Tag Archives: cpms
Church Planting Discipleship Missions Women in ministry

When God Restores- Women Get Included in the Inheritance

By on Sunday, May 21, 2023
women in missions

God created women in His own image. They hold a special place in His heart. God is using women in missions today like never before! It has always been His intention to uplift and release women into their full potential. It is part of His salvation and His restoration process that women receive their inheritance in the Kingdom.

At the end of the book of Job, we see a picture of restoration. He has been through testing and trials and now God blesses and restores. When He restores, He doubles all Job had. Job 42:10 says, “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!”

Another interesting thing comes up in this passage at the end of Job. It is about Job’s daughters. As God restored Job’s life, he gave him seven more sons and three more daughters. Here is the interesting part. It says in Job 42:15, “In all the land, no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.” Job, after God had tested and then restored him, included his daughters in his will- he gave the daughters an inheritance! This was very unusual in his culture and time. It speaks of the change of heart and the transformation in Job that God had brought about. It was a preview of how God wants to use women in missions!
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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

Baptism Questions- Are They Ready?

By on Sunday, May 14, 2023
baptism are they ready

There is a question many disciple makers face with new believers. It centers around baptism- are they ready?

In the last few blogs, we have been looking at questions and issues around baptism. baptism-are they ready?People often delay baptism thinking the new believer is not ready to take this step. They need to grow more in their faith first, they say. Maybe we are waiting for new believers to stop certain bad habits like smoking or drinking. Sometimes we wait to baptize because we want a large group to be baptized together. Others delay for a long time because they are hoping a spouse will also believe and they can be baptized together. Some delay because the person isn’t yet a legal adult. Perhaps we don’t want to have to fill the baptism tank too often, or take time out of our church service to include this ceremony more than once or twice a year.

How Do You Know If They Are Ready To Be Baptized?

When do you baptize someone after leading them to faith in Christ?

Again, it is important to look to scripture on these issues rather than looking for guidance only at our church traditions or what we have seen done around us. Baptism- are they ready? We need to examine the scriptures for answers. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

Discipleship Accountability: Avoid or Embrace?

By on Sunday, April 30, 2023

One of the things I appreciate about the T4T (Training for Trainers) approach is how every meeting begins in the first section with reporting in on what you have done the past week to apply what you learned before. Likewise, every meeting ends with the setting of new goals. How are you going to obey and put into practice what you learned in the lesson or story? This accountability loop is a very important part of making obedient disciples.

Friendly accountability

It goes much further than this though. We must develop an appreciation, even an embracing of friendly accountability in our lives as leaders personally. As we model this, our disciples see it. They begin to value it as well.

This will ensure that friendly accountability becomes part of the DNA of the movement. By upholding this value, the movement will be stable and strong even after you, as the coach, trainer, initiator, or leader move on. Accountability seems an unfriendly, even “dirty” word to many though.

Granted a lot of people have had bad experiences in their lives with heavy-handed or unkind accountability. Some leaders demand accountability. Some abuse it. In my context in Asia, many have had teachers who were harsh and cruel when they didn’t measure up to what was expected. As we introduce friendly accountability in these contexts we need to be aware of this. It is a big shift of mindset for people to welcome and embrace friendly accountability! read more

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Church Planting Discipleship

5 Things That Destroy Discipleship Movements

By on Sunday, March 12, 2023
Death Factors

Some months ago I wrote about 6 Factors That Get Your Movement Moving.  It’s always good to look at positive things we can do to see greater fruit and growth!

It is also important to be aware of what kinds of things kill a Disciple Making Movement(DMM).  Sometimes we call these “Death Factors.” These are things to be extremely careful about.  While seemingly normal or innocent, if your goal is a multiplying movement, they will definitely “sink your ship.” When these things start to happen, you can be sure that the movement will stop growing.  If you are just getting started, the movement can die before it every really starts.  There are other “death factors” to consider, but here are five of the most common.

1. Bringing Outside Funding Into The Movement

In Acts 20:34-35 Paul says,  “You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.  In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”  Paul went the extra mile to model tent making. He gave an example of locally generated funds. We need to train local believers that it is more blessed to give than receive.  We must protect the movements we start from the huge dangers of foreign funding. read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions

Before Your First Discipleship Group – DMM Basics 101

By on Sunday, December 4, 2022

“I love the idea of making disciples of new believers and seeing those discipleship groups multiply! I’m in!” you might be saying.  “But where do I start?  What do I need to do first to see a disciple-making movement begin?”

There Are 3 “Basics” That Are Needed As Every DMM Gets Started.

