TMC - Highlight #8 - Totally Wild Spirits
If you have been reading any of my books, heard any of my sermons, or heard me speak at conferences, you know what I am going to say next: It’s all about the Disciple! The lowest common denominator in all Church Planting is the disciple.
“How do you create disciples like what you are talking about?”
As mentioned a few days ago, you have to live the life that you want your disciples to emulate. You can talk and teach, but it’s your actions that they will duplicate. Too many people can talk a good game, but they don’t back it up with their actions.
Next, when making a disciple, you have to invest in the right people. Just like Jesus spoke of in Luke 8, you need to be sure you are watering a seed that is in fertile soil.
Finally, you have to untame the wild. Too many pastors and lay leaders alike see ministry as the work of the clergy. Pastors tend to feed this line of thought by viewing the members of their churches as “merely the funders of religious work and the volunteers to make Sunday happen instead of the totally wild spirits they really are.” A lot of people are begging to be let loose from the constraints of the pews! Let ‘em loose!
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May 19, 2008 at 07:40 AM
I agree with the importance of discipleship and not just for the church. I just got a memo from a colleague that they entitled: "First Field Sales Organization" referring to Jesus and his disciples from Matthew 10: 1-15. "Effective Leadership attracts and brokers the talents of others. Leaders must develop others to reach their potential. No one did this better than Jesus....At some point we need to end the lecture and send them out to try what they have learned. Consider how Jesus empowered his twelve-man staff: 1. A personal call. 2. A direct commission. 3. A central objective. 4. a clear message. 5. Practical credentials. 6. Confidence for provision. 7. solid convictions" (this is from the Maxwell leadership Bible). It is always exciting to learn that the leadership teachings of Christ are applicable in all sectors of society. It's a T-life world!
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May 19, 2008 at 08:00 AM
Yo Bip - you da man!!!!!!
May 19, 2008 at 08:15 AM
We've got a double dose of Roberts tag-teamin' the blog! YES. Good stuff guys. I totally agree with this conversation. It's all about "putting more stock" in the realization that the SAME Holy Spirit lives inside each and every follower of Christ. We've got to start trusting the Spirit in others, and sending them out....empowering the Body Of Christ.
May 19, 2008 at 02:19 PM
Exactly! When I was a young platoon leader, my crust old First Sergeant who spent 2 tours in Vietnam, always reminded us that leadership never asks its soldiers to do anything they themselves would not do. The same is applicable for ministry. Disciple making doesn't have to be all done by the staff, but it sure helps when the sr. pastor and his staff lead by example.
May 19, 2008 at 03:17 PM
And in a way, multiplying disciples is the most basic form of "church planting," right?
May 19, 2008 at 05:32 PM
Definitely,
May 20, 2008 at 04:02 AM
I wish the leadership of every church got this. I am absolutely convinced that this is the reason the church is not succeeding in the west. I'm also convinced this is why so many people are leaving "church."
Make disciples and help them learn to follow God and then not only give them permission but encourage them, poke them, and prod them to move out in faith to do what God wants them to do.
May 20, 2008 at 07:47 AM
Bob,
You are right, as usual. What a joy it has been to see Bob R. untamed...that is if he was ever tamed.
I don't know John Lunt, but he is RIGHT ON!
May 20, 2008 at 09:12 AM
Aaron,
Your a perfect example of what al this is about. You have done exactly that, Let the reigns go and put God in control.
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