September 8, 2010 – 7:41 am
Evangelism or Discipleship? Which will your church be known for? I have heard the debate before…do we want an evangelistic church or a disciple making church? Which is more important; discipleship or evangelism and where should a church put their energy and focus? Are we to just go deep in discipleship where we are after “quality” [...]
August 14, 2010 – 3:03 pm
In 1870, the Methodists were having their annual conference in Indiana. The presiding Bishop was asking a group for an interpretation of current events, when the president of the college where the conference was held volunteered his input: “I think we are living in a very exciting age. I believe we are coming into a [...]
Many of us have been impacted by an old book written by a young brilliant German theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the book, The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer could have left Germany to teach in America and avoid what was happening in Germany in the 1930’s. He struggled with the decision. Ultimately he declined the teaching offer, [...]
1. EVERYONE… Discipleship is a process that involves all Christians. We mistakenly think it is just for super Christians or those in ministry, but it is for all who follow Christ. We are all disciples who are at different stages of spiritual growth. As a matter of fact, you cannot follow Christ without being involved [...]
Last week we shared a blog entitled; “What does a Healthy Church Look Like.” There are foundational steps that leaders must take in order to create healthy church environments that promote growth. The growth of your church depends on members who are biblical healthy in their relationship with the Lord. A church filled with unhealthy [...]
I have a garden each year consisting of one type of plant… tomatoes. There is nothing like a ripe, juicy tomato on a good sandwich or all by itself. Fried green tomatoes are a food group all by themselves. My tomatoes do best when I keep a careful eye on my plants by weeding; watering, [...]
March 12, 2010 – 11:38 pm
Long before churches and corporations were creating vision or mission statements, Jesus gave the church His mission statement in Matthew 28:16-20. We are on mission to make disciples. God called a people out to Himself that he would use to bring lost people to Himself. 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a [...]
January 25, 2010 – 10:09 pm
Today there are more discipleship materials, books, DVD’s, resources, and strategies available than ever before. Some of these books help us see the state of discipleship in our culture; George Barna’s, Growing True Disciples and The Shape of Faith to Come by Brad Waggoner are two examples. Others are more focused on methods of discipleship [...]
November 20, 2009 – 1:47 pm
Aubrey Malphurs lists ten major barriers that churches are facing as they strive to make disciples. This series of blogs examines these ten components. Here’s the list again. (1) Lack of vision; (2) Lack of outreach and passion; (3) Congregations not willing to change; (4) Lack of leadership-intentional leader training; (5) Lack of prayer; (6) [...]
November 3, 2009 – 7:45 am
“Making Disciples” is the church’s number #1 assignment given directly from the lips of Jesus in Matthew 28:19. Aubrey Malphurs lists ten major barriers that churches are facing as they strive to make disciples. This series of blogs examines these ten components. Here’s the list again. (1) Lack of vision; (2) Lack of outreach and [...]