AB Women’s Ministries

Nurturing Radical Disciples

In September of 2005, I was invited by Roy Medley to a three day Mission and Ministry Consultation. 119 other American Baptists across the country were also invited, three others from Michigan. My invitation was a direct result of my position with American Baptist Women in Michigan and so I want to share with you some of what happened during those three days and how it has affected my thinking.

First of all, we were a verydiverse group…black/white/yellow/brown, men-women, lay-ordained, old-young and everything in between. Our understandings on the issues that aretearing our denomination apart were as numerous as our more visible differences. We spent the three days in small group discussions and reporting back our thoughts and/or conclusions. Whether discussing how to reach our youth, church starts, healthy missional congregations, leadership, or radical discipleship…we all came back with the same points.

1. We are pleased with the diversity of our denomination, even though it often stretches us to the point of painfultension.

2. We have a lot going on in our churches that is wonderful,

but we don’t share it!

3. We need to tell our stories of how God is working in our lives,

as an encouragement to others

4. Communication is of the utmost importance.

During the discussion of “Radical Discipleship” I found myself smiling. The term “Radical Discipleship”just seemed a different way of saying“Born again…to be WILDabout JESUS!”which of course is the AB Women’s Ministries theme for 2005-2007.

Jesus was a radicalin his time. He initiated conversation with the lone Samarian woman at the well, he invited himself into the home of a thieving tax collector, he healed on the Sabbath…all without a thought that he might be doing anything wrong. Jesus walked contrary to the religious norm of his day and he suffered for it…but he did what he did because it was right and just and merciful. A disciple is a person who takes the beliefs of another and makes them his own. A disciple works to learn and understand as much as possible from his teacher so she can live out those beliefs.

Being BORN AGAINis only the beginning of our discipleship journey; we must work toward a full understanding of all that Jesus did and taught and, more than understand, we must act. We must be radicals in our own time…we must value people over material wealth or power. If that isn’t WILD and contrary to the norm, I don’t know what is!

I believe that God is telling us that it is time…His kingdom is at hand. We need to stop letting the world shape and mold us; we need to humble ourselves and listen for what God wants us to hear…and then we need to step outsideour comfort zones and risk being radicallike Jesus. If women will do that, if each of us will turn loose of all that we “know” to be “right” and listen for God’s truth, we will see an amazing work done through AB Women’s Ministries…through his radical disciples.

In my mind’s eye, I see a garden with awoman watering all that grows there…and behind her is the image of the AB Women’s Ministries woman carrying God’s light into the world. The plants resemble women and girls, arms uplifted, dancing for joy. God can make this vision real; God can use AB Women’s Ministries toprovidethe fertile groundwhere Christ’s radical disciples are nurtured and encouraged to put down deep, strong roots of faith; we can be the means by which Living Water is showered on women and girls in our communities; we can be used by God to bring about his kingdom today! Let’s be radicals in our time, as Jesus was radical in his!

Remember this promise 2 Chronicles 7:14 “…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” What a wild and radical idea! May it be so.