movementitself. Mumford denies
*;fid;
form a new denomination, but f,ir- oppo"ants
so far
"r
haven't had earsto hear.ll'
B_obBuess attributes many of these
problems in the
shepherding movemnt toihe i"fl;;;:"
of Juan Carlos
ortiz.In

hiJbookoiscipusni[
i)i'lii'io",he wrote,

TheDisciPlingDilemma

lg2

and
JuanCarlosOrtiz camefrom Argentina to America
spreading
of theworld
it t o* travelingin variousparts
-.
his versionof discipleship. . . The shepherdis treated
like an earthlyfatherwould be treated' ' ' ' In neo-discipleship gto,tpt there is absolutesubmisionto the
sdupneialEveryone is submitted in a regim-ented
(irri'ry type) authoritarian chain oi eommarrd'' ' '
Qnmonne ic hpfween
----

vou and God at all times.iz

J

In neo-Ciscipleshipgroupsthere is
absolutesubmissionto the shepherd'
Everyoneis submittedin a regimented
(aimy tyPe) authoritarian chain of
command
"Somepastors
In an earlierwotk, Buesshad warned,
'Hitlers
over the
and elders set themselvesup as little
flock. . . . Someeven go so far as to demandsubmission to themselvesratl'ter than to the Lord' ' ' ' You
i^q*n*

L(lltrrvl

*oLo
rrrqt\v

o r{onicinn

fnr vourself."l3
- ---J

--'

PatRobertsonwrote an OpenLetterto BobMumford

onlune}7,1975"in which he complailed.qlo$ qlg"t
asstciated'with the discipleship-shepheflil-submission
who submit to
individuals w
teaching. He mentioned indrvrduals
^1L--1^^-;^

s.fIgL)IrgILru

i-nraazi
rrLDLE(aq

nf
vr

lrar.nr.nins
velvrrrr^'o

resnonsible
--- ehUfCh
----*--r

r,em'oers. He mentioned thase who ha"zeiiitle to say

qhnrr* Toers but rr,-uch-about their relationship and
qvvql

JLe4o

submissiontotheirshepherd.Hetoldof'asecretaryat
the Christian BroadcasfingNetwork who had been
turned into an emotionalcrippleby this movement'He
saidthat shescarcelycouldiype a letterwithout a 19ng
distance.utt to her shepherd'Robertsonwent on to tell
about wealthy Christiins being force-dby-their thtp:
herdsto revealconfidential detJilsof their financialand
iu*ily hfe. He told of one individual who was warned
andbe
that he would missout on the Kingdomof .'Godruined tpititt uUy,physically, and-financiallyif-he did
not submit to'tlie'shepherd's authority' Finally'

Rooisof the Modem Discipling Movement

IZg

Robertsonquoted,?
I"y fiqog in the shepherding
movementwho said that
if God spoketo him and hE
knew that it was Go.dspeaki"g, U;t nis shephord
iold

*n^"j1tle

opposite,
h_e
woiid obeyhis
sfiepnera.rn

^.lhe Shepherds of Fort Lauderdaremet in okrahoma

Ciry itt March of. 19T6 and issuJ rhe follor,rrino
"Statement of Ccncein and p.egret.,;
Werealizethat controversiesand problemshave
arisen
amo-ngChristians in various areusa, a result
of our
l.u"fti"g in relation to subjectssuchas submission,au_
shepierding. we a""pty regret
l*:rt
91t-.tpling.,
meseproblems
and, insofarasthey aredue to fauli on

our part, we ask forEiveness from .,rr" follnr^, lrali^-,^*.

whom we haveoffe"naea.
W" ,""fi^;;;il;*
webelievethemrobe essentially
sound,
l1g1,To"S.h

nave tn various places been misapplied

or handled in

*uy;
rhat this his causedproblems
:: Ti1g"
ror
our brothersin ?!d
the ministry. We deeplyregret this
for8jveless.Insofa'r
fi"r'i" our powe{,
:id-11|<
{or our
"r'i, situations^and
we will do
best to correetthese
to
rTlgre any broken relationships.
(Thestatementis signedly Don Bqqham,
E:n Ba4te4;
poole; Daiek prince,
urrJ
|9f .Uulnford, Iohn
CharlesSimpson.)rs
It

rr-rv

vY Lrg

Shepherds have attempted to

^:.r:",^::T .Leucierciaie

from the
Sr^r:l::,,:n^"T::t*r
""guu;--i;;s;-ti;
movement
acquiled.

tilJ^sfi;pJ;;
*f3"lllg
might be the_ one who is stiU
;;".d
ffid

covenantedleadershiprelationships.
"r";t Even Simpson,
howeveryhas made stiong efforts io clarify f,is
f6rmei
situationas a leaderand aivocateof shephurahg.
i;;
recentbook he said,
When the biblical qualificationsfor making disciples
are ignored, bad things canhappen.The
of
lim"Joneses
history, the introvertea cddc groups, the groups that
produce seriousperversionsoitf,e ?aithare not the
re_

TheDisciPlingDilemma

L34

sults of true spiritual authority but oj perverte{ 1utf,otity. The qualificationJfor making disciples1nd ]fe
prop"r kittd of accountabilityin the ongoingleafe5hip
of Ciat peopleare necessaryto healthy-disciPlesltiP'
In 1985,i pnUitf,ua a public apology thtough Near
V,linerr,agizinebecause-Ifelt that my teachingshL-d
r- - -,Dggn

--r---^^J
InlSusgLl

^J
uIr

^iia
D\Jlrls

^rnaainne
vLLqDrvrlor

Ir fol+
'vrr T harl

not

suffi-

cient$ guarcie<ithe iruths oi authority and that abuses

had ocJurred. Disciple-making without accountability
and a corporate *"tttality shoutd Ue considered intolerable in the church for biblical and historical reasons.15
Then Sirnpson added this important warning,
rr- ^ qIDUlPuItUr
r:^^:-r:*l{le

-^r^+insaLin
lsralrvrrDrrrl/

ic
anf cfatin
eletl!'
re rrv!

F{onefrrllv-avrv'--:J'

bOth
- - - 1

the leader and the disciple are growing and maturing'

by the leaderstiflesthis process'
Any possessiveness
Asi havesaid,it is easy,forthe leaderto becomepossessiveof a disciple.He may evenuseth9 p!ras-e,"\II
disciple." The terminologymay hgve a biblicalbasis'
but ii is loacieciwith pooi connotaiions'A disciplebelongs to the Lord. A ieaderonly servesasa stewardto
heli a disciple grow and maturein the Lord'r7
The discipleship/shepherding movement has sur-

l----rr
r^ /-i.",:^il--i1.t
Thinrt
ta-cgd- 1n otner rorms., as \'Leu. rLL d tetLl Lo'LUILLLyLwww!
'iflcranrrqn qniri
^-a:^!^ E.{..,.-*l
Ti
vE--,
vY 1116r'
r rv
!.
s
lqYYqr
cll

L.[LIE/

One of the most colorfuland effectiveJesus-movement

grouPs was the Christian World Liberation Front
a handful
[cWiry It was founded by iack Sparksand
as'a
staffers
Christ
for
Crusade
of fellow Campus
months
'
Two
'
t969'
in
in
Berkeley
Crusadefront
"
ago CWLF suffereda seriousrupture' ' ' ' Sparkswas
aiso allied with other former CampusCrusadestaffers
type ministrieswith a'
who head shepherd-disciple
clashoccurredamong
A
authority'
on
heavy emphasii
on qrrestionsof auAugust
in
grouP
Sparts' ttttt"
stafferswith whom
Crusade
former
thority. . . . Th;

Rootsof theModemDisciplingMovement

13S
Sparksis now
committed,,in an ,,apostolic
band". . . see.lutuaJff

ca'ed_
tose;;!:[FFJ"?::trj,'
Hffi?:lilff;

terned after biblicaldiscipleship.l .

. e chain of commanf alr.eadyexists beiweei the
groups and the
apostle-missionaries.
Th_ishasatreueiiteAi" d;;;;;
kind of criticismas thaf l"r,.l.;-.1*l]^.
,.
'r1"t1t --,
Dop rvrumlorcl,

Dprelr i,Dri-^o
^*; sf,fiers
^;;:: -::""1i
iiiils=, diiu
rn ihe charismatic_oriented

Chrisiian Growth Ministries oi forif.uaerdale,

ida.ls

Flor_

Sfrangely, the heirs ol the

_parachurchorganization
known as ,,Campus Crusade,,
and the. charismatic
out of Foit Laucierdale,Flor,.*n*^t*t_movement

i.-iq.,iiic rniis seen

the same system of
-io be using
au-th-oritarianisme^i
-Y,'----

kind
oi;tid;;:Til"i, ffi :'jt#1T$X:'il?:i?;
name changes

and has fi""ffy

9th9r
SyrianOrthodoxthurch.'
"ffruZtJ#;;fl;
The charismaticshepherdingmovment
movedinto

Roman Catholic

circleiiust ahnir++ho +;*^ ^rrz^r:^^- rr

pope
when
]ohnxIruffi;tildilto
##'ff#l;

Catholicismmore into line *ith;;:rn

times.One of
the first placeswhere thls
at Duquesne
-\ap3end;,
in January of D6f.
So*u
lniv.ersrty
of
the Catholic
chariema+i^o
f*^*
n-- r--la^re4rsllLo

r-!-__-^_r- n

tltrltt

,JereK fttnce

.--

-|

durine

/t

tfIIlACnO
Etlsverre

the

'ff^+

urEL

ne:L

I l^_

ut)lt

D-

_1

Dasnam

anel

n$ +r.o -L^*L^__::_-,

enthusiasm.Roman-'c;h"it;;;

;i:A'i::l'i

,o*"-,,il;;i.#l::""#lY

:1:ph:rgllg.principteruf
nities,"
"Christian iovenant .o**,rr,itigs,,_4
C
hrisfian
vr:::e!iqii

4
nh,-,r+^
Lviiiii.ii.tiis.

rF----

inosg

--

rnvoiveci

in

this

kind of

Roman
Catholic application
pri.,ciples
pub..of. 1lepherair,f
tishg{ a miga'4ne caled
NeJ C;;;";"f. This magazine
containedarticlesfrom the Fort Lauderauf"
Sfr*pie"as;
magazine,New Wne,
- By 1978,five ecumenicalcommunitieshad entered
into covenant relationship *rn
other as an
outgrowth of this Romari Catholic_charismatic-shep"*h

The DisciPlingDilemma

1g6

herding movment. These five communities were

'Work of Christ" in EastLansing, Mic$ea1i"Yot* 9f
rn
God" in Ann Arbot,Michigan; "Peopleof Praise"'
in
Light':.
the
of
SoJft Bend, Indiana; "servants
nLattb
Timin
C-o{"
o!
Mnnesota; and
Vtit t ^Marvland.
"upoUs,
HitchcockstudiedtheRoman
nnirrrn
Tames
eathoiic charisinatic ffio-vff'Frtar'd found-th'e sas''e
authoritarian abusesdiscussedearlier in the
UttJ
"f
movement-abusesvery similarto those
shepherding
fo""a"i" the Boston Church of Christ'1eBruce
""#
gutro; also studied the excessesof these covenant
soundssimilarto the
communities.What he described
-*-i:o
ha"reescapedfrom"th-e
t"p"rted by.tho:u
;;;;;;;
Bostonnetwork of churches'zu
qmf\nO
vr

rq:rr,

l'alOma

Mafgafet

-r - ^t^^--t
apuLll
w'rote

rL^
Lrls

-i+"o*inn
Drluq*vrr

q!'vrrtt

charismatic
n"*"xc"tlroii. ct urirmaticsin herbookThe
Mortement. She exPlained,
Discipleshiprefers to the practiceof making oneself
fusponsibleandaccountableto anotherbe;;;;il"
iieverfor all "life decisions."Suchdecisionsmayralge
a daily time scheduleor financialbudget
A;;f*;"g
lO uopiOptiui",rt" of possessions'' ' ' Theprycfce.of

di'-.ifG;i'iphasbeenidvanc"*bl 3:Y*':-"1 19-7s)'

:}ffi?;
h
Mumford 1973;otra
;;;

i;;#'s

'- {:--- ^ weii

as in

(including

',-

marry

--^,---:-.J

annuaaa

inienEionai

in

cnma

cuiiiiiii:iulrsr'

chrtr'ches

aS

: : : eqr"

of f;.P11cH:.Tl_T,l';id amone
pJ.tr u"a eritigg
charismatics'2l
F;;i;;t*t

;s well as Catholic

Everv characteristicof ciiscipiingchurchesthat sets

ftom otl',erchurchei of ehrist canbe traced'
th;;;i,*t
A;td or indirectly,to oneor moreof theseinfluences
otn.ts who havetried this approach'
il;"J"to"".
ho*"rrar, haverejectedit. In a recentconversationwith
uiuua., of MaranathaMinistries,Iwas told, 1'whatyou
.*p"ti"ncing in the Church of Christ is what the
"*
charismaticmovementvomited up'" MaranathaMinistries is a campusmovementbuilt alonethe lines of the

Rootsof the Modern Dfucipiing

Movement

shepherding movemen!. Thuy

are militant in evangelism, chaiismatic,and authJri;;";
in the personal
lives of their members.Th"G;;.fi;ay
exceedrhatof
any similar movement_evei
tnait? *re Crossroads/
3^:,::::^:n:':,lqs,.It.mayb";;r;-thrnaninteresrins
uuiiisieerr.ce
that the headquartersof
--.-i^"T_'::illt'Tl"MaranJf.,;V,,.i"l
iries is in Gainesv.ille,Flor;a-:':-q/iivi

erossroarlc

cl-",-

iar

L ^;'^;

rrom

th

.lnuru the disiipring

*".*_**-_1..;;:i,J:^:,llrj
movement
wasfirst introducedto ;h;;.h.,
;'a#fi:
Ina recent conversationwith
u t.ut

gllfTanarha
Ministri"r,
i *iTJi,
'What

you are exoeriennino i^ rL^

uors
Chrrrnh ^r
vr nr.*:1,1l
vrur.Dt ru -.1"9.{r
wnat

charismafic
_ _ _ _ _ _ _-rn^r'6m^*;.-^*:;--,'-.vvsrrlsrrL

tng

vurrllfeo

llr,

,..
,

Influenceon Churches
of Christ
go beygndthe pulpose of thfs Lrrq',rsr
.^hanrag
o_.{
I*.y,:l]O
4rl(l
0 filforme]i.\h
^S+L;^ :,k:a^.- . .
-r
VSIVUDC

ttt

I IllS

-h6fr+^s

^-J

ilffi;
:?ig"-ffix1"*:,:'3:::*qg".;{ldffif
#i;ffi
:j*:T"*"_n*::d.*s*{;iffi
ffi;j.fH
;f.fioti"f,T
_T#"""TT^."1i^c::,"9r9,8";.*;freff

:i,ff T?::p:i:cora9awrrenilffff#il:ffi:;
circle of found-ers'*r,rn
*^
*-.tt
r.alLD
ru
tglf
Ing
^--'t!
"ill
vsvLJ,
rrL,yvt:vt:f,

is airead','
alrtrrdl'
n'nt"i^,.^
7L
chr.':'-n:;c
r+

ls

Du.rrteqWlth a desire to
see the vgosnel
-'"r^
--_-rBr\s
J

__.-v4e.

La

l_l^.1

impacr
ontheuniverffi ffd:i'il;iffi i
ffi ;;=;
churchu,-'
or
ffi,,:#:it-::9*:q'::TF;ng
mDact

on

fha

rrnir,

*^.!e-- ^-

-r

q"

6rsctLEr

tried,"
[;il ;lryru:;#i1.,f:,Tfiffif:f
;ill

Brightdeveloped
in Cafip;;e;JaaeJ,* Bevis,
oneof
jh: cuT.pryE\nanserili;d;;;;,,[ii
California
to
trainwith CampuJC..rurud".
ah;k L"eas
" wasactivelv
involvedin

the acrivitt;; ; a";;;

fr*r,g.lir_ at that
time. It appearstharsomeof
tfi;;";niques
he later
introducedat Crossroad,
;luiii
rro*
Campus
Crusade.The chain, therefore,
";.
;;? from Campus

The DisciPlingDilemma

138

Crossroadsto
Crusade to Campus Evangelismto
Boston.
that what
In the late 1960sand early 1970s'it seemed
an authoritarian
was working in campusministry was
camPuses
university
on secular
il;t;;.h. (rrTie scen6
rejecand
lawlessness'
i^bc
^1.a
vYqe vrrv

-v-

rebellion,
anarcnv,
t'r
::---:.

rrr- -'

^^^*^l

+^ 1ro fhp

tnswet

was

using*usades'
:::'".;: t :-*,;; l;'iil i;;;t"i attacks
led
rr'it u"a of environment
;"#; il#tf,'";.;

e;#' ;;g*ri;'an u"a

i1'-,:l':::::l
*1'
!v*r^
Lurqr :TH#:
aggressrvtr
vancgr to adopt

to the Gainesville
stance.Some*tto *utE"quite 91-os9
tk"e
?pP:o?91Ch-":l
work could find no t*f f""* with
the 197As'At that tir"e' the
until we"Iiinto-was
il"..t
"t"a congregaiion trrakir'gman+'conveJtson
Crossroads
forletie1
t" U;;;;tity oiriorida camPusa1$,looking
at that
was
It
convertsfaithful'
*"vt t" t
juan
Fort Lauderdaleshepherds,
tlat the""*
;;
il; "piflut"

wJtrtmanNeese"mfo haveinflu-

[Ti"l"*o","""i

^*noA+ha crnneerouat*ottt' Itwas atthat same time that

:ffi
;;;;it;

(Jack
Crusade
with Campus

ffi#il;;li";

P"ter cilquist, Iol B1au1,etc'; were-breaking

shepl.l*of authoritarian
;ffi;t;in"i, ";;tu"ri" uru"ajnfluences
Pi:bi*I
;i lhese
svrrrv
i#'s#"
urti'
::::
.1
^ ^t-^^-..lll^
rrrn*lz
Ac
fime
i...^^^I.
^6
+hA
i rFITiHsViilC
VVVr.\.
- - -

"Tiiql'l-::i:':ii"'.:;"";;;;il*-ithinthismoveqrlrrtPl

h^rrrnltaf

f::;::::;:"";ii
i,IltrrrL

llrqJ

Lv[

s[

tt tr

ttrllrlvrrv

iarmoredetailthan
"r-ii'J-i"'" with observer'
vr

'----

- - -

provid"edby T-g{tide
;;;'be
-.\,\lhat
mean
aboutdiscipleship?If that term is usedto
and'rccogniz'
u"ing; discipieoiin" Lord lesusChrist is properas
term
the
*Jifi"t He hasall authoritY'ihel
life' If that
oneof many t"t*t tf'J a"tiiib" tnt- Christian
disciterm is used to *1"" the kind of authoritarian

;'**,+:'*::fg*:f
Sfn:fi
frTili;::*'ff
various d.enomrn
In t976' this
Carl Wilso"t uJ"itu is appropriate'
pentecostalau*ror warned'tirat-certainleadersclaim

Rootsof the Modem Discipling Movement

lgg

authgrity that puts them befween Christ

and the
people. He saidthat thesef"uaurstute
control of the
personallives of their membersby giving
;;r;;
orderswith no biblical support at ait. i{e
"il
,fi
tfq neople,of the churches.o"."lu to "J".f"a.a,
the
right to make decjsionsof tife and doctrine clergythe
apart from
the ciear ieachine of scriotu;". ;;-;,,.rr ;dil-*;;"j

todiscifle
buitding
i" ir,..n"r"r,il;il;

.l=lf?i"y
rt
clid in the early church.,zrChurches of Christ need to learn from
religiousg1oupshavealreadyopiri*..d. what other
They tried

u"d r;f.;Jit.
H",lir.ipling-approach
clyist should also

Churches
of

reject this approach.Its d;-;;

calleddisciplesChristiansagai;

Churchesof Christ need.to learn from

,*h1t other religious grorrp, hurru
ujl.?d,{
experienced.They tried the
{rscrprmg approachand rejectedit.
uhurches of Christ shoutrdilso rejeet
this approach.

NOTESFOR
CHAPTERS

,^,lotniiltioj]fi,ff!;y!|;!r:furc'inspirituatDirection(wesrminstes,M
*6#''#r"?iffi:
j'ffi ';'ffi ,*lrrr.isz(GrandRapids,Michigan:

.rrestiil;;r?H
ff;lffi:"',ffo!fi;y^l,rvtny."1ez8).seih,",r..f
ofReligion,
- , edia
volume
u ttl"r voit' rra""iilrji"i,
rs87),pp.g24-926.
n,ll#r;,"11#ri%'rop

Reli$ous
stories
Mark'zsaspivotar
year,,Eternity,

nhePenilulumsaings(van,Texas;sweeter
ThanHoney,1924)
oo:ut"l'[:*t
Barrs,
Shepherds
._sJerram
yld SleE: A_BibIicaI
Vaa of Luding andFollwinp
(uownersGrove,Illinois,tnte.var6ity-rres;:\;;;,"grp.
zs-sz.

