Too many new Christians

Too many new Christians

Discipleship

When I was first planting a church, we had an enviable problem: too many new Christians. We began seeing numerous people come to faith and were trying to keep up with discipling them and helping them grow. At the time I was using a simple follow-up tool—something with...

Maximize the vision, minimize the change

Leadership, Outreach, Visionizing

  There’s a young guy who lives in the inner city. He works outside the city most of the week, but on Sundays he plays basketball to relax and exercise. His vision is to reach inner city youth, but he felt he didn’t have much time to invest in any official type...

Tent-making discipleship

Missional

When we look at the way the Apostle Paul discipled others, we see him capitalizing on what people are already doing. He shows up where they are: in the temple courts, where the philosophers are debating, in the ports where people are coming and going, where the work...

On-the-way-discipleship: Deuteronomy 6

Missional

  Yesterday’s blog entry– about doing discipleship in the course of daily life rather than as a set-aside meeting– made me think of Deuteronomy 6:6-9.  And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat...

Discipling on the go

Discipleship, Missional, Outreach

  I am coaching a man named Phillip who is serving among the poor in Mexico City. He’s been struggling with finding time to invest in discipling relationships, partly because most of the people there are already working long hours just to support their families....

Shifting gears in discipling

Coaching

When you’re discipling people who are in recovery, I’ve found that there comes a point when you have to shift gears. Once someone is well-established in recovery—not drinking or using but still wrestling with life issues—an important shift needs to happen in your...

A Word from Wisconsin: Discipleship vs. Discipling

Leadership

Today some thoughts from Brian Williamson, Lead Pastor of The Bridge Bible Church, a decentralized networked approach in Somerset, WI. Their church’s vision is to lead everyone toward full life development in Jesus through missional communities. “We’ve benefited from...