Our Call to Make Disciples

When I was asked to serve as Executive Director of GCSSA, I wasn’t so sure that was what I wanted to do. I knew I didn’t want to “run a convention”. Then I looked up the GCSSA mission … “to encourage and extend the all-important teaching ministry of the church”.

Now that is something I can get excited about!

Everyone talks about making disciples, but only Jesus tells us how to do it…by teaching all people to obey His commands (Matthew 28:18-20). We make disciples by TEACHING! And not just teaching content. We make disciples by teaching others to obey our Lord and to follow Him.

As a lifelong teacher and educator, that is not new information. That is a definition of teaching any educator could embrace. Every teacher endeavors to not just teach content but to accomplish life change. That’s why we teach- to make a difference.

And the end result of Christ’s teaching is a changed life, a life dedicated to following Him. So every Sunday that you teach your class, every night you facilitate your Bible discussion, every moment you dedicate to working with the children and youth in your church ministry, and every “God-moment” you have with your neighbors and fellow believers, you are making disciples, you are teaching God’s truth, and you are passing the torch to the next generation.

So, when I read that the mission of GCSSA is to encourage and extend teaching, I knew this was the job for me. Having taught for many years, in many age groups and many different settings, I knew that teachers need support, encouragement, and help with new ideas and insights.

The Midwest Teaching & Discipleship Convention on March 26-28 next year will help, as did the Fall Institute on Creative Teaching & Discipleship held on October 4th and the Hispanic Church Teaching Convention at Moody Bible Institute the end of October.

Speaking as a teacher, though, I know that teachers need more. That is why we are beginning this new ministry venture, the Teaching & Discipleship BLOG (TADBlog). Will this include new information about the GCSSA ministry and events? Of course. Will you learn what’s going to happen at the upcoming convention? Yes!

But that’s not the real purpose of the TADBlog. The real purpose is to help encourage you in your task of teaching and disciple-making. The task of the church is to make disciples and we want you to be equipped to do that effectively and to see changed lives as people live lives as followers of Christ.

I have invited some teaching & discipleship ministry leaders to share their ideas with us each week. These are people who not only are very active in teaching and making disciples in the local church, but are also very involved in the GCSSA ministry of “empowering teaching & discipleship in today’s church”. I am proud to be able to call them my friends and colleagues in the making of disciples.

If you would like to participate as a TADBlogg’r please contact me directly at paul.loth@gcssa.org. We would like to include as many of you as possible as Blogg’rs in this new ministry venture for GCSSA.

Teachers also need to talk to each other, to share ideas, to ask questions, to build camaraderie, and to support and encourage each other. Please feel free to respond to any and all TADBlog posts, share new, contrary, or additional perspectives, tell us your new ideas, share and recommend new programs and resources, share discipleship successes, and give words of encouragement.

And, while you’re at it, click back on the dinner invitation and let us know you’ll be joining us on November 20th. In addition to the silent auction and exciting musical entertainment, my good friend Karl Bastian, the Kidologist, will be providing entertainment at the tables and we will have a special time of recognizing the people in our lives who discipled us and you will learn more of the new ministry ventures of GCSSA in disciple-making.

May the GCSSA TADBlog be used of God to help us all achieve the Great Commission to make disciples, teaching everyone everywhere to carry out the commands of Christ.

-Paul

Paul J. Loth, Ed.D.
Executive Director GCSSA