The DisciPling Dilemma

140

eBeftvLee Skinner,Dazas(ColoradoSprings,Colorado:Navpress'1986)'
Seeabb: Robert D. Foster, TIle Naaigatot(ColoradoSprings, uoloraco:
1983).
Nawress,
' ';ffi;fr
loumal,November1'
M;;bonald, "Disciple Abusei' Disctpleship
1985'pp,24-28.
-:gni.:n'"ia-q;bedeaux,
I FaundIf (New York Harper &rlow' t977)'
p.776fL
"'tfalrluta E. Plowman, "The DeepeningRift in the CharismaticMove'
-^-+

t' ?Liatioslhr

T;i["""'ff'il;'d#

#th ]ffi; il.kt6i,,i._',*it tooi"iptottP(Plain'

Thdnt Ortoher 10.1975. or." 65-66.

field, New lersey:LogosInternational,1975).

lli-#ftl;3;';

ltranHoney'
sweeter
Proandcon(Yan,To<as:
iscipleship

1974\,pp.78, 48,143.
13Buiss,1974,pp. t7-t3.
rrKili; frrfcpbfubfl edtto, Presence,
Power,and Praise:Doatmentson the
iol"d" 2 (Colegeville, Minnesota:The Llur$cal
cnniiliii'-peniiiti
Press,1980),PP'123'126.
--iiii,U.
Fdi birsonal reasons,john Pooleremovedhimself from the Ft.
fr"aeiaa"bfrepherds, leavingiheir number at five. Poolegenerallyis not
cited with the others.
even
-'ilCn"ii""
to Care(Awt Arbor, Micirigan:Servani
Si*pson, TheChatlenge
tdine
p.
101.
Books,1985),
Publications,
lTSimpson,p. 115.
lsEdwardE. Plowman,"WhateverHappenedto the fesusMovement?"
Chrtsfianity
-'ili;#rlt.ii; Today,Oetobet24, 1975,pp. 45-48'-- ock, rh; N;w Enihiiiastsnnd Wt m'v. 4Y. Doit'g-totte
Cnurctt(Chicago,Illinois: ThomasMoore Press,t982)' P,-127'-. .
e-ntnotic
2oBruceBarroir,If Tou lkally Wantto Eollw lesus(Kentmore'New xorK:
Press,1981).
Partners
'
Ai'il;";Ai'ufu;u,
TheChafismaticMoaenent(Boston:TwanynePub'
lishers, iS89;),pp. 235'?36.
-4c:ajfi4m6a;
witn Cnisi ii tne scnoot
$ DiscipkE ildiiis (ciaidRaPid.'t
Mictrigan:Zondervan,!976), pp. 23-24,

/-TT

A nmFh

vrrf\rlEI(

9
WHKT OTHERRELIGIOT]S
GROUPS
HAVE
TEIIWED ABOAT TT]EDISCj/PLING
a trr\Trfia

tuLvvENtElvl,

V{hathavereligiousleadersfoundobjectionable
and/
or dangerousab6utrhe diil;fidlnovement?
In this

clrapte4, a number

ot obsprvprc urill rra a,,^a^.r ^^ L7_

_,

voicetheirconcerns
;; A.ii ',il,;H:;ffi
movement

ffil

which has transcenaed

baniers.The ma!1ial ir;;d;;generalyaEnomi"auolli
in chronologicalorder to demonstratJthat.
the
criticism
has
been
over.sgveraf
y.u* url'i.ffiil;,"::
.expressed
tionshavebeenconsistent
thioughJ"ttf,i, pliol.r""
Eorly Warnings:Thej.g70s
againstthe abusesof authoritariandisci*,,Y:1*Sr as
eof guess;ci"
flfl8^:ppgar eartyas!9V4.in!974,
r.itc rert&uiuiii Jujtngs wirich
induded

the arirhoritarianisirua"o.utJ by warnings about

wffi;;T
N""":
Thefollowinsveau
pro
ititipleship
andcon
$it"
which warne-d about?lurq
(-^-r^^
the
inflrrpncp.rf'T,,o-

t-t--E-

andwharBues
s calle
d.,neo_-dis;i[r'#i.;;ffi:;fr

was on lune 27, L975,thatput nod"rt

or, publishedhis
Open Letter to Bob M"*f"rd lil;;his
objectionsto
tLre apprgach of the Forr r"J.ia?rl
shepherds as
discussedq the previous.h;d;:l;
N"vemberof that
IeaD Mumford ieolied in a'"CirJu,
explained his views on such mattersLetter,, which
as authority,
141,

The DisciPiingDiiemma

Scripture'and
shepherding,discipleship submission'BobMumford
to
fininces. PatRobertsotttbp"" Letter
found in Volume II oi
and Mumford's tdly';";'b"

;;;r;;;,^ iiiir

ona"rtoi"'Do'u*'ntsonthecharismatic

Renewal.s
rn sentember af.L975,Kathryn Kuhlman expressed
**'^-^--i"""r-- about this nnovementin a speech at
IlEl

LVrrlvrrr

5vv

\z^.r6^d+Ar^,n
f)hiovL.+-'
LLt
I\rlll.lSDlvvv

In
tiris
speech she said,
---

discipleship and
There's a new doctrine called "the
You mav have never
submission movernent. . . ."

so
heardofit berore'iui;;; ;" subtleanddoing ryu1h
it"*",ft". U ,o*"UoJy doesrt'tdo something
1"i:*L",
it is goingto als.olutel{
stopthisrnovement'
il;;;;d
movement'.aestroythe greatcharismatig
snePneru'
t :t :'Ilt"lirl
do they tell lzou to gtte"{our :non:l/-]:
and to "teveal
but to becomeinvived in cell groups
.tro,r,a""p"st thoughts"'I'll tell you onething' Im not

innerthoughts'4
;;ils *i;11-""vui'avmv
p*frt$1-11
r L0, L975,Christianity
On Octobe
?doy

Charismatic
'The Deep"t'ittq Rift in
.the articlewas
this
in
"d.1.-;"
tio"u*u"t."5 The p'oil** iiscussed in her sBegch
iil"ramtair.r.rri"dlv KathrynKuhlman
ot'tii'' Both focusedon authoritarian
;-Y;G**n,
oLrrcae lirz
thp
Fc-rrt
La,uderdale Shepherds'
^v*lrrv
vJ
+j
^

cLlJLlDsD

rzcr^+^rdanf

Tho Fnrt T.aurierdale Shepnercs lssueq ea LrLctrE'rLrrL

ata meetrngrn
of io*..to- and Regret"in Marchof'I976
statementq"oi* in the previous
Oklahoma }ty-i

til'Hl,ffJill|j.l'"::
tt*=,,,---^,
"h"pt*rhisstate_menl:*"Tffi
rest. Warnings confln-iiect aotrut
a-^rr.ramd

il.i'j:;'
d#3;i'"llil::r*#?,::l*.T:l':fr?
marrer rt
connecied with the discipleship/sheptteromg
his warnings
*"r i" iqzOtt ut Carl Wilsonp-uUtiitrgd Clrist in the
a"qlgt1t"1J;i; in his book' with
#t*

-shepherding/disciplelhin.
-i"rltootof DisciPleBuildins''
w11
Wfrifl the idea of
,orrrrirrg rampant throughbut the loosely-structured

What Other Groups Have Learned

l.4g

charismatic movement, the older pentecostal

bodies
such as the Assemblies of
G"J;;J
the pentecostal
Holiness Church already ha;;d'li"es
of organization. The General presbyery
alr"mblies of God
"itii" t|,
position
page"ona,rg,r.t

Wfe,in which

lj^"-lf1,l
urcy LUUIS
a ilfin

stand against this movement.

Lr thds
position_papeq
Ggneral

later pilUun*J- in-tru"t,"r,"*

Proclrtrt^*..
^^:-i
._^y SdidT

'

rha
rrr(:

It is true that many new converts

rook
keep them from error anC to guide to someoneto
them into truth.
Howeve4where the individu"l;;i;;
utoge*,e" on anotherpersonto protecthi* rtomlii"r*,
i," will cease
tg?j:hi"S the Siriptures and f"if
t" au*top his own
ability to withstandfulru ,"u.hi*.I
.*:;,r_. finrt rho
patern for their
of diiipleship;ril;;;
g:gul
""y His
tionship of Jesuswirt-r
gir.ipil;i;-rlur,rng thar this
was done within ludaism befoie
t;;Lgu"
to build
His Church. lnstlaa ,h;t;;;"r1"f,suiaunce
for
churchparterns
r" jl"-o:lr;;il;irils.
.
.
.
Atong
with this thereis a currenttendenry
to dovmgradede_
.mocracyin the church-in furro, oirr.rlirission
to authority. . . . Jesusmust t"pt
JiHe is the great
L:
Shepherdof the sheep..-Th9 "*t
9"f/."r""urr, *u needis
the one sealedin His-blood.z
Errlio.i* tLLlorzZ
.t,
-qrtlLr
!7-' rr, :lrr Eire ApflI

issug

oi Eternitu Rrrccolr T
i'riiiciiscussecithis"o"tiorr.rry;-^:""';;da,
jXil,lJ
:ii
ttl

! i
dt e- t r od^ A

l L: ^

- -

"The SouiWatchers.,,
fn tf,i, urii.f" hl'reported that,,in

,:l'Jtr::t1'Tff

"irl""l**l*l{'::',iiil'vrlynd
bought
uhouse
;h",;;:
;d;il#T, fi:?ffi.j[l
'shepherd."'

He st{gd that'i. . .igm"r,t,

Roman Catholic u"a p.ot"riu",'"iiuirrrratic of both
commu_
nities have been to'e"g by
over
what
has
been labeledthe trrepner'ain!;J*#.,
";;;d;;;J,
He
quored
the
leaderof a RomanC"ti"li;;#ri;;;;i.
commune
who
said, "Life in this community includes
strict rules of

The DisciPiingDilemr'a

LM

aresupigct
submissionon the part of the memberswho and the
leadership
&ecisionsof the
;;h;;;;t.tro,
the individ"ual to whom one is
or
il;il";;J;tt
-submitted'"
in
H. went on'to commenton the autlnoritarianism
ColeRobert
and
Camous Crusade, the Navigators,
He then
::-f:;^Jiho
An,"tur-Plai
of
Eaanselisru.
-t
-'-'ateu
&/vus
tlLcf.ItD
nro.otrte

rI a kev

i#;;;ilt*.
Itil;a;;itiit

obiection

to

"^

this

f.:-,{

i(iiiLi

n(

vt

sr_
qH-

H6said,"one of themarksofthenew
thoug!I'lk""d
r*"aom' EachPerson'

individ*nu"i.uifv with the body, hasthe privilege-of

person is
.. . To dominate a r-edeemed
;;i;;ih.
the new
a"*?u"i"g to him evenin a hu1al:t1:."' In
questionable'"8
is evenmore
t"*""i*it

To dominatea redeemedPersonis
demeaningto him even in a human
sense.In tfie new humanity it is even
more questionable."s
of a
Bv the next year, L977, Michael Harpe4'leader
organization' was
pt-""tigio"s
'J"""ailg fiitistr charisrr'atic

in fhebookt etW !:Yfi:S:y:E

ilisconiern

thatareesPecnlly
iftir fooflne madeseveralarguments
ieLeg4 jof tle piq94 {"dY'
' In rnore recenttimes somecharismaticshavebeengiv-ing evenmore emphasisto what.t\Y call "ciiscipiing"'
New TestaBut what is imporiant to notice is that the
language-to
of
tnenr catefullv avoidsusing this kind
it
t"r"iro"Jipt betileen believers'Instead
i"t*ii"
of
language
the
'
'
usesthe languageoi service' t lf
it will siqnlf
"discipling" is usedin placeof "sewing''
'.'
tyranny'
""r
with
i"piuti"g anarchy
: 9":
u!^" ti"y
is that
advocated
whicir hasieen wiaety
;th"d
' Orttz
'
'
Argentina'
in
adopted bv Juan Carlos Ortiz
terrn
"discipling".from
rot using the
;JhJ;;Jui"
Lg-20... . It Jeemsa strangeway to interil;ith;t8,

What Other Groups llave Learned,

l4S

Pret this command !o say that Jesustells us to make

disciples for ourselv"r.
Th" ;;.r;rciple
relationship is, of course,used frequently-to
describethe
that Jesushud *irh';h;;
tln earth,and,
f91?::t"p
rnererore/can equally
-But describeour relationshipio the
Lord toda_y." . .
it is never i" th; i\i;; Testament

uSed tO deSeribe the -r"pl.atinneh;*-.,L,.1--t-,: . .,

hnwe tnri+l- .Jrrs

^*^ qj.r.Jiite.r.
^-^;;^
. . . it iS Dgst not iO use the
"diSCipiing'" terminolnmr
er q!.
a7t rrvr
I\T^r vruy
^..r,-:^:i r-?,,! ,,
_______oJ
s!
r5 II orpflcllly

unsound but it also inJ-ects

into this ur6uu" authority
factor which is inappropriate.e

Bill Hamons chulch history, TheEternal

Church,was
written from a charismaticlrurrtugu
poirrt.m tni, foof.,
Hamon discussesthe decade
One of rhe
.
issues he crtes is the+ n{ +t o J:---:-!^-!.
'
"f?f.,JigzOs.

controversy.
co"i",#";:fiJ'lfi:Tffiff "nt":1fi:

oSome.
and devefip{-". A;;sfian leadership
pyramid,lauqnt
chain-of-co*-urrd. The pastor became
al_
most a papal leader to those under him.,,
He went on to
observe, "All decisions had to f"
*J" b--,leer{or"chi*

:":"*ilLlndperso,natactivitiesoil;;&;.;ffi;il';

nofpc
lhq*
):
:rvile
uiq.! ttan,*^
Euiiie cisbanded
the weekly united meetin!

of

ll?tgu

cgngregation,
breakingii

"pLt"

smalthouse

fthat
::iTA::1,q""p.rofly."_*p6nco^nclud"r,r,o*,,ui
before tfre ena of the .t9rroq,,*^.;-;:::::"^:-=,:

+:^_^l

n_
uoi:rai {'rffiFffuiil

__ - vv,

Chailsmatie

urvo!

veiopeda balancein doctrineu"a

rrvlt_Llgrrululla-

churches

hna r{+_

:;;;-r:

discipleship,shepher
iting, familyI;i;,'"""1i""
;;- a;;; ;;- i'ri"ui2
ture."Lo

The
diffinrrlfioc
6eE_?
**r*qe*co

tr
^i-^ encouniered
oerii$

and the subse-

gugnt criticisms,however,wereby no meansconfined

to thosein the charismaticmovem6ntiIn
tg4g,BaileyE.

presidenrof theilffi;*
BaptistCon=
,?:r-11,-t":ler
penned his disenchantment

with'the
_Y:lluon,
pling movementin his bookRealEaangelism. d;;;iuu *iot",
"When one
'spiritual allows someoneto shadJw his life as his
leader,and dominatehi, tf,i"f.i"g, he takes
on

The DisciPling Dilemma

the suirks, odditiesand.idiosyncrasiesof his discipler'

a disciplealright-of Tom' He-nry'Bill' or
il;ilmm;s
Harold, but not of J'esus.''He went on to tell aboutone
iuua"t who had producedhundredsof disciples{yt
them had his obvioustheologicalerror'He
;;t";"f
hasbeen
"Their God-givendistinctiveness
1
- !^^ ^-L^l
!^r' *h oi e 1-^rr.rin o r! i scinlef. "l
"onina"a,
qvgvrvvs

someone to shaciow
"When one allows
'spiritual
leader' and
his life as his
takes on the
he
dominate his thinicing,
ouirks, oddities and-idiosyncrasies of
his discipler. He becomes a disciple
Bill, or
alright-of Tom, -He1{,
rt
.
^Cl^^--^
Harold,

Dut nor 0r Jtruub'

In\gTg,MichaelGreendealtwiththediscipleship/
issue in a book on evangelism' FirstThings
rf*pf,"tai"g
-taii:
In his balanced
WhateierHappenedto Eaangel.ismZ
and weakstrengths
bot[
con.ments that reeognized
nessesin the movement, he wrote,
In recentyearsone of the fastestgrowingChri1tia1,11;
ganizationshas been the network of housechurches
the world. . ' ' Partof the strengthof this
-'
ihrouehout
e
, 1
r
- rt-^
--^^r:^^l
^o+inc
r^zhinh
r1,telnrnovemen-t nas Deen IIle Prc!Lr'rLq'-*o:"1? "'**:,-',-l;

arbers show for one anothet not oniy in ffie Praciicai

fairs of life, but in spirituai growth and dev-elopment'
carilrt to utto"g has been this emphasison individual
ine and whit is called "delegJted authority"-(h"11I i
Lord) tnat
ch"ain going up through the pastor to. the
cansomet {ingiangerously akin to authoritarianism
of
value
the
and sometim", aout-tttsue' ' ' ' Part of
(as
beins a Body, part of the value of a shared eldership
i" the New Testament)is to preserve
\rou il*uvtii"a
leader'
tl',titu""" from the vagaries of one individual
We neiedvariety in thoie over u$ in the Lord'lz

What Other Groups ilave Learned

1,42

In April of L9Tg,DavidBreesewroteinMoodyMonthly
to answer the question, ,,Why jorrestowr,?,,
These
wordswerewrittenin thewat"
havinglednearlyonethousa;J;&l;
"?ti.,frockofJimJones
,o'.tffil,"di
It was the deadliest commnnion

carria^ u'l'r'turv'
:* L:^a^,--- ^

\rne

by one*chitdre+,;;;il;:'^;:::l:

jilSl'l*:f i:?Ijl:
a"e"Jryd'il:;ffi"f;l?.'i"1,
commune
at
Jonestown,'e;#.
.: :"iffi;JfiJ:;

Jonestownwere seeking'"" ;til;ty'ngo*"

someone
who would do their tt,Inki"g f;r.i#
and to whom
they could surrenderth"i" *fir.-. .
. O"fyl"r"s Christ
d_eserves
disciples. S.t19ngi;a"rr, If
speakers,
" personalitieiafl
commanding
.u" !*ity""",U..f*" *"1
diators of oui faith. Even ;;;;;*iDteshin,,
nrngrams.are-suspiciouslycultic.
lesus ChriJi, ;t" ;;;
one who has earneditre rigrrito
Q '- -- b";h;6"".t';f
#l
faith.l3

_.Jate1in1979,Duyd L. Watermanwrotean articleon

"The

(--^-.-:-anrl 4!ev*r6
Foa.|i- c n
vr \rtlrwrrlg

Care

^a
Lnflsflans,,

which
waspublishedin the SeptemUer
issileof Eternity.lntilis
'
ariiciehe warned,

Christiansseemto b9 sproutingsome
new terms_
phiasgs

like

mrtlfirrlida+i^-

"norcn-

*-^^^^^

tt 'r- -

^t ^^^A-u:,,

,r r.