  1. A Prayer Strategy
  2. Abundant Seed Sowing
  3. Finding the Person of Peace

I played basketball in college.  I wasn’t amazing, but I enjoyed it.  It was fun to be a part of a team.  I loved the games.  I hated the practices.  Our coach would push us hard on the court in the early morning practice.  We had to dribble, shoot lay-ups and free throws until we were sick of it.  We ran back and forth, up and down the court dribbling and passing the ball until we could do it in our sleep.  It was these basics that won the games.

It is easy to try to rush through these 3 important steps in seeing discipleship begin.  Don’t do it.

Develop a Prayer Strategy

John Wesley said, “God does nothing except in response to believing prayer.”  Every church planting or disciple-making movement that happens, starts with prayer. read more

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Church Planting Missions Women in ministry

Women Cry Out- Give Us Our Inheritance!

By on Sunday, November 27, 2022
spiritual inheritance

An interesting and profound story is found in Joshua chapter seventeen. It speaks of a man named Zelophehad who had no sons but only daughters. This is an amazing tale with many lessons about spiritual inheritance.

Inheritance For the Daughters

There must have been others in Israel who only had girls. These daughters of Zelophehad were different though. What was different about them? What does this have to do with seeing disciple making movements released??

Joshua 17:3 “However, Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 4 They came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So according to the [c]command of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers. 5 Thus there fell ten portions to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan, 6 because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.” (NASB)
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Church Planting Discipleship

Disciple Making Urgency and the Kingdom of God

By on Tuesday, June 21, 2022
disciple making movements

Whether it is a cricket match between England and Australia or two teams playing in the Super Bowl- we like to pick a side. Who are you cheering for? The same is true in many other aspects of life. Disciple making urgency or transformational discipleship? Which is more important? Put more simply- what matters most? Getting people saved or transformed?

Both-And Not Either-Or

Many Kingdom priorities are not either/or issues. Instead, they are very much both/and. Jesus is both God and man. We must both love God and also love our neighbor. Our human tendency, however, is to put ourselves into one camp or the other on theological issues.

The Urgency to reach the lost versus transforming disciples in Disciple Making Movements (DMMs), is a both/and issue. We can not emphasize one and forget the other.

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Apart from a relationship with Jesus and accepting Him as Savior, unreached people are on a path toward a literal Hell.

and

Discipleship that changes lives and brings the Kingdom of God to Earth is a critical part of the gospel message.

We don’t get people saved just to give them a “get out of Hell” card and then think our work is done. They are not saved “from” something alone. They are also saved “to” something- a new life with Jesus here on Earth!

We have to fully embrace both of these things to see Disciple Making Movements that lead to the transformation of individuals, communities, people groups, and nations.

How I Accepted Christ- Is Hell A Real Place?

My own personal testimony connects with both of these important theological truths.

I was born in a missionary family and grew up in Africa. My mom and dad taught me from childhood about Jesus. I learned about God’s story from the time I was a baby.

When I was about four years old, I remember asking my mother a question. Is Hell a real place? My mom stopped whatever she was doing and took the time to talk to me.

“Yes, it is. But, you don’t have to be afraid of Hell. Put your trust in Jesus, ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. You can know for sure that you will go to Heaven when you die,” she explained to me. After a bit fuller description of the gospel message, she asked me, “Do you want to invite Jesus into your life to be your Savior?”

I wasn’t sure. Off I went to play. I kept thinking though. After some time I returned with the same question for my mom. “Is Hell a real place?”

This happened a time or two until finally I knelt beside my mother’s bed and prayed to invite Jesus to be Lord of my life. Though I was very young, I still remember the sense of joy that entered my little heart. I knew I was saved! My sins were forgiven and Jesus was now my best friend!

From that point so many years ago, I’ve been sure that if something happened to me and I died, I would spend eternity in Heaven with Him. The critical journey of discipleship, however, has been lifelong.

Lake Of Fire And The New Earth

In Revelation 20:15 and 21:1 both Hell and the New Heaven and Earth are mentioned together. That is interesting. Remember, chapter breaks and verses were added later.

“Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” Rev. 20:15-21:1 NIV read more

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Church Planting Discipleship Missions Women in ministry

Women in Disciple Making Movements- Why Not Women?

By on Tuesday, June 21, 2022
women in ministry

There is a simple way to almost immediately double or triple the number of people you are reaching with the gospel. Do you want to hear how? Most people would! Here it is. When you properly understand the key role of women in disciple making movements, your disciple making efforts will take a leap forward.

The tremendous potential of mobilizing and releasing women is a blind spot for many people. There are various reasons for hesitation to release women in ministry. This article will not address them all. Instead, I hope to shine some light on this topic, share my story, and take a look at scripture. The goal is not to convince you of a particular position on this topic. I hope, instead, to give you a key to growing your movement rapidly. By considering changes in how you release women, many more lost people come into the Kingdom of God.

