Discipleship pitfall #2: All hands

Missional

In my last blog entry, we looked at the pitfall of the “all head” approach– trying to educate our way to making disciples. One common alternative to the “all head” approach is the “all hands” approach. Instead of just learning stuff, let’s get out there and do...
Discipleship pitfall #1: All head

Discipleship pitfall #1: All head

Discipleship, Missional

When we over-emphasize knowledge in our approach to discipleship, we end up with a classroom approach. Discipleship is a checklist of things to read and know. It’s curriculum-based and doesn’t take into account where God is currently working in the life of an...

What doesn’t work: a one-size fits all approach

Missional

Every person is different and we all reflect God in different ways. So why is our approach to discipleship the same across the board? Look at church discipleship programs: Everyone reads this same book. Everyone takes this same class. Everyone participates in this...

The vision and the need

Leadership, Outreach, Visionizing

When we really take the time to sit down and think about it, we can see an amazing vision of what making and multiplying disciples could look like: Churches turning outward and serving the communities around them. Christians building authentic relationships with those...
Pray for a domino effect

Pray for a domino effect

Missional, Outreach

When you make a disciple, that’s not the end of the story. That disciple then goes on to make other disciples, who go on to make other disciples. The domino effect is the multiplication of disciples. So when you have a new believer, don’t remove them from their...

Connect believers to a group

Group Life, Missional

New believers, if they have not already connected with a group of believers before they began following Jesus, need to get involved in some type of faith community. That can be a small group, a house church, a life transformation group (LTG), a missional group–...

Spiritual breathing

Missional

Teach new believers “spiritual breathing.” Exhaling: The confession of sin is necessary for a disciple to learn and grow. Without confession, there is no cleansing. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all...

What to do with New Christians

Missional

Here’s what to do with new believers right after they come to faith, preferably within the first two days: Baptize as quickly and as publicly as you can. Have the new believer bring as many friends and family members as is possible to the baptism. Extend the offer to...

To imprint God as parent

Missional

How you treat new believers is especially important within the first 24-48 hours after their conversion. There is a type of bonding that must occur early and only with God. It is the same as feeding a newborn baby. We need to imprint God as the parent, not ourselves...