""

v+r vrrv'

&rrE

*'o t'Yru 16-relatlonshrPs/ "

r"piiit""if;;;;il: "
*{"gi 1ndeven
3fl11":l
31
Arogi.in aiG*"ti"il"r,.;r
s,::lg_:{

"sni"ii,, ;t ;^;-t"*":;,"]"

Yi:l:

gT:l?*:'f
4:qrLr,.vur

rylr

:g::of ,theirdifferentbr""J_;;;;i;
persrsrenuy
growtng revolution
in inter_

ff::1111"_trqon;hipsciGa,,di#iptesh-i;7t;#;;_
:l:'^1"::-1p"fi,":La'disciplee,;-a-"p"'i'ii"sonyour
in Chrisi ;h:;;'y#

::q:*^:* l{urity
_ana
relationship
to someone else.la

;;,i;i"

Then Waterman quotes Chuck Miller

who said,

TheDisciPlingDilemma

1&8

Discipleshipis not "running P-elPlethrough a machine

;Ai;;dding xerox"opi6i"JbomanvP::!]:11".
ot
seen^disciplingas putting PeoPleon a conveyorbelt

an? afier sJirany weeks or months or

*tJii""*,
at the far
;;;;; havi;f tn"ot go off the-conveyorbelt
ffi *tth uiig "D' s-tar'pedon their foreheadsmeanlnq

. 1- a tt rL^^^
"cllsclplecr.
rrlubs

-.i^
^^*o
Yvrrv !v[rv

nfi +ha

"nnvevor

bglt

ia"nticai. Tiris ceriainiydisagreeswith Scrip-

*8..o
iure.15

He then concluded with thie exPlanation,

Where does all this talk about "spiritual'-p-arenthood
can
and reproduction come from anyway?Well' you
Navthe
of
credit the lateDawsonE. Trotman,founder
qenefafiOn.
-

lgatoIs,

. -,- --- ^^L

f,IluDL
Ior

^r :+ 6s loocl
lJr rr7 4r rLqor

in
4r

nrrn

. . .

i9
What most PeoPlemean by discipleslig !-oday
of
oJhittg *ote ttt# ttt" post-r'varconcept "follow-up"
in newwineskins.l6

In October of.1g7g,RonaldM' Enroth' a sociologist'

*;;i. i"; lunity about "The PowerAbusers'" ir this
;td;; he takedabout the dependencyneedsof-m1ny
people in our rapidly changrng and often confusing
aui'"iia. Such pe6ple, he siia, are attractedto
leadcharged'
"The
thoritarian*orr"*urris." He then
ers

ol

many

a r-^^^
^^-a-inrrckz
or Ifi.eEie 5rt',l.I.PD Lvrrovrvwv

fnqfer
-";--;

an
---

oiileiunhealthy form of clepenciency,spirituaiiy-anci

obedience
anci
submission
of
*it", fo.irting on themes
to those in aJthority." He then obsewed,
h9y
The so-calledshepherdingmovemente{er.nPfifi9s
disunijY
well-intentioned bhristian leaders can bring
the
to tfr" Uoayof Christ and unanticipatedbondageto
a
how
Perindividuafbetevers. It is a demonstrationof
'.' '
go
alvry'
can
authority
like
concept
biblical
fectly
obeThe religious autociattakes,pleasureinrequiring
dience a"ndsubordination' His style of leadershipcan
be describedas narcissistic'His message.isso-1n!ertwined with his own personaliw (andhis fearof beine

WhatOtherGroupsHaveLearned,

L4g

weak) that he easil;rconcludesthat anyone who

disagreeswith him-who is not loyal to him_is
in consort with the Adversary.rz

TheWarningsContinue:Thej.gil}s
Tn 19RO
l?an+ax
r!,-.^^r4JDurr wrore a pooKlet entiiled,
--irxcuse
oo_L--.,:."i, y:",6=
ior Abuse: An Examination of Hear_n_r-H.arrderf
'rsrrsLs
Arr*}'^*ir-.
n^-L-!-.\qurvrr.LJ
uuurflnes.-- InLs pooklet begins by quotine

oneof themodernauthoritarians
whoJ"ia,;it fr"i""fi
w-howiii sianciontheirireuasffi;;tt
:*-1,Tif^._i?i",
*,truf:p"rely

becauseyou tell thern to, and neverjsk

He
then
yny:'
goeson to discusssomeof the issues
mvolved,
Todgy,subrnissioncan.meanthe unqualified yielding
to the one(s)in authority over you. Iir submissio";;;
rh"pherding, discipleship,una .orr"ring,
y:llir_T
nght and wrong are apparentlyno longer detennine"d
by the merits of the act. That is, the intrinsic righfness
Of WTOnqneSSof anacf

/ e n i n A o a A Iri a + lrts
L^7:-LL^t^^sr'
\vv

,EV6eu

UEIrL

uI

\r(rqs

to rhose
torai"gir,i,
.Y::]t::,ylof
3riSaryconcein
.rrevr.I(ather, obedience
to

the one in authori# re_

gardlessof the requestor considerafion,
i, ;iil;;iriportance. . . . Under this falsedefinition of ,,authority,"right is determinedsolelyby obedienceor
su-bmisve- li ie

rhat if the authority misdirectsits ,,sub:oT.:lgud

jects,'the auihoriiy wiii be hda;.*"table
and not
the subjectwho oblys, evenif and when the
act is ob_
*uslf (from a bibtical srandard)wrong. . .-. it-";;tion that we,re responsibleonly to orir ,,superiors,,
!3n9 F*"Uy absotvedfrom resp6nsibilityto iod) and

havetdans*u,io CJiJi*,
lh1 tlgy wilt somehow

is totallyforeignto Scripture.rs

ThefalsepositionwhichBrysonisrefutinghasa similar
sound to the defense foi the Nazi le"adersat
the
Nuremburg Trialsjust after World War II. Evenhuman
corrrts of law will not allow one to be considereJ

The DisciPling Dilemma

150

innocentwhen wrongdoing is practiced"just because

-i"1g8f haPPensto saYso"'
-someone
in
, Giorge Mallonecontinuedthesewarnings
He noted that'
his book Furnai of Renewal.
Tnthe last few v.ears.'both charismaticand evangelical
churcheshave'beensplit over the "sheph*ding cont".,rr"t"r-" Tnits extrenie,it is exiortionand dor'ination
variety. . - . The movementhas created
irt"i"iti
"f
by its failure to understand the qotentail sin;i;
fulness of leadershipwithin the church' it is oniy one
t*un tt.p from "paitoral leadershipto spititual domination" ind from "biblical submissionto communitarian subservience."What is true of Lord Acton's
ptttut. in politics is also true in religion' "Al1 power
tends to corrupt and absolutepower corrupis absoi"i"iy." . . . Contrary to what we wgfd like to believe'
eldeis, pastorsand ieacons are not in a chain of comi hierarchicalpyramid, which puts them under
;il;
e#;i ut a ou"t the cirurch' The leadersof a biblical
church are simply membersof the body of Christ'le
Th4t same yeart.198'!',Steve C-olemanpublished^a

your Cbver'ing?"
truci eniiiied"'Ciiristian, Who l3
i*fi.t, Colemanhad lived in a "submittedhogse"in
of
a,.retin,Tpxas.In-th-etraet,.he d'ealswith the theology
_:,^
_-_.-:fl
"correrhg=" F[e denies

nUOuIr,

offer a-toiementfor sins which one might commit'.tle

utgrt"t tnut only the blood of Christ is ableto propitiate
urid utorr.. This comesto the believerthrough faith' not
througn

oDeymg

yuur

-^--^-:-^

uuvtrrrrS'

l-^lamqn

vvrL*rsrr

ciatpq
sr*rvY'

It shouldbe apparentwhy theShepherdingMovement

is in such erioi: it has applied to men what rightfully
;"iltg; to God. Instead6f sayingtfe Lord is the covercovering'Whtt
ffi #ciaims that shepherds1t*h:
strengthand
for
God
trust
thE'giUt" sayspeopleian
that a man
says
Movement
guidance,the Shepherding
Shepheraingi,tloyg.neg
the
i", ,t"."rrury too. In short,
castsdoubi on God's ability to carefor the Christian''"

What Other Groups Have Learned

151

_.-D"qtng1983and L984,Ralph Mahoney,who edits

WorldMap Digest,publisheda seriesof five articleson
"The Use and the Abuse of Authority.,,Mahoneyde_
scribeshimself as ,,charismatic,penticostal,urrd fundamentalin orientation.,,fn his first articlehe states,
I catry grav.e concerns abcut fh-- !fi.^.^* na*^ al.^*j-

rr,aticielchers' conceptshave o' tir#?i;#!:":)i'

I".
Teachingon submissionhas been developuiity f"if,
Protestantand Catholic groups which go fa, beyond
the scriptural conceptof submissiontaug:htin the New
Testament.. . . God-sSoverignAuthoiity, the Scrip_
fures' Veracious,Authority, and the Authority of our
Conscienceare higher than any man, regardlessof his
office or title. No one on the-faceof tlie earth has a
Gori-givenrigllJg commandyou to disobeyyour con_
science,your Bible or your God. Theseaie all above
any human office or authority-be it Church, state,or
. otherwise.2l
In Mahoney's fifth and- Ia-st article- he qi*.rpeninp

examples
from theBibleof those*rr" air"U""'y"j,*rin

proper and good reaqo4,somoflewho had,,authoritvl,

over them
In 1984, M. Thomas Starkes, a Southern Baptist
write4- d_ealtwith the ne,,arcult cf neo-authoritarianism
in his book Confrontins C,,ttt_ OU" o"na.t'tnr,. g*r..pee
discussed this n'ew cuit asair.,"t rho t'""i;;;^-;;;;
-**'vr
vr L*v
Book of Galatians. H" ;;#;;Jt#;
In the 1980sa new ,,cult,,has arisenwithin mainline
Christianitywhich expresses
itselfin variousformsbut
may best be called"Neo-Authoritarianism.,,
This new
"cttlt" is of no lessimportancethan it wasin the daysof
Paul's letter to the Galatiansin which he wiste:
"Freedomis what we have-Christ has set us free!
Stand,then, as free men, and do not allow vourselves
to becomeslavesagain. . , ., \n his day, the legalists
were jewish men who promotedcircumcisionof ttre

The DisciPling Dilemma

152

flesh as a way to please God. In the L980s,the new

legalisis promote submission of the human spirit in the
name of Christian discipleship. The issue is not dead.
Galatians still stands as a flagship surrounded by an
enemy armada.seeking to ro6 befteversof freedom in
Chrict

22

lpava
JveBv'

AStuay
In1982,JoyceThurmanwroteNeus-wineskins:
tI

Al

xne nguse vnurcn,

Dne qlq researcn unqer

6a

,lil

- ---,---l-

--,-

l-,-

d--

[Ire

guidance of Professor Walter J. Hollenweger of the

University of Birmingham, England. Her master's
thesis is on the house church movement in Great
Britain. Those of whom she writes are charismatic,and
they have had contact with the Fort Lauderdale Shepherds at the time when these leadersstill advocatedthe
full program of thoroughgoing discipleship. Interestingly, the house churches of which Thurman writes
see themselves as nondenominational and sometimes
use the term "Restoration Movement" to describe
themselves. One chain of churches within these house
r

Ir

--r1arvesume" cnurcfies. DrrerePurrs

attTr

cnurcnes are calec|.

tt

-1

-,,--1-

--

Ol-^

that in thesechurches,young coupleshaveto seekthe

permissionof the Eldersbeforethey becomeengaged'
Shecommentsthat "one very dangerbusareaseemsto
be the threat to individuality, which is seen in the
Eve+ygersonaiwish has ts be
I{a+vestjm.eeh+r+ehest

. r ,

DLlUlluLLElr

l r

Lrgl\Jrg

' 1

r l

Lr[t

!.L('lErD

rt,r

a a

clyyrvval

f , , ,

uErulE

! r , ^ - ^ t , -

al Lqrr

v5

acied upon.'/23
Another British writer, David Watson, was a charismatic leader and an advocate of discipleship but he
wrote words of caution tn1982. He said,
I haveseenChristianswhooncewererelaxedand radiant, looking cowed,anxious,and fearful again,becausethey havecomeinto the bondageof strict hurnan
shepherding.. . . If you show signsof thinking for
yourselfor personalinitiative,there will be a major
confrontation.Only as you conform will the fragile security of your submissiverelationshipswith other

What Other Groups Have Learned

153
Christians remain intact. . . . Dominant
shepherding
inevitably becomes divisive. . . U"f";i;nate
empha_
sis on.shepherding, discipling and submission
have
peen the causeof shqrp
controversy within the charis_
matic renewal (in particular) in diiferent
parts of the
world.2a

if you show sisns of thinL;r. o (+-

y.ouiself p";;;;ffi;#:ri;"

"' confrcntation.Onlv as
will be a maior
you conform wilI the-fragilesecuriiyof
ylur submissiverelationshipswiih
other Christiansremain i"ti.t. . .-.
extensivelyon disci_
,A: PoId Ll1te+]r. has written
In1982,he wrote ,,A TheologicalEvaluation
plgrnry.
of
-'Christ
Model, Disciple-Makirg.,,nr it ne obse"uea,
reasonthat thepresupposed
;;.:::1lt:t}l
vruror qrlL4 rr.rtr *"Tr.es
rwelve-.

model

rs valid,

. . . In scan_

ning the works on discipling that I could

nna wnicfr
*pl:y the Gospelsas-theL Scripturalbase,
I was
in"y
:trl:k by the "cafeted,a',
Th"y
.approach
"pick and choose,'certain practicesoi y"r.r,
"Ufir"a.
and the

Twelve as directlv
lusrF'rerely

fn-

(,veilooK others accord-inE

to their "tzer'.r'

*,:::f:,t_Y-1"Tq.i1ttre1v.1rl.i"'aiJi'=;;;it
sud#o;;i;'Pfi#Hi:
ye{t thev
:i:i1T1?lYhY
ritull sacrifices?
Why aren,t

,T19:i,-"lt:lnp
leavrng
theif iObS and families

ihey still

fn nh-r,oi.ot1t, 'tt^ll^_.,tr

:*,'j:11':'f
d_"1"3'.therwelve-Jiir'oriri#;i"#"
rneu-t;ospels
model.selio-usly,
why aren,t

they invest_
ing the sameamount of time in ** JirJpff.g
pro."r,
that Jesusand the tu:yu did? In tnut iigur+
Leory
EimshasestimatedthatJesus,p"rrtsom"-iS,OOO
hours
r*
He_goeson to sayrhat evenin deeply
illl
Y:1""..
comljttl{ discipleship progranis today it
would take
rouSlly 36 yearsto log that much time. Do
you know
any discipleship groups that are ,,playing
iair" with

The DisciPling Dilemma

154

these figures and these practices?' . ' If JesusChrist is

to be th*eclassicmodel for the "discipleq," the human
discipler is even doomed to mediocrity in comparison
to Christ. . . . But if we attempt to employ the Gospels
model, we will almost completely migs the overwhelmi:rg topic which fills Acts and the Epistles' ' ' ' The mais adhered
ioipoint here is thai, if the Gospeis-rrioriel
the disciin
church
the
io, ih"tu is no obvious neeci for
iriu'ol""ed
iridiv-iduals
piit g pto."ss. i have even heard
I be
should
i" tff" discipleship movement say, "Why
just
I'm
wasn't'
involved ininstitutional religion? Jesus
discia
small-group
in
following His example by being
pling sitiation." . .-. Howener, that attitude is exactly
ihe 6pposite of the apostolic example seeh in Acts'
When iliscipling was tiking place, it is qlear that it was
^t-..^.,^D ,'+la
nanravt
!vrrlv^!
lI(E
Ul

dlwqv

^f n lnnal chrrrch

or church

nlantI

. . . It is my sincerehope-that
i"g (t.g. Acts14:21-23).
th6 claiification attemptedby this citique and alternative model will resuit in the further building up of
Christfschurch (Matt. 16:L8)'This will happen,h-oveveq only if the post-resurrectionmodel is applied
With the Same enefgy

- l
---1
-al^^
f^..lr.,
arKr zear i{lt ure raur/

nsarrJsr yreY
"as

elant "Christ Mode1."25

What finally becomes of people trampled and mangled by a juggernaut aPPl?1* t9.evan8elis9, discil^-l^
wllL,

.in err*'hn:.if;r"i:n
^i.^ ao1o,,--o.{
sqrrrv^^r*^-"-'
ur
uqotq

6ug

sr"n!!ns? It
not tOO
- - is
--

o----r--

eariy for Chrristiancounselorstc ^beSrn^frepginSf91

those wounded by authoritarianism' Gene Edwards

appears to have such a mini,qtry among certain ones
trurt bv authoritarianism. His bodk t ettersto a Deaastated
Christian would be useful for anyone who wishes to
know the bitter fruits of authoritarianism' Edwards
writes his book in the format of a series of letters to a
young man. In the third letter, Edwards deatrswith the
qourtlot, "Could you assessthe result of the damage
t^hathas come out of the present authoritarian'movement?" Edwards answeti this question with eight
:
impressions.

What Other Groups Have Learned

1S5

-Ioy"S
ryen and young wemen learnedhow to rebuke and criticizeone anotherwhen they werein an
authoritarianmovement.This is somethingno one
should learn well. Sometimesrebukegets-tobe an
almost savagethinq. Christians,
yo""l
g1ul, grght not to do such things"rp"?iuffy
to one another.
-Prirlo;n
-.r
h^^^l^,^
L^^--r-.riiie rn peopie-snearts was appeaiecito, cuitivated,

rrra+a-^.J

vvqrsls(I,
*Men
and

^-

t-

,t'a.

culq fgfullzeq.
t^;Omeur'Iln

!o& &L-^--- ::-

hope
in il ;h;;#;:ffi:,ft"J,,THiffi
:l
workers.""*
That is doubly fra_gic.Ifyou lose trust in

!hri.1!iang,yoriirave absolulelyno*hur" to go.

-Families
divided-splits, sepaiations,divorcEs.
-Christians lost-or nev,ergbt
a chanceto fa/-f,ofa
of-the wondrous, unshacf,lingexperienceoi ttUrrty
in Christ.
-Fear and confusionbecamethe
order of the day.
-Young men and young women
who might have
grown up-and grown old_serving thJlord
as
workers were ruined . . . forever.
-Across our land have grown
up little pocketsof
Christians who erp hirre' o-.{ .i;*=.

seem
tobeabre,f
il;' ;T""ffi,',i"'i
T[i5?h,:
iil

anotheq and fraternize together:1fite gtur"d_eyJ

beingsin Danie,stnfernojioreuu, ai"irig on nijtrt_
mares/partakingof mutual cynicismind hJpeIessness.Thatisthe saddestof iII scenes.. . . There
appeaisto be an ahost tOFlciisregard_bythe
ieaci.l:r" groups-of rhe mouniinganAappatting
::t^:1
ctestruction
resultingfrom authoritarianism.2?

There appearsto be an almosttotal

disregard-by the leadersin these
gloups-of the mounting and
appalling destructionresuld;g from
authoritarianism.26
churches of Christ cannotbe brind to the bitter fruit
everywherevisible from authoritarianism.Impressive
numericalresultsmust not closeour eyesto tfr* huuy

156

The DisciPling Dilemma

tollpaid by other SrouPswhieh have employedthese

authoritariinmethods.Wemust oPenour eyesto these
put it, "Thosewho
lessonsfrom the past.As Santayana
disregardthe past arebound to repeatit."
9
CHAPTER
FO-R
N.O?ES
lBob Buess,ThePendulumSwings(YAn,Texas:SweeterThan iioney;
pp. ll-13.
L974\,
-intil'io.tt,
Proand Con(Yxt, Texas:SweeterThan Honey'
Discipteship
797$,
--i(iUi"p.143.
on theCharis'
Documents
Praise:
Pouter,
fuf.powell (editor),Presence,
Press'
The
Liturgical
Minnesota:
(eoflegeville,
II
Votume
nattc iimintat,
pp. L16-t47'
1980),
--nd*idS".Li"$'ram,
Daugfiterof Destiny(Plainfield,New jersey: Logos'
1976),pp.286'287.
sEd'*ird E. Plowman,"The DeepenineRift in the CharismaticMove-

^"it,;
---;G.r

; &"ttiiiW maoy,
o"toar,1Q't2zi'-ppt
Qs'10.

wlror,, viittr Ct rist in the Schoolof Diiciple Building (Grand Rapids'

-Michigan: Zondervan, L976), pp. 23-24.
i;f.t're Discipleship and Sirbmission Movement"-a .position paper
adopted on Arisust fi,1976, by the General Presbytery of the Assemb[es
Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1976)'Available to
of dod (Sprinefield,
'tr*i

Mygy:ft ' pp.!-]!' ^ .

nndSubmisiion
form, TheDiscipleship
';;tt.-il
tn"rr.u i.-fritt, "The So',ilWa'.ches,"Eternity,Apnl, L976,pp' !2-15' 34'
--iMichael
36.
Harper, Let My PeopleGrow(Plainfield, New lersey: Logos'
pp. 7+75, l5L'153.
1977),
loBili i-Iamon.,TheEternalChurch(Phoetrx, Arizona: ChristianInterna'
Publishers,t982), pp. 286'287.
tional
'Broadman
(Nashville,Tennessee:
tie"ir;y- E. s; ith, Fieit'Ettangeh'sn
,---rnrni
-lry FQ
(Nashvile,
lennessee: ursclpresnrp l{esources, LatT)' yy' rt-ro'
'
Aprtl,1979'
;t;;6ree*,'lwhy]oneitowt:f<"Mood4Monthly,d{pitl,1979'pp'42-43'.
ianrt" 8".""e. "whv Toneitowrt?" Moodtl Monthlv,

laDavid L, Waterman,"The Care and Feedingof Growing Christians,"

1979,P. 17,
Eternity,September,
rslbid., p. 18.
16-t-biti.,
p. L9.
Bettiio"lf[ frA.Entoth, "The PowerAbusers:When Follow-the-Leader
pp'
?'3,ff'
L979'
October,
Eternity,
Game,"
co*.t u Dangerous
lSGeorseBivson, "Excusefor Abuse:An Examinationof Fleavy-Handeq
Edition2,-L980'y;.l'7'
Special
--b-C;;r's"
e*frotiiibodttmes," TheWord'Renaml:
for Today,
A'Vsion fot theChurch(Downers
M"llone,, Eurnaccof
Grove,
-losi!* finois: InterVarsityPress,1'98L),
PP'-F 89'
Pry
eoi"**, "A chhstian Loot at tirb snepnerdingMov-ement,'l
sonalFreedomOutreaeh,April-June, 1983,later published as a tract'
'
"Christian, Who Is Your Covering?"

