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Discipleship can no more be done by long distance teaching, than a pot on a wheel can be formed by a potter sitting in another country.
Discipleship is a conforming to the image of Jesus process, not an informing from Bible information process. Jesus taught the multitudes at a distance, discipled a few up close. Teaching can be done long distance, conforming cannot. I can be quite full of accurate Bible information and not be conformed to the image of Jesus, which is the goal of discipleship. For example, I can be a walking talking, Bible encyclopedia, “anointed” and all that, and still mistreat my wife and family (as the scores of heart broken “pastor’s wives” I have dealt with would testify to!). Conforming discipleship requires proximity in real life, and that cannot be done long-distance. You cannot see someone’s interactions long distance. You cannot see them under pressure and stress long distance. You cannot read body language and facial expressions long distance, you cannot see how someone treats a waiter or waitress long distance. You cannot see how someone interacts with is/her neighbors long distance.
Discipleship may include teaching, but not all teaching is discipleship. I can teach/preach/share with a crowd, including long distance, modern technology and all that but discipleship,that’s another matter…to me any way.
Stephen R Crosby
Great podcast Steve. But I do not understand how this relates to long distance discipleship. Can you enlighten me?
Hey Stephen, thanks for pointing out that the comparison might not be very clear.
I merely added this podcast link to this post to give more people a chance to hear this particular discussion in case they hadn’t already.
How do I feel they relate?
Not necessarily specifically, but in the sense that teaching from a pulpit in one direction towards the flock and thinking the flock are “discipled” as a result of the flow of information, I see as being related to the idea you can’t disciple anybody from a distance. In this case, the way a leader or teacher, whether pulpit or itinerant ministry, is not close or personal, but ‘distant’ as well–just maybe not from a geographical barrier but a relational one.