A talk by the Rev. Paul DeLain Allick at 2008 Diocesan Convention, Rochester, MN: October 25, 2008

Gospel Based Discipleship is not a program. It is an ongoing process of asking three central questions of the Gospel of the day:

What stands out for me?

What is the Gospel saying to me?

What is the Gospel calling us to do?

These three questions are deceptively simplistic. But what they lead us to is the discovery of what it means to live as Disciples of Christ and how that living transforms our ways of seeing and hearing.

It proves itself to be a practical way to live out our Baptismal Covenant. It proves itself to be a good guide toward discovering the true and deeper meanings of mission: both the inward mission of self and the outward mission we are called to in the Book of Common Prayer, to reconcile all people to God and to each other through Christ.

Over the past twelve years of ordained ministry, with a few hits and misses, I have seen this process transform individuals and communities.

Two true stories

When I arrived at the University Episcopal Center a few years back, the situation seemed bleak: finances and energy were low. It looked as though the century-long Episcopal mission to the University of Minnesota might be ending. We looked at all of our concerns and often felt helpless.

Then one afternoon, I met with the Peer Ministers. We were discussing goals for the upcoming year. The proverbial, “We’ve got to get more people here” came up. I asked, “Why? Why do we want more people here?” We guessed that it was because we wanted to invite people into our community. I asked, “For what purpose?” We weren’t exactly sure.

That afternoon we committed to each other that we would gather once a week and practice Gospel Based Discipleship. This would be our instrument to find the right questions about who we were and what it was we were inviting others to be part of.

To make a long story short: Gospel Based Discipleship (GBD) became part of the fabric of all our communal worship, our meetings, and our deliberations. At Eucharist, GBD was the Liturgy of the Word. Students began inviting friends to check this out. We met with our Bishop; and instead of a “meeting” where we asked him what he was going to do for us, we practiced GBD. We found out who we were and where our Bishop was coming from. We talked about everything we needed to, but the flavor of the discussion was infused with the sweetness of the Good News.

Did we solve our difficult financial problems by finding just the right fundraising approach? No. But we did find out what it meant to be disciples of Christ on the University of Minnesota campus. We saw our circle grow a bit in numbers, but more importantly, we saw our circle grow in depth of commitment and understanding of our mission. The University Episcopal Center has now refashioned itself into the University Episcopal Community.

One of those Peer Ministers, Leeann Sit, would later write about her experience with Gospel Based Discipleship. She wrote about how important it was for her to sit and listen to others reflect on the Gospel; how it became for her the very core of being a Christian. She wrote, “In this way, readings have become colorful, complex, and part of my own life – I can literally feel it because it has become something tangible, a result from the contributions from each person in that sitting.”

There are others you can ask for stories. Ask the disciples out at St. Edward’s in Wayzata how Gospel Based Discipleship transformed their search process for their new rector, and how it shaped their time in an intentional interim ministry. In our interim time together we decided to let go of talking about numerical growth and instead focus on inward spiritual growth. In a very little time, “new” people were joining our circle. At last count, there are three Gospel Based Discipleship circles gathering there weekly.

The Church as an institution is full of competing concerns. We see many of them playing out at this convention: secular politics, budgets, mechanisms of power, and material outreach to the needy. Gospel Based Discipleship brings us back to what Paul Tillich called the Ultimate Concern.

Tillich entitled his sermon on the story of Martha and Mary, “The Ultimate Concern.” In that sermon he outlined the meaning behind each woman’s concerns. Martha’s concerns represent the finite, the transitory. Mary’s concerns represent the infinite, the ultimate, what Jesus refers to as the “one thing that is necessary.”

Tillich points out that while Martha’s concerns are not unimportant, they are not ultimate and they produce anxiety. (Pp.152-3)

Gospel Based Discipleship is the way we walk away from fretting over the chores with Martha and follow Mary into the living room to sit with Jesus and learn about things eternal. The chores are not unimportant, but the one thing necessary is present in the Gospel and in each other’s hearts as we respond to the teacher. We can go back to our other concerns and deal with them responsibly. But ultimately, if we spend enough time in the circle of Gospel Based Discipleship, those other concerns will not seem as daunting or as important as they once did.

The Rev. Paul DeLain Allick 2008 Diocesan Convention, Rochester, MN: October 25, 2008

Sources: Tillich, Paul: The New Being University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London 1955, 2005

University Episcopal Center Handout October, 2007 “$100 for 100 Years” “Gospel-Based Discipleship” by Leeann Sit