CHAPTER III
TEDE -- WHAT IT IS
Introduction.
To Disciple means to follow, to imitate -- to imitate Jesus. Discipleship describes the close personal relationship through which faith is built up. This is God's way with men -- of blessing us Spiritually.
To Edify, according to the Scriptural definition as expressed in Chapters 12 through 14 of First Corinthians, is a mutually building up of faith in a spirit of love, via the gifts of God's grace. Our Lord's desire is that we grow together spiritually. His gifts enable this corporate growth to occur. Our Heavenly Father has gifted His followers so that the members of His body might unify spiritually and grow in faith together.
The near ideal model of the early Christian Church derived much of its revitalizing spiritual strength from their close Godly fellowship. In this fellowship they freely gave and ministered unto each other with the gifts of grace our Lord distributed after Pentecost.
This model of fellowship and edification is manifested in the theological educational setting of Paul and Timothy among their developed churches. Paul writes Timothy: "My dearly beloved son" (2 Timothy 1:2 KJV). This relationship of compassion was nurtured and cultivated during Timothy's theological, educational apprenticeship. This ministry of love had its effects on the developing congregations and -- the Word of the Lord grew.
Theological Education through Discipleship and Edification has Godly gifted ministry built right into everything it does. To edify is the primary aim of all ministry and its gifts, "Let all things be done unto edifying" (1 Co. 14:26 KJV). Without a definite living focus of edification, much of the theological education would only serve to touch the head and not the soul. When head centered education gets the primary focus, through academic pressure and grades, exams, and diplomas much of its spiritual value is lost. TEDE does not just verbalize compassion and Evangelism within a classroom. TEDE, by putting edification in the continually active vehicle of Paul-Timothy congregational discipleship, makes theological education come spiritually alive. Through this kind of discipleship, God's Word is focused on life's day to day struggles and theological education takes place. Most of the following practical material concerning "TEDE" has been taken from two books of George Patterson: Church Planting Through Obedience-Oriented Teaching and Obedience-Oriented Education. You will note this as you see numerous direct quotes as indicated by the end notes.
Obedience-oriented education as developed in Honduras, grew out of a "TEEE" program, which grew out of a TEE program, which grew out of a TE program. Let us explain these Es.
TE means Theological Education, usually in a resident seminary or Bible institute.
"TEE provides Theological Education by Extension.
"TEEE means Theological Education and Evangelism by Extension."11 TEDE really underscores the means of Evangelism, church planting, and church multiplication, namely, Discipleship. The fourth E for Edification underlines the aim of all theological education and the emphasis on the Lord's enabling His church to grow together in faith through His gifts of grace.
"TEE takes pastoral studies to the student, where he is. It reaches men who cannot leave their homes or jobs. It relates their studies to their local church in the community, and not in the seclusion of a resident seminary. Self-teaching textbooks permit less time spent in the classroom, but require more private study. TEE aims primarily to educate -- not to evangelize not start new churches."12
American churches have often emphasized the "body", in which all members of a church work together. TEDE applies the same Godly idea on the inter-church level. The Godly and close personal relationship which is cultivated between "Paul-Timothy", extension worker and student, edifies the entire body locally and also between reproducing, cooperating churches. This edification produces church planting, multiplication of churches, and phenomenal church growth among brothers in Christ. This is not just a method, it is a way of thinking. It is a cultivation of the bond of Christian love among the Paul-Timothy, and their congregations as they work with their God given gifts in building each other up in the faith.
"Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only" (Jas. 1:22 KJV). The apostle would denounce any educational process which results in passive learning. Most traditional pastoral courses do just that. A student, conditioned by three or four years of passively learning the Word, graduates with an institutional mentality. People sit and learn passively. The church becomes pastor-centered and passive.
In Latin America a need to train many pastors for the multiplying churches forced a change. Many institutions now require practical work to supplement the subjects taught. They reinforce doctrine and theory with field assignments in churches. However, this is still a doctrine-oriented course. The doctrine base comes first; the practical assignments are added to it. Let us go a step further: start with the practical work, then add the necessary doctrine to enable one to do it. Notice the reversal. The course has become activity-oriented. The practical work is an integral part of the pastoral training course.
The congregational activities make up the skeleton for the course.
The flesh appears as we state these activities in terms of specific places, people, and responsibilities.
The heart of the course is love for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is emphasized that the student does not work for the professor, nor grades, nor diploma, but in love for edifying the body of Christ.
