Finding an Appropriate Model for Making Disciples

I was recently reading an article by William Safire (from his On Language series) that began this way...

Why am I doing these sit-ups? Because I am working on my abs. And what are they? My abdominal muscles, of course, which in those physical-culture ads have the look of a washboard. (A washboard is, to coin a word, a “metaforgotten” — a word-picture of a household item like a dial phone that has faded into the mists of antiquity.)

William Safire, Abbreve That Template, New York Times Magazine

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24wwln-safire-t.html
Retrieved May 25, 2009. (Emphases are Safire’s).

I like that word: metaforgotten. From the Greek work μετά in the sense of beyond and, of course, forgotten. It would be a word that has taken on a new meaning beyond the original. We see many examples of this in the Church and in the Bible. One of the most obvious for me is shepherd. What exactly is a shepherd and what is its significance as a metaphor in the Church? How many church people have even seen a real shepherd and sheep?

The image of the Shepherd and Sheep is problematic other ways as well. No matter how much you shepherd the sheep, they will never become shepherds.* Perhaps we need to be content with the idea that Jesus is our Shepherd and we need to look at the process of making disciples and leaders/teachers. Here at Horne Memorial UMC we take seriously the idea that discipleship begins with children. We put a lot of resources in helping develop our children in disciples of Jesus Christ. We let them know how much they are loved by God and how they can serve God by serving others.

By the time they enter Confirmation Class they are being trained as leaders of the church. On most Sundays our lectors are young people in grades 6 through 12. While not all young people are comfortable with standing in front of hundreds of people to lead worship there are given other opportunities to lead and serve. Each year, for several years now, we have youth who are participating in foreign missions – especially in Haiti.

I like the idea that our best model as leaders in the church is not as Shepherds over Sheep, but as Teachers equipping and preparing Disciples who in turn may be able to take on the role of Teachers themselves. Shepherds cannot replicate more shepherds from the sheep.

As ordained elders we are often referred to as pastors (which means a “shepherd; one who has the care of flocks and herds.” – Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, 1913). And this would make “pastor” another metaforgotten word.

The bottom line (for me!) is that Jesus calls us to make disciples who make disciples.

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* I first got this idea from something I read. I can’t remember where and I tried to Google it, but no luck – drats! Sorry. If you recall reading about this and remember the source, please share it with me. Thanks.