I basically work with adults through my church,
where I disciple new church members in their new life in Christ. I spend a lot
of time getting to know them and helping them get to know me. Introductions to
other members is also part of what I do to help the disciple get acquainted
with other members of the congregation. I want other members to encourage and
get to know new members. There are sixteen lessons in the first level of
discipleship, which include discussions on topics such as, salvation, personal
issues, and family and friends.
I don’t know how much technology I
could or want to integrate into this portion of what I do any more than by
telephone which is often a great way to stay in contact with my disciple. In
this first level, human contact is most important at this stage. There are two
other levels in of discipleship where more technology is used, but I wouldn’t
say that it brings about better outcomes. In the first level because a lot of
personal contact results can be measured.
We live in a troubled world, and people
are dealing with problems such as anger, and pain. They need someone to talk
to—I’m that person. They also want to know that what has been said will be kept
confidential. Scripture is used as points of reference, and the disciple is asked
to remember as many as possible as a foundation support. In this beginning
stage of the journey, it is important to know scripture. In this beginning
stage the importance of scripture has not resonated with the disciple, and
therefore may seem redundant. Lessons and learning scripture can become a
little boring and then the focus becomes more in completing the course rather
than understanding how it applies to a life.
In the past to help with the memorization of
scripture I have used 3x5 cards with verses on them so that disciple could take
the cards with him/her and study at different times of the day. The cards can
easily fit into a purse or packet where they can be accessed easily. Since the
discipleship is about helping the new Christian to adjust to his or her new
life in Christ the RAT (replace, amplify, transform) model could work for the
organization.
As I was reading through the
assignment and looking at the Web 2.0 tools I was amazed. If I were to use the
RAT model, the cell phone which everyone has almost that would be a good way to
replace the 3x5 cards (R), replace). Most of the people I work with have cell
phones and have Bible apps on their phones. On Sunday’s I see cell phones out
looking at Bible scripture. If that cell phone is used to read the scripture
daily. Once they have a better understanding of scripture that will start to
add more meaning and that can (A, amplify). The amplification enables them to
move on to disciple others. As the disciple completes each lesson in the first
level of discipleship and the following two levels can (T, transform). Part of
the transformation is becoming active in ministries and continue to disciple
others.