In the traditional educational process and TEE, the teacher focuses on the student, and his objective is to educate a man. The student satisfies his teacher with good papers, grades, sermons, and finally with a diploma.
In TEDE, the teacher looks way beyond his student. His educational objective is not just to educate a student, but to edify an entire church. Thus, he pays attention to the details of his student's work among the members of the church. The teacher has a sense of satisfaction as he sees both student and church grow together in faith and love, and he feels that he is being successful. Satisfaction is not 'grades' centerd, but God-people centered -- Edification centered. Of course, it is the love for the Lord Jesus Christ which is focused upon as the main motivating factor, and all endeavor to please their Savior.
This pastoral course is action-centered. In an established church, the student worker may be a pastor, or a helper to the pastor, or a helper to the elders. He may disciple a group of new members who are coming in to the church and encourage them along their road to maturity in the faith. In a new church, the student may win the first converts and work with them to bring them to maturity; he learns and grows along with his new congregation and a bond is formed between them. In either an established congregation or in beginning a new congregation, the student worker should begin with witnessing. No one should remain in the pastoral course if he cannot witness effectively.
The course studies should correspond to the activities of the local church that best meet the needs of those people for whom the student-worker is responsible. A student's studies take on new importance when they are directly related to the life and activities of a growing congregation. This requires continual communication between the teacher and the churches -- the nervous system of the TEDE pastoral course. A decisive factor is not the control of an institution with its all absorbing assignments, papers, tests, exams, but the nerve center of communication along which flows the needs of real struggling people. This two-way communication between teacher and student-worker is vital for the spiritual life of all involved. Because of this vitality, the student-worker devours his studies with an eagerness seldom found in a traditional institution. He is actively serving Christ. He is responsible for his part of the work in some local church. Reports of progress and urgent needs continually clarify our immediate objectives. Immediate educational objectives change from week to week according to the needs of those for whom the student-worker is responsible.
Ephesians 4:11-16 indicates that pastors should equip the "saints" for ministry. Theological truth, properly taught, enables people to serve together as a body. However, it cannot motivate when we partition it into specific content-centered subjects and teach each one separately. We should relate different theological truths by focusing them on a specific activity and need of the church. Doctrine related to life's needs becomes living orthodoxy -- not dead orthodoxy. Systematic theology looks to relate divine truths logically, outside of their normal setting. The Spirit of God applies different elements of Bible doctrine, history and church education, etc. as we point them to men's lives and struggles with the World. The Prophets and Apostles show us how to teach: They presented theological truths that touched men's daily lige in a practical manner. They never taught doctrine for its very own sake.
In meeting a congregation's growing needs, the student-worker would present the church with a mixture of Godly study in order to give them what they need for spiritual growth according to their stage of development. For example, the student-worker would combine a mixture of Bible, history, doctrine, social work, Christian education, and Christian counseling to meet their immediate needs in order that they might be built up in the faith. In contrast to a traditional method, he would not give them a six months' verse by verse study of Ecclesiastes. He does not just dump a whole load of only sand in their midst. In order to efficaciously build them up, he provides a little water, sand, cement, lumber, and rock, that they might have enough of the necessary elements that they need in order to lift them up above life's problems. For example, in preparation for giving and receiving the "Lord's Supper", "Paul" might have a "Timothy" study: 1) Scripture; 2) Doctrines of: Christology, Repentance, Sanctification, Edification; 3) Church History; and 4) counseling and church discipline. This is the way Paul had been educating Timothy, and this is the way Timothy educated his people. Is not this the way Jesus educated his own Disciples day by day?
How can we prepare textbooks that focus these different areas of study on a specific church activity? We take manila folders and label each one with a specific church activity; these become our living textbooks. In time we have a large file with a folder labeled for each church activity. Each folder is a textbook. The text writes itself from students' reports of congregational needs and relevant theory. This file is also a historical diary. For as we see the folders accumulating, we note the progression of growth according to church needs. In this way our textbooks serve many living Godly purposes, and we will never forget what we have written in them with out tears and our prayers.
The real problem in the church is manifested as leaders endeavor to control the lives of the people and the church. Mark 4:26-29 illustrates how churches take root, grow, and develop spontaneouslo, with a minimum of control on the part of the workers. "This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain -- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come" (Mark 4:26-29 NIV). Under the Lord Jesus Christ and His sole command, the Church grows and multiplies in a manner natural to herself.
