The Trellis and the Vine

by Colin Marshall

One church we have been involved in tried to express this by not having ‘membership’ of the congregation, but ‘partnership’. In our society, when you join as a ‘member’ of something, it can have connotations of passivity and consumerism. I join a club, and expect certain benefits. The ‘partnership’ language, on the other hand, communicates immediately that we are signing up for ...

But the immeasurable free grace of God that came to them through faith in Christ was not a licence for an easy, comfortable life with a dash of spirituality on the side; rather, it was a passport to a new citizenship of suffering and contending side by side for the gospel.

A pastor or elder is a vine-worker who has been given a particular responsibility to care for and equip the people for their partnership in the gospel. Which brings us inevitably to ‘training’.

There will be others for whom ‘training’ is something you do at the gym or at theological college or seminary, but who have never considered that ‘training’ ought to happen in the local church.

A perennial difficulty in discussing ‘training’ (and many other subjects) is that the word has connotations in English that don’t always correspond with how the word is used in the Bible. In modern English, ‘training’ normally relates to becoming proficient in some practice or art or profession. By a mix of instruction, observation, practice and discipline, ‘trainees’ learn how to do something well—whether that’s running hurdles or becoming a soldier. ‘Training’ in our world is usually task-oriented, with a focus on the processes

Ministry training can be like this as well—providing knowledge and skills so that Christians can learn how to do certain things. Along this line, many churches run ‘training courses’ to help people become more proficient at reading their Bibles, or sharing their faith with others, or welcoming newcomers, or leading small groups, and so on.

In the New Testament, training is much more about Christian thinking and living than about particular skills or competencies. We see this in the pastoral epistles, in the words that are translated as ‘training’ in our Bibles.

Timothy 4:7,

(Heb 5:14).

(2 Pet 2:14).

In the very next verse (2 Tim 3:17), the training concept is developed further. By being ‘trained’ in righteousness, the man of God is made competent or proficient by the Scriptures, which equip him for every good work. It’s the ‘training’ in righteousness that leads to the proficiency, but the proficiency here is not a particular skill—such as being able to teach clearly, or lead a small group, or whatever—but a quality of character and behaviour based on the sound doctrine of the Scriptures.

The heart of training is not to impart a skill, but to impart sound doctrine.

However, this transfer of the “good deposit” of the gospel is not a barren, educational exercise. It’s deeply and inescapably relational. When we look at the relationship between Paul and Timothy, it becomes immediately apparent that much more than a transfer of skills or information was involved in Timothy’s training. Paul repeatedly describes Timothy with great warmth as his son and beloved child (1 Cor 4:17; Phil 2:22; 1 Tim 1:2, 18; 2 Tim 1:2) and as a fellow-believer and sharer in grace (1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2,

Paul never abstracts ethics from doctrine, because a right understanding of the gospel always leads to a changed life.

We are always an example to those whom we are teaching and training, whether we like it or not. We cannot stop being an example. One of the key tasks for pastors and elders is to frame their lives so that they serve as a godly model for others—which is why most of the requirements laid down for elders in places like 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 relate to character and lifestyle.

It’s not as if we are to model perfection—that would be impossible. But, as Paul says to Timothy, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Tim 4:15).

The important point here is that training is inescapably relational. It cannot be done in a classroom via the supposedly neutral transferral of information. The trainer is calling upon the trainee to adopt not only his teaching, but also the way of life that necessarily flows from that teaching. And so the trainer must do as Paul instructed Timothy:

Training is parenting.

we don’t measure progress simply by the performance of tasks, but by the integrity of the heart. Does the trainee genuinely love God and his neighbour?

Formal training programs are not incompatible with relational training. If a trainer is committed to a relational approach, training programs enhance rather than detract from the personal training. In fact, formal training sessions or programs are another opportunity for the trainer to see the trainee in action—relating to people, participating, completing set tasks, and so on.

The Bible does talk about practical abilities. All Christians, for example, should be “prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15), and ought to “consider how to stir one another up to love and good works” (Heb 10:24).

