Discipleship: The Hallmark of Evangelism in the Anglican Communion; A Case Study of the Diocese of Isiala Ngwa
Chapter One
Research Objectives
- To understand how church leaders in Diocese Of Isiala Ngwa define
- To investigate how discipleship is carried out in the
- To understand how leadership is accounting for the way the discovered practices of discipleship are carried out in context.
- To reflect on the implication of the current practice on future of discipleship in the Anglican Church in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Discipleship
This section will examine various scholars’ definitions of discipleship, and in particular will examine the relationship between discipleship and evangelism.
In defining the practice of discipleship, Dodson (2012) noted that discipleship is a word with a wide range of definitions. To some, it indicates a programme for spiritual growth. To others, it is synonymous with evangelism. Dodson (2012) further asserted that “the attempt to clarify discipleship by separating it from evangelism actually muddies the waters” (p. 28). For Dodson (2012), this dichotomy of either evangelism or spiritual growth is a distortion of the Great Commission; to him, “to be a Christian is to be a disciple” (p. 158). He offered proof in that the word “disciple” appears in the Bible 269 times, versus three appearances of the word “Christian”. Therefore, being a disciple is an essential aspect of being a Christian (Dodson, 2012).
According to Swartvagher (2014), Jesus’ new model for being a disciple has three characteristics. The first is being called individually by the Master; in the society of Jesus’ time, the disciples sought the Master, but Jesus was the one to begin the discipling relationship. The second is that being Jesus’ disciple is a permanent relationship; Swartvagher (2014) noted that “with Jesus, the relationship takes on spousal elements” (p. 87), and that Jesus’ disciple is never discharged from the discipling relationship. The third is that being Jesus’ disciple brings the possibility of personal peril and persecution, about which Jesus was very clear (Swartvagher, 2014). A disciple very much lives the experience of discipleship; it is not information that is taught to a student (Swartvagher, 2014).
Sullivan (2003) noted that according to O’Connell, discipleship has several dimensions: understanding, commitment, behaviour, and affiliation. He also noted that “Christians need to engage in a set of actions, not just assent to set beliefs” (Sullivan, 2003, p. 11), which is a crucial distinction: discipleship is not only a concept or theory that needs to be taught, but is a ministry that must be carried out.
Throughout the Bible, there is support for the idea that being a disciple, one who is growing in the Christian faith, is different from just being a Christian, or one who has made a Christian profession of faith. Hull (2006) noted that evangelical churches’ emphasis on “getting saved” is creating an environment in which those who are serious about their Christian faith grow, and those who wish to remain young in their faith are enabled to remain there. Hull (2006) stated that this is a dangerous trend, because “when we lose discipleship, we also lose vibrant Christianity” (Introduction, para. 5). He offered that this is also proof that discipleship has not moved into the core of the church, and goes as far to say that discipleship is not just a programme that the church does; it is precisely what the church is to do. Discipleship is equally for the young and mature in faith. McGrath (2011) agreed and noted, “there is no area of life in which we are excused by God of the need to work out our discipleship” (p. 138).
Discipleship is not a programme to be run; it is “the ongoing process of growth as a disciple” (Wilkins, 2010, p. 27). As a process, it requires submission: first to Christ, then to the Scriptures, then to the leaders and mentors to whom the disciple has accountability (Hull, 2006). Discipleship cannot be divorced from community and relationship (Wilkins, 2010).
Hadidian (1979) observed that discipleship “is not simply the transference of information but rather the imparting of one’s life to another” (p. 53). Discipleship is much more than a class, sermon, or teaching: it is an intimate relationship in which one models and shares how to live the Christian life with another in the hopes that the learner will grow in that maturity and will go and do the same.
Yet, Wilkins (1992) noted that “individual disciples are always seen in conjunction with the community of disciples, whether as Jesus’ intimate companions or as the church” (p. 26). Wilkins is highlighting that implicit in the act of discipleship is relationship; it is impossible to disciple or be discipled in a vacuum. Even an academic course about discipleship occurs in the relationship of a classroom.
Evangelism
This section will explore various scholars’ definitions of evangelism, and will again explore the relationship between evangelism and discipleship.
Lawson (2003) defined evangelism as “the call to personal faith in the atoning work of Christ” (p. 438).
