Tag Archives: church multiplication
Church Planting Faith Inspiration

The Struggle to Believe for Disciple Making Movements

By on Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Do you ever struggle for faith that disciple making movements are possible? Or possible in your place? Or possible through you? I certainly have. I’m not proud of it, but it is true.

Sometimes in what Michael Hyatt calls the “messy middle” we stop believing. The “messy middle” is a place between the vision’s beginning and it’s realization. It’s the place where we wonder if our dream is possible.

My Struggle For Faith

There was a long “messy middle” for me. It was 20 years from when I heard about DMMs (back then we spoke of multiplying daughter and grand-daughter churches) and the time I first saw 4th generation groups. On that journey, I often wanted to quit. I regularly doubted it could happen. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions Training

Key #3 DMM Breakthrough Growth: Train Don’t Teach

By on Tuesday, June 21, 2022
trainer of trainers

Do you long to see more multiplication through your discipleship training?  Are you tired of only seeing a few new disciples each year?

The last two blogs talked about Keys for seeing DMMs released. The first keys were  Key #1: Praying With Faith and Key #2: Perseverance.

There is another crucial key to releasing a movement. If you want to multiply disciples, an important change needs to happen in how you do discipleship training. You need to shift from being a teacher to becoming a trainer. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

What NOT to Depend on in Disciple Making

By on Tuesday, June 21, 2022
discipleship

Discipleship, especially when you are wanting to make true disciple makers, is a process that can seem long and difficult. We often look for shortcuts.

Have you ever found yourself trying to go somewhere fast and then decided to take a shortcut? You see this little lane and you are pretty sure it will cut through to the main road? “I’ll go for it,” you think. It seems like a good idea that will save you time and get you there faster.

As you are driving along on your motorbike or in your car, suddenly, the road narrows and there is a huge truck parked in the road. You can’t get by because the road is too narrow. That has happened to me more than once. Another time, I came up the road and suddenly found a big pile of rocks dumped in the road for the construction of a nearby building. Then there were the times I took a shorter road but hit an avalanche. When this happens, you back up, turn around, and by the time you get back to where you started from, you are frustrated, annoyed and it is 15 minutes later but you are still at the same place.

This reminds me of when we try to make disciples using only a weekly meeting with them. It looks like a shortcut, but it’s not.

Discipleship Is Not A Meeting- It Is Doing Life Together

Discipleship doesn’t happen only in a weekly meeting. It is an intense investment of our lives into others. This is a whole lot more than what happens in a weekly gathering where you “preach” to them, or even do a Discovery Bible study or tell a Bible Story.

Discipleship happens when we do life together. It’s when we become a community of Jesus followers who challenge, encourage, support and commit to helping one another grow in following Jesus. Our lives “rub off” on others and they “catch” from us a passion for the lost, a faith in the God of the Impossible, a love for God’s Word, etc.

I’m always interested in strategies and structures. I’m fascinated to learn about what different people are using for their short and long-term discipleship. Having a good system can facilitate a lot of things being released. Sometimes, though, we look for the “perfect” system and think that is what will turn things around for us in our efforts to multiply disciples.

Discipleship Is Not A Structure Or System

The last few years I have been doing a lot of training in T4T (Training for Trainers). The T4T meeting structure includes all the important elements that are so vital to multiplying disciples; celebration/accountability, member care, worship, the Word, goal setting, fellowship. It’s a proven structure that has produced great fruit around the world.

The same could be said for DBS (Discovery Bible Study) groups- another great system to use.

As much as I like these systems, I must say that both T4T and DBS are just structures and systems. They will not produce fruit unless coupled with a deep commitment to relational discipleship. We must “go deep” with those in that T4T or DBS circle.

We must get into their lives and let them into ours.

That is what Jesus did with his disciples. They lived together, spent hours around the fire cooking fish and eating together. They did ministry together, and Jesus spoke into their lives not only as a group, but one on one.

We can’t do that with everyone. We need to choose a few key people, those who are faithful, fruitful and focused.

I know you are busy. You might be thinking, I just don’t have time to give more than I already am.

Here’s is what you need to do.

This doesn’t take a ton of time, but it will get you started in going beyond trying to just disciple people in a meeting.

  • Choose 2 key people you are training who you will invest in more.
  • Think of one simple way to let them into your life in a deeper way. (For example, have coffee and share a time of failure you had and how you overcame it).
  • Think of one simple way you can get more involved in theirs. (For example, show interest in one of their hobbies or children).
  • Do those two things this week.

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    Church Planting Discipleship Missions

    6 Factors That Get Discipleship Movements Moving

    By on Tuesday, June 21, 2022
    movement

    What makes a disciple making movement move? How can you get multiplication growth to happen (and be sustained) as you make disciples? There are certain movement growth factors to keep in mind in your ministry.

    The following are the most important keys to pushing your disciple making into multiplicative growth. Some are obvious. Some are more easy to ignore.

    VISION CASTING movement growth factors

    Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (KJV)

    How deeply ingrained in the heart of each disciple is the vision to see lost people around them come to know the Lord? When we talk about vision as it relates to Disciple Making Movements, we are specifically talking about the vision for lost people to meet Jesus and be saved. This passion, this vision for lost souls must be spoken out repeatedly in every meeting and in multiple ways. It has to become a part of the “talk” of the movement. It has to move beyond something only leaders think about and become ingrained in the hearts of all. This happens by creative and consistently motivating people to reach the lost around them. Cast vision to see your movement move!

    PRAYER

    Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.“(NIV)

    DMM leaders are people of constant prayer. Prayer is what we model, what we live and what we impart to others we train them as disciples. We pray fervently for the believers, for the lost around us, for God’s supernatural work, for victory over the enemy, for healing and deliverance, etc. Prayer moves the movement forward!

    OBEDIENCE

    John 15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command.” (NIV) read more

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