Essay Sample on Ecclesiology and Discipleship

Introduction

Churches throughout the world occupy a central place in the way humanity experiences the world and interacts with one another. The teachings of the church are regarded in high esteem as typical of the ethical and moral dictates that should guide the world. The Christian African-American Church too listens to the call of becoming a high moral edifice that ministers to the people without disregarding them based on social, economic or political deprivations. The church is firmly grounded on the biblical and theological foundation to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Holy Trinity and teaching them to honor and respect God's commandments. Ministry, mission, and discipleship as conceived by the Christian African-American Church as a cornerstone which calls upon every believer to selflessly dedicate their time and resources in proclaiming the redemptive work of God. In ministering, the church plays a critical role in breaking humanistic hierarchies and stratification which entrench social injustices and deprivations. At the core of discipleship in the Christian, African-American Church is to proclaim release to the captives and usher good news to the poor as written in Luke 4:18-22. According to the teachings and concepts of the church, Jesus is the divine liberator and God the deliverer of the oppressed which implies that the primary role of christens of faith is to reach out to the despised, downtrodden, desolate, captive and those who are subjected to systematic deprivations.

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The clergy is instrumental in creating a vibrant congregation and imparting in them the liberating message of God before commissioning them to continue in God's mission. Anyone who has gotten the message of God and committed to revitalizing the work of Jesus experiences not only an inward growth but also an outward partnership in God's mission of redeeming the world. In achieving the call to minister and discipleship, the church has a responsibility of debunking notions of privacy in worship. Just like Jesus focused on indiscriminate redemption of all those who believed, the Christians only exhibit true discipleship when they embrace a sense of communion. Just like Martin Luther King Jr noted on "Sunday morning segregation," the Christians should not be at the forefront of entrenching segregation in prayer for in doing so, their practice becomes inconsistent with the true ideals of the Christian faith. In essence, the church and Christianity should endeavor to provide a suitable place of refuge and rest for the masses who are otherwise considered worthless by the world.

As an embodiment of morality and ethos, the church should be the nexus that joins even the less fortunate to the teachings of God. In essence, through ministering to the people, the church has a pious duty of entrenching the ecclesial tradition of championing for social justice. The mission of every Christian and the church is to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world through twin actions which include preaching to everybody, in the cities, suburbs, and villages. Secondly, the church and believers should respond to the mission by not only embodying but also exercising the call of Jesus to liberation and communism. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the church to confront and deconstruct social sins such as racism, sexism, classism, imperialism and many others that inadvertently undercut the full experience of freedom that comes with redemption. In confronting and breaking the social injustices, the church then establishes itself as an institution that establishes unity for all human beings with the hindsight that they are all created in the image and likeness of God. True evangelism and ministry derive from a deliberate liberation of the society from all manner of interpersonal as well as socially unjust structures or patterns that oppress a section of the human race. When a person gets baptized and proclaims Jesus as a personal savior, they shake themselves from the shackles of oppression and begin an entirely new journey of faith. To achieve full freedom from all that which is sin and oppression, the church is not only obliged to cease from oppressive patterns but also nurture its congregation to enter into a full commitment in the mission of showing compassion for God's creation.

The Christian African-American Church is primarily based on the Black liberation theology which emphasizes on the responsibility of the church and all Christians to be a model of the pattern or relationships which they endeavor to establish in the world. In essence, the actions of the church and those who claim the faith should be a testimony in itself of how human beings should relate to one another. The liberation theology challenges the church against to reject trends that foster dehumanization of oppressed people in the society as a first step towards achieving the best intentions of Christian ministry. For true ministry to take root, the church must attend to the immediate physical needs of the people such as liberating them from servitude and elevating them to a state of equality as God requires so that they systematically develop a renewed look at themselves as worthwhile. It is only in this condition that their hearts and souls soften to receive the word. It is hypocritical for the church to frame itself as ministering to the people if it cannot crusade for and help the oppressed peoples within the communities to obtain full freedom and equality.