In the same paragraph in which he defined discipleship, Dodson (2012) noted that “the evangelist proclaims the gospel to make convert, and the discipler teaches converts how to grow into disciples” (p. 28).
Sullivan (2003) argued that it is useful to refer to discipleship and evangelism as “frontiers” (p. 10), as it broadens both the understood and implied dichotomy of the two words. Further, “that they can be done simultaneously can be emphasized with this new vocabulary, which brings a richness and life to the work” (Sullivan, 2003, p. 10).
Dodson (2012) expanded on this by noting that there is a disconnect about the Great Commission: a perception that it is focused on either evangelism—“soul winning” —or discipleship—“Christian maturing” (p. 37). He asserted that it is not an either-or proposition, but two sides of the same coin.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Design and Methodology
This study is a qualitative research study, which according to Swinton and Mowat (2006), “relates to the careful exploration of the ways in which human beings encounter their world” (Chapter 2, Seeing and discovering, para. 2) and proposes the opportunity to understand how the respondents understand what they are experiencing. Swinton and Mowat (2006) also noted that “qualitative research is careful and rigorous” (Chapter 2, Seeing and discovering, para. 2). Mason (2002) observed that qualitative research is “concerned with how the social world is interpreted, understood, experienced, produced or constituted” and that it seeks to “produce rounded and contextual understandings on the basis of rich, nuanced and detailed data” (p. 3). This study is also an interpretivist paradigm, as it allows the researcher “to gain further depth through seeking experiences and perceptions of a particular social context” (Alharahsheh and Pius, 2020, p. 39). This paradigm studies components in detail, and “it aims to include richness in the insights gathered” instead of seeking to paint with a broad brush (Alharahsheh and Pius, 2020, p. 41). This is an appropriate paradigm for this study because it allows the researcher to study her topic in detail.
For Swinton and Mowat (2006), “the telling of stories and the accurate recording, transcription and analysis of this data forms the heart of the qualitative research enterprise” (Chapter 2, Narrative-as-knowledge, para. 1). This is because qualitative research seeks to understand the reason and significance behind what people are experiencing, rather than to just objectively report what is occurring.
This study was an explanatory study, as it highlighted a cause and effect, taking into account the historical, cultural, and social understandings of discipleship and its influence on current- day lived experiences of church members. To unpack how church leaders understand discipleship, the researcher used Branson and Martinez’s (2011) first three steps to gather information on trends and dynamics in the parish with regard to how discipleship is understood and practiced and to explain the why of actions.
Practical theology can be described in four tasks: descriptive-empirical, amassing information to determine patterns; interpretive, comprehending and describing these patterns; normative, interpreting and gaining wisdom from best practices; and pragmatic, finding the way forward to bring about positive change (Osmer, 2008). This research will use the first two steps of Branson and Martinez’s (2011) steps for theological reflection. The first is to name and describe the current church praxis; this study will describe how Anglican leaders understand discipleship. The second is to examine the praxis, looking to understand all that influences it. Branson and Martinez (2011) defined praxis as “not just practice, but ‘the whole cycle of reflection and study on one hand and engagement and action on the other’” (Chapter 1, Praxis, para 4). Practical theology is a praxis model, which, according to Bevans (1992), examines theology “that is formed by knowledge at its most intense level— the level of reflexive action” (Chapter 6, para 3). In the praxis model, committed action leads to reflection, which leads back into committed action, and the cycle continues to loop (Bevans, 1992). This study fits in the action and reflection cycle. We experience, reflect, and adapt via theory or practice.
Browning (1991) divides practical theology into several subdisciplines, such fundamental, which includes philosophy, theological education; descriptive, which includes theological ethics, moral thinking, and sociology; systematic, which includes ethics; and strategic, which includes religious education. This study falls into the fundamental subdiscipline of theological education. Lee (2011) distinguishes four disciplines: “empirical-analytical”, “hermeneutical”, “political-critical”, and “pastoral-theological” (p. 300). According to her divisions, this study falls in the hermeneutical discipline, as it is seeking to explain the Nigerian understanding of discipleship. Within the hermeneutical discipline, it is critical to explain both the Christian story and the culture being studied (Lee, 2011). According to Lee, while this does expose any potential “bias or prejudice” (Lee, 2001, p. 303) that the researcher may have and “helps to understand people’s norms and values… there is a danger of using the hermeneutical method without practical theology’s commitment to religious praxis” (Lee, 2001, p. 303).