What Other Groups Have Learned

"The U;e and A]-use of

part

y{s7Jfl

Authority
, .21$fRh-Mg-[oley,
Ons,,!
MW-Pisgt,
te13-1e84.
ngveprgllDlc.*1.q,reil$pp 7,8, Lr.
2M. Thomas
Starkes,
confronting
C;n;;ai;;;'rt;* (chittanooga,
Ten_

nessee:AMG, 1984),pp.I2iff.
ze.Jolge
Thurman, Niut Wneskins:
A Studyof theHouseChureh(fua.n-kfirt-:
-.
u*lg rSi"t l-ang, re}2), pp. eeff.
and Committed.:
Worlil ChanginpDiscipleshio
._.zaDavid
_Watson,CaUed'

r**:.:^t,jl1il'l.".:'-,,T*.pl*l!1l".,blihq;;;irCp;."i:;i.'"u'rv'P'co"tv
':F:X:X:::?:on orcrtist Model'Disciplee",r.k ;:l ii'g;'"'iii i",iliff
..zeqerierqry-!i,;rttu";,b;;:;i;fA';hi;;;;,ric';;1:..cariromia:chris_

uan DooKs, I9Eg), pp. lo_LL

A SELECTANNOTATEDBIBIIOGRAPHY OF
MATERIALSGENERALLYUNFAVORABLETO
DISCFLING TACTICS
MO'ERN AI.IrHORITA
bYDon Vinzant
PrePared
Adams,JayE. "Discipling,Counselingand ChurchDiscipline,"Thelournal
of PasioialPractice,volime VII, no. 3 (1984).
im, u.ti.tu is a revision:ofAdamd speechin 1983,to The NationalA$-sowith bibiicaiand-pragmatic-conciationof Nouthetic counselors,He <i-eais
stdela8ons

qrscrPrne. -

oI cnurcn

n:^-:-l:-^:-:-^^-a+irra

uNuPurE

rD rrrysr4uvL'

T+ ia

nno

nf

fhP

m-arks of the true ctrurch'

Adams' approach to counseling involves the use of confrontation' The
Goiiroady'S'oston Movement hai used his basic book on counseling as a
textbook in their discipling activities.
In this article, Adanis m-akesit plain that he is not infavot of one Person
dominatins another nor trying tofollow and become like some contemPorarv teachEr-it is rather "becoming like ]esus Christ" (P' 19)'
,,The Biblical coqcept of Discipleship as Education
Alco*, wallace Arthur.
for Ministrv.,, Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy in the school ot Hducation, Neiv YorkUniversity, 197!t
^- tL^ -viu
^rr
A fuIl{eneth work, }il pages, Aicom's cirssertauon oraw-s o-n riie
interesting
some
He
offers
Testament, Xs well as the irle-W for insights.
questions about contemporary seminar! education in the light of discirileship
'-A1;5d principles extractedfrom Scripture.
*tgests that it might,prove worthwhile to study P"tt?"11'11
tvpes with r-eference to some who might have a tendency-toJIald,oYe,rdebendencV. Further, he questions whether some might seek clrsclPlesluP
foi personat security. He wonders if there might-be a-way lq Predirt $rch
pot6ntial problems and initiate methods to avoict such Proorems' \P' rzc'
no. 1).
This work deserves a wider circulatiort.
Barron, Bruce. If You lkaUy Want To FoIIout/eszs. Kentmore, N'Y': Partners

Press,1981.
a f,iiJ-ttitti"s studv of "covenant community"i Barron looks most
ecumenical,
,r"iv ut Work 5f Chn'!t, a closelyco-ordinatedcommu-nity.,
yet Kornan Latnolc,ln
lnese

lntenuonal

onenrasun,

commurufrss

lucaleq Ir Lq
-^i-^

rrld^t

-..^L

^4
lrruLrr ur

trines. Thev appearto havebeeninfluencedby some the earlier teadrinss of didcirjliship/shepherdingas taught in NearWine and the Bob
Mimford teain qutbf Fort Lauderdale.
of kgdtng andFollowing'
andShetp:A Biblical-Vielp
Barrs, Jerram.Shephods
Do#ners Grove, Il1.:InterVarsityPress,1983.
mot ro" tnos"'wishing to makea detailedstudy of this
G ilt$;;itt
subiect.CliapterThreeon "SomeDangeiAteas," (pp'S?'9D'is much to
theboint in iis wamingson modern authoritarianismand alsothe modern
arrdgationof the title %Postles"'
change
HwttPeople
Bolt. Martin and David G. Myers. ThqHumayConnection:
Grove,Ill.: InterVarsityPress,1984'
Peovle,Downers
somehalf a dozentechniques
Boltsugg6sts
in ihupt". ttine, (pp. 95-107),
to help irrevent';sidupthint." Groupthink occurswhen dissentis supgroup hatmotry.Hard analysisand critical
p..*Ja'i" oia". io
"rihun."
bolt loriudgrng of pros and consis short-circuitedto sustainconsensus.
L58

A SelectAnnotatedBibiiographyof Materials

159
lowsa receintstudvbv Irving.L.Janis-orrthe victlns
*'
of groupthink.The
.":hTgl:r to prev6nt'gro"pfii"k';;;-th";*'
..
everymemberto express
doubrsandarriculate
his
ffilff:*:"urages
2. sub-divide
grgyp
andhavedifferentpersons
large
chairthesessions
_ lhen comebacl ila irtu**u, o"t;h;'ffii;.t;."r.
p-rese"ii"roi*.tio" *a chauense.
ideas.
l: i"i%llr?rr,j;,leexperts.to
5. Ar eachmeetins.
l^'t':l:l* .o'glpEd"ti;;;.
":i"-:1T,H::Y:':i"":
_.!,Haveu"'..o",i1r.,i"E.;;ilil;ffi
#'j::,fi -:1""::y-::g::L"
tt,crossroadsnoston
employed
these"techni;*r'A;,i. .d.T,IriHlTIl;
,lWty
tt:.,n
|onestown?-.Mo
odyMonthly,Apnl,t979, pp. 42_4g.
Brief,P*.
burquiterhoueht-provoking
dd;Jti3;;railets
' t"
whirh-could
oc_
curio Bosron
ur,tess
piecuitio";;8;;5;""J.
Brown, Dale w. understandingpieflsz.
Grand
---'- -*r'*
Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans
Publishing Companu 19281
A recent Fook inloribrating research
done for a doctorar dissertation on
Pietism,Brownsoesd.t

t9 rllr-ipene;ffi;.

ii i*n.ke (whomhecalls

,r*i::ll{,rj:i:"'::U"f yi1oitr,i,ie3lnri;;i..'d;r,vrrcarspierism.,oneo

ff";;i:iifiHl"r"H:ffi;il's,1:i::;1,"H***'fr
:{f;:$*i:T
A careful look at pietism's practicesand

negativetendenciesproduces an
uner<pected
foreshadowing
"^.
df somedtilpn;?;;rk;;G
d;ri;;;;:

Brysorl George. ,,ExcuseforAbuse,

An Exam]nadonof Heavy_handedAu-

ljlS:,'sT,:%;#,y!{:,1{"?!:!*j;::i:;[i:::r:,

ffi
aposttes'Herurtheriemma.i'i'i."a"'!'fi
;iii#3?iiHe'J::'r:T-iX{

ugeryryrrgs
,,Farfrom
to ti;
:"^*1",1q:,-!*.rather.!o
unoermmlng spiritual authority, this-4efinitionfr";i:H" says,

;H#fff;f:lf
ti.f;;.

, - .-i; *,i.n *sr.-"ii".tiul

rorsooa
inanttr"l'irau
lorr,v""u'"*,.r i'ir-ttiiiit'J"

uoo. Disiipleship:pro anil Con. yan, Tixas:

SweeterThan Honey,

D-^^_

ir''ress;an East fxataharismttiatastotE

-v-rhn

the first Dersnn T harra{nr*r

-. c+::-,i^
+L,'rr.v DvurrqD
ure alarm
about the dangers
----o--- in ,,neO_d-iScipleShip,, Or diC_
tatorial submission teachings.

C{e+:r& RichardD. ,,S9 N9w Tes_tament

Doctrine
sertarionfor Doctorof Theology,cr"a; Th.;di;"I of Discipleshio.,,DisS;*i"irv i {fl.^"
theNew

Testameni'evid""."
li-ui8t ii,i".itliil#;;'or", !gokilg_3,
duces
a 278pasedisserration.which
attempG
t"i."r *iii, *;iJt.;i i'J:
ness.calen6er:s
norices._
artr," uu6n"i"f,Jr rrrJ,lrJi,'d#;i,l;Tfi;
;aiffiriifi;*1r""
dissertation
was"written,'losr,
;rr,iuboleth,,
whichall
evangericars
were to utter repeatedt'b;-wiicii?ei

couradefinebibrically.
calenberg-concludes
titutitr. tutri'air.iprJis'uts.nt rro* *,e New
.
Te6tament
Epistlesbecause
of whattheterm-wiJai#"".oo,,oted in theGreek
world and becausethe relationshipt4;l#ui",r",
u'd his Lord was
bettercommunicated
with terms huring the ail;r.h Age. His concrusiorL
further is that upon sa"ingfai*r oneii.?.*"#iiripre
in a generalsense
o"9

*'fi{th" J;.iilo*ffi#*

T*:T:gl*gr
quuements
for true discipleship.

totheshinsent
re-

The DisciPlingDilemma

160

Movement'"PerSteve."A ChristianLookat the-9llePheJ*llg

olema&
*;;;l
vol' 3, no. 2' April{une' L983'
F";a*, aufieach,
uscJi"*; rinasttle "ioverinS"dochinewhirhtells
;;fi;ffi;*;rtut,
tuu.t'i"! of his disciplerto be
i"
thffi;ci;'dtrapi"
"u."y doctriieareuesthit if one's
"dil;li;ii{y tor"-tii's
;;"fr;iy ;;fi.;;i ttuorogiLitylTh"
is coyere{
disciplerqavehiman..ro"-"iJt .o-**""a to"oUey-thedlsciple
is
discipler
rhe
his'covering'
-"r"t
ilplilii';ffiit-"t"
#i:"#;;'i;.'iil

iluri'""17o""'-iuiJo'dft
+;*;t99**T1c"tgf
ll,:1:g:l9Y,H
Christ and His sacntlce as tne oruy urul6 uraLsq.
undercuis, theologically,

atonefor sin.

" * - --r
"T:i-T#;l#i;';i;"i;;\Z;{k;
i;;i,of20years
1-.3"oilfooli"foi +ep"g"t i" whictrthisveteranmissionary
, ^^-,,.'--^1 t*^-^

^r +r,o rJionirrhirol DiscfuIeshio Mooement.

ol i"o'a-e* discipleshipbackto Robertcolemarh lhe

t"il;;-;1;;d*,r.n
;i;';;;"Pt';"iE;;;;;i;;';;i-iolu"i.i*6tos.ortiz'catttoDiscipteship' and led
"deceived
Davisonconcludes*rat sJmi "itii"-a"ttgtt 9f lging
'suicess is moreimpornulmerical
astrav.,,They are, ". . . td;io;,thom
irtot. *r-to ;;eintriguea by h-uma1theoriesand doctrines'
;#t i#i;ith,
being tila -tt"t"t" do iather-than acceptinstheir own
;h;;;d;t.f.r

il;il;tuitiy;ft

A;;?;i;d;;&erciseauthoritvoveioth6rs"'(p'40)'

5is#ii id6;i

*;t<oo^tt"irj.ii""t*gt' s.titelthit in 1e80'

p.tfurrUuosi, Don. TheDisciplingMoaemmtAmongChutclesof ehrtfi' pl:'

vatetracI. Neosho,Missouri, 1986'
*r,i.r, t L.J irl"a of rhe influencetowardmodem disciffi;l;,rdi
(see
pl;;hi; t" nob,JrtCotemii" int MasterPl1nof Eaanrelism' chapter
200
some

I{"
weret olroiuaujt thismoverientof moderndiscipl:tFe'
consregations
;b"gr."i"nd", ii *or. +hart22stateshavesuffereddivision
#Lil;ilt#
of it. (p. 8).
because
f; ffi uaa.tib"tit, he observes that'The

dis-cip-lingmovement has been

n irtti roid's church'tt-P.ttiuly

tl;y;"g
rathersuccesstul
"a"rGandunsettled.and
areloggg^fg
"*o"g
ug"*-ho'ut&?ecure
those. . . ofcollege

S:..#tf

,ii'#ff.'3F.ih#';';;;;;4;;to'4:qthatacceptanceand

th:gi:lq|i1c-T:f.T:1t
'coffiunitv' (p'27)'
fffiffi il ii*y *uaatt'*. ltraiis*.hv
" itr
i"i*rsitv
H.*[f il';o,[ J";;ffi;il;.oritgt

""d
Tlicniniino MinLsiries: An bnideLoak, Nashville, Tenn':
73
196'/. /3pp,
i^"."r
rlncncl aa"""ate
Advncate ComDanv,
Comnanv, 1987.

6:-.^-

n^-sr'

^^Ara

w!rca tin11u1t1^e5,1t'^:::ltjl'*:
tt o.,"'i,qoio1*erJr
;;'.;;i uook
an apoendix'Dixon exam! .

.tfii.:;;il;;oi.*!"t.

#' ';".;#;;i-'';ilhi'

J ;

I" nine cliapters-and

##;;"1;ft;h;i

and
ilJo'i'ia tou' dericient

legalistic.
.r-^rarr{e(ione f .ettetsto a Deuastatedchtistian. Goleta, calif.: christian
!qwaruJ,

Books,1983'
in counselingthose
only 39 pages'Edwards,exp919nc9d
l;;?;;;li
gl*t uauit".*itt"i" the literarv framework
fy "f
*"""a.i
;dtiJ''o;;
oina*atay testsfor dltermining if
young ma",
of lettersto a ""inotitutiunitii,
askhow manyex-eldersthereare'
is
to
monement
u,itttoriiu.iun
or," ir in u"
hadto controleveryone
movement
th"
Another is to askif the o""i.uding
"within his envirionment."
book' '4niAnother suggestionis to give out a box$l o{g9olFe Orwell's
the
movement-to
tIe
within
o"el-itL"at
to"a'
out
them
malFarm.Give
surand
book
that
read
can
movement
in
the
.t . It tnos"
il;:L;;;;&;
slys, " .. .ktu",-f ao"'t think you are in an authoritarian
;;;; Ea;Jt
movement."

A Select Annoiated Bibiiography of Materials

761

In a more seriousvein, E{war$s (p.

J0)gives eight impressionshe has
developedasto the damagedoneby duthoriiarianisir
in srrepherding/discipleship.
,,Churches
Enroth, Ronald M.
on the Fringe,,, Eternity,October, 19g6,
pp.17ff.
This articleis to be followedby a book in l9gg, to be published
by Inter_
VarsityPress.Thesechurcher,,,.". . p.o*oi" irof'1"ti"o"lrt
exhibita
superiorfty,
"ttitudes,
ana
siruunLe;;;;;.,
who want to reave
::T-"jl:plgrt
-T':,T;iT:^:,:n""?_T:_T1Ti:f

:.tvicrimized,contusedano_bi*ei.;
usr urqr rrr4lrurrEam cnurcnes
must reach out to thg ones

on the fringe who feei hurt and confusio" uiJt;i; ih;; il;;;;;*"
Anvone deatingin anv way with authoritirianisil-*"ririiri",iiiTT*a
Enroth'supcomin! bookl
Ery4, RonaldM. ,,ThepcwerAbusers:WhenFollow-ihe_Leader
Becomes
A DangerousGame,,,ELernity,
Ociobel tiig,ii.'ijltt.
Lonne$ed to Enroth,sa$icle-i9 a one-pageb6i treatment
of Covenant
philadelphi'i.
Presbyterian

Church
of

iar,i#;;;;;-;'ffi

;;l,i"fi#:l

members interviewed by the loca'l oresbvterv--ri"i"--"1"r._*^.tr ra,.*,r -^,. -

-b1q.Jq."lp.Ssbyre.y.Thispresbyteryi";;d;;;;;
similaritiesofCovenantpresbyterian'wlt'";il.';;,il:rd;#;-;;;;

:*iH.ly_T,rlt^rtotheauthoritirian-ou"*""i*iii'XAilrffi?B;",t;l

(2) a faithful inner

"-ii:'i5J:iH,:'#,ii.Ai"i#?Ttr:l!X
piii-rfi
i.g;T:;ill,Xf;
3ig#:fi.:,5'*,fl'Afl-'l1T"q"H:,ry
s
forth; (3) the eat
rii4li-ql*'di;ffi
ffi:^"ff*?yg:l.ll"iegr ofls and30u"a,,iuisi,aiii"[trremfiiJ a monoll;&
l*i:ii#"T:ql*^:::*:r:::li:{i:;iii"affi,diiri::ff
H;H;iF#
lllli*.YlT:.::y:'^:t':*:,"*;F;;d;;;o];ill?kffi
(6) alienating
(o,
atrenanngyouns peoolefro-m-their parents,'sincett

ey prEse"ia co#
ifrie;t2""arin"ly,'"$;;i6ft*dd"*;ii6;;;;r
jl-r'9._aulholiryf
ry.
o(pertisein techniquesof brainwashiirg."
"

(p. 24)',
Fialka, ]ohn ]. ,,FerventFaction-I\4aranathaChristians,
BackingRightist
Ideas,Draw Fire Over Thcrics,,,WnlISirrrt
a"gust 16, 1985.
tiiiii
Ministries, based.inC"i""ruiii., nlrida, and led by
-.JVlaranatha
Bob
Weine4Ir,, receivedcarefirl
find Maranatha'using
a form
rnrm of
nr minrr
an-u^t
a
mindcontrol.
stuaentsirdis;6;Hffiiffiffi#ffi;TE
"ll*9{,by.Fiqlka.,Critics
guided as to their decisionsby thoset;;din!lh" iAranatha.
vr.L

wvlll4tt

WIrO

movementat age23,
\a-!nyMyati, saysthai whenshequestionedsomechrrrch
-rri.."'-"r,?,*-l
'a spirit of independint
said io.
thinking u"d ;;t;E;;:;;
lavg
a Maranathaqpokesperson,
r @V) wastold
_.:l*::::pffT
]lTTg*.*ith
thatMarariarhawastusthelping;ilil;i"'nii'Jfiff.?,Afii[i1i:X1.i
"didnl know how io brush ttieir teetf,:. fiir r-pi't rp..ro., quicklv
and
jected.how.eve!,anyffi
r."ti"i.,'ir.,"?1i#;i#;*rrrfr:;
l"_:-.-llt]tre
lrururuaqs
(aronenmearsoheadquarter_ed
in Gainesville,
Frorida),He said
of the troubles we are o<perielgig i" a;;r;;a;Aston,
,,what you are
experiencingin the Churih of Chriit is *t
.i,"Jr-*"ii* ;##U:;
"t1i"
Green, Michael. First rhings r.ast:whate,er
Happeneit
to Eoangelism?
Nashville,Tenn.:Disciplesiripnuro.r.cus,tSZg."
.cuslFmtnEs merit 4ltention.Greenis perhapsthe
foremostscholaron
evangi-lismin the first ientuiy. cieen is?oncein.J'tr.t"t
*t" .ri"r.""" r*
new Christiansnot becomeqipressive.
tvsrrli

"xillXli$tl*.

IlaA

enfefpat

fhp

Mar.nr+}r.

TheExampre
oflesus.
Downers
Grove,
nr.:rnterVarsity

Griffiths, principal of LondonBibrecolege, reminds

his readersthat, ,1t

The DisciPling Dilemma

152

is strikingthat the apostlesneverreferto their own convertst lti:tgiltilout

(theulordis neverused,evenoncein anyof theXP_istles),
own disci"ples
win their'convertsto their departedMaster,baptisinethemin hlls name'
and into a new commu"itvl.,'cr,tiit, with bhrist asiheir head"'
FalL1983'po'72ff'
Gustaitis,Rasa."Hard-SellReligion,"Nutshell,
dis.ipt.dtiipa_s-Gustaitis
s;rio"-iiyt"
or
e*aminitiSri
criticut
An up_close
Mrnrs$res'
found ii to be in 1983.Thisarticlealsodealswith the Maranatha
referred to in the artide by Fialka.
Gustaitistums in a rather grim rePort'

(editor)..
"r:.: +liil1':tl^s-Tglii:X,j*,9l1tlll;37
P,.obe.r1
Hq9!,.
LUrqurS:
"Spiritual

Leaqersnrp: Leacrrng ur

Nrimber 5, October,L987,PP.l'4'
4rr"*. ititut.sted in thollhtful articlesby thosewho know w}at they
tr,o"ia i.qit.tt Reflections"P'ath:3"dotherswho work
*;'ilfi;;;t
point of
witi, tlim it Uiami, cometo tiris writing assignmentfrom a vantage
knowledgeabilityabout CrossroadsBoston'
Cell
Hadawav,
-'E;t;;{r;; C. Kirk, Stuart A. Wright, and FrancisM' DuBose'Home
uoiie ciurcnes.Nasflville,Tenn':BroadmanPress'1987'
naptist work gives a dispassionateand objective
Til;';;;ts;;inem
As thev dealwith housechurches'
1ojk ;i th";;:tite srnal-gro'io em-phasis]
to ..p'ori oi1r,e shepherdingmovementasit wasled
thev find it necessary
r,,ri"*roih, simpson,Prince,etcl out of Fort Lauderdale'
ilaril;;;;uy
Florida.
The
Hadfield, Ron. "CampusAdvancegefectorsSpeakof Experienie
Volume
University)'
Christian
Abilene
ut
(student
"'
Optimist,
""*tpuf.i
66,Number26, APnlL3,1979.
the
effect
what
those wanting to.know
;;;;ilp;";i6i"'iou.""-iot
'70s' This
iate
in
the
peopie
on
having
was
lvlovement
Crossroads
l9u.ng
*^t".iut can be orderedfrom Abilene ChristianUniversity'
in theClutch'
Grow:Ministry andLeadetship
Hamer, Michael' Let Mv People
-Frii"ti.ia, rvew jeiieir Lcigoslnteinitional, I9!7 :
Hu*u" formeralsociite with Johnstott, went into the charismaticmoveleadg1',he
ttt. ai*.tot bf FountainTrust' A lespecfqd.
#il;#;;;;.

ffihil;;ffi;;

lltuvgursrrlt

ki"dJi;;d;r'hiPinhouse
:T1ry?Iry:I"':*i l-":
u!

