The Rt Rev Colin Sinclair suggests rebranding ‘disciple’ as ‘apprentice’.

HARVEST Thanksgiving Services take place all round the country at this time of year. Jesus used the image of harvest to portray human need and the importance of more disciples sharing the good news. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38 NIV 2011).

Jesus’ way of growing disciples was not to enrol them into a college for a course of formal instruction. Instead he said ‘Follow me’ and invited them to walk his way. Sometimes we get put off by the word ‘disciple’, feeling it is only for the elite. However, if we were to rebrand it ‘apprentice’ we might get a better understanding.

While an apprentice may well have some formal teaching, most skills are learned on the job through observation, imitation and practice. Of course there will be misunderstandings, mistakes, failures and setbacks. Yet these occasions off er a chance for learning, to reflect on why things happened and what might be done diff erently the next time. The mastery of any trade comes after a series of false starts.

The apprenticeship model can be very eff ective. It is not just about accumulating information, but about using and applying it practically.

In Jesus’ time, an apprentice learned by serving their master and getting to know their way of life. Knowledge was passed ‘from life to life.’

Many people in the church can look back to learning faith through Summer Missions, SU holidays, BB camps and other temporary communities. In these settings they not only talked about faith but they ate, laughed and had fun as well. They saw faith being lived out before them in a very attractive way. Faith was caught as well as taught, for it was seen as well as heard. Team members also learned, by doing and by being part of a team. Perhaps this is the attraction of Messy Church today, when people are actively engaged in a community experience where Jesus is at the centre.

I went to an SU holiday attracted by the activities, but returned because I wanted the leaders’ faith. It was shown in their attitudes to us youngsters throughout the day, and explained clearly in our daily meetings. They did not put on an aff ected voice, or try to be what they were not. They were simply students, young adults, teachers, who followed Jesus and believed he was worth following.

I remember when asked to join the team how I felt it to be both a privilege and a responsibility. The leaders had a daily time of prayer in which anyone could pray aloud. I was terrified. What if my theology was wrong? Or I spoke as someone else was speaking? What if I got confused half way through? The silences between prayers were frightening. I decided that I would count to ten and if no-one prayed I would. I found, however, as I got to eight and nine that I discovered a taste for fractions!

Eventually I prayed my very first prayer, one sentence about the weather. I had started and gradually open prayer became the most natural thing. So too I learned how to lead a group discussion or bible study, and even give a talk. Of course I was terrified (and, to be honest, pretty poor) but I learned and was encouraged in a way no amount of simply sitting, just listening, had ever taught me. I was an apprentice and I still am 50 years later. There are still vacancies for apprentices today and a harvest to be reaped. 

They saw faith being lived out before them in a very attractive way. Faith was caught as well as taught, for it was seen as well as heard.

The Rt Rev Colin Sinclair is Moderator of the General Assembly in 2019/20 and is minister at Edinburgh: Palmerston Place.