It is also essential that some have the ability to teach—for example, the overseers in 1 Timothy 3:2, or the elders in Titus 1:9, or the “faithful men” in 2 Timothy 2:2. We are also told that some have gifts of ‘leading’ in Romans 12:8 (cf. those who ‘manage’ in 1 Timothy 3:4).

conviction—their

character—the

competency—the

we remember that training is inescapably personal and relational, that it involves teaching and modelling sound doctrine and a way of life and the ability to serve others, then structures for training can be very useful indeed—whether we are talking about formal training programs, like the two-year apprenticeship model developed by the Ministry Training Strategy (MTS; more on this in chapter 11), or the various short training courses produced by Matthias Media, the publishers of this book (see appendix 2 for a list).

Now the temptation is simply to ‘run the course’—by directing your small groups to do it, or by issuing a general invitation for interested people to sign up. And having run a group or groups of people through the course, you can pat yourself on the back for having done some ‘training’. And there is no question that working through this material will be of benefit to those involved.

However, to make real progress in helping the Christians in your congregation become ‘encouragers’, they need more than a six-week course. They need the example of seeing it done; and they need the personal instruction and mentoring and prayer that addresses the spiritual issues at the heart of becoming an ‘encourager’.

The growth Paul has in mind here seems to have two facets. At one level, the gospel is growing throughout the world like a vine whose tendrils keep spreading across the fence, and over the fence, and into the neighbour’s backyard. Even in Colossae, where Paul has never been, the gospel has been taught (by the noble Epaphras) and has taken root.

But it’s also growing in another sense—in people’s lives. Where the “word of truth” is taught and believed, it bears fruit. People are changed. They are transferred from one kingdom to another (as Paul later puts it in verse 13).

first

Or to put it in terms of our opening metaphor, the growth of the trellis is not the growth of the vine.

if people are not growing in their knowledge of God’s will so that they walk ever more worthily of the Lord, seeking to please him in all things and bearing fruit in every good work, then there is no growth to speak of happening at all.

There are many ways to get more people along to your church. In fact, some of the largest churches in the world are the least faithful to the gospel and the Bible.

Secondly,

A commitment to the growth of the gospel will mean that we train people towards maturity not for the benefit of our own churches or fellowships but for the benefit of Christ’s kingdom.

third radical implication

Thinking broadly, there are four basic stages in the growth of the gospel in someone’s life. We might call them: • Outreach • Follow-up • Growth • Training

it is vital that someone is sticking with the new Christian to teach, care for, and pray for them.

This process of growth is not a cakewalk. It’s a straight and narrow path, like Christian’s in The Pilgrim’s Progress, with plenty of hills, valleys, enemies and sidetracks along the way. At various points in their walk along this road, Christians will get into trouble and will need particular help, counsel and prayer.

Now it is vital to remember two things. Firstly,

Secondly,

training and equipping them with godliness and right thinking, not just with a set of skills—because that in turn is how they will need to minister to others. In order to follow up a new Christian, for example, a more mature believer needs not only to know how to run through a set of basic Bible studies; they also need to be able to model mature Christian faith and life.

If we never think about people individually and work out where they are up to, and how and in what area they need to grow, how can we minister in anything other than a haphazard, scattergun way? It’s like a doctor thinking to himself, “Seeing each of my patients individually and diagnosing their illnesses is just too difficult and time consuming. Instead, I’m going to get all my patients to assemble together each week, and I’ll give them all the same medicine. I’ll vary the medicine a bit from week to week, and it will at least do everybody some good. And it’s much more efficient and manageable that way.”

If growing the vine is about growing people, we need to help each person grow, starting from where they are at this very moment. There needs to be inefficient, individual people ministry, as well as the more efficient ministries that take place in larger groups.

Unfortunately, in most churches and for most pastors, hardly any effort goes into training. It’s basically seen as the pastor’s job to do the gospel growth, and since that is virtually impossible at a personal or individual level, it is all done at the general and large-group level. And before long, the management and running of events, groups, meetings and structures consumes the pastor’s time and the church member’s week.

two very common approaches to pastoral ministry, and then contrast them with the approach of this book.

There are three approaches or emphases we wish to examine, which we will call: • the pastor as service-providing clergyman • the pastor as CEO • the pastor as trainer.

he is paid to fulfil certain core functions:

However, there are also very real (and obvious) disadvantages with this approach. For a start, the ministry that takes place in the congregation will be limited to the gifts and capacity of the pastor: how effectively he preaches, and how many people he can personally know and counsel.