To execute this qualitative research study, I conducted both interviews and focus groups. The interviews and focus groups conformed to Mason’s (2002) interview characteristics. They were conversational, rather than a strict question and answer format; Mason (2002) cited Burgess’s phrase “conversations with a purpose” (p. 62) to describe them. Interviews and focus groups are also the best way to gain people’s definitions, views, and perceptions of discipleship, because people are able explain their understanding and their experiences much more clearly and fully than with another data gathering techniques, such as questionnaires.
Branson and Martinez (2011) suggested a five-step model for praxis, and this study focused on the first two steps.
- “Name and describe your current praxis concerning some aspect of church
- Analyze your praxis, seeking to understand all of the influences and consequences, by using resources from your culture.
- Study and reflect on Scripture, theology and Christian history concerning your praxis and analysis.
- Recall and discuss stories from your church’s history and your own personal lives that are related to the topic under discussion.
- Corporately discern and shape your new praxis by working with the results of steps one through four and then prayerfully naming what you believe to be your priorities” (Branson & Martinez, 2011, Chapter 1, Praxis, para. 8).
Branson and Martinez (2011) stated that “spiritual formation is about attending to God, learning about God’s activities and character, and participating in God’s life and initiatives” (Chapter 2, Church Formation, para. 3). By employing their first three steps, this study seeks to understand the impacts of discipleship in Nigeria from the Nigerian point of view, using Scripture, history, theology, and interview and focus group data. The last two steps of reflection and choosing a new praxis are for the Church of Nigeria leadership, and are beyond the scope of this study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS
Understanding and Application of Discipleship
For the first research question, regarding how church leaders in Diocese Of Isiala Ngwa understand discipleship, I found that discipleship is not practised as a stand-alone ministry, but is carried out in conjunction with other ministries, and therefore, it is very activity-based. It is also communal in nature and largely takes place in groups.
Chitando (2002) noted that “definition has been the bane of theology” (p. 10), and that is evident in how the Church of Nigeria views discipleship. A commonly held Western view of discipleship is that it is a distinct activity from evangelism and follows from it, though Hull and Harrington (2014) disagreed, saying that they are the same. They further noted that “discipleship includes evangelism, and evangelism is a part of discipleship” (Hull & Harrington, 2014, Introduction, The Question, para. 2). This is consistent with the data from this study, which indicates that in Nigeria, discipleship is very much conflated with evangelism. This could be because the missionaries emphasised the importance of evangelism, though to the missionaries, “saving” people was not just a spiritual exercise; it was also seen as “saving” the “savage” African from an “uncultured” life.
When asked to define discipleship, most participants said that discipleship and evangelism are the same thing. For example, Miriam, one of the clergy participants, said, “Discipleship is going out, reaching out to people who are not yet Christians, preaching the Good News to them, and then we are converted, we deliberately take them through training” (11:8). Moses, another clergy participant, explained that “there is an element of evangelism in discipleship. Because you cannot– you cannot disciple someone you have not evangelised” (9:28). The primary concern for church growth around the world is needing people who are grounded in and living from their beliefs, because the church cannot be effective without discipleship. Indeed, the church was commanded to go and make disciples of all nations in the Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples.
Seeing evangelism and discipleship as a spectrum is very similar to Hadidian’s (1979) view, which was that there are three phases of the discipleship process: “evangelising, edifying, and equipping” (p. 21). The Church of Nigeria excels in evangelising and does well with edifying, though equipping is a weakness. The missionary emphasis on evangelism is very much part of the Church’s focus as the battle for souls continues, even though the battle for favour with the Kabaka [king] is no longer a driving force.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusion
The previous chapter analysed the data from the descriptive and explanatory study of how Nigerians view discipleship.
The main research question was to understand and explain how ordained and lay leaders understand and practice discipleship so as to understand how historical factors have impacted current practices and to reflect upon the implication of the discovered practice with the intent of proposing a better methodology for discipleship, which I have done.
This study has generated several key learning points:
- Mission Christianity has inadvertently done a disservice and created confusion about the purpose of discipleship.
- Mission Christianity also did a disservice in severing the relationship between the individual and the community, severing a crucial method for teaching and training.
- Christian education must be contextualized, and it must involve the African worldview in order for it to be meaningful and impactful for the learners.
