The Celtic Pattern of Discipleship By Namsik Kim

General Question• What is the effective way of evangelism in the

postmodern world?

Introduction• Patrick, the first missionary to the Irish• The Holy Roman Church (Institutional

religious leaders)• Celtic Christian Community • Patrick’s Journey• The Dynamics of the Celtic monastery• Characteristics of Celtic Christianity• The Legacy of Celtic Christianity

Patrick’s journey • Reared in northeast England in 4th century• Born as a Celt, reared as a Roman• Patrick as a nominal Christian• At 16, Kidnapped • Enslavement in Ireland for six years• Trained as a priest• Macedonian Call to the Celt • Appointed to Ireland as a missionary bishop

Roman Mission Policy• Must be civilized to be Christianized

• Must read and speak Latin

• Doing the church “the Roman way”

• Impossible to reach the Celts

Patrick’s Evangelism• Patrick was familiar with their language• Patrick was accustomed to their culture• He implemented team ministry• Patrick’s mission planted 700 churches• Ordained 1000 priests• Within his lifetime, 30 to 40 of Ireland’s 150 tribes became Christian• Patrick restored apostolic ministry toTo the unreachable people who were Discriminated against and alienated byRoman Christianity

In the First Century

• In the First Century, House Churches wereThe catalyst of evangelization

• Early Christians reached the unbelievers

• They had fellowship with non-Christians

• They opened the door to the Gentiles

The East Monastery in 4th Century

• against Materialism

• Consists of Christian monks

• Christian Clan

• Unreachable to non-Christians

• Pietism regardless of evangelism

The West Monastery in 4th Century

• Reached the pagan world

• lay abbots or abbesses, farmers, scholars,Craftsman

• Lay movement

• Community-orientation

• Individualistic spiritual formation

Celtic Monastery for Discipleship

• Personal Isolation for personal piety and life problem

• Soul friend system, not vertical but horizontal• Small-group movement 1)the concept of people(laos) of God 2) the model of Christ with the Twelve 3) the example of the early church 4) the explicit teachings of Jesus

Celtic Monastery for Discipleship

• Witnessing based on the Great Commission

fellowship and community life equip Christians

• Macrocommunity for evangelism Contagious community life Rediscovery of apostolic ministry Reach the unreached sharing faith disciple training

Roman way & Celtic way• Roman way Presentation of the gospel decision Fellowship

• Celtic way build relationshipFellowship, conversationInvitation to discipleship

Characteristics of Celtic Discipleship

• Evangelistic faith and practice: The Lorica• Biblical education: reading, studying,

copying, memorizing• The Practice of personal piety Exomologesis• Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit• Realistic Trinitarian Doctrine Human Freedom Voluntary obedience

Legacy for the Postmodern Church

• Postmodern person: Personally focused, politically alienated, philosophically confused, Theologically uninformed.

• Left brain user but long to be right brain user• Incarnational approach: love more than

authoritative attitude• Develop how to communicate• Develop Dynamic of Small Group• Love to talk with other religions• Soul-friend strategy

FOR Revival• appearance of a new generation, • popular apostasy and enculturation, • national affliction, • popular repentance agonized prayer and • the raising up of new leadership and restoration• Reproduction of lay leaders• Horizontal authority

Conclusion• The Biblical practice of Koinonia• Freedom and discipline to live as

Christians• Open to the secular community• The postmodern person in Christian microcosm• Micro-evangelism through small group• Macro-evangelism through small group