Reviewand Ex'
Hart, Larrv. "Problemsof Authority in Pentecostalism"'
pp.249ft'
(Spring,
7978)'
no.2
ooiitor.vo!.75,
oint, Hart, nevertheless'
t;'Ptist 6taln'dp
billi;il
-in
. deals
i,Vffi;*' f *;;'
" f.amily"to
Jiuai.ur sirbmission the discipteship.
*ilii ;ii;"o;;iL*
which on6belongeci'The movement,Hari says,in somecircies'degener;h;tn; caus"extremeauthoritarianismand exclusivism"'
;ili;6
-how many warningsor-rrown discipleshipadvocatesmust
O;;*a;rs
can leaq'
hear beforethey take heed to where their own excesses
20th Century
Tenn':
Hendren, Bob.WhichWayTheChurch?Nashville,
Christian,1985.
wtuch this writer
fniiiruOiee" the piemidr boot on Crossroadg{Boston
(DVj tras found. Ev6ryott ittt"tutt"d in the subiectshould purchasethe
book and readit at leasttwice.
Eterni$' ApnJ,79!.6'PP:,13f:-, ^
Hitt, RussellT. "The Soul-Watchers,"
Amost usefularticlefor the onebeginningto explorethelield ot mooern
discipleshipteaching.

A Select Annotated Bibiiography of Materials

1,62
H$1elqogs
T. "BostonChurch Recruitspursue
'----' InterphaseFrosh,,,Tlre
Tech(M.I.T.),September
7, L1BZ,
pp.l,ii.
LJnthe campusof M.LT.,in Bostohlthe accusation
wasbroughtthatthis
past summer someBostonrecruitersused too
*,r.n p."rrr.rr" in trying to
influenceforeignstudents.
A middle wav of soeaking.thefruth in love must
be found*a way that
woutd avoidiniiffer6nceo;the one h;;e;;d;;r*;;;Li;;#i
il;
exploitationof lonely young people o" tf" oG, fio"o.
Ianni*-I-.:liivin.
icruiiii5s,

,
-.
"vlhere_Do
i stanci I-n Relation To the
,/rr"

crossroad
Churches?" j-4s
Fnrf M/n'+!.
c!^- D:Lr^
r r' .
yyuiiil, Th-^-.
icxas; JEar
Eioie b
i,ubiicaiions, ciateci september
;.;1;";
w
,.r7ol.
r
PPU:

Earlierjenningsappearedto be an admirerand friend

to thecrossroads/
BostonMoveme-nt'
iir *ris *act, ;enningsri"t"J iii"t he has severalconprincipalonesbeingin"theareaol o.gunir"uo"Ibot},-i"
f^.ll,t,.f-l1,gl
lhe
Iocal
churches
"
and in Boston,s
new ,,pillar,,approach,
]ennings refersto a recent,pJ"q dt Di. i"irlr'|;;*.
SinceJonesvoiced
someof the sameconcernsas'yennin!s,-*r;;ir';;""
a brief synopsisof
speech.

It covered
]ones
fourpoints:Irj p."p"iu!" gi"d;#l;ffi;:
plingModets;(3)Re-baptism
ina 1a)il."lT";l;;,o'
KT*Xt
*. "specialRepor*Campus
Culticcro,rps,,,U,(ApriVMqy)
*1-|!
thatthe
personjoininga cultor sectis between
-_6.h"i:r#sts
17and25anldlfor the first-lypical
tirirefid"g u,"Jy?i;Hio*". Theycomefrom
middle-class
oruppermiddle-.tusnofilus.
tf,u1iiluu",or".timeslostsome_
onecloseto theni,-.. . havep"rh"prF;ilrotJ*,frrvitt,
u sweetheart,
feel
thattheirliveslacka sense6f "a"i*i,, pJrv"*nilvitatity..
Those involved in campus evangeliinl ne.a
l"

abuse,exploitation
and domineeringof youngpeopte:I";aditi;; i" *,.
"""iacr,.iru#;tf,ili;;sirierations,those invotvE<ii"'";*t";
;;;;.iirrn" *,rrt rememberthat
y.g""q pe.ogleyill ingvit"Uty*'"t"*
olderand wiser.Then,
_rT:"
when they look backon their exp_erience,
""a"jr#
the-questionwill be faced_do
they feel they were loved or useci?
Lattin,-Don.^"TheShepherding_Movem
e\t,,, SAnFrancisco
Examiner,February 19,1,984,
Sg.Fol A, pp."lff.
An excellent article bya
...:./

rL6srcrrJ

for a seculardaily newspaperon what is

repherding movement. ,tThose in the
DscA rrrelr $nepnerq.s

counsel

before

winingry
ql,it*,ui.;iu,,;;i ;il;
;Et:c"Tjr:l3:,::tr1 q::i:ign:.They.
homes-and-movewhen.h*.hi;;il;t"ii'iiiL:##"#il;i:l;

Thosewho havenever be.en-apart of thesediscipiesiriptshepherding

movements
difficurtybefrevingthe degree
degreeof
ry3y hayedifficulty
Siaependence
dependencewhi
which
is,?::_T_*:.Tlfave
fosteredwithm thesegro,rp"u,U"t r"i'tin;, ur$Ef"
irticle iiute,
statesit piainly.
niainlv.
Ligon, Bill and Robert par,rl
'"v ' lesusViap. plunfteld,
''--'-'r' The
Jr11b. Discipteship:
N.J.:LogosInternational,
1.929.
Ligon-has-done a rear service in supplying

one of the few historical treatments

-nts of
of aa discipleship
discipleship
emphasis
emphasis
as ilhis bien -".;f*rort
rhrn,raln,,+
ffi;A;;il; +1.^
cenfuries
centuries since
"riiiilt?;-;;;;.ri;d
since ihe
the Cliurcliwas established.

Looney,_John
Thomas,,,Nondenominational
Charismatic
Churches:
Visio4s
of a New TestamentCommunity,"ih;;i;i;;
iliasie, or oivinity at lJnion
TheotogicalSeminaryllew voii<y,Ddilt;;
19;i.
Looney,who had beena part of the shepherding
movementas seenin
the Fort-Lauderdale
shepherds,wrotea madter,s
theliswhichexaminedthe
basesof this approach.'His,insider,i rtit*
to his heatment.
"oir'irrierest

TineDiscipling Dilemma

L64

LoonevleftthigmovementandisnowapastorintheChristianandMissioniiy.T$tance Church in New York.

A. Boyd, 'A New TestamentTheologyof Discipling,' Djssertation
Luter,
iot po.to.'of Theology,DatlasTheologicalSeminary,May 1985'
This massivedissertifion of 245pagesbrings togetherseveralconcerns
*fri.i f-"t"t trustreatedearlier in iefrodical altides. Luter dealswith the
,rnid"t"tt of Chrisfs personand position as a discipler'(p' 37ff)' This
beingthe case,whete doesone find the warrantto Plesgl: -t-o-:1y-:T::
todai Christiansareto take the roie of ciiscipieranciappiy aii iire princrp'es
a^

rL^-^^I..^^t

lu urturDsrvsr:

Uhrlst used rn nls uruque

ttr'l;.+t.

avamnla
tc.
vruroir'rL^4':'r'-;;_-;;

diqfl-

Plaue
popuiar modelinsistson"' (P' 3U)'
ilpr
'-U. cannotbe imitatedto ihe extentthe
fi"ai maior differencebetween*trit Cfrrist was doing in the Gos" apbstlesand what leadersare to do todayis that to-daythe
oels
to make
'Church
exists.it wasnot presentduring Christ'searthlyministry.It today
hasa malor role in nurtuiing and developingyoung Christians'
A. Boyd, |r' "A TheologicalEvaluationof "Christ Mod-el'9it:tfl:Luter,
-"if,Jv1i;;;';;t'iouiia't
of PaitoralPractice,volume 5' number 4' L982'
oo. L'l',-2L.
ili* ft* done a real serviceto the evangelicalworld in challenqnS"ths

frithsome
toc9ye.19
adyocatgg
*oJ"* aitapleship
i"?11T1191jf
1:'-'
Moriei" as iheir mociei ior ciisoPie-ii'raKoresumptuorislVusing the "Christ
atii.lu uid in his dissertation later, Luter shows the non'
i"*. i"ilir
uo?ri.iuiriiv of much of christ's work in training the Twelve- to our
.6it"*potai.v situation. The would-be discipler today has neither the Poslitt" .6laceChrist held. He cannot point to his own life as sinless as
tio"
"oi foUoii"rt could point to the perfeciion of their model. Today's.disfiCi.ttirit
pler lacks the time, authority, and, iloubtless, the humility, to arrogate the
hodel Christ exemPlified.
-'it
rinfair as Luter Points out,-to pick, choose and sele-ct'
iJ
solid hdrmeneutical footing, among the various things Christ did
without"fJ6t"t.$
rirs
and claim that you are replicating today what He did then in preParlng

otn rpostlas.

Lynch,Selma,"Forum:LettertotheEdrtot''ChristianChronicle'volume43'
'no.
L986,p.23.
9, Septembet,
^,,,.---:-t^cL^
intheApril,\eficlry!9t1'^s!2
i;dy i!;;;tift lo aneditoral
This

recounsn:l0lvn^1l"Ti:':f.:i:.:*":.:.n";"::.;:;:#;;:;;;"J.ih.;
--woman

wllu

ga[le

lu

lllt

urrurur,

--

--

--a

the Pfeac4er
went to the-Preac[er
The woman
woman went
readv. The
r*o*ua
'^fr.^n cnrrnselor
she was
was not
not ready.
said she
.ootttalor said

nf lhe
conpresation.He was not a part ol Crossroads'He talked to her' then
the congregation'
of
peopl welefgrio1s,
-uusi*rtv p6ople.
Crossroads
baotized fl;':ih.
[er. The i.ott'ouds
;;;ii"A
TZ:1":l-t.1li"t

bxclirdingher from their tirde of friends'

let,
;A;;i;;id;ea
confuied and heart-broken'Ms'-l-.rncft
i"li'.r',"
fr;;'d;;;,;;
"t't"i.tt,approachand moveto a mainline Church
a..ia.ato fu". the Crossroads
she found warm,'ciring Christians,who loved her.Sefo-re
;iehiGt;d"
;h; tells of her couiin cominglv to find-out.why she
i.tfc;;;;;"d;;
;h.
wasledving.Her cousin sard,"lf. it bothersyou to havepeopletelling.you
what to do] donjt worry. When youlve beenin the movementlonger/tnen
vou
can tell otherswhat to do.'1
''i*Lrt
t"ut,-"eppui."irv iis run lke a pyramidscam'As yor'rlre.inthe
moriement6vertirire, you let movedinto positionsof Sreaterauthorrtyana
control.. . ."
lournal,A Navigators
MacDonald,Gordon. "Disciple Abuse," Discipleship

A Setrect
AnnotatedBibliographyof Materials

16b
publicarion,
volume
t, tgBS),pp.24_pB.
A very thouehtful article
?^*.9b_y-one
llr5 who
Tr,g,y.CiVovember
hidcomprenensive knowledge of
theentiieevanlerical
worrd.Ii ilr iluffi;#;fu
andreflection.
t w6ua
asaniongtherour fi;;-";;;l#ur,.
*r,ing,to readon this
;Tf,H:
".
It is to the oedit of the Navigators
wlro use the discipleship vocabularv
in their

ownjiurnalh,.y *"ja p"urisharricles

sucha!

ffi:il:#il,;]rat

'"';;i;i#;;T;:;'i'i::r::::!y.y:!,:','losmytsenthechaisMcl-)nnnoll

Zili^-

N;il;
;;;^",-."
rvou.

(pp.

z^::.--

ff ?; " 1T;;
; ;-*".I":?niai'.-i.lationai, anci Regional Documenrs.
yw, Lzto-Laly. LO[egeViIIe,Minnesota:
"_"_
t i+,,,_;^.r D_^-^.
-' TFe
-----'!s'orlqrrrsDr,
116-1471-

This ttrrirevolume conectionof documents

matic movementis of sreathis6dc;l-;;rr;;ilffi.having to do with the charisresearchingthis specializedfieici.Thesectiin citea ut-ouu
is tr.,it-*tichteab with the?first hbrv

il ;;; ffiilt;til;di"sd;;i:dii
HJ#t"*r,*fi#ffises:hict1

MacGawaryDonald. ,,HowAlout That

New Verbto
* Disciple?,,GrowthBul_
tetin,_yotumeXV No. s (M^y,-i;;;;;;;.'ifi:^"

,"I* *g"j]t,!hl.e

;oi;i"''i''#ff
"ilb"iit#ph.

d-#*, rur.i{,5d""ii.ri.,.,andexprains
rhedir_

;ffr[Tg"'H*i;ii"i"-fr
:*re"whicirMacGavran

,,TheUse
and Abuseof Aurhorify,-WortdMapDigest,

Mahoneywrites as one within the

charismaticmovementin his strictures

on authority.He hastiveartiUeiaeuffiffiil?";;""
of authoriryin the

*ilg,J'rf,;,"Hf
*T,.*l*ll:,*{r&-.ffi:;;il#;il:i,s.#:
HrqLrs,

rvrdrrurrey

Dnngs
casesrecordedwithin the BibleinwhiJi,"*"?i.

torward

nine

gramples

of

** aoing the
will
whatsomeone
*iti u"tnoiityoi"irtl* r,uotoldLord,s
themthey
Hr$;T3: U
Miller Elliot. "The Christir
PPlng, 1e85and t"*r',:1r1Xt#thority"

,ij$

Partsone and r!vo' Porwaril,

jl:::tT*"fp^q::,.i"y ,t"a7 1mr9"raysoutplainry

andgrithsur_

issuein historicalpersoe"r,=rr"
arr." i.l,,l*Ill"l":lI'j'Y."tI''-iesees

*:::".5
*:l:1,\t"':r.;il;;;;;ff;t;?i#ililTi.Jffi
church.
Hesavs
*rai*,eesteemed
rea

tne

i:*,j:"S:

"' ' ' will not h-esitateto pronounceG"d,rJ";;;ili;; Jl,jnf3li".frt:iiJil

ft i;ilie minuriaeof their folIowers'personarlives (thisis or"r *t"
u..ur-i"^tirr,i"i,
*r," ubuseand devastationsurpassthosein the traditionalist
*^-c^_^ rr^-,
qurerent
degrees
"ii"*i.""ii"rror
thiscanb.efoundi" rr,ol-!u"ri,"i;i##:.i:,ir!l5i"il
tant groups' The fust rroup he refers
"
,sheprrerding
and Discipleship'movemenr(wh'icht'eaches to is "tte
tlr;;;.t i"; tlai everybelieverneedsa
fellow:believerauu,"overi'gj : (p.T;;i,;ilffii
Noll, M.A., ,,pietism.,,Eoangelical
of Thmtogy,
(editedby WA.
-Dictjonary

F*,".ltlG.randRapids,yi.!.;-r"rci;;';i,H;"#;,pp.855f

f.
. Nors articleis balanced.and
suggests
boththepositiue
urra.,egative
ten_
resutting
rrof; the;ip[."ir5iir pietisriciifluences.
*iil!:^t_"
!.".found
vvr.nrespect
to the nesative-results,Noli'rt;;;'#;
;ilh; il.J;ffi;
earriestopponentshavEbeenp.rttiryltiuntd.
a,"i" worstthepietistic

766

The DisciPling Dilemma

it can distendency can lead to inordinate srrbjectivism a1d qqotionalism; enthusi

ii ca.,i.agme.trthechurchthrough
ffi;;;;iil;i,.r.,"r.rrr.,ip;
and
m-orality;
.o?.. a*.st leealistic
il;; ,";"-;at;ilii.i,
"i
""*
(p'-S58)'
"rt"tiiri.,
ttualtion''
JiEh.itUu"
vatue
the
ltrat
99u1{s
li!9
it canuhderate

discipleship
a criticism of the worst scmario of the moden authoritarian
movement among CrossroadsBoston'
of
.Theology'
O'Malley,
J. S., "Discipleship MovemenL" \aynrylic?IOytionary
"
BookHouse'

ffiil;{ iio wutt"t d: efi:,[), GrandRapids,fuich':Baker

ioa+., pri.319-320.
r ,,-.-r ^L^-L^*J:-^,ri.ai*rachin
An article which is indispenslble to unqersranq srrcPrtsrqr
^^ :+ ^*^rr' ^,'+ ^f +lp nha-rismatic movement. O'Maliey points out that'

ove.rsuchmat;il$;#th;
ou"i'ed bv.shephdrdl
;";;i;ilo"iioi
(p' 320)
children"'
to
have
decision
the
u"a
u
*ui"
or
t"t!'lt iulrti,ice
Smith,Chuck."shepherdingorDictatoiship?ChristianPossession"'Tfte'
6, 1979',PP.7-5'
Answerfor TodaY,
leaderin the
e. ft-i#-r"t us6fui,arudd Ly one who wasa-primeearly problem'"If
abouttie
talls
iS6Ot-S*ith
tfitt
*ou.*.r,t'J
People"
"Iesus

ittl*pu'utiuethatvouiirst c:nsurt
;;;;ii ilili';;;;;
;;ilJi;"y
carorTV orif
y6"
ii
t*"
i;;;il;.. : . . ttt" ,u*"'ilt
@1t'tobuyorselia
want to go oi a trip' theset'h:!*tg:

{; ;;;t i" .t unsuvorr. fou. If yoir

ancrwne* tu us
i"iu t"u you wheie jtou can go' how long-you.can stav tell you whether
thdll
anotherl6cafity'
tJlifi"io
a"sit"
If
back.. . . vou
have

#?;ii#H;#;;d;i''iil.iil;;;d

p;;''i9Jio"l ' ' rhderders

shepherdshave told a
set up an apostleshiP.. . . Ot' *utiy occasionsthese
tfta *"t't" *"tty, how much and when to give'
oerson o<aitly whom he
imper"t
to. . . . rt isabsolutely
tolistein
tapes
i"a *r,icr,
fr,ffi;;a#;iJ,

you.do will be
ativeto obeyyour elder-even it. f,e is wrong' ' ' ',Wnel(p' 2)'
:*l; ;;;;'"""nrrt
don-eit in obedienceto your elder"'
^^?#;$?'.fr;;;ia;;sroadsBoston
"
as if thev are on the vergeof
not ahrladvin the middle of
are
thtv
uuou"J;i-i,A;;e
*,.
oi
t.;;d;;i
teachin! all of the above.
Tenn':
Starkes,M. Thomas.ConfrontingCults:Otdand New'Chattanooga'
AlvIG, 1984.
the issue of auStarkesdiscussesmany cults and cult-like gioup.s'On
'*";"^ '!a'nrar lf" r'^ll' 'han+Fr12' "Neohas'uf
he
tnoaiti.iurrir*,
e rsyciio=-t#;ffi;;
Authoritarianism:
ry;a!; ry.t;1'
+rE
spiiii 1111i
1980's,the new legalistspromoiesubmissionot tiie numan
stands
Galatiansitill
dead'
nameof christiandiscipleffiih" il;l;;;t
urmadaseekingto rob believersof
uv-I"
;;;'ii;;rhil;;rt,lrtta6a
"""*y
(p.
t2z
)'
it."a'"ri itt'c.i-titi i.t"t' "
of nellSion'-NewIork:MacStoeffler,F. Ernest, "Pietism," TheEncytope-dia
--Mill"ti,
1987,(editedby MirceaEliade)'Volume1I' rr. 324-3/o'
earlyiianches of Pietism'
Stoeffler'sarticleain"r"r,iiui"-JJ;;;;*td;
as
oneof the.mlior reflglo3-1
pieusm
viewed
be
now
musi
He mentionsthat
He statesin-summary
America'
in
shapedProtestantism
i;;Jit#;ht.h
number of positive contributionsof Pietism'
i;;il;;
1986'
Daniel. liCorne,All Ye Faithtul
Terris,
*i{1r-tli;;ti;r
\W1ine'
Cntitt, Teiris articledeservestobe
Cmt.n 6t
oiir,e'il;n
"l,Qpp
*#i:::9
ana roes.Terrisintewrewsareespecially
t ;;;;;iid;nas
movewhat the crossroadsBoston
toward
oi feeting
;;;i;td.;t;
ment is doing'

A SelectAnnotated Bibliographyof Materials

167

"The Discipleship and Submission l\dovement,,

Springfield, MO.: Gospel
PUPJi+fr.s

House,rozo;1a positio-n;;;J6t.d

August17,1s76,
publishedas a hact.)
The old-line Penteco'star
denominationssuchas
and PentecostalHolinessChurch diJ nd idl*;d;, The Assembliesof God
str.eplfl$ingldiscipleshipfad that d&;; tL;.h;#;atic by and large, to the
movementin the
mid-l9703.
The Assembliesof God,set_up
g cgmmitteeto study this issueand then
the General Presbvterv
..
adonfpri thpir nnoi+i^- h^*^- ^-r

---r-r!-, , r

tractwhichcanbeora'Lreoli;1il5;d;##i#i:#:.",:ffi-'1"1'":
taKe$
a firm stand

againstthediscipreship
*diGffi;,ffffiJuilufi.-'i'
james.TheMarkofA Chrbtian.
Thompson,
BrokenArrow,Okla.:Christian
Communications,
19g3.
In his discussionson Faui'smethodsand those
of his oplronentsin 2 co-

rinthians
i.0-13,
rhompsol
9ffer9
.diJ;d#;."il;"s[iti;;
which are relevant to the issue
at hand.'

iil;;rhi;

Thurman, Joyce.NrutMneskins:A studyoftheHousec&urcft.