- In order to reform Christian education and to inculturate the African worldview in Christian education, a postcolonial approach to Christian education is needed.
- Missions must shift from Western-centred models and leadership and embrace equal partnering of the West and the Global South; GAFCON is an important example of
In light of these findings, I am making the following recommendations for the Church of Nigeria, recommendations for theological education, and recommendations for the future of missions in the following sections.
Recommendations to the Church of Nigeria
Part of what the church needs to do is to redefine terms. Discipleship and evangelism are seen as two sides of the same coin; perhaps they need to be seen as points on a spectrum. The Four Chair Model of discipleship proposed by Spader (2014) is helpful, not in small part because it emphasises that the ultimate goal is not to grow in the Christian faith for one’s own sake, but to ensure that one has found others to disciple. This is crucial, because without having the next generation to disciple, Christianity is always in danger of being one generation from extinction.
Clergy are continuing with the status quo of emphasising programme over discipleship because that is the institutional pressure that is given them. It is very true that it is difficult to change institutions, as the people in them are quite often comfortable with inertia and the status quo. Yet, many of the clergy cited people who discipled them and the impact that ministry had in their lives. It is hard to emphasise a ministry when it is not supported by leadership; at the end of the day, culture triumphs. And yet, the culture is one that is inherently of discipleship: it is the community’s responsibility to ensure that each member is raised well to serve the community, yet this crucial part of the ministry has been purged from the church.
Discipleship needs to be approached in new ways that must be taught via community, such as through the family or by creating new “families” via small groups in the church. Since the first experience of discipleship is in the family, this model must be embraced in the church. Godparents are required for baptism, yet the model of spiritual parents is generally abandoned after the service. The church would do well to revive the concept, even symbolically, of spiritual parents who are raising and discipling believers who are young in their faith to spiritual maturity so they can go and do likewise. This is an effective way of deconstructing church culture and how we say one thing in the Scriptures and live it out differently, which does the Gospel a disservice (in terms of hierarchy and power), since the way to grow a ministry is to give it away. A model for accountability, similar to the West African Revival, in which these “families” or small groups shared testimonies could be useful, though rather than focusing on changes in behaviour, the testimonies could be centred on spiritual disciplines and what people are learning about themselves and about God. This would both encourage the active practice of and participation in the spiritual disciplines, but would also model discussions about the deep inner work of the transformation that occurs with discipleship. It would also introduce accountability, which has been sorely lacking.
The church needs to consider the African worldview. The African holistic view of God and man has many lessons to teach the West and has much more in common with the cultures in which the Bible was written. It is beyond time for the church to come out of Sugirtharajah’s (2004) “scriptural imperialism” (p. 46) and speak loudly and clearly via academic journals, books, published sermons, blogs, and other media.
This would also contribute towards using contextual discipleship to raise up church leaders. Davies (2011) suggested that this is done by examining the relationship that one has with oneself, the relationship that one has with God, and the relationship that one has with other people. Davies also suggests that discussing how one responds each of these and how they relate to the “Great Invitation” (Matthew 11:25-30), the “Great Confession” (Matthew 16:13-28), the “Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40), and the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:16-20) are powerful ways to discuss how one can both be and live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
The Church of Nigeria should invest in the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) method as a means for discipleship, as well as a means of deepening the African understanding of Scripture. The DBS model focuses on the Scriptures themselves, and asks participants to read the Bible passage several times in a session, and after each reading, discuss what that Scripture states about God, then what it states about people, then the participants discuss what, according to the Scripture, each person is achieving, and what each person must alter in their lives (Discovery Bible Study, n.d.). Each session closes with asking who each person can ask to join the study, which can also be a vehicle for evangelism. The DBS model is communal, contextualized, and “cooperative” (Ango, 2008, p. 156). By rehearsing the Scriptures several times in each meeting, the participants are learning the Bible. By asking the participants to share what they have learned and how it impacts their lives, it is “showing Christ’s work lived out in the home, church and society” (Ango, 2008, p. 163).
Recommendations for Theological Education
Theological education is critical for both clergy and laity, so it must be emphasised. The educative function of the church has long been dormant amid the emphasis on evangelism, which has resulted in perpetuating a church that lacks depth, as well as lacking the hermeneutical skills required for ministry to a population who is increasingly sceptical of faith and not necessarily Christian, despite possibly being raised in church. While we cannot throw out the entire corpus of Western education, it must be built upon and applied in context.
