CHAPTER IV
THREE HISTORICAL CHURCH GROWTH MOVEMENTS AND TEDE IN ACTION
Introduction.
History has many blessed lessons for its observant and practicing student to benefit by. Concerning the area of theological education, I will point out how the Methodist Church in the USA and the Pentecostal and Lutheran Churches of South America have experienced rapid growth through the cultivation of discipleship and edification among their Pauls and Timothys, and congregations.
The Methodist Church was one of the fastest growing churches in the USA. Some of the reasons for its rapid growth were the factor of discipleship and its chief aim of edification as fostered by the elder circuit-rider with his apprentice, local teacher, and other gifted ministers. "In 87 years, from 1773 to 1860, Methodism had increased from 10 preachers and 1,160 members to 695 preachers and 214,235 members."30 "Although the first Methodist itinerants did not arrive in America until shortly before the Revolution, by the middle of the 19th Century the Methodists had more members than any other American denomination."31
One strong element of TEDE was the Paul-Timothy and congregational discipleship setting. The older, more experienced minister would supervise the new preachers. These TEDE circuit-riders actively accepted responsibility for the development of the elders, deacons, and 'exhorters' among the congregations. Note, unlike a traditional classroom teacher these Pauls accepted responsibility for the edification of the congregation as well as the Timothys.32
Among these three parties there grew a mutual bond of Christian love for there was "a partnership of ordained ministers and laity in the worship and administration of the church.33 Thus we see Theological Education through Discipleship and Edification fostering growth in a mutually nurturing spirit of love.
The growing Methodist Church in many ways emphasized edification.
Charitable social workers, musicians, and singers were all encouraged to actively bless the Lord with their gifts and to be blessing to one another and the community. Their charity and social activism was renowned throughout all the World. "Elders, deacons, traveling and local preachers, and exhorters" were all purposefully motivated by the supervising circuit-riders.34 Also, there was emphasis upon "the formation of small groups for mutual encouragement and edification."35 They stressed edification because "the Puritans stressed edification, and influenced John Wesley (1709-91) in the matter. Wesley wrote a sermon on 'The Means of Grace', in which he treated prayer, Scripture searching, and the Lord's Supper as the chief means of being built up in the faith. Elsewhere he added fasting and Christian conference (fellowship) to these three chief means of growth in grace."36 This matter of fellowship was very manifest in the practical theological supervision of the circuit-rider. In addition, another element that contributed to the success of these ministers was that they learned right from the start how to relate with their people in their congregations. They did not have to pass through a stage of social shock of three years of classroom isolation.
What was the educational status of these ministers who turned the frontier upside down? Like the disciples of Jesus, mostly all of them lacked any formal education. They had no degrees, but their congregations loved them; as Charles Allen writes, "I love the United Methodist Church because: The church sent her itinerant ministers into the mountain areas of the Southeast and won my ancestors to a life of piety and service as disciples of Jesus Christ."37 The people loved their preachers who could sing, pray, and preach on their level. "It was said of many a Methodist preacher: He gathered a congregation around him by singing, and after prayer, began to preach."38
Though these gifted but itinerant preachers lacked degrees, that doesn't mean they or their superiors or church didn't encourage theological learning. As in TEDE, theological education was to be a lifelong matter. "All Methodist traveling preachers were book agents for the Book Concern ... it shall be the duty of every presiding elder ... to see that his district be fully supplied with books. And so the Methodist preachers resolutely carried books to the people."39 The poor itinerant preacher read and reread the few theological works which he personally owned and carried in his own saddlebag. In like manner, TEDE encourages a practical and continuous study of theology. This study does not stop after formal classroom study and degrees are completed. Certificates of Progress may be given along the theological educational course in order to stimulate further reading and learning.
The people were persuaded and motivated for the ministers talked to them on their level. "This remarkable advance occurred especially on the American frontier, where Methodist circuit-riders preached to the frontier folk in simple terms."40 These preachers did not dull their hearers' ears by speaking with technical theological jargon and in abstract idioms. They did not have three to seven years of passive classroom conditioning. As in TEDE, they were journeymen-theologians among their congregations. The pastor and his congregation understood each other as they grew together -- and the Word of the Lord grew.
Peter Wagner, who was fascinated by the phenomenal growth of the Pentecostal churches in Latin America, noted that one of the reasons for this growth is church reproduction through discipleship, as underlined in TEDE principles.
"Pentecostals stress 'making disciples' rather than 'getting decisions'. The Great Commission includes two activities along with 'going' and 'making disciples', namely, 'baptizing' and 'teaching' (Mt. 28:19-20). Jesus did not separate follow-up from evangelism. He included them all in the same package of 'making disciples'. According to Acts 2, disciples continually devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of bread, and to prayers. In other words, converts should stick on as responsible church members. Research shows that evangelistic programs can be attractive, flamboyant, heavily-financed, expertly staffed, strongly prayed for -- but relatively fruitless if they are not properly related to the local churches as an integral part of the program, not as an afterthought."41
These churches grow in spite of many doctrinal errors and some basic differences in doctrine. Not all Pentecostals agree with each other. "It is questionable whether there really is anything like true-blue Pentecostal doctrine. The Methodist Pentecostal church in Chili, mentioned in Chapter I, for example, is highly regarded in both Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal circles. Since the days of Hoover, baptism in the Spirit has been an important feature of the church. But, unlike other Pentecostals, they do not think that speaking in tongues is an indispensable sign of this baptism."42 "In Chili the Methodist Pentecostals have retained enough 'Methodism' to continue baptizing infants' unlike most other Latin American Pentecostals."43 A Methodist Pentecostal Church leader in Chili by the name of Chavez "had built a huge mother church in Curico which some have likened to a 'basilica'. Twenty-six daughter churches and one hundred others in formation were flourishing. Chavez now claims over 60,000 members. ... There is nothing particularly Pentecostal about the mother-daughter church pattern. Any church can learn it and put it into practice. Pentecostals, in spite of their many doctrinal errors, are doing a laudable job of church growth in Latin America; and this is one of the reasons they are reaping such a large proportion of the harvest in those fields which God has whitened."44
The Brazilian Congregaco Crista Church of 110,000 members has no professional clergy. The Congregaco Crista believes so much in body life that they refuse to hire pastors for their churches. They believe that the Holy Spirit provides each church with all the gifts needed for healthy church life, and that when members are properly using their gifts, a professional minister is simply excess baggage. The elders and deacons do the preaching. The only man the church hires is the bookkeeper; the rest of the work is done by the members themselves. The Sao Paulo traffic police are accustomed to regular traffic jams in the Bras area when the Congregaco Crista meets on Wednesday and Sunday nights, packing their 7,000-seat auditorium. More traditional churches, where professional, seminary-trained pastors are hired, seem to have no traffic problems. In the city of Sao Paulo, for example, the older Presbyterian Church counts only 8,000 members in contrast to the 110,000 of the Congregaco Crista."45
Mostly all of these highly successful evangelical, itinerant, Latin ministers at Congregaco Crista Church have no diplomas or formal education. However, by God's grace they disciple together efficaciously. They all have three theological essentials: (1) their library, a well-worn Bible, (2) the Divine Professor, and (3) His qualifying gifts of grace.
Then there is the little known Evangelical Lutheran Synod of South America and Jim Olsen. Since this Lutheran Peruvian mission's inception, Pastor Jim Olsen and other missionaries have strongly encouraged a church growth movement with the emphasis on extension and the theological education discipleship of natural church leaders. Thus these Lutheran churches of Peru have experienced a nationally led church growth movement.
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