Frankfur* verlag PeterLang,,1992,
A
ground-bre-aking
study,of
a phenomenonin GreatBritain-the house
.

f*ltk:*:ll^,::lill::llr!_1iwnl;1;**,"il"ituasrates.rhurman,

+;;i!;;:a;?Ji;;.':ili:iltx?iH.H'{::fiil,gJ',"i[x'

descri-bethemselves.one of the aiit.t .qi;ilin?

branchof thesehousechurch"i tt*u-iir""'ir tii.ltr"u wrrichthe Harvestime
in.$e.1linqwilh tleir members.fi,e lf"*.rii*Jiiuaursor"utr,oritariantactics
camein contact
with the shepherdingmovementemanaUngfromFo"t
t";d.;il;;'i,ffi;;:
,,The
Waterman,David L.
Careand Feeding
---o of
-' Growing
-'vr
ChrtS,i*#,i;
nity, 1979,pp. t7-22.
A valuabte-a:rticre
eiving some of the backgroundof when ,,folow-up,,
besan-tobe called,discipiins.,; w;";;;;;;ll1iiong
careof new convertsfrorir pi'wson rrotmur,-tf,r.i";a;. infl,r.nce in after_
ilntion, C^rt. Wiln C,rist in the Schootof Disciple
"fth;;ilil;;;.
Building.
Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Zond,ewan,1976,
^-T^Tp9r*?"t book which deservesto be betterknown. I4ilsonsounds
which he realized.*iC aoo_rn" ;;a;;
::..y*jg"T:lthe.hierarchy
disciphship emphasis.

A REFERENCE
GUIDETOTITE
DISCIPLING
TVIOVEMENT
AANONG
CHURCHES
OF CHrrST
W GeneViraant

ABOIN THE AI-rcHOR

GeneVinzant wasborn in SaoPaulo,Braztt,while his
parents, Don and Carol Vinzant, were serving as
nrissionaries.He graduatedfrom OklahomaChristian
attending
Coiiegein 1984wlth highesi honors-.'v^v?riie
OCC,-Genemet and m-irned BeckyYeakley,daughter
of Flavil and MaYcieilYeakieY.
Gene or-aduatld from .a{bileneehristian University
rn Augult of 1987with a Master of D-ivini-{ dqsrqe'
While-atACU, Geneworked with Flavil Yeakleyin the
Chwch Growth Institute as a researchassistant'Gene
works asan InvolvementMinisterwith the Austin Street
Church of Christ in Garland, Texas,and hopes to return to Brazil someday as a missionary'
vLtf9

ATT

A NDF6

\,flArlEI(

11,
A GUIDETO THE D/5C/PTING
MOVEMENT

A Chronology_of
the Churchplaniingsof the
BostonMouement
,,Boston
, ,A great deal of the fascination with the
Movement,, is based on their rapid numerical growth.

While

Boston's grora:th a-lonp ie irylnr^aoi='o r!.---*=^.,-er-

achieved
th;;lfirJ"rr""t

ffi;#,:'#;

"#;fr'
more impressive.That_growth
has iome ,niirrly from
d.irect plantings by Boston or Boston daighter
churches.Additionar growth has comeas a result of
Boston'stakeoverof churcheswhich were under the
influence of 'the Crossroads Church or christ in
Gainesville,Frorida. The story of the BostonMovement's growth beginsin June of 1979and continues
lo{uy. The following chronologyis basedprimarily on
informationcontainedin the dugust g0, tbgr, bulietin
of the BostonChurchof Cfuist.
lune 1-97g:BostonChutrch
of Christ
Kip McKean,and his wife Elena,movedwith a small
glorp 9f youngleople to work vrith the Lexington,
Massachusetts,Chuich of Christ. The beginniig of
membershipof the group in Junewas30. fhe chrlrch
grew rapidly, bapttzingover 4,000by the fallof I9gT.
lune 7,982;Chicago
Churchof Christ
Bostonplanted firs! daughterchurchin Chicago.
itg
Under the leadership
of evarigelistMarty Fuqua,ir,.-e
171.

The DisciPlingDilemma

172

church baphzed'almost900peopleby the fall-of1987'

Chi.;t" pianted a church in-Mnneapolis-St' Pauland
"replinted" a churchin St. Louis'
luty L982:CentralLondonChur& of Christ
Boston calis this church "the largest and fastesterowinqcongregationoutsicietheborciersof the Urrited
EtJ*".f vy in""ruu at 1987,this church-had baptized
over800people.The London churchplanteda cnurcn
:lf

c-.J.^^-,
JILIIrc]r

A,'o{-.o1ia
^uDrrqls/

in

1QR7

lune L983:NewYorkCity Churchoi Christ

Under the leadership of "lead evangelist" StgY:
well overL,000
Johnson,the New Yorkchurchbaptized
'the
secondfastestty August \987. Bostoncallsthis
pianiing
church
A
world."
the
glo*i"S church in all
of'L987'
summer
iout t"rit to SdoPaulo,Btazil,in the
Clrurchof Christ
lune 1985:Prooidence
Formerly a house church within the Boston congiegation,Prcvidencebecamea-separateconqregatio-n'
in dreir first two yearsthey baptizedLsSindividuals'
is 'the
Accordingto the Bostonnervsl&ter,PrO,Vjdencg
prototypJof how the gospelwill spreadfrom the large
iities to surroundingsmall cities."
ihtgust l99i:eentralloronto Oureh of eldsl
The Torontochurchwasplanted by evangelistsMark
Mancini and Henry Kriete. Havingbaptized250in the
of gZ0,this is "the
firtt t*o y"ars andwith an attendance
1^**^-L
Iarggst

^*l

allLl

fanrnn* .*n*rirro

IclDlsDL

6rvYYst6

nhrrrr.h
L
rrqrlrr

inr \all
4

Of Cana-d-a."

Churchof Christ
lune 1986:lohannesburg
Thismulti-racialSouthAfrican churchbaptizedclose
to L00in its first year, making it "one of the fastestgrowing churchesin Africa."
August1.985:CentralParisChutchof Christ
Und.erthe direction of evangelistTomTurnbull' the

Church planfings of the BostonMovement

L7B

rstyear,becoming,,the
,U:::-:ng:h,bapt:u:ed,AL.nrt1fi
rargesranctfastest-growingchurch in French-spe-ukir,s
-first
,,o"_r"gli;h #;"ki";
{uroge." This wal the
churchplanted by Boston.
OctoberlgBG:Stoclcholm
Churchof Christ
chur-ch
bapfized,40peopleby August
^.Tu^9a$ohn
'ihev

OI 1v67.
are "fhe laroocr sru
o^)
church in a[ 6r s.;"dt";;;t)vst

ci)*^^.'^-^-lr-rqDtEDt-Eruwrng

lanuaryL9S7:Bombay
Clrurchof Christ
The Bostonnewsletterclaimsthat this churchis ,,the
largestchurch of christ in alt India,"rn u" attendance
of 10Owith over 40baptismsthis year.u
lanuaryL98Z:KingstonChurchof Christ
This JamaicanchurchwasBostons first ,,replantins.,,
A "replan$f
ir Boston,sterm for t"ki"g ou"i if.,"
control and supervision oJ an oxisting cliurch, The
Kingston Church baptized80 between-thereorantino
and August of 1987.

lanuaryL987:TwinCitiesChurchof Christ
,,granddaughter,,
of the Boston
_This is the first
church. The Chicago Ihurch plXnted and directs this
in Minneapotis-St. paul. There have been 60
,**
Dapusms
as.ofAugust, 1997.
FebruaryL987:SydneyChurehof Christ
The CentralLondon church,,replanted,,this church
in Sydney,Australia. A total of gS'wereluptirua
i" inu
first sevenmonths of this work.

174

The DisciPlingDilemma

lune 198V:SdoPauloClurch of Cfuist

The New York City churchplantedthis work in Sdo
Paulo,Brazfl,the largestcity in SouthAmerica'Twentyone peoplewerebaptizedin the first two months'
Ausust1987:St. LouisChurchof Christ
The Chicagochurch "replanted'this church which
of Christ
wasoriginaliypiantedby the ShandonChurch'
merna
beginning
With
in Colu-mbia,South Carolina.
after
first
month
bership of.75,14werebaptizedin the
the takeover.

- ---o-'-'

AugustL987:AtlantaChur& af Christ
The July 26, L987,bulletin of the Boston church
des*ibes ihe creationof this churchfrom a "Ch-risiian
remnant." This church was planted after the Atlanta
Hightands Church of Christ resisted "such biblical
prirciples asthe authonty of the evangelist,one-on-one
discipieship and the calling of-every member.to
^-.^-*^1:^#

t, A. $aam nnncic.tino

nf Andv

Lindo,

Othef

evan[efists, and 15 full-time interns will direct the

churih for one year, whilre Sam Laing is trained in
Bostonto becomethe "lead evangelist"'
This con s.negztisn r.,i.z4s
oneinaiiy

of Christ. The August L6, 1987,Bostonbulletin describesthe decisionof the Bostonchurchto "rebuild"
and "officially direct" this church. The Bostonelders
and Kip McKean cieciciecito caii this opei"ationa
"reconsiruction"ratherthan a'replanting'" Thereconstruction involved the church relocatingand renaming
itself the "SanFranciscoChurchof Christ'" The churdr's
evangelistsand women'scounselorswere stripped of
theiriitles and demotedto interns so that "when tt-tgY
are appointedin the future, they willbe recognizedin
Bost6nas well as in our church plantings,such as in
BombayorNew York.'

Church plantings of the BostonMovement

lls

Other Boston-Affitiated Ckurehes

A number of churcheswhich were startedthroueh
the influenceof the CrossroadsChurch;f ahrirt;;?;
sincebecomea part of the Bostonorganization.
-ficKean In the
August 30, 1987)Boston
bulletin
Kip
stute,*,^i
/'Qen
hio^^
^*l
T\^.^--^----

i-,iubir aiiq ijenver must aiso be consiciered pillar

ivqii
ciiiirciles anci we praise God for *he nlnoo .{io^;i.r:*^
vrorrHrur6l

gal^rl^--l-:,-.r

reiaiiorrship that the ieaciership in Boston

has beei

asKed to have
gregatiOnS,"

with

the

leadershinc
-------^--'-rv

ns
^^*
vr +hooo
Gr'vos Lvrr-

Statements in the ]uly 26, l9g1, bulletin revealed

the association of eighi South"urtarr, ,,Crossroads,,
churches with Boston. Interviews with
num"ro,r,
churches and starementsin the bulletin
d;;;#
Church of Christ have revealed that"iih;
many other
churches also consider themselves part of
the Boston
Movement. It is unclear whether Biston .*"rt,
Jir-uJ
control over all of these churches. yet these
ch";;h;;
a desire to be identified with the Boston
*di:"]."
6irs
l;qrDLryrII
rE, Ilr()vgmgnt,
dr

churcheswere not planted,,,re_,If,f9llor,y1ng

ptanted,"or ,,reconstructed,,
by Boston,yet areundef
Boston's
influence:
ifrissior+
The iviissionchulc!.w1s heavily influencedby the
and.RitaLindo :r;.tg7g.Many of'their
:,"9y:f,Andy
staff
memberswere trained in the BoulderChurch of

Christ. The Mission church hanfizo,{ 6!a^^ r^ o^n -^- - --r-

usei#ilff; ;;Hftk'.'iJi*;
y8,1'1"."i.1
l13i
Dy boston and
is discipling the churchesin pioenix and

Albuquerque.

Mt. Vsta Churchof Christ in Albuquerque

The Mt. Vista church began inlgg|without
outside
support. The church had a-total T}bapttsms
of
and.50
members as of the end of 19g6.

The DisciPlingDilemma

776

EastValtey'eltafehaf eltrist in Phoenix

The EastValleyChurctrbeganin December1984'The
.h;tdt tperienced closeto-200baptismsin 1985and
1986.Its membershipat the end of 1986stood at260'
Dcnnn Churdtof Christ
The Denver church w4s planted by the Crossro-ad-s
Ch*clt ol Ctrrist (Gainesville,Florida) in May of L986'
By the end of L986,4L had beenbaptized'
J

CentralCfuurchof Cfuist in l*'tntsoitle, Alabamf

Florida
IJniousity Churchof Christin Tallahassee,
Ebrtdf
Churchof Christin Gainesoilte,
Crossroads
Llnionsity BouleaardChurcltof Christin'OrLando'
Florida
flortda
Clrurchof Christin Ft. Lauderdale,
Westside
.

A1

Shandon Churcn oI cnnst

r - ^-r-.---7-:O^.,tL
ltnonliun
7n volutruatut ouwLILtvwIv"I'9'

\orth CaYIiruq
Nortlniw Clarcltof Clrist in Qhaflryltg,
of Christin Champaign,Illinois
Church
Cornerstone
Church$ Christ in Milwattkee
Lalceoiew
Ia.ndmarkChutchof Christ in Indianapolis
*SeeEditor'sl)PdnteonPage206

nit

hmFh

L.hI.AI-ItsI(

T2
PILLAR CHURCHESAAIDFI]TL]RE
CLTI
Ir,2_CLII DIT J . I^dAITII\I/-C
v!IuI\vIL
IJ.YIIIY\'J

- The following information was derived primarily

from the August 30, t987,bulletin of the Boston Church
of Christ. According to this bulletin, there are a total of
27 present and future "pillar churches.,,Thesechurches
each have supervision over a specific territory. That
territory is named after the church's name.
BostonCharch of Christ-Global

The Bostonchurch is not listed as a

t'tlillar

nhrrrnh

"

(-7aqrk,
vLvsLLJ

*ha
llnctnst rL
svo
lvt

church is at the top of the pyramid

and thus doesnot belongat the tirst
level below the top.
The Boston church is not listed-as a ,,pillar church.,,
Uie,aTiy,fh,eBosion churcilis aitire top of the atrramd
and thus doesnotbelongatthe firstlevelbelowihe top.
As of Augu st 1987Boston had planted or taken control
oJ sev-endomestic pillar churches and six foreign pillar

nlttt*^f.oo
.riiurciies.
E '+'.-^
-:ll^-L---^L
^^ r^
- Furure
piiiar crriifc.r-rs
to rue
piantecl clirectiy

from Bostoninclude:MexicoCiry (198i),BuenosAirei

(1988),Hong Kong (1988),Los Angeles,Miami, Washington, D.C., Munich (1988),Tokyo(1988),and Milan
(1989).Thus,a total of.22outof the22pillarchurchesare
or will be direct Bostondaughterchuiches,Bostonhas
also targeted teams for Amsterdam, Athens, Cairo,
Dublin, Lagos,Port-au-Prince,
and Thipei.
L77

178

The DisciPlingDilemma

Chicago*lJnited States(particularly Midw est)

Chicagohas planted a church in Minneapolis-St. Paul
and replanted a church in St. Louis. Future targels
include Philadeiphia, Seattie,Daiias, Detroii, Poriianci,
and Baltimore.
Atlanta-S outheasternUnited Staies
The Atlanta church has tw-oroies: to piant churchesin
its territory and to "service the struggling discipling
ministries in this region.'' Future piantings inciude
"The Research Triangle," North Carolina; Knoxville,
Tennessee;Lexington, Kentucky; Little Rock,Arkansas;
Iacksonville, Florida; New Orleans; Norfolk, Virginia;
Huntington, West Vitginia; and ]ackson, Mississippi.
San Diego-Southw 1sternUnited States
The Mission church in San Diego is responsible for
California, Anzona, New Mexico, and Texas.The Mission church is already supervising churchesin_Phoenix
'and
Albuquerque. Future targets include Houston
and Orange CountY, California.

Denaer:wes'tcrn uf ited States

This church was originally established by the
C:ossroadsChurchof Christin L986.Led by evangelist
Marty Wooten-Denverpians ieestabiishnewchurches
aL-^-.^l^^,.r
trulruSrrvLrl

:+^ +^*-i+^*-'
ILD lErrrlvrJ

qo-J
rrs

tta*rirtino
errrv ur6

fn

hottr

cntnp

nf

the smaller discipling ministries in this part of the

country as we11."
UnitedStates
Proaidence-Northeastern
The Providencechurch becameseparatefrom the
Bostonchurch in JuneL985.TargetsincludeHartford,
Connecticut,and Buffalo,New York.
LosAngeles*PacificRim
The Los Angeleschurchwill be plantedfrom Boston
in 1988.

Pillar Churches and Future Church plantings

l7g

Washington,
D.C.=-unidentified
territofy
This churchwill be planted by the Bostonchurch.
M i n*n i -r, wr.Lwer
-; s.- L,L;{: ^,J !^.-;:L ^-.-.
LlLcvL LaI I LLUr.y .

This church will be planted by the Boston church.

San Francisco-Asis
Thrgets are Manila, Bangkok, anci Seoul.
New York-Brazil, Africa, portugal
The New York City church planted a church in 56o
Paulo, B19zil, in June 19g2. Future targets are
New
Brunswick, Deihi, Nairobi, and Lisbon.
London-Great Britain, Africa, Asia, Australia
The Central London church planted a church in
pfdnef, Australia, in January f gAi. The tondon church
has plans to send te-ams to Singapore, Bangalore,
Manchester Edinb u:h,_and_nirmi"ngham. Acc6rding
to the Bosion buiietin, London wilfassist Boston
ii
planting a church in Lagos, Nigeria.
Tbronto-Canada

The central Torontochurchbearsresponsibilitvfor

oianting chu_rches
throughout Canada.Til ;hl"r.h
intends to plani churchesin Vancouverand Montreal.
MexicoCity-Central Americaand SouthAmerica
(northern)
-The Mexico City church began in October L9gZ.
Already, the Boston leadershifrhu, urrnornced the
future targetsand,,leadevangelists,,
of
fiJ
""ou-t"u*r.
largets are GuatemalaCity; San Jose,,
Costa Rica;

Citryregjlcigalpa,
tiond.rras;
Santo
D";G;,
Ity:
lJominicanRepublic;
Colombia.

Caracas,Venezuela;ana nogJta,

The DisciPlingDilemma

180

BaenosAires-Ssttk Ameriea(westernandsauthern)
Led by Martin Bentley, the BuenosAires church is
schedd6d to begin in fanuaryl99.8' The church has
plans to establish churchesin Quito, Ecuacior;Llrt|a'
bem; La Paz, Bolivra;Asu-nci6n,Paraguay;Montevideo'
rr--,,--^--Ufllgl.laYi

^-l
illlLl

c^*+i--^
!,crrrlr46v,

lvruv'
-Lila

9fr0Pnulo-Btazil and Potiugal

iFr-:- :^ ^-^
IIlllt

ID

^r lrvs
fi,'

t I'LC; t'I

nillav ^Lrrtnhpc
!rrsrvrfvv
l/lJqr

nnf nlanted
"--

r--------

direCtlV
-J

h.r Rncrnrl. The New York City church commissioned

eJ

vve'vLl

ifiit Taliaferroto lead the Sdo Paulochurch. Thrgets

from" 56o Pauloinclude Rio de Janeiroand Lisbon'
Dn+io-Erannh-gnonkino
vrvf.,'
twtlwt.
Jp-L

LWt

F.u.rnnpAfrica,
-and
-"'
-r. and Poland
J

TomTirrnbullistheleadevangelistforthischurclt
plantedbyBostoninlg85.FuturetargetsfromParisare
brussels, Belgium; Kinshasha, Zaite; and cities
throughout France.

the
Andvteming,
targets in Oslo' Norway;
"evangelist
Stockholm iirurch has
r
n-,^,-^^--1-. tr^ri-t-:
Ei-l^nrl.
o-.1 T{prrlc-

"'#!#;o! #iK:
uopennaggn,

lJenmausi

'ftsrDlru\I,

r'ruqrrs'

qrrs

r\vJ-!

