SkintightTransformation

Taking a Break

I will be taking a 10 day break from my blog. I'll see you all when I get back. I'm taking a little R&R with my family!


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Discipleship Pathways :: Is Discipleship Linear?

I used to think people need options, maybe even lots of options when engaging their discipleship pathways.  For a while I was kind of anti-steps, bases or check-points.

 

People do need choices, right? 

 

There is some merit to this way of thinking.  The more limited and fewer options a system has, the more people it will not serve.  If you’re a door company and you only offer brown doors, you’re only going to serve people who want a brown door or who are willing to settle with a brown door.

 

I discovered that too many options however could be equally as bad.  It’s kind of like the scene with Aladdin and the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin.  The scene where they are on the magic carpet and Aladdin is informed that there are exits in all directions.  If our people have discipleship options in every direction, how can they determine which direction is the best for them. (Do I work on prayer and Bible study or do I go and participate in an outreach project?)

 

Shouldn't we have a system that directs people where to go? 

 

As it turns out, some people approach things in life linearly; and others are never concerned if something has a sequential order.  Some people want step by step direction and some individuals have a more adventurous approach to their discipleship path.

 

The discipleship systems in our church should encourage the people who need a first and second step approach to growth, and our system should envision the adventurous individuals to try something new in their spiritual growth too.

 These days, I'm finding that each step (linear step) needs just two or three choices.  Choices that help a person 'triage' their next best step.  I also believe that we have to be OK with people bypassing whatever system we're using.  I'm not going to say some people are rebellious, just that they like to find their own way of doing things.

How about you, do you need steps or choices… maybe a mix of both?

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Other Posts Like this ::

Discipleship Pathways: Effortless Discipleship?

Discipleship Pathways: Christ-Centered Discipleship

 

Unlocking Church Health :: A True Story

This year past year, Canyon Ridge raised it's overall health by focusing on it's Worship Value. Attendance has gone up over 11% and compared to other churches internationally, Canyon Ridge is an above average church when it comes to overall health.

You may be wondering how focusing on the value of Worship raised the overall health of the church and how this information was obtained. It's really quite simple. Using the Natural Church Development (NCD) tool, we discovered that focusing on worship would have the greatest positive affect on Canyon Ridge's health.  This also set the church up for potential growth. After taking the assessment we discovered that Inspiring Worship was the lowest of the eight signs of a healthy church.

We developed a strategic plan, we implemented it and then we re-evaluated the church's health again this year. Overall, worship went from a 60 (slightly below average) to a 73 which is a great, healthy score and an awesome turn around in one year's time.

When combined with good evaluation and solid strategic planning, the NCD assessment can be a powerful way to turn a church's growth potential in the right direction. Many churches move from one hot button topic to the next without knowing which area of the church should receive their focused attention first. NCD takes the guess work out of figuring out what to work on first and helps any church get the most out of it's time and energy.

For more information about the NCD Survey and church health consulting check out Legacy Coaching.

Discipleship Pathways :: Christ-Centered Discipleship

If you have been discipleing people for 10 years or 10 days, Jesus still remains at the ultimate example of effective discipleship.  If anyone ever says they want to learn how to disciple people more effectively they should take a careful look at how Jesus did it.

 

Jesus Modeled

I’m putting this one as the first example because I’ve heard this principle repeated many times over my life.  It’s true!  Jesus modeled ministry to his disciples first.  Here’s the challenge, if you want people to be great preachers then all of your modeling can be done from the stage/pulpit.  If you want people to become known for bringing the Kingdom of God to our present reality, then they will need to see you do that too. 
Are you REALLY modeling what you want people around you to do? 

 

Jesus Listened

Jesus was interacting with God the Father and the Holy Spirit on a regular basis.  Many times in scripture, we see Jesus pull away to pray; followed up by immediately joining God with His will on earth.  Jesus was in tune with what the Spirit was doing.  Many times the disciples were surprised by Jesus’ “deviation” from “the plan” in order to speak with someone or to pray for their needs.  (Check out the e-book, Fight Clubs: Gospel Centered Discipleship for more thoughts on this topic.)
Are you listening and looking for the small changes in your day or are you implementing ‘the plan”?

 

The Work of the Cross

Jesus didn’t try to teach or prepare his disciples for every possible circumstance possible.  Jesus actually made the work of the cross to be centric in their preparation.  Even though they didn’t fully understand what he was saying, Jesus kept reminding the disciples of what was to come, what the Son of Man would go through.  Jesus knew that if the disciples would rely on the work of the cross as their preparation they would have the compassion and the servant’s heart to accomplish their calling as well.
Are people becoming experts on what a disciple does or how to BE a disciple of Jesus Christ?

 

These are just three examples.  Jesus provided many more than this.  How else did Jesus demonstrate great discipleship?

 

Previous Post: Discipleship Pathways: Effortless Discipleship

Discipleship Pathways :: Effortless Discipleship?

I’ve been in a discipleship process my entire life.  Christ is engaged with me on a daily basis as I learn, grow and become more like him through every encounter I have with Him.  It’s easy to think that discipleship in our churches happens without much direction and effort.  After all, isn’t God completely committed to helping us grow in our Christian walk?

 

As I read through the Gospels and see Jesus’ interaction with the disciples, I can’t help but to notice that discipling the twelve came very naturally to Jesus.  That’s not the only thing I notice.  As effortless as Jesus made discipleship look, He still put time, energy and effort into the spiritual development of his disciples.

 

Churches today have the same responsibility that Jesus took up with the twelve disciples.  Investing in the lives of our people will take intentionality, time and energy to produce believers who are developing and maturing into Christlikeness.  This is not a small or easy task and should never be left as a side project or a yearly sermon series.

 

Let’s be honest, discipleship has its challenges. 
If you were giving advice to someone who wanted to be a better discipler, what would you tell them?