Hello all!
If any of you have heard of Jeff Vanderstelt (former pastor of Soma Communities and current pastor of Doxa Church in Bellevue, Washington) the title may pop out to you. If not, the term "Gospel Fluency" refers to a discipleship method that he and his church coined (later developed into a book) that has to do with "one anothering" in the local congregation. The idea is to be so steeped in the knowledge of the gospel and its implications that we naturally know how to share it and apply it through evangelism, encouragement, rebuke, prayer, etc.
As a loosely Calvinist church leader, who is heavy in the missional movement, Vanderstelt doesn't have heretical or off-color beliefs about the gospel, only (I personally would say) ungrounded ones. That is, because his church is a-historical in terms of theology and tradition and not part of any denomination, his understanding of the faith is less than full. So, there may be a lot of talk about being accepted, but little to no talk about the Sabbath, or the meaning of baptism etc.
The benefits of this Gospel Fluency are plenty. It 1. Encourages everyone to be knowledgeable about the gospel. 2. Encourages love and discipleship among every church member. 3. Encourages a distinctive church culture that is rooted in Christ and is 4. Simple enough for everyone to understand.
Despite this, what I've noticed is that this method is essentially just catechesis, and rather surface level catechesis at that. For someone who doesn't subscribe to the Westminster Standards, I couldn't fault him for it. However, I do feel that there is a big need for 1. More catechesis within our churches worldwide but more importantly 2. A deeper understanding of the Catechisms (I'm specifically referring to the Heidelberg and Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms) among all church members to know them well enough to know how to counsel those who are hurting, advise those who are inquiring, evangelize the lost, and "preach the gospel" so to speak to ourselves. So, forgive me for such a long post, but my question is, does anyone know how a new church might go about fostering that kind of culture in their people?
Teaching the catechism, not just as a memory tool or as something to "know" about the faith, but letting it sink in enough to color how we see the world and one another, and easily accessible for evangelism and counseling and discipleship?
Does your church use Catechisms in this way? Is it improper to even use Catechisms this way? As a new member of a new Reformed church and someone who didn't grow up in the Reformed faith but had some experience under a church that used "Gospel Fluency" I'd welcome any and all discussion on the topic! Thanks
If any of you have heard of Jeff Vanderstelt (former pastor of Soma Communities and current pastor of Doxa Church in Bellevue, Washington) the title may pop out to you. If not, the term "Gospel Fluency" refers to a discipleship method that he and his church coined (later developed into a book) that has to do with "one anothering" in the local congregation. The idea is to be so steeped in the knowledge of the gospel and its implications that we naturally know how to share it and apply it through evangelism, encouragement, rebuke, prayer, etc.
As a loosely Calvinist church leader, who is heavy in the missional movement, Vanderstelt doesn't have heretical or off-color beliefs about the gospel, only (I personally would say) ungrounded ones. That is, because his church is a-historical in terms of theology and tradition and not part of any denomination, his understanding of the faith is less than full. So, there may be a lot of talk about being accepted, but little to no talk about the Sabbath, or the meaning of baptism etc.
The benefits of this Gospel Fluency are plenty. It 1. Encourages everyone to be knowledgeable about the gospel. 2. Encourages love and discipleship among every church member. 3. Encourages a distinctive church culture that is rooted in Christ and is 4. Simple enough for everyone to understand.
Despite this, what I've noticed is that this method is essentially just catechesis, and rather surface level catechesis at that. For someone who doesn't subscribe to the Westminster Standards, I couldn't fault him for it. However, I do feel that there is a big need for 1. More catechesis within our churches worldwide but more importantly 2. A deeper understanding of the Catechisms (I'm specifically referring to the Heidelberg and Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms) among all church members to know them well enough to know how to counsel those who are hurting, advise those who are inquiring, evangelize the lost, and "preach the gospel" so to speak to ourselves. So, forgive me for such a long post, but my question is, does anyone know how a new church might go about fostering that kind of culture in their people?
Teaching the catechism, not just as a memory tool or as something to "know" about the faith, but letting it sink in enough to color how we see the world and one another, and easily accessible for evangelism and counseling and discipleship?
Does your church use Catechisms in this way? Is it improper to even use Catechisms this way? As a new member of a new Reformed church and someone who didn't grow up in the Reformed faith but had some experience under a church that used "Gospel Fluency" I'd welcome any and all discussion on the topic! Thanks