!avx, Iceianci.
Hetsinki-FinlandandtheSooietUnion
TheHelsinki churchwill beptantedby-lheStockholm
ch.urchin 1988.The Helsinki-churchwill send its first
team to Leningrad.
Milan*Itaty and surroundingislands
Bostonplans to plant the Milan churchin L989,wjth
BobTrancheflasthe "team directoi." The Milan church
will sendteamsto Rome,Bologna,and Palermo'

Pillar Churchesand Future Church Plantings

181

Munidt-West Germany,Switzertand,
Austlia, Eastern
Europe,andlstanbul
Bostonwill senda teamled by TomMarks,Henning
Droeger,and Grant Henley to plant the Munich church
in 1.988.Targetsinclude WestBerlin and Vienna.
Venna*Slaaic Nations
Grant Henley is slatedto plant this church from the
Mumeh-chtirdr. The vienna churchrn;illberesponsible
for targeting Yugosiavia,Romania,Albana, Hungary,
Bulgaria, and parts of the SovietUnion.
Bombay-India, Pakistan,Sri Lanka,Middte East
Plantedby Bostonin Januaryot 1987,the Bombay
church plans to coordinate its efforts to reach the
surrounding area with the London and New York
churches.Firm targetsare Calcuttaand Madras.
Tokyo-lapan, Okinawa
George Gurganus and Steve Shoff lead the Tiokyo
team as membersstudy the language.The church will
be planted in L988with Frank Kirn aslead evangelist.
Ftrnno Knmo-Chinn

Boston hasset january i988 asjhe siariing daie for

the Hong Kongchurch.Led by ScottGreen,this church
will eventually attempt to plant churchesin the key
cities of mainland China.
Singap
ore-Malay sia, Indonesia
The London church is scheduledto plant a churchin
Singaporein 1988.The team'sevangelislsare James
Lloyd and Daniel Eng.
Sydney-Australia, SouthPacific
The London churctr planted the Sydney church in

182

The Discipling Dilemma

lanuary 1987. Futute tiergets trom Sydney include

Melboume and Auckland.
Kngston-Caribbean
Boston "replanted" this Jamaicancongregationin
Tanrro*rr
,qr.qqrJr

1OQ7
T T-z{a+
Ltst
. vL.vsI

Ilnoln-/a
svDlvla

i*fl"o*-a
D uulutltLE,

+1^^ TZi---+^llls
IUISDLVIT

church has targeted Nassau,Bridgetovrn,and Port of

dPir.rlr.

CHAPTER

L3
COUNTRYBY
BOSTONCHURCHES
COUNTRY

Thefollowing is.alist of all the known churchesthat are

#filiated with the Boston movementand all of their
future targets. Each church and target planting are
listed as follows:
City of church (nameof church,if different);
dateof beginning;
church that plantedthis one.
North America
UnitedStates
Bostonilune1979,startedby Kip McKean.
Chicago;lune L9B2;Boston.
1\T^.^'
r\svv

V^-l.r\JII\
TJ*^-,il^-^^.
r r\rvlL{gItuE,

r^:4...
tvru/r

f..*^
lOQe,
lX^^t^I7OJ7
llUDlUIt.
JLlltE
T..*^
1ootr. D^^r^LrIlg
IToLr'
LrLrDLtJlt.
J

Mrnneapolis(TwrnCities);january !987; C'nicago.

St. Louis; August L987;"replanted"by Chicago.
Atlanta; August 1987;sphtfrom Atlanta Highlands
and taken overby Boston.
SanFrancisco;September 1987
by
;'.'reconstructed"
Boston.
The following churcheswere not planted directlyby
Boston,but are under Boston'sinfluence:
SanDiego (Mission),mL987beganbeingdiscipled
by Boston.
Albuquerque (Mt. Vista), in 1987,beganbeing
discipledby Mission church.

The Discipling Dilemma

Phoenix(EastValley),in 1987beganbeingdiscipled
by Mssion church.
Denver,n 1987beganbeing discipledby Boston.
Tallahassee,Florida (University)
Gainesville,Florida (Crossroads)
f)rl

qn r{ n

El
ndr{
r rvrrss

r /T Tnirrarcifrz
vrsrLj
\vruv

Rnr
rlarrarril\
svsL
v4s//

Ft. Lauderdale,Florida (Westside)

r!^1..-1-:^
\.\,ILIIIILJId.,

c^.-al.
r-^-^12-^
/CL^-l^-\
JU LTLI T T'dI L,III T1 (OI I.1I TLTUI T,,

Charlotte, North Carolina (Northview)

Champaign,Illinois (Cornerstone)
Cincinnati (Gateway).
Milwaukee (Lakeview)
Indianapolis (Landmark)
Future Targets
Los Angeles;1988;Boston
Miami; L9B8;Boston
Washington,D.C.; 1988;Boston
Philadelphia;Chicago
C^^rrl^.
JscllLIE,

t4L:^^-^
tvruuclbL,

Dallas;Chicago
Detroi| Chicago
Portland; Chicago
D-..lr!

. -

--

aa

a,

Darfirnore; Lntcago

"TheResearchJriangle/1rr^orth,Caroiina;Ailanta
Tf..-n'vrzi,rlc
rurv^vlJs,

To*ncceoo.
rvrurvsov9,

A *1 qn+--

r rlrqrrLq

Lexington, Kentucky; Atlanta

Little Rock, Arkansas;Atlanta
Jacksonville,Florida; Atlanta
New Orleans;Atlanta
Norfolk, Virginia; Atlanta
Huntington, WestVirginia; Atlanta
IacksoryMississippi; Atlanta
Houston;SanDiego (Mission)
OrangeCounty, Califomia; SanDiego (Mission)
Hartford, Connecticu! Providence
Buffalo, New York Providence

Boston
Churches
CounhybyCountry

1gs

Canada
Toronto(CentralToronto);Lgg5;Boston
Future Thrgets
Vancouver;Toronto
Montrea} Toronto
New Brunswick;New york
Latin America and Carribean
NarthernLatin America
Mo<icoCrW;I98T; Boston
Future Ta_rge_ts
(City; Church planter)
rru.aremala Ltry; vlexrco Uity
l---^z^-^-,1-

^.1

SanJose,Costi Rica;Moci.o City

lanama City; MerAcoCity
Tegucigalpa,Honduras;Mo<icoCitv
Domingo, DominicanRepublic;MexicoCity
lanto
V.
Caraeas,- enezue-la: I\y-f
orinn Ci +-*,

Bogotri,'
Cot;bi;;il#;A;t

Western
andSouthqnLatin America
Brtennc

c.
.Aui sr o
e,

Frrfirre

Throp*c

1
OQa. P^^r^L/sg,

u\JOLtJll

Quito, Ecuador;BuenosAires
Lima, Peru; BuenosAires
LaPaz,Bolivia;BuenosAires
Asunci6n, Panguay;BuenosAires
Montevideo,Uruguay;BuenosAires
Santiago,Chile; BuenosAires
Brazil
56o Paulo;1.987;New york City
Future Targets
Rio delaneiro; 56opaulo

186

The Discipling Dilemma

Canibean
Kingston,Jamaica;L987;"replanted"by Bosto4
''

Future Thrgets
Nassau,Bahamas;Kingston
D,-!

'

J-^r^----

Drrqger0wn,

D-,-t--

S - - - Ttt,^

--L--

Daroacr0s; Arng$ron

Port of Spain, T?inidad;Kingston

Port-au-Prince,Hait! Boston

Europe
GreatBritain andlreland
London;1982;Boston
Future Targets
Manchester;London
Birmingham; London
Edinburgh; London
Dublin; Boston
WesternEurope
Paris;1986;Boston
Fu-tureThrgets
rt*,^^^tT!^t^:..*.
LrrLIDDErD, rJtrSrtrrrl/

rJ^-:^
r crrrD

Amsterdam,Hollandi Boston
Lisbon; New York and SdoPaulo,Brazrl
Scandinavia
Stockholm;1986;Boston
Future Thrgets
Helsinki, Finland; 1988;Stockholm
Oslo, Norway;Stockholm
Copenhagen,Denmark;Stockholm
Reykjavik,Iceland; Stockholm

BostonChurchesCounhy by Country

Italy and Greece

Future Thrgets
Milan; 1989;Boston
Rome;Milan
Bologna;Milan
Palermo: Milan

Athens; Boston
CentralandEasternEurope
F rfrrrp Throefc

Munich, West Germany;1988; Boston

West Berlin; Munich
Istanbul, Ti-rrkey;West Berlin
Vienna; Munich
'Yugosiavia;
Vienna
Romania; Vienna
Albania; Vienna
Hungary; Vienna
Bulgaria; Vienna
Soviet Union; Vienna
Leningrad, Soviet Union; Helsinki, Finland

Africa
SouthAfrica;1986Boshon
Johannesb'urg,
Future Targets.
Lagos, Nigeria; Boston and London
Cairo, Egyp! Boston
Nairobi, Kenya; New York
Kinshasha, Zatre;Pais

Asiaand SouthPacific
lndiaandMiddleEast
Bombay;1.982Boston

188

The Discipling Dilemma

FutureThrgets
Calcutta;Bombay
Madras;Bombay
Delhi; New York
Pakistan;Bombay
Sri Lanka; Bombay
Far East
FlongKong; L988;Boston
Tbkyo;L988;Boston
Future Thrgets
thipai, Thiwan;Boston
Manila, Philippines; SanFrahcisco
Bangkok,Thaiiand;SanFrancisco
$eoul, South Korea;SanFrancisco
Singapore;L988;London
Bangalore;London
Mainland China; Hong Kong
Australiaand NewZealand
Sydney;1987;London
Fut';re Thrsefs
IVlolhnrrr-a

Arrc*nalie.

r r4sLrquqt

Qtrr{-a.t
vJvLL9y

CHAPTER

14
BOSTON/NDSTtrTISTICS

Most, if not all, of the interest in the Boston

methodology ste,m:from their greatnumericalgrowth.
l";wEirpariieuiariy impresseciby their wor[s righ_
teousnesstheo,lory,rigrdly authoritarian structurejor
a-rrogantattifudes.The only merit and attractivenessin
the system is the numericalgrowth. It is appropriat+
therefore, to look objectivel! at some statisticscon_
cerning tha_tgrowth
E^-.-

^-^

-----.?-

StaffNumbers
. Onekeyindicatorusedby churchgrowthstatisticians
is the stalf-to-memberratio. As of"october,i9g7 the
Boston Church of Christ had appioximately3000i"
SunflaSrmorning attenaaE"e.fhl total memi:ershin

numbered
aboui2500.TheBostonf"lil;;;il;il

includes the following people: 2 full_time etdeis, S

evangelists,42 missionaries(not in Boston) 54interns
or other leaders,anci6 office personnel.Not counting
the office staff and missionaries,Bostons effective
ministerial staff numbers 61.. The ratio of staff to
membersthenis 1to40.Mostofthesestaff
memb.rruru
engagedin full.time evangelism.A church of 400with
anequivalent ratio would haveL0full_timeevangelists.
The staff-to-baptismratio at Bostonis 1.to f6. ffris

The DisciPling Dilemma

190

means that on average eaeh evangelist or intern converts one person every 3 weeks.
These ratios are much the same throughout the
Boston daughter churches. In Chicago there are 23
evangelists Ind interns on payroll. With an estimated
the staff-to-memberratio is 1to37.
---t
m.embershio
- r of
- - 850,
The staff-to-baptism ratio is t to 17,
The growth of the Boston Irlorrement churches is no
great mystery. It is a direct result of the large nurnber of
evangelistsand interns who are evangelizingfull-time'
Thathanpower is made possible largeiy becausethe
Boston Movement churches do not own facilities. The
money which most churches spend on purchasing a
,church building is spent on suPporting evangelists.
The growth of the Boston Movement

. churchesis no greatmystery.It is a
direct result of the large number of
evangelistsand interns who are
evangelizing fi;il1-tir'e.

'

Attrition Ratio
A few years ago, Boston boasted that they retained
95Vooftheir converts. After 8 years in existenee,how-evrrttrlefaets eio notsupport those ciaims'3efiveen
T,, -lune

^.
()I

n^nn
L>/>

^^:
dLLll

a\^a^L^\-,uLLrt'Er

^e
vL

1'AOn
LTat

+tr o
urt

Rac*n-n
uvelvrr

.hrrrch

taptized approximately 4200persons.The mo-streliable

indicator 6f Boston's membership is the Wednesday
attendance' In the fall of. L987 the Wednesday attendancewas at abouL2700.This leavesa difference of L500
or 35Toof the baptisms that are not current members'
'
Of coursean allowanceshould be made for those who
left on rnission teams or moved to different cities' We
weie not able to obtain that number from Boston'
Howeveq, the number of those who left shotlld be
balanced by those who moved to Boston and placed

Boston and Stadstics

ForexanBle,theBostonbulhtineinrfieare
TSibgt:!1I>.
rnat rn l9U6over 120individualsplaced membership
at
tlre Boston church. Therefore, the 6svoretention
e^stimate is probably accurate.
Even a 65Vo rctention rate is better than most
cfrurchesare,ableto achieve.A hiddenJaetermuscalso
be considered.Bostonmakesnu*.or,rrurts so quicklv
&rt+tTd-9p"Fbof yesterdayareoversf,uJo;;j6;h;
c_onverts
of today.a*!r. Bostongrowth rateslows',the
true dropout ratewill becomeciear.

APPENDIX
lr.
W FIaniIR. YeakIeY,
The purpose of this appendix is -to present the
statisticil details that support the daims made in
at the
Chapter2. Severalstatisticaltablesare.Presented
asan
intended
is
hrck'of this aooendix.This discussion
explanation
^fuUt* of thosetables.
L showsthe fioe ciistributionin ihe study-ofi:he
BostonChurch of Chiist. Typetabiesaredisplayedwith
the introverts in the top two rows and the extravertsin
the bottom two rows. The eight sensingtypes are
shown in the two columns on the left with the eight
lnflllflve

typgs

.r- - r-.-^

-^1-----

ln tne Iwu curu[u]D

^- +L^*i^L+
vrl Lrls u6rrl'

Tha*rrrn

trrrv,Lwv

outer columnscontainthe eight thinking types andthe

two inner columnscontain tle eight feelingtypes' The
eightjudgingtyPesaredisplayedinthetop andbottom
roivs whte lfri eight perceiving types are in the two
nniddlerows. Resi:ltsLre shown separatelyfor males
and females becauseof differenceson the thinkingfeeling scale. Approximately 60Voof males prefer
thinki"ng iudgmeiii and only 40Vopreter feeling jodg:
*a*l
IllSIrlT

tv u ! ,+ Aia^
nf
{atnaloc
,'tipfpr
iudsment
- -feelins
-----O
----rvgrbrve
vr
/u
vv
a
t

and

I.

++'tv =v
a(\o/^
rtofpr. rhinkino
iirdsment.
The
three rows in
**o-^'--'-'
Lrurrrsr'{t
/u l/rErvr
r.rllly
,

ea-n{.'-$ ?epresentouilomes o''ahe ihreE differenf

forms of the MBTI.
Consider the ISU cell in the upper left corner as an
example.Here is what the figuleg mean'When answering the questionson the il{BTi ihe way thev thir'k th'ey
*6Ua hive answeredthem beforetheir conversion(or
five yearsago for the few who had beenmembersthat
of the females
long), 16.4iToof the males and 1'l-.68Vo
for introverpreferences
indicating
thus
.uti" out IST],
when
judging.
However,
siorL sensing,thinking, and
preferpresent
they answetEdthu queltions indrgatin-g
of the malesand 6.69Voolthefemales
ur,.'"r, only8.46Vo
L92

Appendix

Lgg

cameout ISTJ.Furtherrnore/when they answeredthe

questions on the MBTI the way they think they will
answer them after_fivemore years of discipling, even
fewer came out ISTJ-only i.3ZToof the^mal"esand
'l,,,30Vo
of the females.
If
will find that
_ -vogexamineall L5cellsin Table1, ,vor:_
10 of the psychologicaltypes show i steady decline
from past to presentto future outcornes.Thiee of the
types-ISFls, INFJs, and male ENTJs-show the
iargest percentagesin the present outcome. These
apqearto be transitionaltypei. Thechangespeopleare
-makingmove them into these types on tn6ir way to
bec_oming
something else. Thre-etypes-ESTj, ESFL
andENFJ-showa steadyincrease
fiompast to present
l|^ f..L--^
^--L^^---mrEoii.ii:':reoirrcomes.
ii-temosi popuiartypeis ESFJwith
54.23Voof the males and bl-.4gVo6i tne females
indicating that ty_pepreferencewhen answering the
MBTI questionsthe way they think they will aftei five
ye.l1sglqgipti"g. The next most popular fype is
115'
ESTJwith 20.377oof the males and 23.A4To
<jf tne
females,indicating that as their future preference.The
only other popular type is ENry with 14.g1yaof.the
males andL2.LTVoof the femalesindicating that future
preference.
Thhlo

? chntrrc

*ho
rrL

r{arrio+in-o
f-^*
sv v rqrrvr rD rr
vlrl

^ L^^^ .^^---r-d^.^
6l t_/61D9pup uratlult

fi1thissfud,t?hepuriroieottni"
r. """
""*r,"i;*""'*rl"
whichof thethreedisirib,ruonr.u*.i;;il
;";"h

tion norms. Sincemost of the membersof the Boston

Church of Christ are collegestudentsor collegegraduates, ihey ryere compared with a sample of c-ottege
students and college graduateswho have taken tf,e
M.BII.Eachof thepercentagesinTable
1.wascompared
percentagein the basepopulayth g_gorresponding
tion. Whatis shownin Table2are thepercentafe
iroint
differencesin the two figures. The iean percentage
point deviation for the total sample was-closestIo
population norms when membersof tne congregation

The DisciPlingDilemma

194

answeredthe MBTI questionsthe way they think they

would haveansweredthem beforetheir conversion(or
five yearsago for the few who had beenmembersthat
long). The present outcome showed a greatermean
deviation. The future outcomeshoweda much greater
der4ationfronnpopulation n-orms.
thble 3 is a selectionratio type tableshowingthe mtio
^f rL^
t I lttg

*^-^a-*
yglLgrlL

^C ^^^1^
vl tqLrr

{rrno
rJye

amnno.Lrrrnh
q
[rvrr

rnetnlrers

to

the peicentof thattype in thebasepopulation-A ratioof

with exa-ct$as
1.00 would indicate a perfect m-atchmany of that type in the sarnpieas wouiti be expecteci
baseh on population norms. A ratio of 2.00 would
indicatethit the samplehad twice asmany of that type
aswould be expectedon the basisof populationngrml.
A ratio of 0.50wouiciinciicaiethat the sampieha<ioniy
half asmany of that type aswould be expectedon the
basis of population norms. Many of the cells have
significant under-representationsin the future outcomes.Thrcells with the significantover-representar:^-^

lT'LrltD

:*
ut

+L^ If"*"oa
uLut
LItg

nrrlnnmoc
vulLv$rve

oro FQTT
LJt
Dv

qLv

F(FT
HvL

J,

and
6"4

trNFT-

Therewere more than eight times asmany male ESFJs

and rnore than three times as many female ESFJsas
would be expectedbasedon populationnorms.
Tt- ^
l"ng
--

-- r, -

call.pe

,^i^-:r:
Sl8llllluallug
11- -L

fflar

11^ ^

ute

1^--^1^
IcvglD
^1-^^--^l

ull

glvgld

:*J:^^+^
rrlLllL(rlE
A]tt^-^-^^-

\rL!rE!g!!!!;P

L^.^'
lrvvv
/d^

lrv

nnnSir{on&
Lvruruvrrr
-nt

*ootrll

Llvr r:D$rr

nno
vtrv
frnm

a^vf.l

ch.ar,ceand 'souid be observed- again in repeated

sarnples.At the .05level, there is ot'ly aSVgprobability
that the observed pattern resulted simple from chance.
At the .01-level, there is only a LVoprobability of such
error and thus o4e can be more conficient. At the .001
level, there is only one chancein 1,000of such error and
thus one can be still more confident. For any readers
who are not familiar with statistics, significance levels in
this kind of study are usually based on a statistie known
as Chi Square. When some of the cells are empty'or
have very small numbers, it is necessary to use_an
alternative statistic known as Fishey'sExact Probability.

Appendix

19S

Table4 is another selectionratio type table.