For Theological education to contribute to the spontaneous multiplication of churches, the factor of self-multiplication must be part of the curriculum. This self-multiplication factor you do not see in a traditional seminary setting or a TEE program. In TEDE a pastor trains a "Timothy"; this Timothy, in turn, quickly begins to train his own Timothy. "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to each others also" (2 Ti. 2:2 KJV). This Biblical self-multiplication necessitates that every student-worker also become a student-teacher. This process results in the multiplication of churches, and if every pastor would become an extension teacher, the number of Christian churches and worker would multiply rapidly.
The following concerning church growth is taken from George Patterson's book, Church Planting Through Obedience-Oriented Teaching:
"In Honduras we observed the two types of curriculum in a controlled 'laboratory' situation. Isolated from most outside influences, village churches were almost entirely dependent for their religious education upon the efforts of our mission. We could control the theological input. We observed churches whose only input came through an obedience-oriented course. Other churches' input came through men of the traditional, doctrine-oriented course. Some churches received a combination of both influences. The obedience-oriented churches grew, multiplied, maintained discipline, and showed discernment in doctrine. The churches with the traditional, doctrine-oriented educated grew not at all except through the efforts of outside workers. Although they knew more doctrine as such, they suffered more from doctrinal error and lacked initiative. Churches influenced by both orientations did well only when they gave priority to obedience.
"We extinguish the spontaneous element of a church's development if we make Christ's commands obligatory with a legalistic spirit. We can avoid this danger of legalism in our emphasis on obedience. We must count on the students' voluntary obedience in love (John 14:15). This is a spirit-filled Christian's normal inclination; it is contagious: one's congregation will catch it."13
A living church like a living body has specialized members that contribute toward the life-giving processes of the body. Each member of a local church has a gift or specialization enabling him to minister to the needs of the congregation. These gifts provide for the upbuilding of the whole body (1 Co. 12; Ro. 12:4-8). An active church soon discovers these different ministries that God has distributed. She does not try to manufacture the pastoral gift in a classroom. An active congregation, given the liberty, readily develops the necessary gifts among her members. In George Patterson's field of Honduras, the churches with little or no contact with educated pastors or missionaries were the strongest and most trouble-free. However, they did have constant communication through a discipleship chain of Paul-Timothy theological education.
"Once a theological institution commits itself to release the spontaneous growth and development of Christ's Church through education its objectives, philosophy, and teaching methods will automatically improve. We measure this improvement not by the academic criteria of accrediting boards or theological associations, but by pastoral standards which seek, above all, the edification of churches."14
"We missionary educators are notoriously impractical dreamers. ... The prophets of the Bible were also dreamers, but they had a natural control which kept a balance. They were close to the earth. Shepherds and farmers, they knew the reality of nature. They never entered a great library where one can become lost in a philosopher's world. They were not scholars who specialized more and more in less and less. The problems of pastoral education are of such a nature that, apart from prayer, they yield only to harsh reality. But we begin costly project justified only by the eloquent presentation of our objectives. Objectives should not be wishes but honest plans. Educational plans must be projected with such clarity that their outcome is clear from the start. Educational problems must be identified and faced honestly. ln a world where millions are dying without Christ, we must not waste time and money on impractical educational efforts just because their objectives sound good."15
Let us abandon educational projects that absorb our limited resources and may prove to be impractical. Let us start extension centers where the Lord is working. We will observe who the men are which are taking on Godly responsibilities. What are their needs? What curriculum will help them? These are the men whom God has given to us. Let us assist to mobilize them to immediately for whatever purpose the Lord has given them to do and adapt our course to them. Maybe these men might have little ability to read, but if the Lord has called them to service let us assist them for when the Lord's hand of blessing is present, there will be true success. To assume that three years' study will automatically make a pastor contradicts the Biblical doctrine of gifts.16
In 2 Timothy 2:2, we find four links in a discipleship chain:
And that which thou hast heard of me.
Among many witnesses, the same commit thou.
To faithful men.
Who shall be able to teach others also.
"The wise pastor multiplies his ministry in others. He prepares Timothys who imitate him. Every pastoral student needs to observe and imitate a good pastor."17 For a Timothy to imitate his "Paul", as an apprentice, the latter must use only equipment and methods that are within the student's reach. Everything the teacher does is to be imitated. Christ never had ordered his Disciples to do anything that they did not observe him doing. TEDE is modeled after the Master Himself.
