by Gary Reinecke | Sep 4, 2020 | Disciplemaking |
Have you been listening to the topic of conversations among leaders in the local church lately? Some have to do with what is going on in society (pandemic, moving online, racial justice). Other conversations get granular as tensions rise within our government. Many leaders in pastoral and church planting ministries that I speak to express the stress, challenges and difficult times we are all facing. These are very real – see Six Reasons Your Pastor Is About to Quit by Tom Rainer.
Most encouraging though are the interactions I have with leaders about the unprecedented opportunity they see, as difficult as it is at this pivotal moment in time, to move the mission of Jesus forward. I would venture to say that if we could capture this moment and raise the bar on discipleship, apprentices of Jesus will have the capacity to overcome many of the social injustices we face in our society. How can we take advantage of this unique situation and re-introduce the commission Jesus entrusted us with His disciples: to make disciples, who make disciples and who in turn, make disciples.
The conversation today, revolves around discipleship – how can we make more and better disciples in our current cultural moment, given the opportunities certain restrictions have imposed on our ministries?
I was speaking to a regional leader just this week and he mentioned that the 30-40 churches he overseas are asking this very question. Because of the restrictions placed on large and mid-size group gatherings, congregations that do not have small group ministries have been forced to create smaller, more manageable, disciplemaking groups. Those that are unable to pivot quickly and do so will cease to exist. This is the harsh reality of the season we find ourselves. However, those that are able to see the wisdom and leverage this opportunity are innovating new ways to make disciples.
Here are two practical insights that he shared:
- The strongest churches are focused on small home groups.
- The younger families are participating at a higher level via Zoom groups.
For you, disciplemaking may have been the primary driver for your ministry. For other leaders, this pivotal moment in time has afforded you the opportunity to reflect. You are are discovering for the first time or rediscovering the essence of ministry and the absolute necessity of disciplemaking. This gives me hope, motivation and energy for the future!
Last week I did a quick fly-by on the Leadership Collective for Missional Discipleship that is designed to help you:
- Discover ways to incorporate disciple coach values in your life and ministry.
- Connect with like-minded leaders on this same journey.in meaningful ways.
- Create a comprehensive discipleship pathway that suits your context.
- Equip other disciples coaches on your team to Connect, Grow, Serve and Reproduce.
One of the reasons Micah Dodson and I are compelled to offer this now is because of the conversations we are having with leaders about this very issue. Below is more information with a call to action at the very bottom of the page.
We have established a by-invitation-only, private network for you to LEARN about the Missional Discipleship Collective, CONNECT with like-minded leaders on a similar journey and INTERACT on relevant issues. We pray that you will consider this important issue. Will you take the next step and join the network?
MISSIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
Kick-off Event: Nov 15-17, 2020
SCHEDULE:
LARGE GROUP – limited to 15 participants
2-day Retreat – La Jolla, CA: November 15-17, 2020
- Bring your spouse to the 2-day, kick-off event in La Jolla, CA – at no additional cost, except for travel.
Three ZOOM sessions as a full group for 2-hours each.
- Session #1: February 8, 2021
- Session #2: May 3, 2021
- Session #3: July 26, 2021
All times are: Mondays @ 9am PST (10am MST/11am CST/noon EST)
SMALL GROUP
Seven, 60-minute Triad Sessions
LEARN MORE BY JOINING OUR
“BY-INVITATION-ONLY” COMMUNITY BY CLICKING THIS LINK.
InFocus will do everything within our ability to meet and exceed regulations so people are safe, remain healthy and have a peace of mind. If we are unable to secure the meeting facilities needed by no later than February 1 we will move the live, face-to-face event in La Jolla to a virtual Zoom event. We will communicate the adjusted cost and the modified agenda with all interested participants.
by Gary Reinecke | Sep 3, 2020 | Coach Training |
As you know I am always looking for ways to enhance my coaching effectiveness to create life-changing results for pastors, church planters and missionaries quickly and consistently. When I come across quality opportunities I share them with my tribe of coaches. One lesson I learned early on in my development is to get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations and asking difficult questions!
This month, former ICF President and multi best-selling author, Marcia Reynolds will host a complimentary masterclass called Keys To Breakthrough Coaching. I’d love you to be my guest.
