Practicing Christian Leadership, Student Workbook, SW11

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P R A C T I C I N G C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S H I P

do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “ Feed my sheep .”) As practicing Christian leaders, we must incorporate new believers into the fellowship of Christ, creating an environment where they can be both welcomed and quickly integrated within our church community life and relationships. Incorporation is a critical biblical principle of Christian care, involving creating an environment where new members of the body are welcomed into God’s family. Our ability to welcome new believers warmly, quickly, and smoothly into our community life will determine the overall viability of our church and its witness among those different than us in background and culture. No one need change their cultural identity in order to join into the body of Christ. We are free in Christ to remain who we are culturally when we first received Christ. New members are to be accepted based upon their repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and must be grounded immediately into sound Christian doctrine ( catechesis ). Incorporation also involves making new believers feel at home in the very life of the Christian community, as well as ensuring that each new believer receives godly loving pastoral oversight. Practicing Christian leaders are called to build up the Church as they exercise spiritual parenthood of new and immature believers in the body of Christ. Godly spiritual parenting neither lords it over nor controls those children under his care, but rather equips them through personal example and teaching, all of which is designed to enable them to live as mature, fruit-bearing disciples of Christ. All efforts toward equipping and parenting are for the purpose of maturing the members of the body of Christ, and not for the purpose of the control of the leader or teacher.

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