When beginning a new work, the Paul or teacher from the outside reaches a few men and establishes the usual teacher-student relationship. As soon as possible, one or two of these men, who most nearly meets the Biblical standards for an elder, are taken out of the student's class to form a discipleship class. They become student-workers and by imitation reteach the things they learn to the rest of their people."18
Through discipleship by the outside teacher and reteaching their own students, the few student-workers learn very quickly. In a short time these original student-workers will be enabled to be commissioned by their board of elders, and become outside workers also. Then they will go and form a discipleship class of student-workers somewhere else. Through discipleship, or imitation, a granddaughter congregation will grow out of this student-worker's class. Discipleship and reteaching result in a reproduction chain of extension student-worker classes and daughter churches.
- The discipleship class ought to be limited to one, two, or three at the most. If others want to enroll, one of the student-workers should reteach them in another class. This use of the student-worker to reteach the others has five advantages:
- (1) The student worker develops as a responsible leader.
- (2) The outside teacher does not weaken the local leaders as he works through them. An extension program weakens the local ministry if it bypasses the local leaders to teach the people.
- (3) The outside teacher can conserve his time; his students take most of the responsibility for their churches; he can deal with a number of churches at the same time.
- (4) The class can deal with details of the work which could not be discussed in a large group.
- (5) The educational structure is set up for reproduction. The student-worker simply repeats those same steps in another area.
Church leaders who need to be dictators impede this educational process of growth. A problem is they do not delegate their responsibilities. They may enjoy teaching but fail to trust their students to reteach the same thing to others. The ordained pastor should accept the Biblical authority of the elders and encourage their participation. The experienced pastor should encourage and trust his Timothys.
A relationship of love and confidence develops between a teacher and student. The teacher takes responsibility for his "Timothys'" successful ministry. This caring and trusting relationship is passed on down the chain from teacher to student-worker one, to student-worker two, to student-worker three, etc. ... When theological education is cultivated in a spirit of love and trust then Spirit-filled growth occurs.
Churches that love and care for members and visitors are churches that grow, according to research done by an independent institute in Pasadena, California:
"The 'lovingness' of a church or denomination may be more important in attracting and keeping members than factors such as pastoral leadership, attractiveness of facilities, location, theology, and evangelistic fervor," said Childs Arn, vice president of the Institute for American Church Growth.
"A lot of variables go into a church's growth pattern," Arn said in a phone interview. "But perhaps a significantly overlooked factor may be this issue of love."
The 13-year-old institute surveyed 8,600 members of 39 Protestant denominations last year.
"Members of growing denominations, such as the Assemblies of God, Church of the Nazarene, and Southern Baptist, reported higher feelings of concern and love than members in declining denominations, such as the Episcopal, Lutheran, and United Methodists. ..."
Among other findings:
"Members of the Church of the Nazarene, which grew 22 percent in the last decade, felt they were the most loving to visitors. ... Members of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, a declining denomination, found it most difficult."19
Effective discipleship means that you don't overteach but you teach only what your student is able himself to teach. Exact imitation is of paramount importance. Everything should be done in such a way that everyone in the chain can imitate it. Your job as a mission teacher is not to make a ministry of your own, but to enable your student-workers to develop an effective pastoral ministry.
With the need priority (not content priority) in mind, begin each class with a detailed report by the student-worker of the church's problems and needs. Assign related study and work to meet these needs -- this is learning in the school of life. Discuss this assignment with your student, for he may want to alter it in some way -- you do not wish to control, but to enhance his ministry. When he agrees to the assignment, jot it down on a carbon copy. Use this carbon copy to verify his work at the next session. Use a checklist to denote the progress of each student and church. The use of separate checklists, one for the student and the other for the church, will assist to keep a continuous forward movement. The curriculum or order of activities in the checklist should not be followed unbendingly, rather the main needs and opportunities of the church set the order and pace of study.
With very detailed reports given by each student, the class size will be limited to one -- ideally. If others wish to study, they may do so in a separate class taught by this one student. Only mature men should be enrolleh in the pastoral class work. A checklist or register of the student's progress should depict each activity that he must do to raise a church, edify its members, and deal with the problems that every pastor must face. This register is a guide for helping a congregation to grow. Remember, our aim is to edify. The register or checklist presents a history of a church as it grows from infancy on to maturity. It denotes congregational activities: duties of parents, deacons, Bible teachers, services for special occasions, congregational visitation, missionary project, and community development.
Measure both the spiritual and numeral growth, they will often go together. When the student gives his detailed reports always ask the student to verify the precise information. The curriculum is continuously revised as it meets the changing and immediate needs of the church. About every three months review the church's growth status.
Require a new teacher-student-worker to relate all theory or doctrine to the practical work of his student. Real life's needs are being met with the application of Godly truths. In this way faith is bulilt up and edification takes place. Life and its struggles provides the best environment for growth of the inner spiritual man.
