If you had 12 weeks to disciple a new convert in your church, what would you teach him? Judging from most Christianity 101 books on the market, we’d likely spend some time deepening his understanding of the gospel, teaching him spiritual disciplines, training him to share his faith, and explaining to him what obedience looks like in various spheres of life: marriage, parenting, work, and finances.
What’s missing in all these? The church.
Now, truthfully, many excellent Christianity 101 curriculums do have at least some material on the church. But regrettably when we disciple others we often list “church involvement” as one among several facets of the Christian life. What’s wrong with that? The church isn’t just one aspect of the Christian life, it’s the context of our Christian life—it shapes all the other aspects of our Christian obedience.
Think of it this way: We should encourage new converts to read the Bible. But we most effectively learn the Bible as we sit under expository preaching and as we fellowship with brothers and sisters who apply the Bible to our lives. Yes, we should pray individually, but what we pray is often shaped by the needs of our church and
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