Community Leadership and Christian Formation
By Kurai Chitima
This paper provides biblical materials that serve as
foundation to the subject of facilitating the Christian formation of leaders
for the market place. The mandate to facilitate Christian formation is found in
Matthew 28:19 where Jesus commanded his followers to go and make disciples of
all nations, baptize them, and teach them to observe all that he taught. This
command is referred to as the Great Commission. The mandate points to the
unique and core business of the church; in it is the answer to all the
requirements for church growth, community leadership, and their impact.
The subject
of market place leadership development through local
church Christian formation impinges
on an issue that is unavoidable of the church’s influence and impact in society. Believers are salt and light, or source of
influence in their community, to the degree and in the way they have been spiritually
developed. The Christian formation processes in local churches must be
comprehensive and effective in producing mature disciples. Maturity is
evidenced by behavior more than by belief. The aim of Christian formation is
transformation through teaching and modeling how to live a life that reflects
the values, principles, and truths of the Bible. Not only is learning required,
but also observance and participation. In John 17:4 Jesus said to the father
that he had finished the work he had been sent to do. The clue for determining
the work that he had finished is found in who he was praying for in that
chapter. He had finished the task of training his followers to whom he would
assign the ongoing mission of Christian formation and spreading his gospel and
influence to the whole world.
Matthew
5:13-17, which challenges followers of Christ to be salt of the earth and light
of the world, is at the core of the case for market place involvement and
vocation for Christians.
You are the salt of the earth. But
if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no
longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are
the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people
light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
(Matt. 5:13-16, NIV)
This passage is a core scripture in establishing the value
and biblical basis for local church involvement in developing leaders for godly
influence in their secular vocations. Exerting godly influence is being salt
and light. In this case, influence happens through Christian leaders in the
spheres of their secular vocation/market place ministry.
Market place leadership falls in
the general area of lay ministry in a non church setting—best understood in the
context of God’s mission (Missio Dei)
on earth and the mandate he has given to the Church. God’s mission is to
restore fellowship with man and make him a partner in world redemption in order
to fill the earth with his glory. The epicenter of mission is Christ’s coming
to save mankind (Luke 19:10; John 3:16) and destroy the works of the devil (1
John 3:8; Col. 2:14). Reaching the world was in line with the purpose for which
Christ came and the mission he gave his followers (John 3:16; Matt. 28:19). God’s
mission includes restoring the creation mandate, which includes stewardship of
all aspects of human society including agriculture, commerce, politics, and
academics (Gen. 1:28).
Matthew 5:13-16 is an appropriate
metaphoric expression and summary of Missio
Dei and the mission of his people in their multi-faceted nature. “The
supreme arguments for missions are found in the very being and character of God
(He is light). The Great Commission
is a logical summation and natural outflow of God’s character” (Peters 56).
Matthew 5:13-17 is a perfect summary of the biblical teaching on three main
mission perspectives, notably, the original/creation mandate to mankind through
Adam (Gen. 1:26-28; Isa. 43:7), the subsequent mandate to the church by the
last Adam (Matt. 28:18-20; 22:34-40), and the reality of the kingdom of God on
earth through Christ (Matt. 4:17; 6:33). The text provides convergence for the
three in its metaphors of salt and light. The metaphors capture the tasks of
gospel proclamation, multiplication of Godly people, and kingdom influence
through Christian formation of nations and equipping every believer for
ministry regardless of their vocational location (Eph. 4:11).
In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus tells his
followers their position of power and influence as salt and light in a dark
world. Exerting godly influence in one’s sphere of influence is being salt and
light. Jesus wanted them to understand that they are able to make a difference
wherever they are. In the context of my dissertation, this influence happens
through godly and competent Christian leaders in the spheres of their secular
vocation or ministry. Market place leadership positions are opportunities from
which to provoke praise and glory to God.
Mandate of Christian Formation
Jesus’ opinion on what the church
should achieve is most important because the church belongs to him (Matt.
16:18). Christ came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), but the priority in
his strategy was developing leaders to whom he left a commission and example
that show interest for all spheres of life and society. Reaching the world was
the purpose for which Christ came and the mission he charged to his followers
(John 3:16; Matt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15). The mandate to facilitate Christian
formation is found in Matthew 28:19 (Great Commission), inter alia, where Jesus
commanded his followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them,
and teaching them to observe all that he taught. This commission made
communicating the gospel and transforming individuals and communities the
unique and supreme task of the church. In accomplishing this task lies the
answer to all the requirements for church health, leadership development, and
influence. Obeying the command is an obligation for the whole church community
irrespective of vocational station. It makes deliberately raising leaders to
serve in the public sphere for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission a
part of faithful service to God.
The command to facilitate Christian
formation contains three instructions: go, baptize, and teach. Gary L. McIntosh
explains go as going to share the
good news of Christ in order to bring people to salvation (68). Baptizing is
symbolic of identification, keeping, bonding, or folding believers into the
life of church community. Teaching is education that facilitates sanctification
so that believers are built up in their faith and new life. Jesus instructed that
they teach “them to observe” (Matt. 28:19). The aim of Christian formation is
therefore transformation, not just information. To apply or observe what Christ
taught results in growth and maturity which in turn enables followers to
facilitate the Christian formation of whole communities/nations. The aim is
transformation through teaching, and modeling how to live a life that reflects
the values, principles, and truths of the Bible (Matt. 5:1-12). Obedience
produces growth towards maturity, and fruitful service that has community
impact as every obedient believer does the work of ministry wherever they are.
A mature follower of Christ affects his circle of influence and community for
Jesus. Maturity is demonstrated more by behavior than by belief. Comprehensive
Christian formation involves development that is complete and far-reaching in
achieving the biblical expectations of the church. Obed emphasizes the
necessity to go beyond just teaching and aim to produce the required change in
believers in order to achieve true Christian formation (15). He defines “transformational”
Christian formation as a church’s intentional actions to enhance believers’
attainment of Christlikeness. He further asserts that any teaching with no
transformational impact is not scriptural (27).
REFERENCES
McIntosh, Gary L.
Biblical Church Growth: How You Can Work
with God to Build a Faithful
Church Grand Rapids , MI
Obed, Uzodinma. Transformational Discipleship and the 21st
Century Church. ADM Ibadan ,
Nigeria
Peters, George W.
A Biblical Theology of Missions. Chicago : Moody, 1972.
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