Making Disciples: The Significance of Jesus' Educational Methods for Today's Church (Paternoster Theological Monographs)

The Christian faith community regards the making of disciples as a prime directive of Jesus himself, though this theme is not dominant in contemporary models of teaching in the church. This investigation seeks to develop a theory of discipling and to test its suitability as an effective educational strategy with the objectives of modern Christian faith communities.In contrast to the schooling model, discipling has been shown to be an effective model for teaching attitudes, values, and behavior as well as knowledge and beliefs in today's church. Its emphasis on commitment to learning relationships within a nurturing community and active involvement in the mission of Christ to the world, and its capacity to adapt to differences in age, culture, ability, and interests, make it a model of teaching worthy of much greater attention by the Christian faith community.A significant contribution to both the theoretical appreciation and application of disciple-making.