Do not teach in the abstract; teachers and student workers who have the gift of teaching are able to motivate men to do the Word. Mere expositors who lead men nowhere are to be avoided. A keen spiritual sight that does not get bogged down in details is required if men are to be mobilized for action. If God is put in a class box for theological analysis, his message will lose its living practical meaning. One who leads in faith and love should become a teacher. "Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Ti. 4:12 KJV).
Don't waste time and energy on an activity that is bogged down. Don't push students or church to complete it. Put it on hold and come back later. Move on to something more productive. Do not be impatient and push, rather let the Lord's will be done according to His timetable.
Don't give traditional diplomas and degrees which in effect halt studying; rather give out periodical certificates which encourage continuous learning. As a pastor advances through learning so will his congregation.
TEDE textbooks are the most meaningful works your students will ever read. Each page has etched on it a life's struggle and need, which he by the power of the Holy Spirit has been enabled to meet. These texts are a diary of a student pastor and his congregation's progress in the edification of the Spirit.
Don't preorder materials until you have personally verified needs and educational levels of your congregation or your theology will be irrelevant. Like Jesus, the TEDE teacher must go and see the people, and feel their needs before he can pen a lesson for his students.
You should verify the educational level of the most responsive group of people that your student is reaching. Often missionaries will get too high and stifle learning. A focus on abstract ideas and academic jargon may alienate a student from his people. Make learning and teaching easy to pass on. Replace theological jargon with figures of speech from everyday life. Do as Christ did, so your students can imitate.
The Lord Jesus did not teach a content-centered subject in a classroom; He and His Disciples taught on-the-job theology. The school of life was their classroom. Jesus would point up to the heavens and say, "Don't worry, your Heavenly Father cares for you more than those birds." He would look out on the fields and tell the Disciples, "The fields are white unto harvest, go into all the World." Paul would point to an altar of the unknown God and proclaim the gospel of the God who has revealed himself. Thus we see in the Bible that theology was made practical and expressed in the common tongue. This is the way the Disciples of Jesus learned from the Master Teacher. We should teach likewise.
Adapt traditional textbooks to TEDE by assigning those pages that relate to a church's main activity. Keep the reading assignments as short as possible. Write with the student's teaching role in mind so that he can immediately pass it on. Write only what he needs now to meet an immediate need.
An effective teacher and text motivate students. You don't need a long textbook to motivate. Start with a few pages and zero in on your student's church's most urgent needs. If you help your student do his job he will study his lessons.
Do not program texts until you have had much experience. Most programmed TEE texts are too long. Do not concentrate on form or technique. Focus on helping the student-worker do his job.
TEDE textbooks grow out of sensitive observations of living needs. With these needs in mind, label a folder of your files with a verb for each activity as "Witness", "Bible Study", "Organize", "Pray", "Give", "Love", "Counsel", etc. ... Avoid indicating objects with nouns, train men to do.
To start out church planting train just one or at the most two men to witness effectively. This disciplining relationship will evolve into a TEDE church planting program. Keep the work informal, make no big or detailed plans yet. Just start small, pray, let Christ lead, and watch the work grow.
Before planting a new church, agree with the board of your student's mother church on field objectives. You need to consult with the student's board as he will need their support. Define your student's objectives. Denote your geographical objectives by drawing a map of present churches and unreached areas. Locate in prayer where God wants you to raise up churches. Analyze the needs of each area. List the corresponding needs as objectives. These activities include everything your student will need to do in order to raise up and pastor a church. Also, this list of activities and objectives form the main curriculum of your TEDE course. Each activity forms a study unit.
Ask Timothy, "What is your plan?" as you discuss work and objectives with him. Then write down his plan. If you encourage the student-worker to formulate his own plan, then he will start taking the initiative. He will not be immobilized by a fear of displeasing you or of your looking over his shoulder. Leaders must learn to let the Holy Spirit guide His called and gifted men. Always be willing to listen to and change your mind about the student-worker's ideas. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself" (Phm. 2:3 NIV).
When beginning a new church your student-worker should write out a specific statement of his responsibilities including where, when, and with whom he will work. This is re-evaluated and redone annually.
