Let me share with you about my mountain bike journey.
In 1993 my wife (Gina) and I decided to share a hobby we both had aspired to but never pursued individually – mountain biking. Probably, just like you, we had bikes as kids and did all the normal things you do on a bike. We understood the basics: balance, braking, turning, etc. But we wanted more.
Little did we know that would lead us into so many amazing adventures over the next 3 decades as we moved from thinking about mountain biking, talking about it to being about it.
We made a commitment. That led us to research various bike options. One of our friends from church was deep into biking and worked at a cycle shop. So we asked him to help us purchase bikes that fit our goal of getting out on the trail and learning how to maneuver the desert terrain of Phoenix, AZ on a two-wheeled apparatus.
Truth be told, Gina is a stronger rider than I am. She is more daring. More adventurous. And significantly faster. I have to work hard to keep up with her. It is genuinely frustrating, but we love the challenge and joy of mountain biking.
What can we learn from mountain biking that we can apply to disciplemaking?
I am glad you asked.
Earlier I mentioned that we went through this process of thinking about mountain biking, talking about it and finally being about it. These three stages were important and necessary. If we had only thought deeply about mountain biking, it may never have crept into our conversation. And if we had simply talked about the great times we would have riding mountain bikes; we might have never gotten around to actually getting our bodies on the two-wheeled piece of aluminum (or carbon fiber) and flung ourselves down bone jarring downhills or pedaled vigorously, climbing technical trails to ascend steep peaks with the reward of amazing views awaiting us.
If these three processes are important for mountain biking, is it possible that Christians in the West are stuck in a cycle of thinking and talking about discipleship to the neglect of being about discipleship?
Could this dynamic on an individual level be a systemic issue occurring in our churches?
Here is you chance to move from thinking and talking about discipleship to being about discipleship.
I know that this does not happen over night, so we are offering a combination of a 4-hour webinar followed by 4, hour-long coach triads over a 4 month period (December 2020-March 2021). Each triad consists of a coach facilitator and two participants.
Below are the details for both opportunities!
4 BUILDING BLOCKS FOR DISCIPLES AND DISCIPLE COACHES:
WEBINAR + COACHING TRIADS
Description: Orientation + Implementation of the 4 Building Blocks for Disciples and Disciple Coaches
Dates:
4-hour webinar – November 16, 2020 from 10amPST-2pm PST (1-5pm EST)
Four, hour-long coach triads over a 4 month period (December 2020-March 2021) – dates TBD with participants
Here are three common obstacles people face who earnestly want to impact the Kingdom by doing good and making disciples:
Obstacle #1: Staying true to your values
Oftentimes a disciple maker initially attempts to follow a prescribed disciple making process that good but not consistent with the values a disciplemaker embraces, for instance, the more relational a person’s temperament the less structured their approach might be to help a person process the next step(s) in their faith journey.
Obstacle #2: Not bearing the fruit expected
Oftentimes a disciplemaker has higher expectations than the apprentice of Jesus has for their life that can lead to frustration for both parties.
Obstacle #3: Connecting with a community of like-minded people
Oftentimes the disciplemaker is working alone and longs to be connected in a meaningful way with others who are on the same journey to.
Last Friday Micah Dodson and I hosted a 55-minute webinar to present the essential building blocks to build into your disciple making. Here is the slide deck from that presentation – 4DMBB Webinar HO 10.30.20
Now we want to give you the chance to build these 4 Disciple Making Building Blocks into your church culture with an expanded version of what we presented last Friday. We know that this does not happen over night, so we are doing a combination of a 4-hour webinar followed by 4, hour-long coach triads over a 4 month period (December 2020-March 2021). Each triad consists of a coach facilitator and two participants.
Below are the details for both opportunities!
4 DISCIPLE MAKING BUILDING BLOCKS: WEBINAR + COACHING TRIADS
Description: Orientation + Implementation of the 4 Disciple Making Building Blocks
Dates:
4-hour webinar – November 16, 2020 from 10amPST-2pm PST (1-5pm EST)
Four, hour-long coach triads over a 4 month period (December 2020-March 2021) – dates TBD with participants
Gary is the Executive Director of InFocus and trains leaders world-wide in the coaching process and skills. He has been coaching leaders for disciple-making, leadership development and church multiplication since 1988. Gary co-authored the Coaching 101 Handbook and Developing Coaching Excellence. He received the designation of Master Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation in 2018. Gary and his wife Gina live in Southern CA – they have two young adult children, Joel and Zoe.