In this live masterclass, Marcia will show you how to have a greater impact on your clients, their organizations, and the world. You’ll discover how to turn the uncomfortable conversations and difficult questions 99% of coaches avoid into your standard mode of operation.
Get high-impact strategies you can implement in your very next coaching engagement!
Register for the Keys To Breakthrough Coaching Masterclass now
If you’re interested, I recommend that you sign up right away. Coach training sessions like these often reach full capacity quickly.
Feel free to share your thoughts with me about this session. Looking forward to hearing from you.
I can’t wait to see you there!
Gary Reinecke
Executive Director
InFocus
MULTIPLY-FOCUS-EMPOWER-PLANT
991.473.4481
www.infocusnet.org
greinecke@infocusnet.org
by Gary Reinecke | Aug 25, 2020 | Disciplemaking, Uncategorized |
One of the realizations of this season we find ourselves in is discovering what is important to each of us.
For example, certain things we just are not able to do now like going to sporting events, the movie theater and even hanging out with friends and family that are not under the same roof. There are some things we are still able to do.
Reflect on those things that are important to you
Perhaps it is taking a walk or hike, getting to know your neighbors or spending a day at the beach with your immediate family. Maybe it is reading a good book, making stuff with your hands or cooking. Whatever those things are – many of us have found a way to do those activities we truly value, despite the threat of a pandemic.
One activity I love doing is riding my mountain-bike. You will find me and my wife on the trails in back of our home, three mornings a week from 6-8:30am. This is the time when we feel safe to ride given the low numbers of people on the trails and cooler weather. If you are interested – I’ve uploaded two, 25-second videos for your viewing entertainment below:
- Gary climbing a gnarly hill, 65′ change in elevation – CLICK HERE
- Gary dropping down a technical gully, 73′ change in elevation – CLICK HERE. The photo at the top of this blog is the cut I sustained when I misjudged the final drop earlier this season. It was not pretty…
BTW – in case you are wondering, my wife, Gina was the videographer. To give you an idea of her riding capacity – she was so far ahead of me that she was able to unload her bike, get positioned on the trail with her iPhone and record me riding. I want to be like her some day:>)
Let me suggest that disciple coaches value certain behaviors. Even during a pandemic, disciple coaches understand the importance of the intentional effort required to connect with pre-Christian, helping new disciples grow in their faith, coaching disciples to move from being a consumer to serve others and reproduce into the lives of other yet-to-be disciples of Christ. Here are those values again, taken from the Making Disciples Storyboard:
CONNECT
GROW
SERVE
REPRODUCE
- Interested in learning more about the values of a disciple coach?
- Would you like to explore being part of a cohort with like-minded leaders?
Missional Discipleship
Kick-off Event: Nov 15-17, 2020
- Discover ways to incorporate disciple coach values in your life and ministry.
- Connect with like-minded leaders on this same journey.in meaningful ways.
- Create a comprehensive discipleship pathway that suits your context.
- Equip other disciples coaches on your team to Connect, Grow, Serve and Reproduce.
- Bring your spouse to the 2-day, kick-off event in La Jolla, CA – at no additional cost, except for travel.
Learn more by joining our
“by-invitation-only” community by clicking THIS LINK.
by Gary Reinecke | Aug 20, 2020 | Disciplemaking, Uncategorized |
Previously, I alluded to our Leadership Collective 2000 and presented 4 Basic Building Blocks of Disciplemaking – CLICK HERE. Since then I have been working with Glenn Spyksma to brainstorm reflection questions under each of the Disciple-Making Building Blocks (DMbb).
Disciplemaking is a spiritual process with very real actionable steps. I use the term, Disciple Coach for the disciplemaker because it is more descriptive of the role of the disciple who makes disciples in our world today. Here are three benefits of Building Block #4 – Accountability.
The Power of Strategic Accountability:
- Accountability helps the Disciple Coach keep the main thing, the main thing.
- Accountability helps the Disciple Coach learn from real experience.
- Accountability helps the Disciple Coach in-motion.