Be careful of planning big projects that will be very costly in terms of time, energy, and money. Resources are limited; we have just so much time, and it's a shame to divert resources from small productive areas into some pet pipe dream. Make plans to meet a need that the Lord has revealed, nothing more and nothing less. Do try new fields. Verify the place and people with whom God is working. Make TEDE plans in short easy steps so that neither your student not teacher is frustrated. Your plans should be practical and face the harsh realities of life. Your plans should also be Biblical, for as we do His will He abundantly blesses. Don't pray for an empire, pray that you might trust and obey day by day. In planning do not waste time worrying about God's "hidden will", rather open your eyes to His revealed will and be a good steward here. Measure your progress objectively and avoid senseless introspection. Thus strive to make your plans realistic, yet Godly (bathe them in prayer).
Students are inexperienced. Therefore, help them to clearly visualize a growing, well-edified church. Do this over and over as needed. Ephesians 4:11-16 can serve as a good model.
"Traditional training to preach in an artificial, artistic manner also hinders the free development of the prophetic gift. Our best preachers are those whose preaching has developed gradually. They begin witnessing humbly to their friends; then they teach simple Bible stories already prepared for them; later they prepart their own Bible studies; finally, they find themselves preaching the Word of God to people for whom they already feel responsible. We must train pastors who care, not preachers as such."20
The outside extension worker should resist the temptation to preach to a new group. This would only weaken the position of the student-worker and discourage him.
The new group of Christians should immediately be stimulated to become active doers and not passive pew-sitters. In word and prayer, Timothy disciplines the novices to recognize their own spiritual gifts and to use them to edify others. A weak pastor dominates the body. A strong pastor promotes ministerial ties between all members. Links are reinforced as active members teach and serve one another. When the gifted members share pastoral responsibilities then the body is alive and active.
Do not endeavor to make every student and church progress at the same rate. Let the student and his congregation progress together. Each will move according to their needs and readiness.
In the multiplication of daughter and granddaughter churches, the link in the chain of spiritual reproduction is not the individual witness but the local church. Reproducing a daughter church necessitates a team effort. A student-worker goes and witnesses as an arm of the mother church, and the Holy Spirit reproduces the daughter church through him. "This is why the daughter churches resemble their mother."21 Each church, as soon as possible, should send one or two discipleship workers, as did Antioch, to raise up daughter churches. The elders of the mother church should make a map of unreached areas and formulate a strategy to reach these areas. As soon as a student-worker is available he should be sent. The excuses that our church is too young or too weak are unacceptable. New churches when disciples and edified in a spirit of freedom and love raise up more daughter churches than older and well established ones. If you wait for your church to get stronger it will only get harder. Often it is impossible to mobilize an old established church body to effectively raise up new daughter churches.
In following the Biblical directives of the Apostle, Paul did not establish any church without first appointing a board of the mature men as elders.
The best church growth seems to occur one or two links away from the outside leader or missionary director. This underlines a church growth principle that when freedom is permitted, reliance is placed on the Holy Ghost, then a greater growth both in faith and in sould will occur. Superior church growth is not dependent upon superior human factors as: organizational systems, ecclesiastical systems, scholastic systems, etc. ... These systems in our technological Western culture are often felt to be necessary in order for the Lord's church to grow 'correctly'. However, examples such as China, where the church has grown phenomenally to 30 to 50 million after its controlling Western denominations left, proved that a leader or denomination which controls a church to produce a better quality ends up doing just the opposite. When Christ is allowed to be the head of the body then His enabling gifts will produce and have abundant success.
We cannot make a church grow, it is the Lord who does that. A church grows by faith, not by force. We just disciple others in loving obedience. So do not push 'conversions' or hold bigger campaigns. The Lord's parables illustrate that the church grows spontaneously just as that mustard seed grew. Remember the Lord distributes gifts to each member for the edifying of the body. Encourage the blessed use of these gifts, and both inner spiritual and numeral growth will occur naturally. Do not squelch the work of the Spirit by striving for a quality controlled growth. Discipleship and evangelism is nothing really special. It comes as a natural fruit of faith. However, it can be stunted if a leader or group endeavors to manipulate. Every member should be stimulated to disciple according to their God given gifts.
Often, afraid of failure, missionaries and pastors hang on to dead churches whose problems drain them. We need to shake the dust off our feet and go to those that are hungry and receptive (Mt. 10:14). We need to lift up our heads so that we are able to see the fields which are "white unto harvest" (Jn. 4:35 KJV).
Discipling and edifying churches reproduce like-minded and like-practicing churches on the field. "Stagnant churches send out pastors and missionaries who aim for 'quality instead of quantity' and end up with neither. It's not their fault; it's all they know."22
Forcing TEDE on traditionally minded churches can be like pouring new wine into old, brittle wineskins. Let traditionally minded churches carry on their own programs; work with those who do welcome TEDE and see its Biblical base.