REV. MICAH DODSON
Micah and Kristen Dodson has served in church planting for over 20 years in the Northwest. Having served in Suburban, Urban, and largely post-Christian contexts, the Dodsons have experience in starting, leading, and multiplying a variety of church models. Additionally, as a couple they have over a decade of experience running Church Planting Assessment Centers. Micah’s strengths are in coaching, training, and assessing church planting leaders. Kristen brings a compassion for the church planting couple and family while leveraging her background in mental health to provide expertise in times of crisis.
A real problem I am experiencing in leading our small group is keeping people engaged in the disciplemaking process. Not just because we are doing this remotely but also because discipleship is hard work. Can you relate to any of the following challenges that lead to Mission Drift:
busy schedules
family responsibilities
recreation
financial obligations
work pressure
Many times we stall-out in our development and it is easy to go through the motions and maintain vs. doing the hard work of making disciples, who make disciples.
How does that translate into the leadership roles of church planting, lead pastor or as a pastoral staff member of a church? The problem of making disciples grows exponentially with increasing scopes of care. It is one thing to disciple a small group. It is quite another to be charged with discipling multiple groups. Or an entire congregation.
The task of making disciples that make disciples is as critical today as it was 2,000 years ago. In the midst of giving leadership in a local church it can be lost in the tyranny of the urgent. I invite you to watch an interview with Ty Davis of Tulare Community Church below. He highlights the challenges he faces in his role on church staff, the struggles he encounters as he reorients his focus on making disciples and the benefits of being part of the Leadership Collective.
CLICK IMAGE ABOVE
If you would like more information on the LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE – Missional Discipleship – please CLICK HERE.
Covid-19 UPDATE
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 believe it is in the best interests of everyone involved 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.
Leaders, pastors and church planters are facing challenges like never before. Some are being hit from both sides of THE DEBATE. The debate might vary from one moment to the next; but today, at unprecedented levels, leaders are having their values tested in ways like never before. A common theme that I’ve heard in conversations with several leaders, is the issue of in-person vs. remote gatherings. Most of you reading this blog have been at the center of that debate. This is just one of several hot topics today. There are others that I could mention that are just as volatile or moreso, but that is not the point I am trying to make.
The point is, leaders are dealing with issues that were not even on their radar 6-9 months ago. I do not want to suggest to know the right answer. What I do know is that leaders are seeking authentic, responsible and collaborative support to clarify, strengthen and hold to their values. One leader I spoke to recently shared (and I summarize):
The upheaval in our world, and that I am facing right now, has undercut the rhythms of life and ministry…
…for him AND I might add, forso many others in ministry just like him.
It is encouraging to see places where leaders are seeking innovative solutions to address challenging circumstances impacting disciplemaking. Clusters of pastors and church planters gathering to encourage, support and brainstorm solutions. And new ways of doing discipleship are emerging from these encounters.
A few weeks ago I was speaking with my colleague, Micah Dodson of Thrive Church Planting. And we discussed the question, what can we do? That is how we came up with the Leadership Collective – MISSIONAL DISCIPLESHIP TIMELINE.
It is our response to help a select group of leaders, pastors and church planters support and encourage one another to clarify their values. Plain and simple. We are using the SYMBOL TIMELINE as the tool to help leaders process these together and individually beginning October 2 from 10-10:55am PST.
Here is the plan moving forward. We will meet for 4 sessions over ZOOM on Fridays from 10-10:55am PST. Below is the flow of the 4 sessions:
October 2: ORIENTATION TO THE MISSIONAL DISCIPLESHIP SYMBOL TIMELINE
October 9: TRANSITIONS & BOUNDARIES
October 16: SHARING YOUR TIMELINE
October 23: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Suggested Reading: We are purposefully NOT requiring any resource costs for this exercise. However, if you would like to learn more about the timeline – especially Transitions & Boundaries, let us suggest a wonderful companion book entitled: “STUCK! Navigating the Transition of Life and Leadership”, by Terry Walling.
We will be accepting participants until October 1 @ 5pm PST. Please CLICK HERE to let us know you are interested in participating by entering your:
Name
E-mail address
Paste MISSIONAL DISCIPLESHIP TIMELINE (in the Message box).
We are excited to get started. We hope you can join us. And bring a friend.
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