Back to Basics
When I think about following Jesus, the word that encompasses my pursuit of Him as an apprenticeship. Apprenticeship is a method of training and on-the-job experience, developing a new generation of practitioners, often accompanied by some study and/or shared learning. Much of the training is done while working alongside an employer or instructor, who helps the apprentices learn their trade or profession. While apprenticeships often result in career and vocation training, with elements of transaction and transformation, my apprenticeship with Jesus has been and will be so transformational. The transaction part of our journey together may look like the daily battle of surrendering myself more fully to His plans and purposes for me.
Clinical Psychologist and Professor Jordan Peterson emphasizes the importance of individual responsibility, discipline, and learning from experience in his writings, discussions, and lectures. [1] As I read the book Maps of Meaning, there was so much to consider and think about, however, what I was particularly interested in was chapter three: Apprenticeship and Enculturation. In the chapter, Rousseau and Nietzsche were mentioned as influencers of thought and practice. [2] Mentioned is Nietzsche’s placement of his own children in foundling asylums because their existence was inconvenient to him. [3] While my heart sank when reading that, the author points out that “the fervent hope of every undisciplined person (even an undisciplined genius) is that his current worthlessness and stupidity is someone else’s fault.” [4] Peterson seems to value the process of personal growth and development through active engagement with one’s chosen field or discipline, however he highlights several dynamics related to the embodiment of group values that often take place. [5]
He states, “apprenticeship is a precursor to freedom, and nothing necessary and worthwhile is without danger.” [6]. In reading and thinking about apprenticeship, particularly how the author highlights the social constructs developing the morality of an individual, my mind detoured to the process of discipleship. In conversations, I encounter many individuals who share never being “discipled” in the Way, noting that they long for life-on-life discipleship with one who is “older” in the faith, similar to the Abbas and Ammas that the Desert Fathers and Mothers experienced. Jesus was a model of this multiplication. The twelve apprenticed alongside Jesus, noting his fishing strategies (as I imagine), as well as how he walked, talked, healed, knew the scriptures, prayed, and enjoyed Sabbath rest.
From discipleship.org, “It’s imperative to question whether our religious engagements deepen our discipleship or serve merely as entertainment. The true crisis lies in what the church produces, urging a reflection that moves from outward critique to inward inspection. Jesus’ disciples were equipped with specific skills; likewise, we must ensure our discipleship efforts focus on skill development that enables others to propagate these teachings.” [7] In a recent survey of young adults, between the ages 19-25, that was conducted in collaboration with my research, 50% of the young adults surveyed answered “Yes, I would be interested in having a spiritual mentor or coach”, while 33.3% answered “maybe”. (Figure 1)
While interest doesn’t necessarily indicate commitment, and FOMO and FOBO is real, this indicates an open door to developing intentional, life-with-life, intergenerational, discipleship relationships. As I continued to read the chapter, my mind drew connections to Peterson’s writing, when he stated, “Human morality is exploratory activity (and allowance for such), undertaken in a sufficiently stable
ocial context, operating within stringent limitations, embodied in action, secondarily represented, communicated and abstractly elaborated in episodic and semantic memory. Such morality, act and thought, is nonarbitrary in structure and specifically goal-directed. It is predicated upon conceptualization of the highest good (which, in its highest form, is stable social organization allowing for manifestation of the process of creative adaptation), imagined in comparison to the represented present. Such conceptual activity allows for determination of acceptable behavior, and for constraint placed upon the meaning of objects.” [8] As I coach and disciple young leaders, both inside and outside of the church, the goal is to offer a stable social context, with communicated limitations, embodied in action, and specifically orientated toward the goal of apprenticing under Jesus in community, as the Spirit constructs a narrative or story of redemption in the life of another individual and mine.
There are many facets of one’s discipleship journey to consider, however I wonder if in these days of declining church attendance, specifically within the age category of 18-30, if the Spirit is wooing leaders back to basics, to consider an organic, intentional, life-with-life form of discipleship. In the book, Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture, author Matthew Petrusek proposes a “back to basic approach to catechesis in an effort to recover an orthodox, pastorally-nimble yet intellectually-robust approach to faith formation and evangelization, using Scripture, the Catechism, and the great minds of the Church’s tradition as a foundation.” [9] Life-with-life discipleship relationships, with an individual younger than myself and older than myself, has been transformational in my own spiritual formation. Not technical or trendy, but transformational and long-lasting.
[1] Jordan Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief.
[2] Ibid, 218.
[3] Ibid, 218.
[4] Ibid, 218.
[5] Ibid, 223.
[6] Ibid, 216.
[7] Craig Etheridge, Discipleship Unpacked: The True Meaning and Its Impact on Church Leadership, Disipleship.org, accessed March 20, 2024, https://discipleship.org/blog/discipleship-unpacked-the-true-meaning-and-its-impact-on-church-leadership/.
[8] Jordan Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief, 232.
[9] Matthew R. Petrusek, Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture (Park Ridge, IL: Word on Fire Institute, 2023).
About the Author
Cathy Glei
Cathy Glei serves as an instructional leader and pastor with over 27 years in education and ministry. She is dedicated to discipling others as they grow in their relationship with God, others and the world. Cathy has facilitated numerous professional development sessions, trainings, and workshops in both education and ministry. Passionate about supporting others in uncovering the Creator's design within them, Cathy lives in Michigan with her husband, Steve, and their eight-year-old Springer Spaniel, Otis. Cathy is a mother of three daughters and "Gooma" (grandma) to two adorable grandsons (emphasis on adorable 😊). She enjoys listening and exchanging laughter and stories with others, hanging out with friends, both old and new, as well as being outdoors, enjoying activities such as cycling, camping, hiking, and kayaking.2 responses to “Back to Basics”
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C’Mon Cathy! I love how your mind was led to apprenticeship AND discipleship. I also like the question whether our religious engagements deepen our discipleship. That is a serious and scary question. I’m pretty sure all these books we read definitely deepen our discipleship. really like how you brought out that “Peterson seems to value the process of personal growth and development through active engagement with one’s chosen field or discipline.” That’s another deep statement by you that becomes ricer the more I process it. I would have never thought about using this book for discipleship…and I may not, but I think it’s good to refer to many areas of it. As always, thank you, Cathy!
This is a fantastic post! I love how you related your own journey and research to Peterson. You wrote, “When I think about following Jesus, the word that encompasses my pursuit of Him as an apprenticeship. Apprenticeship is a method of training and on-the-job experience, developing a new generation of practitioners, often accompanied by some study and/or shared learning.” What come to mind for me is that in a traditional apprenticeship, we often take the principles that we learn and find a way to adapt it to our ability and skill level. Yet we are sometime afraid to do that in the Church. How do you see your role an as apprentice allowing you to find new ways to reach God’s People?