What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?

While the mission of the Church of the Nazarene is to make Christlike disciples in the nations, have we been able to clarify exactly what that looks like? We have placed great emphases on evangelism and church growth, but at times we have done so without the proper infrastructure in place to maintain and develop converts into disciples.

Walk into any Whole Foods Market, one of a growing number of natural, organic grocery stores, and you cannot help but be impressed with the whole planet philosophy. Stewardship of the earth’s resources walks hand in hand with right eating and healthy living.

That whole planet orientation is worked out in a myriad of ways with countless products. It is the commitment to the company mission and the real-world implementation of that mission that continues to undergird its success as a leader in this rapidly expanding segment of the economy.

Wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about (Acts 1:4b).

These are among the opening words of the history book of the early New Testament Church. They declare the foundational understanding of what Jesus came to earth to accomplish in the Incarnation.

This is the restoration of the kingdom of God, first promised in its initial expression in Genesis 3:15.

This is the fulfillment of what God intended when He created Adam.

This is the mission for which He called Abraham.

A couple of years ago during the prayer time of the Sunday school class I teach, a woman requested prayer for her friend’s daughter who had been badly injured in an accident during their vacation. She described some of the situation. Then, as a praise to the situation, she mentioned that the nurse who helped the family that day had been a real answer to prayer. That little phrase really made an impression on me. How had that nurse been an answer to their prayers and the woman even know it?

What’s the idea?

Integrating teens into the church community.

What was the need?

The students in our church felt like outsiders in their own church. About 90 percent of our students were from other youth groups and were connected to other churches.

Why was this?

Some reasons include that most youth groups in town have their services on Wednesday nights, and we used to meet on Sunday nights.

As the Church of the Nazarene, we have created our theological journey throughout the history of the church. All along that road, Scripture has been paramount in the life of our church. Scripture has not only been part of our reformed inheritance from the 16th century (“Sola Scriptura”), but the Bible has also constituted our Arminian and Wesleyan legacy. Jacobus Arminius wrote, “Only in Scripture we have the infallible word of God, and nowhere else.”

Impact Weekends

Concepts that have worked well for us on the Western Cape District are “impact weekends.” People from churches around the district spend a weekend at another Nazarene church that is struggling, or perhaps the community is struggling for various reasons.

We go in and work with the youth, hosting programs for them and perhaps counseling those involved with drugs or gangs.

For the community, we invest funds to work on a house and everyone goes in to clean, paint, and repair it.

How did you and Laura meet? At the Perth Church of the Nazarene in Scotland.

Most interesting journey you’ve taken? Marriage (that's good interesting!).

What would we be surprised to learn about you? I am not the most patient person in the world.

Q: What advice do you have for calling a new pastor to our local congregation?

A: Let me offer seven things to consider in this important transition:

1. Pray. Let 1 Thessalonians 5:17 underline everything you do: “Pray continually.” Create strategies to keep the congregation praying about the pastoral change.

When I was six years old, I felt called to the ministry. I’d stand on our back porch and “preach” to my cats.

However, I went to church with my mother who attended a denomination that does not allow women in leadership (lay or clergy). As a child, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I would say that I wanted to be a preacher. First, it was laughed at—it’s cute, this little girl wants to be a preacher—then I was told that I should not say that because it wasn’t something that women could do.