Discipleship in the Context of Community and Mission

Les Henson

Christian discipleship, at its best, takes place within a healthy; vibrant community of faith engaged in mission. It is not something that easily takes place in isolation from other believers, although sometimes out of sheer necessity that is the case. When Jesus began his mission, he gathered the community of the twelve who journeyed together with him and learned from him, even if they were at times slow to learn. Mission and community are critical elements of discipleship, which are essential to the development of authentic Christian faith. In community, we learn from one another and have our rough edges smoothed away, while by engaging in mission, we learn to trust and adventure with God in the context of everyday life. So, faith communities need to move away from the old forms of individual discipleship methodologies and rediscover the power of community and mission to change and transform lives.