In a stagnant church or area, it may be a wiser use of time if a number of elders would be discipled to lead the body. This would free the pastor to go elsewhere where there might be more receptivity and potential for church growth. The church at first might resist this change of status quo, but it would force it to grow as it takes charge of its own spiritual life.
The energy and money which is continuously being plowed into the building and maintenance of church buildings will often sidetrack church growth. Even the land and its modest chapel is very expensive. Meet in homes, divide a group if it outgrows its house. Don't meet in the home of the main leader or people will say that it's "his church". A sign during service can serve to identify the worship site.
In following the example of Jesus and His Apostles, develop and establish a church only with the assistance of a group of male elders.
"Paul the Apostle left new churches organized under new elders" (Acts 14:23 KJV). Following his example, a church planter enters an unevangelized community, wins several men to Christ and, after baptism, enrolls them in an extension class to let them raise up their own church. New churches result from an education program rather than an evangelistic crusade. Such churches are stronger from the beginning and more evangelistic. Their local laymen have taken the responsibility. The extension teacher only gives them the studies which they need, at every step, to keep progressing with their own congregation. New believers should not preach. Many of our fastest growing churches in Honduras have no preaching as such; their new leaders reteach simple studies and serve the Lord's Supper; other members participate with hymns, testimonies, and Scripture readings.23
In Roland Allen's classic Missionary Methods Saint Paul's or Ours?, he encourages churches, if they want to be edifying and grow, to provide freedom and opportunity for God's many gifted men to serve. "Saint Paul was not content with ordaining one elder or pastor for each church. In every place he went, he ordained several. This ensured that all authority would not be centered in one person. The church did not have to depend on the strengths and weaknesses of a single individual. The many special needs and responsibilities of the church were divided up and the services of many gifted men were enlisted. The older and younger men shared their divinely gifted endowments and the whole body was edified. When we technologically oriented Westerners put intellectual qualifications in first place to the exclusion of others, the result is that the congregations starve while we educate a few young men. The natural and mature leaders of the church are silent. In this way a great source of strength is lost and the church suffers in consequence. The divinely gifted preacher is silent, the only real preacher is the academically qualified one. There is no encouragement for the church to send out its prophets, nor for the prophet to realize his gift. The prophet is in danger of losing his gift or of leaving the church in order to have the opportunity to exercise it."24 When men seek to control the church with their ideas, the Spirit is squelched and inner and outer Spirit growth is stifled.
Since the advent of the University Era, the Western Church has increasingly passed over the area of gifts and focused on the purely scholastic area of traininq and church leadership. This exclusivistic practice has often been stifling to Godly Spirit-intended growth. A more balanced and scriptural focus is necessary.
Do not turn away any man for studying for the pastorate except for Biblical reasons. According to 1 Timothy 3:2-10 and Titus 1:6-9, the qualifications for elder were spiritual, nowhere were high intellectual qualifications indicated as necessary. A Biblical fact is, the spiritual office comes with its corresponding spiritual gift. The gift comes from God; we educate those who have been given it, even if we must teach them to read.
"There is a demand of spiritual men for spiritual work. Some men reveal in speech and in act a sense of the reality of spiritual things which others do not possess. These are the men whom God has best qualified for His work."25 Remember the Aim of God's gifts is the edification of the church, "let all things be done unto edifying" (1 Co. 14:26 KJV).
Build churches through local elders, not preaching points. A preaching point is where an outside worker regularly preaches and local leadership is lacking. From the very beginning local men should be trained to edify their own church. Avoid public worship services until there are enough men to form a provisional board of elders. In establishing leadership focus on several trained elders in each church. They all serve as pastors even though one may be acknowledged as a main leader. Each pastor-elder receives studies and passes it on. Very likely you will teach just one elder and he, the rest. Each elder should be disciplining his own student-worker just as soon as it's possible. Paul instructed his student to help organize churches and establish them through the appointment of elders. "For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee" (Tit. 1:5 KJV).
The local board of elders should meet regularly to plan and coordinate. Every man elected to a job in the church should have an official title and know exactly what his duty is. Thus confusion of responsibilities is avoided. The elders meeting as a board determine the specific duties and denote a job description for each man. A job description and corresponding title stimulate and denote good stewardship. The elders endeavor to encourage every man to minister as God has enabled with His gifts of grace. In this way the practical implementation of mutual edification is effectuated.
