There are seven mission critical concepts that you must grapple to create a robust culture of disciplemaking + church multiplication. Each worthy of deep reflection, prayer and adept coaching. I’ve listed these as “concepts” along with a key question.
Here they are:
Concept 1- Discipleship:
What is your discipleship pathway?
Concept 2 – Fruitfulness:
How do you measure fruitfulness?
Concept 3 – Ministry:
What is your definition of ministry?
Concept 4 – Church:
Describe what constitutes the local church?
Concept 5 – Time:
What can you do to move from expediency to significance?
Concept 6 – Gospel:
List your Gospel imperatives?
Concept 7 – Love:
How do you express your love of God?
Who is your neighbor?
You probably aren’t surprised by these. On the other hand, you may have others you would add to the list. Take a moment and reflect on your experience:
What concepts are you rethinking?
How are these changing your approach to disciplemaking + church multiplication?
Please continue the conversation and respond below….
Following are three observations “from the trenches” that are worth paying attention to if you have any interest, or concern over disciple-making movements. This is real data extracted from reliable resources. My goal is to clearly state the problem.
I hope you find the information helpful as we continue the mission of Jesus to make disciples…
Globally, the percentage of the world’s population that have become Christian is about the same today as it was 100 years ago
Approximately 32% of the global population was Christian in 1910 vs. 35% in 2010. The research also shows there has been a shift regionally, which is interesting to note; lower percentage of Christians in Europe and the Americas vs. an increase in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia Pacific, while the Middle East-North Africa has remained about the same – see Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian by The Pew Research Center.
Most churches stall-out after the first generation
80% of the churches in the US have plateaued or are in decline.
Most disconcerting is that of the new churches planted in 2012; only 22% had started at least one daughter church within 5 years of existence – see Multiplication Today, Movements Tomorrow by Ed Stetzer & Daniel Im (p.14).
The 5-year window has been the “best practice” for a healthy church to plant a daughter church – see Multiplication Today, Movements Tomorrow by Ed Stetzer & Daniel Im (p.4).
Mac Lake suggest that only 4% of churches ever reproduce
Hirsch and Catchim tell us that the church in the US spends over $70 billion every decade on church plants and resources; but even so “we are experiencing decline in adherence and membership at an unprecedented rate” – see Beyond the Local Church by Sam Metcalf (p. 159).
This raises an important question: “With the heightened awareness of church planting as the most fruitful, God-given strategy to reach people far from Him, in combination with the resources (conferences, books and service) available; why aren’t churches able to make the shift missionally?” See Multiplication Today, Movements Tomorrow by Ed Stetzer & Daniel Im.
Here is my attempt to state the problem of the church in the US today:
The current way we make disciples, do church & plant churches has attracted the low-lying fruit therefore,
we must introduce new ways to make disciples, do church & plant churches.
In the upcoming blogs I will reflect a bit more on these three statistics and identify the signs that lead to Movement Drift.. If it were easy, I believe we would have already figured it out with out human ingenuity. I believe the solution lies not in our capacity to think through the solution but in our reliance on the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit first and foremost.
Please join me on the journey and participate in the conversation.
As my kids return home later this week from their summer internships and get ready for the fall quarter at university, I’m super excited to see them and de-brief their experiences. We’ll have three weeks together to enjoy some camping, hiking, swimming, beach days, and maybe a fire-pit or two. Both of our kids had amazing summers and I love to hear how God used them in their respective areas of focus before they go back to the grind of their studies.
I trust you are finishing your summer on a “high” note and preparing for the fall.
As you’re making your plans for the fall, I wanted to remind you about our two Collectives. Registration ends September 3rd, so if you’ve been waiting to apply, now is the time.
Here are the three easy steps that make-up the Collective:
ACTIVATE your vision through individualized coaching.
ASSESS your process to cultivate leaders using a coach approach.
APPLY principles in your context.
Click here to read more and apply for the Developing Coaching Excellence Collective
Click here to read more and apply for the Church Planting Coach Collective
Group discounts of two or more people are available upon request.
If you have any questions, we’re here for you. You can reply to this email or give us a call at (951) 473-4481.
The impact of a coach on a leader or team is tremendous. It can make the difference between winning and losing. Think Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors.
It is the same in disciplemaking and church planting. A leader with the right approach, who has developed the necessary skills and has the temperament to coach people to take action, has a tremendous advantage.
A group I worked with recently has a number of pastors and church planters learning the art of coaching. One leader shared the dramatic change in people when he has taken the coach approach. In several conversations when he was asked for advice, he turned to the individual and challenged them to reflect and brainstorm solutions for themselves. In just about every case, the people have responded enthusiastically and taken responsibility for their actions. This is the power of a coach approach.