Following are the reflection questions that you can use as a Disciple Coach to have a discipleship cycle (not a process)
Reflection Questions
DMbb #4 Accountability
- With God
- What are you learning about God?
- How do you know when you are doing the things God has called you to do as a disciple coach?
- With yourself with grace
- How am I prioritizing life events as a disciple coach?
- What am I not doing that I know I should be doing?
- With those God has entrusted to you
- What do you do to process set-backs with a disciple when their good intentions don’t produce the intended fruit?
- What progress are you observing with the disciples you are coaching on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis?
- How do you celebrate a disciple’s progress when they take action?
- With trusted mentors
- What do you do to process missed opportunities as a disciple coach?
- How do you celebrate your progress when you take action as a disciple coach?
A resources to help Disciple Coaches stay in motion
Making Disciples Coaching Guide: this includes a brief explanation of each of the locations on the “map” accompanied by reflection questions for use by the Disciple Coach OR used in the context of a coaching relationship (see the explanation below) – CLICK HERE.
The best way to use the 4 DMbb
- Meet with a disciple coach or a group of disciple coaches.
- Use the 4 DMbb as an assessment – help the disciple coach identify which one they need to focus on today
- Depending on which of the four the disciple coach identifies, help them further reflect on the specific aspect they need to focus – see expanded list CLICK HERE
That will set the stage for a spiritual discernment process to determine the disciple coach’s next steps. Use the reflection questions above, in addition to the questions we present under the remaining DMbb presented in future blogs to facilitate the conversation. Help the disciple coach is to stay in motion by taking the next step in their journey to make disciples that make disciples.
by Gary Reinecke | Aug 12, 2020 | Disciplemaking |
Previously, I alluded to our Leadership Collective 2000 and presented 4 Basic Building Blocks of Disciplemaking – CLICK HERE. Since then I have been working with Glenn Spyksma to brainstorm reflection questions under each of the Disciple-Making Building Blocks (DMbb).
Disciplemaking is a spiritual process with very real actionable steps. I use the term, Disciple Coach for the disciplemaker because it is more descriptive of the role of the disciple who makes disciples in our world today. Here are three assumptions that we make when we speak about disciplemaking. Here are three distinctions between Building Block #3 Have a discipleship cycle – and a process.
What is the difference between a “cycle” vs. a “process”?
- A cycle is ongoing and continuous vs. a process – it has a clear start and end point.
- A cycle prioritizes the need of the disciple vs. a process – it is linear with a pre-determined agenda.
- A cycle relies on obedience vs. a process – it relies on content and acquiring knowledge.
Following are the reflection questions that you can use as a Disciple Coach to have a discipleship cycle (not a process)
Reflection Questions
DMbb #3 Have a discipleship cycle (not a process)
- Develop a comprehensive disciplemaking cycle that you believe in and will use:
- Who have you shared your disciplemaking cycle with, in the last 90 days?
- If you don’t have anyone that you have shared your disciplemaking cycle with recently, what is getting in the way?
- What changes do you need to make to your disciplemaking cycle?
- Develop a comprehensive disciplemaking cycle that is reproducible and incorporates the three steps of multiplication:
STEP 2
“You do and I watch”
STEP 3
“You do and some else watches”
-
- How transferable is your cycle?
- Who have you discipled that is using your cycle with other disciple coaches?
- What elements need to be refined further or added to make your cycle more transferable?
3 resources to help you design your own disciplemaking cycle:
- Watch Pastor Russ Sidders share his Disciplemaking Cycle – CLICK HERE.
- Disciplemaking Storyboard – CLICK HERE.
- Disciplemaking Coaching Guide – CLICK HERE.
The best way to use the 4 DMbb
- Meet with a disciple coach or a group of disciple coaches.
- Use the 4 DMbb as an assessment – help the disciple coach identify which one they need to focus on today
- Depending on which of the four the disciple coach identifies, help them further reflect on the specific aspect they need to focus – see expanded list CLICK HERE
That will set the stage for a spiritual discernment process to determine the disciple coach’s next steps. Use the reflection questions above, in addition to the questions we present under the remaining DMbb presented in future blogs to facilitate the conversation. Help the disciple coach is to stay in motion by taking the next step in their journey to make disciples that make disciples.