This time,

the
is notwitir'poputation
norms.
l,:I:",,"r
brnce-thepast:o.Tp?-rison

distribution in this study cameclosestto

population norms, that was taken as thb
best estimateof
true type in the congregation. In Table
4, th; t;;;;;
anci fufure distributi,onJ are co-oared r,vilh *ho
nrc+

yl"! thistable
rno"ii, *J;;il; ilff;
,Tr1'l_:.o_","
ii:t pS!-CilOiOgfCai ivoe
ohsprrrpd
in *ha -+,,r., ^t L^
churil
oriri,irturu,t"i"n."[yi#]H"# #':
p*:l

pdrir-ro-present
cnange.s.arellgruficant,
but the past_tof"*l: changesarehighty,idifi.;t.
Tabie5 summarizeJthe .f,ang", on the four
MBTI
scales.Noticehcw the percentagEs
changefrom pastto
presentto future outcomes.Noticeahdhow
mlnv of
fhc
tna-Lano
n tL^
D^-r---ar
rD vr Lrr.e DUDf,on LnUfCn

Ot Chfist

ShOW a

fu$1e preferencefor extraversion,sensing,feeling,anJ

iudging.
Table6 showsthe past-to-futureMBTI scalechanses

9{. typu.The16typesaretistedir, ;dG;;;jffi.;

following the usual trrpe table orr_{or.T-r"o ao-.^-r

cotumn
ihowsthenu#be,*no i#;;;J'";.ir'il;

preference when they answered the questions

the wav

they would havebeforeconversio".iil;;;;il;';

show the rrercent and fho EvLqur

an*tts'lnrrmr^^-^-L^
r^- r ,- rrurrll-/sl
wlLu
Ilacl

no

changes, then those v;ho had orre, two,

.p,:-t]-f"*:"
Effee/
Of tOUf Chanees_ Thp nnirrn-n

nn *t ^;^Lr

^L^-.--

themean
number;f
*;b .i;;;;; il;;.ilil::'+il;
figures

acrossthe bottom sho# the-percentand the

acfualnumberwho had no changes one,two,
I
three,or
Sntt.
^tr'o*^^^
-- J
&rrd
the mean number of scalechanges
;::i;,j""8s,
ror tne entire sample. What this shows is
that ihe
lverage mernber of the Boston Church of Christ
5halged on atleasttwo of the Mrrr scaies"O;y;:;;;;
hud on";'gA.gf%
fa{ no past-futurechanges;19.64Va
had two; 26.85To
had thrie; and,t2.2i.n had four and
thyrsexperienceda total reversalof tw*.
Table Z shows the past-fut.rr" iiui" changes
by

TheDisciPlingDilemma

Lg6

Dreference.The figures on the left show the percent and

ihe actual numbei who started with each preference'
The figures in the mid'dle show how many -of those
unchanged. The figures on the right show
**uiti.a
tto* *utty change"d.What thiJ shows is that those who
er-arfed -a;ith oieferenecs for extraversion, sensing,
!vu

o.lqr

but
f;;u;t, and judging
-starteJtendedto remainunchanged'
'with.
preferences
the opposite
those"who
tendedto change.
changesby pretererce'
Table8 shcwJtl''"epast-futu-re
The mean number 6f scaiechangeswaslessfor those
for octravetsion'sensing'
who startedwith preferences
i;;li"g, ;"d judging that it was forthose who started
*itn it.f.t"t ..t" foi introversion, intuition, thinking'
and perceiving.
fatte g shoits the past-future changes by combinations of preferences.-In each of the sets of four' one
combinafron includes two of the ESFJpreferences'two
combinations include one of the ESFJpreferences' and
rL^ ^rL^LIlg

ULIIEI

^^*t^i-a*inn
LVlllvlrlqrrv

r{noq nnt
incftrde
'-'-'----L'v-

anv
of the ESFI
--J

preferences.In eachof the five sets,the combination

ihut io.lodes two of the ESFJpreferencesshows tle
i"*t.f.,u"ge and the combinatidnthat doesnot include
any
--

, r 11,^ rc,r--T --^r^oI I.fIe -trDfj PIErsrs.rrLED

+^;^
Iaolg

oLnrrzc
orrvvvu,*'"iha

oraafest
o"-;--:

chanSe.
,-^_- K-

On
tr't
.-t^^=i,. +1.o*ac!-&rfrrr"o rhanqes
-r I
-J
b-r
Wpg.
Lrrqrlo-IU SITUWS Llls PcrDl-rqrsrv
.

"
+hp ipfi sirje i:f ihis table, ih.e 15 tt/pes are a-rranged m'
lI|.

gr!

orderfrom the type that showedtheleastchange-(ESFJ)

change(INTP)'The
io ln" iyp" that showedthe grgat-est
rankinf"at the right sidebf this table is based on
differeices from nsry. ESFJs,of course, have zero
difference points and INTPs have four' There is a
Spearmanrho rank order correlationof '9L between
tfiesetwo ranking and that correlationis significant at
the
.. .001level.
nUi"t 5 through L0all makethe samebasicpoinfl the
groupdynamicsinthe BostonChurchof Christoperate
io ionuett"e a movementawayfrom introversion' intui-

Appendix

lg7

t$nking, and perceivingwith a strongmovennent

!ion,
toward er<traversion,
-sensing,feeling, andludging.
Keep
in
mind
that
these
statisticaliables,io,ritfrorr"
afl
individual
is
going
to experiencethe pry.t o_
thaf
problems
associated-with
falsificatio" of
fogicaf
logical type. The focus of this researchwasRotirjr.f,oon anv
individual, but ratheron the overallpatternobsu*"J ii
*hg g1gyp: This pattern, howeve4'clearlyindicatesa
for the individuals subjectedto this
f,i:T:"]oi iniiuence.
*anger
ifii'rci
Thosewho are alreadyESFJswhen
they cometo the Bostonchurch of christ arelikery to fit
in quite well and not feel much of the pressuret6ward
conformity that othersfeel. The great6rthe difference
Detween person'strue type and the ESFJmodel, the
I

tl'talra

lilraltt

*tr.al ^^--^-

:^ r^

r^-r

.r- -

991jormity. Thosewho come to the Bbstonchurch as

INTPs are in the greatestdanger.

TheDisciplingDilemma

198

TABLE1.
TYPEDISTRIBUTION
rsrJ

ISFI

INll

INTI:

female male female

male female male female rylq
Past 16,4gVoi7.68% 4,.12Vo8.28Vo \'55Vo l.70vo2-06/o L,7070
Present 8.4670 6.69Vo1 .17V017'36Vo3'4EVq 2'51%!.99Ve 1'991:
Future L.32Vo 1,.30Vo3.17s/o 7.52rroA'26Vo a.65VoA-AAVoA'4470
INTP
INFP
TSFP
ISTP
'male
female male female male female male female
!L.60Vo 9.98Vo 9'28Vo 9'98Vo8'25Vo 7'22Vo
Past 73.92VoL'l'.2SVo
Present 1.49Vo t.67Vo 5.47V0 3.977o 3.737o 2'72Vo0'50Vo 0'9V:
f"tu."
0.0070 0t.43To0.53Vo O]2% 0.53Vo 0'227o0'0AVo0'22V0
ENTP
ENFP
ESFP
ESTP
male lemale male female male female male female
6,MVo 6.58Vo 3.6\Vo 8.07Vo 6.7ATo 9'l3Vo3'35V03'829o
Past
Present 1.997o l.67Vo 3'48Vo S.IAVo 2.74Vo 2.5170A'50Vo1'67Vo
;..;,.^
f uLug

^v . a11q/v
tu

i 4.401 n 6a%

Esrl

1 .?o.o/i 1..850/o !,30Vo 0.00Vo 0.437o

ESFI

EN{I

qNII .

male female male fernale male female male female

7'73Vo 4:67Vo 2.58Vo 5.\0Vo L.29Vo 0'64V0t'03Vo 0'21Vo
Past
present L5.92Vot3,81Vo26.37V034.31Vo4.737o 3'97Vo3'98Vo 0'2LVo
2'72Vo 3'74Vo
14'8lTo LZ'L7Vo
Fut;ille 20.37Vo23.047o54.23Vo53,48Vo
"Ihst Self instructions:378maies, 471females
"PresentSelf" instructions:402males,478females
"Fuhrre Self" instructions:388males,460females
Number who comPltedall three forms: 835

Appendix

t99

DEVrArroNs
rnffi T"3EpopulArroN
(percentagepoints)
ISFI
INF]
INTI
.IST'
male female male female male female male female
Past
5,92
5.6b -2.12 :3.90 -1.g7 -2,08 _2.2g _O2L
Resent -2.11
0.62 8.93 5.18 O.SO -L.22 _2.g0 *0.86
-9.25
-4.72 -9.07 *Lo.ai _i.e6 _3.rg _4.2s _1.s1
Future
ISTP
ISFP
INFP
INTP
male female male female male female mJe- iemate
Past
7.16
9.04 6.51
3.86 9.44 A.zt 2.M _S.ZT
Present-5.27. -0,54
0.38 -2.I5 -Z.tI *g.05 *5.31 _1.53
Future *5.76 -1.79 -4.56 -S.90 -9.3i _s.SS _5.81 _1.23
_
Past
Pracah+
iilslii.

ESTP
ESFP
ENFP
ENTP
male female male female male female male female
-4.02
-1.78
-0.52
0.00
-0.24 -g.2L _Z.BS 0.76

-11
- = ,/R
=r

R.rture -6.18

--nu . ooo
z

-r.ei

-1.91 -4.86

.ESTI
male female
-3.47 -2.86
-Purt
Present 4.72
6.29
Future 9.17 15.51

-S.is

_4.24

_9.93 _S.20 _1.99

-7.29 -S.SS -rr.O+ _6.20 _2.6A

ENFJ
ENTI
.ESFI
male female male '_a.zq,
female male female
-4.04 -11.35 _i.n
-.4.gg _2.4J
tg.ZS 17.86 -1.04 _2.gt '1.M _2.M
48.01 g7.W II'LZ
S.29_g.g0 _0,g9

5,632rnaleand 9,6!6 femalecollegestudents

l?se Populati-on:
Church Members'.PastSeUr-instructions:
378malest4Zt femiles
"PresentSelf" instructions:402males,4Zgfemales
"Future Self" instructions:388males,460females
Number who completedall three forms: g35
Mean percentage point devitions from base population:
male female
combined

Past
3.18
Present 4.42
Future 8.51

4.15
g,7S
7.2&

3.48
4.06
7.84

The Discipling Dilemma

200

TABI},3
SELECTION RAfiO TYPE TABLE
Ratioof Percmtof TypeamongChurchMembers
to Percentof fVpein BasePopulation
IST}

ISF'

INTT

INTJ

male female
1.56* 7.94*
.80 1.11
.2t
.g

male female
.66 ,68#
2.4* L4f
.lLu .tf

male female
.53 .4Y
1.19 .66
.09'# .Y

male female
.49 .89
.46' .55
.99. .9q#

ISTP
male female
2.A6* 5.08*
Past
Present .22* .76
,!q- .N
Future

ISFP
male female
2.28* 1.63*
1.07 .65
.1.0* .E-

INFP
male female
1.59# t.73*
.64 .47#

INTP
male femqle
1.47 3.7L*

ESTP
male female
1.00 2.5V
Past
Present .31* .65
.25'
.EFuture

ESFP
male female
.67 .94
.65 .6ry
.U.15*

ENFP
male female
.90 .74',
,37* ..20*
.25* .11*

ENTP
male female

ESTI
male female
,69' .62!
Past
Present 1.42# 7.83*
Future
1.811 3.06*

ESFJ
male female
.39# .31*
4.00* 2.12*
8.23* 3.30*

EN T I
ENFI
male female male female

.
Past
ftesent
Future

.02. .94.

.gq' .92.

1.28 .58',
4.01* 1.77*

.av .ry
.99. .t\#

.5q'

.08*
.60.

.L9*

LZC

.55
.14#

.07*

T+ .v

.39# r.07

Note Concerni4gSyrnbolsFollowing the SelectionRatios:

" = significariceltthe .05level,ehi Squaregreaterthan 3.8
4 = significanceat the .01 level, Chi Squaregreaterthan 6.6
* = significanceat the .001level, Chi Squaregreaterthan 10.8
instead of Chi
UnderEcoreindicatesFisher'sExactPrbbabil-ity'used
9S

Appendix

2Al

sELEcrroN
neno nuff*ult#coMpARrNcpREsENr
AND FI-NUREDISTRIBUTIONSWITH PAST
DISTRIBUTION
ISTI

ISFJ

INFI

INTI

. male female
Present
.51* .57#
Future
:Q9* .11*

male female male female

3.68F 2.L0ot Z2S t,4g
..77 .18*
,17 ._98

mate female
.97 .62
.00# .!q*

IgTP
male female
Present
.11* .15*

ISFP
male female
.M# .40*

INFP
male female
.40# .27*

IN TP
male female
.06* .06*

ESFP
male female
.92 .67
.15# .16*

ENFP
male female
.41# .2V
.2V .19

ENTP
male female
.tS# .W
.[[*
.11'r

ESTI
ESF'
ENFI
male female male female male female
Present 2.06* 29ff
10.29* 6.79* 9.67# 6,24*
Future
2.63+ 4.9$ 21.04* 10.50* iT36* 1TI1*

ENTI
male female

Future

.00. .04'

ESTP
male female
Present
.31# .25*
Future
.E!. .&"

.gg- .AA-

.ry

.W

.@, .d5.

.ee

2.0s 1g9g*

Note ConcemingSymbolsFollowingthe SelectionRatios:

" = significanceat the ,05level, ehi Squaregreaterthan 3.g
# = significanceat the .01level, Chi Sq:uarefoeaterthan 6.6
* = significanceat the .001level, Chi
Square-exeater
than 10.9
UnderscoreindicatesFisher'sExactprbbabiTityused instead of Chi
Square

TheDisciplingDilemma

202

TABLE5
SUMMARYOF CHANGESON THE FOURMBTI SCALES
Present
male female
60Vo
64Vo
4ATo
36Vo

Fufure
male female
95To
94Vo
1Vo
6Vo

Extraversion
Introversion

Fast
male female
33Vo
38Vo
62Vo
67Vo

Sensing
Intuition

66Vo
34Vo

66To
34Vo

78To
22Vo

85To
15Vo

80Vo
20Vo

82Vo

Thinking
Feeiing

59Vo

47Vo

35Vo

27Vo

24Va

+L"/o

tCYo

oC"/o

/ c-/o

t o-/o

29Vo
TiVo

]udgrng
Perceiving

37Vo
63Vo

3470
66Vo

80Vo
20Vo

80Vo
2ATo

96Vo
AVo

1aa^

95Vo
C"/o

TABLE6
MBTI
PAST-FUTt]RE SCALECHANGESBYTYPE
Number of Past-FutureChangeson the MBTI Scales
Four
Two
Three
None
One
NMean
N7o
N7o
N7o
Tlpe N 7o
N7o
IST 115 2.61 3 21.74 25 5L.30 59 20.87 24 3.48 4 2.01
ISFI 53 1r.32 6 .5A.94 27 30.L9 L6 7.55 4 0.00 0 1.34
INFI 14 0.00 0 L4.29 2 64.29 9 2r.42 3 0.00 0 2.07
I\ffJ rc 0.00 0 6.25 137.50 656.25 9 0.00 0 2;50
ISTP 100 0.00 0 3.00 3 21.00 21 64.00 54 12.00 12 2.85
ISFP 90 222 2 5.55 5 56.67 51 13.33 12 22.22 20 2.48
INFP 85 1.18 1 3.53 3 20.00 17 43.53 37 31..77 27 3.01

u"tTP 63 0-00 0 x-59 x. 3Jz

L33.3T 21 6L90 39 3.55

ESTP 57 1.75 1 26.32 15 59.65 34 12.28 7 0.00 0

ESFP 49 4.08 2 57.14 28 30.61 15 8.16 4 0.00 0
ENFP 67 4.48 3 8,96 6 59.70 40 26.87 18 0.00 0
ENTP 30 3.33 1 13.33 4 26.67 I 56.67 17 0.00 0
ESTJ 49 22.45 11 55.10 27 22.45 LL 0.00 0 0.00 0
ESFJ 34 70.59 24 26.47 I 2.94 1 0.00 0 0.00 0
EI.ITJ 728.57 257.14 414.29 1 0.00 0 0.00 0
EMJ
676.67 166.67 416.67 1 0.00 0 0.00 0
L02
292
220
164
Totals 835
57
Percent.
12.22
u.97
26.35
19.64
of total
6.83
Three
Forrr
Two
No
Qne
Changes Change Changes Changes Changes

1.82
L.37
2.03
2.37
1.00
0.32
0.86
L.t7
2.18

Appendix

203

pASr-FUruREMBrrscAhBl?-r1*"trBypREFERENc
Preference

Vo

RemainingUnchanged Changing
Vo
N
Vo
N

Exfraversion 35.81 299

iniroversion 64.79 536

95.66
5.{tr

2ft9
z9

3.34
94.59

10
547

Sensing
Intuition

65.39 546
M.6t 289

82.23
22.75

M9
64

17.77
77.85

97
225

Thinking
Feeling

52.22 436
M.78 399

25.69
72.43

112
289

74.3t
27.57

324
110

fudgmenN
Perception

35.21 294
64.79 54r

96.94
5.18

285
28

3.05
94.82

9
513

TABLE8
PAST-FUTURE
CHANGESBY PREFERENCE
Scale

Mean Changes

E
I

299
536

1.51
2.53

547
288

7.90
2.67

T
F

436
399

2.37
2.07

541

2.52

204

The Discipling Dilemma

PASr-Fr.ffuRE
cHAffii3B".o*ur**ro*,
OF PREFERENCES
N

Mean Changes

ry
II,
EP
EJ

198
338
203
96

1.87
2.92
1.86
0.76

ST
SF
NF
NT

321
226
173
lrc

2.08
1.6s
2.47
2.91

sl

251
296
245
43

t.M
2.29
2.80
L.9!

TP
FP
FI

L85
250
291
108

t.76
2.73
2.34
1.08

IN
EN
IS
ES

178
110
358
189

3.08
2.00
2.26
t.22

SP
NP
NI

Appendix

2A5

TABLE1.0

PAST-FUTURE
CHaNGrs'' i'P'
(a comparison
of tan rankings)

rank orderedfrom
least to most
Past-future&ange
ranking basedon

ESFJ
ENF'
qsrl
ENIrI
rsFJ
ESFP
ESTP
$rt
FT\TE.T,

q.rFI
ENTP
ISFP
Il\rft
ISTP
INFP
INTP

34
7
49
6
53
49
57
1$
Io
et

14
30
90
t6
100
85
63

O.s2
0.86
1.oo
7.17
7.s4
1,.97
L82
2.01"
z.u5

2.07
2.37
2.48
2.50
2.85
3.01
J.CC

rho=.91 p<.001

n
1,
1
2
I
I

2
2
2
2
3
2
3
3
3
4

EDITOR'SUPDATE
The information presentedin Chapters11-1.4was basedon interviews Gene Vinzant conducted early in 1987with leadersof
disciplingdrurches.Tfterehavebeensomesignificantchangessince
then that need to be noted as we now prepare for the second
printing of this book. Severaldiscipling churcheshaverejectedthe
hierarchicalconceptof the BostonChurdr of Christandhavecharted
^-:*J^-^*J^ns
gtqgyglaqgrtl
qtl

anrrgaa
lvqrDg.

T'L^.^
lrlsDs

i-^l"Ja'
gtlrqqE.

l-snacrna.{a
vrv9olvqus

iu.

llainacrilla vsrv,
vqurLt

Florida; Miami-Gablesin Miami, Florida; Central in Huntsville,

Alabama;Bould-er,eolorado; RoekyMountain in Fort Collins, Colorado;DeKalb,Illinois; South BatonRougein Louisiana;and sev^-^I
tld.l

^rL^-^
utllglJ.

llll

^l-^^t
dlurvJl

^..^*,
tvsry

-I^-^..,L^-^
wltsrs
ylqlg

+L^
llts

Il^-+^uvDlvrr

^L"-^L
lltqtsr

L.a
rrq-

taken over an existing discipling church, the church has ciivitied

and there are now indepencientdiscipiing churchesin ihesecities.
Thehierarchy,however,continuesto grow. Disciplingchurdresin
Normai,iiiinois, anclTuisa,Okiahoma,havenow joined theBoston
network.
Qorraral

a+}rar

ranonl

dorrolnnmanlc

chnrr'ld

ho nntprf

T'lrp

strrrc-

ture of the Bostonchurch has changed.Kip McKeannow leadsall

the churchesof their hierarchy and the Boston church has appointed four other evangeliststo be in drargegf four 1,000'member
churchesthat still function in many ways asa singlecongregationi
Leadersof the Bostonchurch arenow much moreopenin exPressing their judgment that membersof other churchesof Christ are
not true Christiansand never have been saved'they have publi'
cally statedtheir judgment that AlexanderCampbellwasnot a tflre
Christianand did not really start the RestorationMovemenl Their
positionseemsto be that Kip McKeanstartedthe RestorationMove'
meni in Bostonin1979.Perhapsthe mostimportantdevelopment
in tha rraar cinca fhic hnnL uznc wriifpn

ic thaf eotrnsplnts

in virtuallv

everyciiy whereihis radicaimovemeniefsis arenow beingfioociEd

with dients who are the psychological,emotional,and spiritual
victims of this authoritarian movement.Psychologistswho specializs in treating cult victims have reported that in severalcities
they are now treating more people from thesediscipling congregationsthan from all other groupsput together.Theseprofessionai
counselorsate unanimous in their iudgment that the Boston-led
hierarchyof discipling churdresis a dangerouscult.

246