Equipping is the third “E” of the Four E’s of Evangelical Catholic Ministry.
And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants (Eph 4:11-13).
Equipping Disciples to be Workers
The Equipping Stage of Evangelical Catholic Ministry provides training to those who are evangelized and established so they can partake in the work of evangelizing, establishing and equipping others. While some are specifically called to full-time ministry or explicit apostolates of this nature, everyone is called to this work to some degree, whatever their vocation. In families and other spheres of life in which we operate daily, Jesus needs us to be able to share his message of hope and joy. We are his hands and feet. We are the workers he needs to bring in the harvest.
When to Begin Equipping a Disciple
To effectively evangelize, establish and equip someone may require three to four years. This time frame works nicely, especially in a campus ministry setting where undergraduates take four to five years to complete their degree. If you gear your evangelistic efforts to underclassmen -— freshmen and sophomores -— you will also have time to do the work of establishing and equipping with them. In a parish situation, you will likely have a longer time frame with each person, but perhaps may not have as much time with individuals due to family and work commitments.
In more general terms, the equipping phase begins almost as soon as you start establishing someone. Part of forming a disciple is helping them learn how to share Christ’s invitation to conversion with others. As they grow, learn and become familiar with various evangelizing and establishing tools, they will most likely be able to use them to help others. Where the equipping phase “begins” is best identified as the point at which disciples are grounded enough in discipleship to turn their attention toward helping others grow. Hallmarks of this turning point will be a strong life of discipleship rooted in prayer, Word, sacrament and Christian community, as well as a manifest desire to help others along the journey.
The Power of One
Evangelizing, establishing and equipping require a great deal of time. Without unrelenting servanthood, a capacity for love and patience, and a long-term vision, one cannot effectively evangelize, establish and equip. It builds slowly, but work grows exponentially. This is because while you are doing your work, others are beginning to work as well. In time, the ministry of calling and forming followers of Jesus will grow beyond anything you can imagine. Take a moment to consider the following: While this illustration is not a literal projection, one sees the fruit of the slow, steady, individualized approach of evangelizing, establishing, and equipping. A lay person quietly working to establish and equip two people per year, who then go on to establish and equip two each the next year and so on would have quietly, but effectively, formed 8.5 billion disciples -— surpassing the world’s population of six billion — in just under 33 years!
The Multiplication of the Ministry
| Years | — |
|
| 1 | — | 2 |
| 2 | — | 4 |
| 3 | — | 8 |
| 4 | — | 16 |
| 5 | — | 32 |
| 6 | — | 64 |
| 7 | — | 128 |
| 8 | — | 256 |
| 9 | — | 512 |
| 10 | — | 1,024 |
| 11 | — | 2,048 |
| 12 | — | 4,096 |
| 13 | — | 8,192 |
| 14 | — | 16,384 |
| 15 | — | 32,768 |
| 16 | — | 65,536 |
| 17 | — | 131,072 |
| 18 | — | 262,144 |
| 19 | — | 524,288 |
| 20 | — | 1,048,576 |
| 21 | — | 2,097,152 |
| 22 | — | 4,194,304 |
| 23 | — | 8,388,608 |
| 24 | — | 16,777,216 |
| 25 | — | 33,554,432 |
| 26 | — | 67,108,864 |
| 27 | — | 134,217,728 |
| 28 | — | 268,435,456 |
| 29 | — | 536,870,912 |
| 30 | — | 1,073,741,824 |
| 31 | — | 2,147,483,648 |
| 32 | — | 4,294,967,296 |
| 33 | — | 8,589,934,592 |
Note: Keep in mind, that it is often more effective to place the bulk of one’s efforts with new people, because they respond at a much greater rate than people who have been involved in ministry for awhile and may be acclimated already to one particular way of engaging in ministry.)