Theological education does not solely exist for the clergy, though the clergy must be trained. Theological education is crucial for the clergy so that they can preach soundly and with authority and are well-equipped to disciple the Christians under their care. The laity could, and should, be educated so that they too can be trained for ministry. It is even possible that in teaching and training the laity, some may receive a call to ordained ministry. An educated and empowered laity is a sign of a strong church, and this must be encouraged. On an episode of The Global Church Project, Tiénou (2016) noted that Paul, in Acts 17, interacted with thepeople where they were, seeing what was going on in the culture, returning to Scripture to see whether it addressed what was happening, and then reengaging with the people. This can only happen when people are trained.
Theological education for the African context means that the church will need to wean herself from the Western curricula that she has been dependent upon. The Church of Nigeria should explore the relationships it has with various academic and publication institutions to develop curricula that explore faith from an African lens. Some of the limitations are that these relationships may be few and that the leaders who would do this work are already engaged in full-time ministry. The church needs to be able to release them from some of their normal duties to allow them time to research and develop curricula.
The church needs more research on worldview issues and awareness in mission training. Given globalisation, seminaries should have a course on inculturation so that seminarians begin to broaden their horizons and understand how to learn about other cultures and their approaches to God. The Western influence is still pervasive in theological education, and it will take some time to remove this experience and make theological education a much more meaningful and practical experience.
This study shows that the parachurch ministries are crucial in helping the church carry out the Great Commission. These relationships should continue and grow into one large church, but why is it only at that church? Why isn’t that programme being run at more churches? When people graduate from the programme, are they recruited to Spader’s fourth chair of making other disciples? If this were to happen, the discipleship ministries for both the churches and the parachurch organisations would grow exponentially.
What this study shows is the absence of inculturation and a lack of practices that are not cultural. Douglas (2006) noted that “although the Gospel itself is never identical with any one culture, it can only be expressed in terms that are culturally conditioned” (Inculturation and Anglican Worship, para. 2). Unfortunately, this is the opposite of what the missionaries did; in imposing their own culture, they inadvertently prevented the inculturation of the Gospel, thereby establishing a Christian practice that would become more associated with the colonial government and advancement therein than a profound and deep Christian faith.
Obetia (2012) observed that “Christianity is … a dynamic belief system that generates new concepts and practices in every culture and context with an enriching effect on other previous experiences, which are in turn made ‘Christian’” (p.10). One way the Church of
Nigeria can enrich its expressions of worship is to follow the lead of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in how the church develops liturgies, rather than only importing liturgies from the West. The ACK has maintained its link to Anglicanism in the structure of the liturgy and retained the Scripture throughout the liturgy, yet it has contextualised the liturgies to reflect African culture, notably by incorporating the ancestors, particularly in the Sanctus. Rather than the typical “therefore with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven”, the Sanctus in the ACK reads, “therefore with angels, archangels, faithful ancestors and all in heaven” (LeMarquand, 2006, The Anglican Church of Kenya, Appreciation of the African Traditional Context, para. 4). The Church of Nigeria has launched a good effort with the Book of Common Worship, especially with its liturgies for the circumcision ritual and the naming of an heir. These are two liturgies that seek to enculturate the culture into the Gospel message, and move to unite the church and the community.
Recommendations on the Future of Missions
Along with the shifts in theological education, there must also be a shift in the role that Western missions play in Africa today. The imposition model must be discarded, and one of partnership must grow. This partnership model is illustrated by Greenfield (2019), a missionary in Cambodia, who commented on well-known American pastor and author Francis Chan’s announcement that he was leaving his church to enter the mission field in Hong Kong and shared that he felt this call while on a mission trip in Burma. Greenfield (2019) made an interesting observation: that Chan’s announcement of shifting from a popular teaching and publishing ministry was “framed in such a colonial old-school missionary manner” (Alongsiders, n.d., para. 8).
In order to begin this shift in the role of Western missions today, the Western church must seek to learn about, understand, and embrace African culture and African Christianity. One crucial area that Westerners must understand is the importance of community; they must learn to celebrate the “we” as a church and as a culture.
