Generic Discipleship Seldom Works.
June 6, 2007
by C. Michael Johnson
1. By definition, it's not personal or individualized
2. It's not done in the context of a relationship
3. It fails to inspire to a purposeful, high calling
4. So, few like to do it (either as student or as teacher)
5. And it's rare that the process is completed
6. And it does not produce disciples who reproduce
7. It lacks a proven record of success
Think about this: what would it be worth to you to have your congregation perpetually self-generating?
I admit I have a one-track mind, but whenever I see a new strategy to reach and transform people, I want to know how “withreach” it is, how incarnational is it. Meaning: how well does it step into another culture or another's shoes, to walk with them? How well does it connect to the purposes of God for those it is targeting? I don’t think these are excessive standards, but it's sure hard to find strategies that meet them.
We all know that Jesus’ own method of discipleship was one-on-one (or small group) and completely personalized to the needs of the individual. Yet the most common method of “doing discipleship” is through methods that are mass-produced to be read or heard by as many people as possible. The motive is good, I suppose, but for all the great teaching that is out there, how many truly mature Christians do we have who walk daily with their Lord and know the purpose for which they were created?
If you were suddenly presented with 1, 5, or 20 new followers of Jesus today, do you know exactly what you would do to give them the best chance of making it? Notice I didn’t ask if you knew what that person would need to “know.” Let me add another level: would you know how to teach those new Christians how to “go and do likewise?”
Over the past several years, I’ve been associated with Pastor Grant Edwards, who has developed a tremendously effective approach to discipleship that empowers one-on-one relationships. FirstSteps personalizes the first three months of a new (or renewing) follower of Jesus in an incredibly easy-to-reproduce way. Not only is this ministry in use in hundreds of churches around the world, but using the same model, they have seen self-reproducing communities birthed and spreading through numerous prison systems. It's an incredibly simple and powerful approach.
I think that a church that integrates FirstSteps in the context of a Community of Dreams Partnership planning matrix is ultimately going to be the most effective. But of course, FirstSteps stands alone as a ministry that can take your congregation to another level in both growth AND depth!
We pass on this highly-recommended ministry strategy to you with no financial incentive to us for this unbiased endorsement.
Michael's Blog
"Somewhere along the line you stopped to being you" Sure, it's Rocky, but this little scene from the latest movie is both stirring and profound. It's about the big lie. It addresses the fundamental problem of the human race: each of us believing who we really are, exchanging our fears for the Father's dream, and never giving up. I challenge you to watch it as if it is the Father God speaking to a child of His design and dreams... Join the withreach conversation...
Contacts:
For coaching and strategic outreach questions contact
C. Michael Johnson
mike@breakthroughchurch.com
All other inquiries contact:
Donna Crowell
missdonna@Breakthroughchurch.com
800-595-4327
Breakthroughchurch.com
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