Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 14:1 (Spring 2023)
Article: “Discipleship”: Clarifying Terms In The New Testament And Secondary Literature
Author: Trent Rogers

STR 14:1 (Spring 2023) p. 45

“Discipleship”: Clarifying Terms In The New Testament And Secondary Literature

Trent Rogers

Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH

Abstract: Contemporary discussions about the mission of the church and the activity of Christians center on the concept of “discipleship,” but the term proves confusing if not defined and deployed with clarity. Authors use “discipleship” to describe a variety of activities ranging from personally following Jesus to helping others follow Jesus; moreover, some take “discipleship” to be synonymous with terms like “disciple-making” or “discipling” while others seek to distinguish the terms. Further complicating the issue, “discipleship” does not correspond to a particular word in the NT. Consequently, it is deployed by authors to encompass a diverse group of NT words, often with no criteria stated for how those terms relate to the concept of discipleship. There is no single category, much less a single term, under which these concepts can be subsumed. And perhaps that is one of the reasons that the term “discipleship” has taken on the function of being the overarching term for Christians helping other Christians grow, even if the term itself is not prominent in the NT. This article describes the terminological problem, demonstrates the breadth of NT terms describing the activity of helping others follow Jesus, and finally proposes a way forward in the use of these key terms.

Key Words: disciple, disciple-making, discipleship, Great Commission, preaching, teaching

The term, “discipleship,” holds a prominent place in most discussions of the church’s mission. Every year Christian publishers roll out new discipleship resources. Conferences and journals use “discipleship” in their titles, and their churches comprise their staffs with “Pastors for Discipleship.” While most churchgoers would readily recognize “discipleship” as a common term, we are concerned that its use as an all-encompassing and often-undefined term for all things related to Christian growth has the potential to create confusion and sideline other significant NT terms.

One challenge with this popular Christian terminology is that

STR 14:1 (Spring 2023) p. 46

“discipleship” is a term that is not lexically connected to a particular word in the NT.1 There is no Greek word that corresponds directly to “discipleship” nor does “discipleship” appear in modern English translations. But that observation, in itself, does not invalidate the term. It does, however, demand that we give special attention to how the term is used, so that we can ensure that it is us...