Why Is Apprenticeship So Important?
The disciples’ evangelism grew out of a lifestyle seasoned by many hours in Jesus’ presence. They were apprenticed in real-life situations and were not only taught how to evangelize, they were trained how to evangelize, preach, and teach firsthand.
Jesus’ pattern was, “Come, follow Me,…and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) He showed them how to minister. By contrast, many church leaders typically tell people why they ought to minister, but fail to show them how.
Great preaching and teaching are absolutely vital, but they cannot replace the apprenticing concept demonstrated by Christ. The critical need of the church does not involve moving away from preaching and teaching, but it does require re-establishing the New Testament principle of apprenticeship.
Under pastoral leadership committed to this approach, church members can be trained and shown how to carry out their God given ministries. Until this happens, widespread evangelistic multiplication will not occur in the church and the average believer will never know the joy of leading others to Christ. The Lord revealed His personal pattern of ministry by investing His maximum time in the lives of those who would bear the maximum responsibility in the future ministry of the church.
Our lack of training through apprenticeship leaves vast numbers of laypeople unfulfilled, because their spiritual gifts are never developed and remain unused. These people fail to receive a workable strategy for personal spiritual growth and evangelism so they settle into a life of churchmanship rather then disciple-making. In many instances, they are left wide open to an assortment of false doctrines that thrive on the Biblical ignorance of immature, but well-meaning church members who never received sound instruction from a loving, caring, more mature Christian. Until pastors, missionaries, and other Christian leaders take seriously God’s mandate to equip and apprentice His people for ministry, Christ’s second coming will be postponed.