Making this change is significant, strategic and sacrificial. Here are five shifts that occur when a leader moves from being indispensable to an empowering leader:
Shift from being viewed as the expert vs. viewing the other person as the expert
Shift from being the center of the conversation vs. supporting the other person
Shift from being the advice-giver vs. listener
Shift from being the creator of the agenda vs.hold the other person accountable for the agenda
Shift from being responsible to take action vs. empower the other person to take action
What could be the impact if you were to make these shifts?
You will help people think for themselves, foster a high sense of ownership and take action!.
You will expand your circle of influence so that you are not the only catalyst to lead an initiative, implement change or create a new culture.
What do you need to do, to take your coaching to the next level?
Learning Communities provide a great opportunity for leaders to learn with and from other coaches-in-training.
Christian Pulisic is a 19-year-old American soccer player that has made a name for himself with the German “Bundesliga” club – Borussia Dortmund. At a very early age, he realized the impact of being around other players and coaches who were more experienced, more accomplished and more motivated to succeed. Dortmund is known as a club that develops players, a sort of farm system or learning community to help players progress and take their game to the next level!
When leaders participate in a “learning community” to develop their coaching skills, mutual learning occurs when three virtues are shared with participants:
Humility – leaders who are open to knew ideas
Hunger- leaders who are motivated to grow in their understanding and practice of coaching
Emotional Intelligence – leaders with a high level of self-awareness.
How can you truly become a world-class coach?
In 2007 a member of my board, Linda Millerasked me about certification. For those who don’t know, Linda is a pioneer in the coaching industry. As a consulting partner, trainer, and team facilitator with the Ken Blanchard Organization she has coached leaders around the world. Linda helped establish the International Coach Federation to raise the caliber of coaching worldwide. When she asked me that question, it caused me to think.
As a result, I started my journey to develop my coaching skills. I’m not suggesting that people in ministry need certification. However, I am encouraging you as a leader who empowers disciplemakers, leaders and church planters, to take your development seriously. If you are satisfied with the results you are getting and seeing disciples, leaders and church planters reproduce into the third and fourth generation – by all means, keep doing what you are doing; if not, you might want to consider raising your coaching game!
When should you take the next step in your development as a coach?
InFocus is excited to present an opportunity to sharpen your coaching effectiveness. The launch of the first Developing Coaching Excellence Collective is September 2018. This Collective is designed to assist leaders who coach disciplemakers and church planting/multiplication leaders. Last week I introduced my co-facilitator, Mukesh Azad, who is an Indian living in Delhi and leading a Business as Mission initiative. He brings a refreshing view how his coaching business serves as a platform to enter communities while incarnating the gospel and being on-mission. The more I witness the work of God around the world, the more I see God mobilizing people who are working in the marketplace use their gifts while making disciples and planting churches. Read more about Mukesh and his expertise at the bottom of this page.
I would consider it a privilege if you were able to join us. Click here if you have questions or are interested in more information.
Do you remember your first shot? You were reassured; “it will only sting a little bit”. Feedback is sometimes like that.
Here are three strategies to develop your coaching muscle:
STRATEGY #1: Work with a coach mentor
STRATEGY #2: Ask For & Receive Feedback
STRATEGY #3: Learn with and from other coaches
I’ve discovered that the feedback I receive is mostly appreciated – usually helpful.
I remember the feedback on my coaching through a formal, written assessment – from two experienced assessors. The introduction to the report was brutal. So harsh, that I put the report down. Weeks later when I picked-up the document again; I found their recommendations extremely helpful. However, I had some questions.
During my internal struggle to gain perspective, I missed the window of opportunity for inquiry to engage the assessors. Lesson learned! If you are going to ask for feedback, be open to criticism.
Be prepared to accept what is genuinely helpful and reject feedback that does not accurately represent your experience and reality. Incidentally, this is a skill called “Self-Assessing” that is measured in the Online 360-degree Coach Assessment that I mention below.
There exists countless ways to receive feedback on your coaching. You can receive informal or formal feedback. In person, real-time or written. I have used and found each mode helpful.
I tend to lean on two types of feedback:
Real-time observation:
Small group, triads and 1-1 coaching sessions provide an opportunity for real-time feedback. The “fish-bowl” of group coaching gives participants opportunities to practice their coaching with timely feedback from individual of the group as well as a competent assessor. In addition, when asked in a 1-1 coaching session, feedback can requested to give you a sense of how you are helping the other person through listening and asking questions (for instance).
Qualitative Assessment:
Using a 90-degree, 180 or Online 360-degree Coach Assessment; coaches solicit feedback from people they have coached. Multiple people are asked to assess the leader using the Online Coach Assessment 360-degree how she/he demonstrated the essential skills of coaching. The result is a clarifying experience.
The combination of soft + hard data; group + individual; real-time + deferred; makes for a robust experience to develop your coaching excellence.
InFocus is excited to give you an opportunity to sharpen your coaching effectiveness. The launch of the first Developing Coaching Excellence Collective is September 2018. This is uniquely designed to assist leaders who coach disciplemakers and church planter/multiplication leaders.
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