Greenfield (2019) narrated an imaginary scenario in which an American comes to Burma, sharing the Gospel as an American would do, yet blissfully unaware that the typical American Gospel message of a loving God would be completely incomprehensible, if not wrong, to a Burmese Buddhist. Yet, to preserve the relationship with the visitor, the Burmese Buddhist would accept the invitation to accept Jesus.
Greenfield’s (2019) solution to the typical American evangelical analogy of fishing for men is to become “midwives” in the cultures in which we serve: seeking to partner with Christians in the culture in mission rather than setting ourselves as the centre of the narrative and dictating how the Gospel should be proclaimed.
Greenfield (2019) was largely speaking of inculturation: allowing the Christians in the recipient culture to share the Gospel in a culturally appropriate manner. Greenfield’s ministry is called “Alongsiders”, and its purpose is to train Christians to “equip compassionate young Christians around the world to walk alongside those who walk alone” (Alongsiders, n.d., para. 8), so his perspective is understandable. His perspective is also sorely needed among mission senders.
Greenfield has highlighted what Tiénou (1996) described, which is that “the language of our missiology has prevented us from taking seriously the significant Christianisation of Africa that resulted from more than one hundred years of missionary and other Christian witness” (p. 95). This trajectory must be reversed; the West has much to learn from Africa and the rest of the world. This does not signal an end to Western missions, but it very much indicates a change in how those missions are perceived and approached.
On an episode of The Global Church Project, Tiénou (2016) observed that there are several things the African church can teach the West, such as that people can and should worship God with all of who they are; they should worship with all of their body, all of their soul, all of their spirit, and all of their mind. Tiénou (2016) also emphasised that worship is a community activity, not just an individual one.
The goal in all this is for discipleship to become deeply embedded and owned, no longer a foreign concept. It must become inculturated in order for it to embed in the Church of Nigeria and in the culture, and to flourish and bear fruit. This is crucial, as the Church of Nigeria is one of the leaders in the Global South and in the Anglican Communion, and the church can only continue to lead in both arenas if it continues to produce mature Christians.
In order for these lessons of partnership and inculturation to be taught and modelled, missions must have great diversity in the teaching staff, as missions lack training in the local knowledge and culture, as well as the local theological anthropological situation. Tiénou (1992) correctly stated that “in my judgment, listening before speaking is the first act of sound missiology; it must therefore be incorporated into missiological training” (p.95). This means investing in relationships with host countries and churches so that missionaries can learn from those with whom they will be ministering. This is also a way of pairing discipleship with other ministries: as the nationals are teaching missionaries about their culture, the lived experiences of theology in their local setting, and missiology, they are also engaging in a discipleship relationship.
Indigenisation, such as the ACK is doing, is occurring in all cultures; this study is a contribution to this effort. Academia is building bridges across cultures to solve common problems. The Global South is arising, bonding out of postcolonialism, and finding the way forward for understanding Christ in their native cultures. This is a challenge, as the Global North provides the funding, and the North is now trying to engage the South as a partner and is seeking to learn. This is now a place of equality for mutual sharing and teaching. Decolonialisation is challenging everything, and it needs to take on tribalism and how the other tribes resent the Baganda for their role in evangelism and colonialization. This can be accomplished by ensuring that there are multitribal committees in the church and in academia in which all views are honoured. For example, the Liturgy Committee to compose the Church of Nigeria’s Book of Common Worship was comprised of academic clergy from all regions of the country, as evidenced by the names of the committee (Church of Nigeria, 2013, p. vii).
Limitations
While the study generated valuable and useful data, it also faced limitations. The sample consisted of leaders in the church; it would have been useful to learn of the experience of the rank-and-file Christians in the church, as their perceptions and practices are likely to be different. The sample was based in Abia state; it is possible that in the villages the sense of community is more prominent in the church.
Conclusion
The literature regarding discipleship in the African context is scant, so this study describing the understanding and experience of discipleship in the Church of Nigeria should be a helpful addition to the body of knowledge. The study revealed that while discipleship may not be explicitly executed in the church, it is understood to be experience-based and is very much influenced by the West African Revival, family, and parachurch ministries. Despite the dearth of explicit discipleship programmes, discipleship is implicitly carried out amongst other ministries.
The research revealed a need for the church to enculturate the Nigerian culture into the worship and praxis in the church, and, specifically, for a return to the communal expression of worship and discipleship, raising up each member of the church for the benefit of the entire body of Christ.
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