A congregation must have discipleship. One of the models of identity building is legitimizing identities. These identities underwrite the existing social structures and help shape the cultural norms. So through discipleship we can change and alter cultural norms inside of the city. We begin to take the identity of the community and legitimize it through biblical teaching. By having someone in a position of fathering or mentoring an individual they give approval or legitimize the identity of that person. Now that person's identity is no longer linked to the cultural norms but to the norms of Jesus. Discipleship was the model that Jesus chose. It was the model that Paul chose. It is based around the structure of a family and is demonstrated throughout all of Scripture. That is why it is an effective and necessary tool for all congregations but specifically critical to urban congregations. Even Jesus commanded us to make disciples as we shared the Gospel, this can be found in Matthew 28.
- MZG
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