Christians are all called “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” This is not only the United Methodist mission statement but it is a command that Jesus gave his disciples in Matthew 18:18b-19 when he said“…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’”
As a pastor, I see my role as both an administrator of the church and as a guide to help others become disciples and to grow into stronger disciples. The day-to-day administration work helps provide organization, communication, preparation, and structure to support our mission. Sunday sermons and Bible studies are tools I use as a pastor to help disciples grow closer to God. Outreach, visitation, and community service are other ways that I use to make disciples and help them grow in their relationship with God. These are the ways in which I live out our mission. Think about the ways you are supporting our mission and the ways God is using you to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” In what ways are you making disciples of Jesus Christ for the (positive) transformation of the world?
All Christians are disciple-makers because there are people looking at us and learning from our examples, whatever those examples may be. We can make disciples of bitterness, anger, frustration, and division. As we see increasing debates and complaints online and in print, we have witnessed a transformation in our world toward increasing discontent. As we have seen examples of violence multiply, we have witnessed a transformation in our world toward more crime.
We can make positive transformation happen. We prove we are disciples of Jesus Christ by the ways in which we daily love, think, speak, and act as Jesus Christ. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we become disciple-makers of Jesus Christ. Those are the disciple-makers that will transform the world for the good.
Be a disciple-maker for Christ!
Pastor Don
Pastor Don Terry 