The ultimate goal of the church according to black liberation theology should be to minister to everybody and liberate the oppressed so that they join in communion and become witnesses to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. No wonder, in 1985, the bishops concentrated on addressing the issues of intraecclesial fellowship, social challenges facing society and ecumenical fellowship. Through a focus on achieving communism in Christ, the church fulfills its ministerial obligation of realizing a full commitment to the realization of justice, peace, and freedom all men. The undemanding behind framing the church as having a mission of fostering communism is the fact that the freedom of people or their liberation is a primary condition for them to realize true freedom which the Christian faith emphasizes. In any event that the church has involved in the oppression of the people, it is essential that they show sorrow for it and repentant so that they become a typical example of the unity which should be a guiding principle of human community in their Christian faith. In true discipleship and ministry, the church should not shy away from speaking the truth even if it means accepting its erroneous activities of the past and seeking forgiveness. Through such a bold initiative, the church gains a moral high ground and establishes a strong foundation on which to build a visible large-scale ecclesial and human communion which reconciles love and solidarity. Through the fellowship, it becomes easy to achieve full humanity, dignity, and equality in which formerly oppressed people become empowered by the Holy Spirit so that they become active and primary agents in the mission of the church.

Discipleship means extricating oneself from the earthly and human treasures that may draw a person back to the secular ways. Therefore, the church must understand that social and economic profiling of people offends the role of God's ministry. Every person who proclaims Christian faith must always act in ways that result in the full realization of God's Universal salvation will which underscores that nobody, their social-economic status notwithstanding is beyond the salvation of God. In the same way, the church must reinforce the fact that no person is excluded from the communion with other faithful. Central to the Church's mission is the need to usher in a remarkable transformation of the whole world by recanting disunity, oppression, and discrimination and urging for unity and communion. Just like Jesus, the church and all Christians must actualize their mission through action and teachings that unite people in an indivisible way as carry them as a unit of believers to the path of God. Just like Martin Luther King Jr emphasized, it is the role of the church and all Christians to give up all that which they endear including their lives in realizing salvation and liberation of men. They should champion and defend the dignity and fundamental rights of the human person as a critical ingredient in a demonstration of the high call of discipleship.

Christians should use the power of the Gospel to evangelize boldly and not fear to upset the criteria used by human beings to judge others based on subjective considerations. They should not conform to the humanistic view of people but rather draw inspiration from God's teachings to denounce ways that contradict the word of God and His divine plan for salvation of all humanity. Fostering redemption and ministering the gospel requires believers to be honest and shun preaching false hopes of prosperity which appeals to the masses but instead tackle the evils which draw the people away from the salvation which is given to everyone. Responding to the mission of spreading the gospel has the imperative that the clergy, congregation and the laity should support each other through stewardship. Just as Christians should not rescind risking their lives for the liberation of people from sin and oppression, they equally have a duty to be generous in giving their treasures to support the ministry. In so doing, they not only earn favor from God but also rescue souls from entrapment in the illusory happiness of the world and orienting them to communion with God in faith. The mission of the church as a body of Christ requires that it exhibits five attributes. First, it must suffer from the suffering. Second, it must proclaim liberation for the oppressed. Third, it must actively join in liberation struggles against systems that stand against the liberating activity of Jesus. Fourth, it must be evidence of the reality of the gospel and must confront the dehumanization of oppressed.

References

Boff, L. (1986). Ecclesiogenesis: The base communities reinvent the church. Orbis Books.

Cone, J. H. (2008). Black theology and black power. Orbis Books.

Cone, J. H. (1975). God of the Oppressed. New York.

Evans, J. H. (2012). We have been believers: An African-American systematic theology. Second Edition. Edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Migliore, D. L. (2014). Faith seeking understanding: An introduction to Christian theology. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

Sobrino, J., & Ellacuria, I. (1996). Systematic Theology: Perspectives from Liberation Theology. Maryknoll: Orbis Books.

Willis, R. W. (2009). Martin Luther King, Jr., and the image of God. Oxford: Oxford University Press.