They stood in front of my gate, a group of angry men. Impatiently, they rang the gatebell again and again. They came with demands. Emotions ran strong. Who were they? Angry Hindu fundamentalists? No. Surprisingly (or not), they were a group of Christian pastors from our city. A sometimes unexpected obstacle we frequently face in …
“You are like a bulldozer,” he said. That was an unusual thing for someone to say! I wasn’t sure I liked that classification. What did it mean? As time has passed, I’ve come to understand what this prophetically gifted man was referring to. To release Disciple Making Movements (DMMs), you need to bulldoze your way …
“Here is water! Can you baptize me?” Philip was asked this question by the Ethiopian (Acts 8:36). Without hesitation, he immediately took action to help this new believer obey Jesus’ command. I wonder if we would have done the same. We may have said, “I’m not sure I am allowed to do that. I need …
“My children’s school is far from my ministry field,” a trainee said. “I need to live where my children can go to a good school.” How important is it that we live among the people we’re trying to reach? If we can’t live on-site how much will that affect our fruitfulness? It is important to …
Our beliefs about who we are dramatically impact our behavior. In a recent blog, I wrote about the reality that we are people God has chosen to bear much fruit. We are God’s chosen instruments. It is a beautiful thing to be chosen by Him to do His work. In this article, I will focus …
Imagine someone running in a baton race carrying a large, heavy piece of wood. It would be hard to pass on to the next runner, right? One person may be large and strong and able to run with it. But the next runner may not. Discipleship groups are very similar to this. The baton …
Rice, meat, spices, herbs, onion, garlic…you make your list and go to the market, if you are cooking an Indian meal. Before making a special meal, you first prepare the ingredients you need. You wouldn’t want to start cooking and then have to stop and run to the store, right? In the same way, as …
My husband and I like to run at least one half-marathon each year. To get a decent time in a 21 K race, you need a good strategy. If you start too fast in the beginning, you won’t get a good time. You have to slow yourself down at the start, to speed up at …
Effective movement leaders don’t focus on disciple-making strategy. In contrast, the focus that consumes them is a passionate urgency to reach lost people. Concentrating on the wrong thing (even good disciple-making strategy) can hinder a movement from starting. Strategy is important and has its place. It’s not, however, what drives a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) …
What is all the “fuss” about? Why are people passionate about Disciple Making Movements or Church Planting Movements? Are they just another missions “fad”? Some have said these are the only way forward to fulfill the Great Commission, but some speak out against them. If you are reading this and you’ve been attempting to start …