by Gary Reinecke | Sep 22, 2020 | Disciplemaking, Uncategorized |
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, for so 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.
Gary Reinecke & Micah Dodson
by Gary Reinecke | Sep 16, 2020 | Uncategorized |
- Are you stuck in a ministry rut?
- Are you struggling to forge new relationships to make disciples?
- Are you tired of getting the same results, unsure what adjustments you need to make?
Before we begin the Leadership Community for Missional Discipleship we are hosting an online cohort to help you clarify your values. We’ll do that by facilitating a group through the Symbol Timeline Exercise together.
- Read more about the Symbol Timeline Exercise, please – CLICK HERE.
This will be the first time me and Micah Dodson have offered this FREE cohort to help you synthesize your values. The process officially begins October 1 and runs for 4 weeks. We will be limiting the group to 15 participants; sign-ups are on a first come, first serve basis.
- If you would like to participate in the FREE online cohort, please – CLICK HERE.
By joining the FREE online cohort you are NOT obligated to participate in the year-long Leadership Collective for Missional Discipleship process, please – CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO HERE. However, this serves as a clarifying, stand-alone exercise and can be an extremely helpful pre-cursor to the Leadership Collective for Missional Discipleship.
You are invited to participate in the FREE online cohort please – CLICK HERE.
Any questions? Please e-mail me – CLICK HERE.
Gary Reinecke
Executive Director
InFocus
MULTIPLY-FOCUS-EMPOWER-PLANT
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 | Jul 29, 2020 | Disciplemaking, Uncategorized |
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.
3 Assumptions of Disciplemaking
- The Scriptures are the source of new life in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, for the disciple coach.
- The fruit of a disciple coach are disciples making disciples
- The best context for disciplemaking is “as the disciple coach goes about doing life”.
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). For a quick review, here are the 4 DMBB.
1. Prayer
2. Form relationships with non-christians and christians
3. Have a discipleship cycle (not a process)
4. Accountability
Reflection Questions
DMbb #1 Prayer
- Prayer for me
- To understand Christ’s biblical foundation
- What are the BIblical foundations for disciplemaking?
- How are others seeing you live out these foundations in the last 60 days?
- To have a heart and mind for the lost that translate to compassion and action
- What moves and motivates you to make disciples?
- What would others say moves and motivates you?
- To see who God is leading my way
- What disciplemaking opportunities is God creating for you?
- Who is God preparing for you to connect with on their discipleship journey?
- Prayer for those God is leading my way to be open to the touch of the Holy Spirit
- Individual Prayer
- How can you pray for those God is moving and motivating to take the next step on their discipleship journey?
- Team Prayer
- Who is praying with you for the people you are discipling?
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 | Jul 8, 2020 | Church Multiplication, Disciplemaking, Uncategorized |
Current Champion League Champs, Liverpool FC with their manager Jurgen Klopp, celebrated a historic fifth championship last year (the tournament started in 1956). This year they won the English Premiership (arguable the most competitive league in the world) with the following accomplishments, if they continue their dominance in the weeks ahead:
- the most points ever earned by a team
- the most wins
- the greatest margin between themselves and their nearest rivals, during the modern era.
Their celebration affirmed their supremacy in the footballing (aka soccer) world. What is the genius behind Klopp’s approach? His trademark hugs to players when coming off the field, following a match and winning trophies go a long way in affirming what he values. But there is something more going on here.
In a recent Men in Blazers interview with Klopp, he was asked what really matters. His response was noteworthy – I summarize here. At the end of our lives I don’t believe we will be asked how many trophies we’ve won; however, I do think it matters what we have done with what we were given. Absolutely, every day I strive to make the most of every opportunity. What matters for me is that my players have given their best every time they step on the field.
This is what Klopp is affirming. The wins, trophies make a difference; but it is the mentality of “leaving everything on the field”, is what matters most. And is one reason Liverpool FC is the dominate club in the world today!
Back in my seminary days (1985-1988) I distinctly remember a chapel service when a guest speaker, George Patterson, come in to share his methodology of disciplemaking. The speaker was energetic and engaging – disarming in his presentation style. Most of all – CHALLENGING “the win” for missionaries, church planters and pastors.
George Patterson was a missionary in Honduras where he discovered a radical (meaning “root” or “returning to the foundation of something) approach to disciplemaking and church multiplication.
Read more about George Patterson
George Patterson spent 21 years in Central America training pastors to make disciples in a New Testament fashion that rapidly multiplies churches. In Honduras he began by training pastors in a traditional, resident Bible Institute with poor results. With the advice of more experienced missionaries and much trial and error, he later saw churches multiply through the instrumentality of “Theological Education and Evangelism by Extension” (TEEE). This non-formal pastoral training resulted in about 100 new churches over twenty years in northern Honduras. This is as a result of the Biblical discipleship and church reproduction principles Dr. Patterson implemented. This model is now used with similar results in Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well in the United States, and is distributed as Train & Multiply TM. George’s teaching style relies heavily on student involvement in role-plays and exercises that bring learning to life. He is hilarious and hyper-energetic in the classroom.
George was “rewarding” or affirming disciples who were making disciples AND planting churches through their disciplemaking efforts. It was inspiring and captivating. Near the end he role modeled an exercise that involved students as he went through the 5-step disciplemaking/leadership development process:
- I do – you watch
- You do – with me
- You do – I watch
- You do – without me
- You do – with someone else
Church Multiplication Guide by George Patterson & Richard Scoggins
George clearly communicated the “win”: disciples making disciples + churches planting churches. His explanation communicated that these outcomes were celebrated, affirmed and rewarded in culturally appropriate ways.
I will never forget this principle.
Closer to home, we might “reward” behaviors or achievements in ministry: baptisms, budget and buildings. Whatever those things are – we intentionally or unintentionally exalt or lift-up. Certain things recieve more air-time and attention, than others.
I remember the story a pastor shared, illustrating the importance he and the congregation at his previous church placed on Sunday morning worship attendance. The pastor set a numerical goal for the year for new visitors to attend a worship service. The morning of the final count the pastor realized he was 1 person short of their goal. He explained how he went to the local gas station the morning of, and convinced an employee to join him and attend service that morning. The employee did so and the congregation celebrated that accomplishment of the milestone together.
You might not reward Sunday morning worship attendance. But you might take a look at how your people are demonstrating behaviors of a disciple. Here is a short list of disciplemaking characteristics you might track:
- Compassion
- Sharing faith
- Acts of Service
- Sacrificial Giving
- Humility
Whatever that thing is, it is important for people to see what you and your church affirm, prioritize and reward.
5 questions to reflect on the “win” for your ministry
- How would you describe a “win” in your ministry?
- What are you rewarding in ministry?
- How are you rewarding people when they “win”?
- If your current “win” is not in alignment with your vision, what needs to change?
- What step can you take to affirm the “win” in your ministry, this week?
