tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post1588355519123451275..comments2024-03-22T08:29:51.173-05:00Comments on UM & Global: Hendrik Pieterse: Make Disciples, Transform the World: Reflections on United Methodist Mission (Pt. 1)David W. Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17024204453848260271noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-23877769367843785292014-12-12T18:07:46.802-06:002014-12-12T18:07:46.802-06:00I look forward to reading Part II. Considering the...I look forward to reading Part II. Considering the content, you may profit from reading my article on the missional ecclesiology of John Wesley in the current edition of the Wesleyan Theological Journal. Of course, the Great Commission was not on Wesley's radar in the same way that it is on ours. In and of itself, that is an important observation. Considering his movement and practical theology, I wonder what he would think about our use of Matt 28? Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14141558221519018805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-80110299600442434912014-12-12T11:45:44.830-06:002014-12-12T11:45:44.830-06:00Bill, you are quite right, of course. And in "...Bill, you are quite right, of course. And in "Part 2" of the post (next week), I urge precisely that United Methodists not jettison our appeal to Matt. 28:19-20 too quickly. Indeed, I suggest that what we need is not a new mission statement, but a coherent ecclesiology within which to interpret the meaning, shape, and practice of discipleship for a global church. Exegetically, I find Bosch's interpretive work on Matt. 28:16-20 an excellent starting point for a biblical framing of Matthew's commission.Hendrik R. Pietersehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173212170676554682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4615496199721498323.post-79673587572471053002014-12-12T09:07:47.433-06:002014-12-12T09:07:47.433-06:00Hendrick, thank you for this "grace filled&qu...Hendrick, thank you for this "grace filled" reflection on the place of the Great Commission in the UMC as it relates to the mission of the church. All of what your say is correct. Yet, to the extent that the Great Commission actually reflects what Jesus and the NT church did, it could still serve as a model for our own mission. Making disciples is working through the grace of God to expand God’s kingdom as the church (the outpost of the kingdom) invites people to live under God's reign as transformed individuals who are growing into the image of God in the context of a living community of faithful people that is assimilating new believers and helping them become what God wants them to be. In the end, the discussion will include the definition of disciple and how the church is intentional about making disciples. Yes, to the extent that disciple-making churches assimilate and transform unaffiliated people, they will show both qualitative and quantitative growth. That type of growth may reflect kingdom expectations (cf. Mt 13:31-32). Certainly, the numerically diminishing demographics of the American connection and the mainline tradition are problematic when viewed from the perspective of the example of the NT church. Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14141558221519018805noreply@blogger.com