Daily time with God in Bible study and prayer is an essential discipleship practice. It is vital to growing to be like Jesus. It is as vital as breathing is to life. Stagnation and distance quickly develop when we go without Bible study in the same way dehydration quickly develops…
Our youngest son, Jordan, was married back in May. Weddings, even simple ones, require a lot of planning and expense. They include rings, invitations, dresses and tuxedos, flowers and decorations, cake and food, gifts and honeymoon plans, photographer and pictures, and much much more. Weddings are celebrations and rites of…
In The Impact of Proxemics on Disciple-making, I talked about four American spatial distances/zones and group size in those zones. Here is a summary of what I shared there: Intimate distance: 0-18 inches (2 people) Personal distance: 18 inches to 4 feet (3-7 people) Social distance: 4 to 10 feet…
Where does evangelism end and discipleship begin? Some would say the dividing line is salvation, but check out the Great Commission where Jesus says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching…
Proxemics is a sociology and psychology term. According to Dictionary.com, proxemics is… the study of the spatial requirements of humans and animals and the effects of population density on behavior, communication, and social interaction. Edward Hall wrote a book entitled The Hidden Dimension. There he identifies four American spatial distances/zones:…
In Part 1, I shared a set of questions to help you and your team as you plan your New Member Class. The questions related to (1) your purpose for the new member class, (2) the frequency you will offer it, (3) who will lead it, (4) will participation be…
In this two part series, I want to share some key questions as you evaluate or design your new member class experience. In Part 1, I want to guide you to consider the purpose, frequency, and leader of your new member class. Also, we will look at your participation expectation…
I want to encourage those who are looking for an effective model for discipleship to attend DiscipleShift 1 at Eastside Community Church, 2010 Catalpa Loop, Richmond, KY, on June 24-25, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern time both days. The cost per person is $345. To register, go to DiscipleShift…
In carrying out his responsibilities of discipleship and assimilation, 28Nineteen was begun by Steve Rice back in 2008. He contributed 101 posts. After Steve was called as Pastor of First Baptist Church, Shelbyville, KY, Mike James carried on the focus of discipleship and assimilation and continued contributing 158 posts to…
I shared the graphic on my Sunday School blog, The Sunday School Revolutionary. But I got to thinking that the graphic applies to assimilation and disciple-making as well. Take a look at it again. In order to develop a disciple-making strategy and system, some critical questions must be answered about…
Two encounters are critical. First, the leader encounters God in His Word and is changed. Second, the leader guides the group to have a life-changing encounter.
In John 13:34-35, three times Jesus said, “Love one another.” Your group is the ideal place to practice and launch the kind of love for one another that shows the world that we are His disciples.