A Balance in Forming Disciples

Preachers will tell you that the worship experience, especially the sermon, is at the center of Christian discipleship. Christian educators will argue that worship may get people in the door, but the small group experience of Sunday school or Bible study is where they connect and grow as disciples. Both have valid points.

Worship and Christian formation are the two sides of the coin of Christian discipleship. If the church is serious about the transformation of believers into disciples, both are necessary.

If worship is adoration of God, then it is an essential part of one’s growth as a disciple. Although worship in recent years has tended toward an entertainment model with the participants as the audience, we need to remember that the audience for worship is God. Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Worship isn't God's show. God is the audience. God's watching. The congregation, they are the actors in this drama. Worship is their show. And the minister is just reminding the people of their forgotten lines.”

So God is the audience, worshippers are the actors, and the ministers are prompters. In worship, we express our praise and adoration to God and celebrate our fellowship with God. We do this in concert with other worshippers.

Christian formation provides another side to our experience with God by offering opportunities to grow in community, to become immersed in sacred scripture, and to apply our faith in life.

In Missional Renaissance, Reggie McNeal writes, “Genuine spirituality lives and flourishes only in cultures and relationships of accountability.” Sitting next to others in worship is only the first step of entering into a faith community where we know, are known, and experience life together. This happens in classes or small groups with other believers. In the context of community, we not only hear scripture but seek to understand what it means for us and how we can apply it in our lives.

One Sunday morning, in a moment of surprising candor, one of my class members said, “I see little connection between what I hear on Sunday and how I live my life on Monday.” This was a wakeup call that we were not dealing with the implications of scripture for daily living, a vital part of Christian formation. Christian formation links the words of worship and study to an active Christian life.

As the church seeks to form disciples, worship and Christian formation go hand in hand. Each complements the other in this task. Both require attention and focus.

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