Pastors will feel threatened by a student who displays a know-it-all attitude. However, when the pastor and board consult with the student-worker and define his separate area of responsibility this should eliminate possible competition. Church planting and pastoral training are hard work. If a student-worker is not leading a flock, or starting a work, then he must raise up a group of believers in his own church and disciple them to maturity. Students discipling a new flock within their own church do not compete with their pastors, but work under them and the board of elders.
- STEPS OF DISCIPLESHIP TO START AND REPRODUCE CHURCHES
- (1) Teacher-director witnesses with student:
- Teacher-elder or director witnesses with a student to student's relatives and friends.
- (2) Teacher disciples student to form a home Bible study:
- The student encourages the formation of a home Bible study as he disciples and teaches his relatives and friends. The teacher-elder disciples his student, and oversees the Bible study formation and edification.
- (3) Student disciples Bible class to form the board of elders of the new church:
- Public worship and a church begin when a group of men is ready to take charge and form the board of elders. The student becomes a teacher when he begins to disciple a board of elders.
- (4a) Teacher disciples elders to form daughter home Bible studies:
- The teacher-elder disciples and witnesses with his board of elders to their friends and relatives, forming daughter Bible studies.
- (b) Teacher disciples elder to disciple elder:
- If there are more than three elders on a board, then the gifted and most-respected elder disciples and teaches another one or two from this group. Discipling elders takes much time and energy; therefore, the number of elders per teacher should be limited to two. Each elder will be witnessing to his own home Bible study of relatives and friends.
- (5) Bible classes form boards of elders or daughter churches:
- A daughter church is formed when another board of elders is formed from the mature male members of a discipled home Bible study.
- Summary of Directors' Activities.
- (1) The director requires a pastor's heart and experience, plus a knowledge of education.
- (2) In the first Paul-Timothy lin, meet every two weeks with the student-workers. Enroll only those adult men who are serving their local congregations.
- (3) The local church must make this its program. The congregation must approve on supporting the worker and agree to a workable plan.
- (4) Break the plan down into short simple steps, and explain these steps to all who are involved.
- (5) Cultivate love and mutual trust between teachers and students; this is necessary for an edifying bond to form between all members of the local body. Each student worker should give regular reports so all may feel involved and active in this work.26
- Summary of Class Activities.
- (1) The student-worker gives progress report and needs. Assist him to plan the next step. He may also report his own students' progress needs and plans. The director is responsible for the students' and the students' students' ministry.
- (2) The student-worker gives a brief talk on the most urgent need of his congregation. This is the oral evaluation. Evaluate this before he presents it to the congregation.
- (3) Limit the amount of study time to your students' available time and capacity for study.
- (4) Chart the progress down on two separate checklists, one for each church and student-worker. The church checklist should indicate the pastoral skills and vital truths acquired. This constant evaluation of worker and church should enable both to progress at the same speed toward mutual mature edification.
- (5) Make sure you pray one with another for the plans and the work.27
- Summary of Steps to Start a Daughter Church.
- (1) Show the student-worker what he has to do. He should observe and imitate you.
- (2) Witness with your student-worker to his friends or relatives. Hold no big public meetings; start no "preaching points". Just witness to the men.
- (3) Organize the mature adult men among these witnessed persons and form them as a provisional board of elders. Give these men the responsibility for their own edification and that of their group. A new group in an established church would not elect "elders", but their "board of officers".
- (4) Enroll the officers in training classes. Your student will be teaching them just as you have taught him. He shows them everything they must do; they will take more and more responsibility as they study and complete their assignments. If more than three or four want to study with a teacher, take out the most respected man and let him teach the rest of the men in the group.
- (5) Public worship services should be held only when the new student-workers can take charge. No outside teacher should preach or conduct these public meetings. The outside leader should not teach any large class nor do anything which he has been training the new leaders to do, or he weakens their ministry.28
- Summary of Steps to Reproduce Granddaughter Churches.
- (1) Encourage a new group or daughter church to start at once to reproduce daughter groups or churches. Do not let their enthusiasm cool.
- (2) Instruct each new student-worker, as part of his regular assignment, to imitate his teacher, repeating the very same steps. He will soon have his own students who can form new groups or daughter churches.
- (3) Promote the student-worker to teacher when he has won men to Christ who are "elder" material. Then give him the checklist, to chart the progress of his own students and their churches.
- (4) As he reports progress provide needed materials.29
Much of the material expressed in this paper concerning TEDE is the ideal. We must strive for the ideal, but realize that the practical applications need to be altered to fit an area's needs.
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