Women In Disciple Making Movements- Key Players

Female disciples can serve as evangelists, disciple makers, trainers of disciple makers, and as very key players in disciple making movements. Jesus certainly saw this! So did Paul. Modern-day apostles like Loren Cunningham of Youth With A Mission have also lifted up women to important roles. Doing this has always brought an increase in spiritual harvest.

women in disciple making movements

Women played key roles in the movement that started in Jesus’ time. We find them playing a key role in the new churches described in the book of Acts as well. Historically there are also many instances where the release of women in ministry was key to the rapid growth of the church in a nation or people group. China and Korea are just two examples.

If you are serious about seeing thousands of unreached people become disciples of Jesus quickly, you can not afford to ignore the vital need for women to be active in disciple making movements. They can and should serve in key roles such as; evangelists, disciple makers and even leaders of a growing movement.

The Struggle To Embrace My Call & Gifts

My husband and I both felt a call to church planting among the unreached when we were in our twenties. Obeying God’s call, we moved to Asia and began to learn a local language.

In our early years of ministry, we were still figuring out who we were. We experimented with many different types of things. We were discovering our spiritual gifts.

As the years passed, it became clear that God had given me the gifts of teaching and leadership. I also began to flow in a gift of faith. My deep passion and desire for pioneering work in new areas and for work with the unreached made me wonder if I may have an apostolic gifting as well.

My husband’s gifts also became more clear as we worked in various roles. He is very strong in the gift of helps and hospitality.

Wait! These were not the typical giftings that our denomination normally ascribed to men and women. Were we wrong to use these gifts? Should we try to be different or more “normal”?

I then studied 1 Corinthians 12 and was especially struck by verses 7 and 11. Verse seven said that it was God who gave gifts to each person. Verse eleven emphasizes how the Spirit is the One who distributes these gifts as He determines.

“All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”- 1 Cor 12:11- NIV

So, if God had given me the gift of leadership, the gift of teaching and a passion in my heart to pioneer New Kingdom work in new places among the unreached…who was I to tell God that wasn’t allowed!

With God’s help, I embraced the gifts He had chosen in His wisdom to give me. I knew then that women in disciple making movements had a place. They had a spiritual inheritance to claim.

These gifts may not fit the cultural and stereotypical norms in my denomination and I may be a bit “out of the box” for some people.

We decided that it was more important to us that we:

1) be ourselves and

2) faithfully use the gifts God had decided to give us,

than to stay in the box and be who other people wanted us to be.

The Unreached Are Worth Our Sacrifice

Had we not made that decision as a couple, we may have been a bit more comfortable. But there would be hundreds who would not have been trained as disciple makers, movements that hadn’t been launched, and unreached people who would not have met Jesus and experienced His love transforming their lives had we taken that path. It was not an easy choice to make and there were sacrifices and challenges along the way. God chose me to bear fruit, and He chose women in disciple making movements to play a key role. I’m so glad I said, “Yes!” to His calling.

The Church Must Lead The Way

There are many cultures where women are oppressed by society and culture. Jesus did more than any other historical figure to uplift and restore women to their place in the Kingdom. Sin and Satan put women under oppression, Jesus came to set them free.

The church must lead the way in releasing women to fully develop and use the gifts and talents God gives them. read more

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Church Planting Missions Training

What is Just In Time Training?

By on Tuesday, June 21, 2022

“Just in Time Training” was an unfamiliar concept for me. Why are they not applying what I taught them? We taught how to create a set of stories for discipleship in the Orientation Program, but they are just preaching. They seem to have completely forgotten everything they learned in the training! Argghh!!

Have you ever felt frustrated that you invest a lot in training people only to see little field application happen?

I sure was! Then I put into practice what is called Just in Time Training. Just in Time Training (sometimes called Micro-Learning) is when you give people only what they need to use immediately. You train in small learning segments.

You start with where they are and train them step by step.

  • Do they already have five 1st generation groups? What do they need to see those multiply?
  • Can they share the gospel effectively? Maybe they need help with choosing a gospel story?
  • Are they just beginning to learn the language?

This style of training is in contrast to giving them in one long training for everything they will face over many years as they work to start a DMM.

I first caught a vision for disciple making among unreached people when I was on a missions trip in college. I then went through a 4-year program to learn how to do church planting. It was excellent. I had great teachers and had excellent material that was “cutting edge” for its time.

The problem was that by the time I finally was doing what I’d been taught, most of what I’d learned was several years old and had gotten pretty fuzzy in my memory. I’d try to find old notes and quickly gave up. Like most people, I went back to what I knew from experience and memory. This is what happens for most people.

Without “Just In Time Training”, traditional Christians generally go back to traditional approaches- even after being trained in DMM principles! read more

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