Symposium on Disciple Making as WEA continued direction in Disciple Making

In a world marked by rapid change, social upheaval, and growing secularization, the call to authentic discipleship remains vital. Right in the middle of the Decade of Disciple making (2020-2030), the WEA continues to emphasize disciple making as core to being followers of Christ.  

During the General Assembly in  2019, the decade of disciple making was called. In 2023 during the Future of the Gospel forum, whole life discipleship was once again emphasized. It is no coincidence that WEA has partnered with Sarang Church whose Senior Pastor Pastor Jung-hyun Oh’s core pastoral philosophy is disciple making.

As part of the Pre GA summit, a recent symposium was held on the 16th May to explore innovative ways to globalize discipleship – making it accessible, relevant, and impactful across diverse cultures and contexts. Representatives from WEA’s International Council as well as the GA preparation team and National alliances were present.

During the symposium, the state of disciple making in different regions around the world were shared as well as possible strategies for scaling discipleship models beyond local boundaries while maintaining cultural sensitivity. Emphasis was placed on leveraging digital tools, cross-cultural mentoring, and networked training programs to empower believers worldwide. Providing the perspective from the local church, Sarang Church’s rich experience in vibrant discipleship and global missions provided valuable insights on how the local church can serve as a catalyst for worldwide spiritual formation.

This topic of disciple making continues to be core to the WEA General Assembly that is  scheduled to happen from the 27th October to the 31st October with the theme “The Gospel for Everyone 2033.”

The General Assembly will encourage four anchoring practices of disciple making:

• Vocational discipleship (discipling): Equip believers to follow Christ in their daily work,  
• Embody a Gospel togetherness (embodying): Live in such a way that Christ is visible—in integrity, compassion, and peace, 
• Transformation (transforming): cities, nations, and regions together through collaboration across workplaces, denominations, and organizations,
• Celebrate across generations (celebrating): the movement of the Gospel across generations.

With more than 148 alliances and 100 affiliate members invited to this event, the WEA looks forward to fulfilling its mission in fostering unity in Christ for Gospel witness and discipleship.