I read Viral – Hearing God’s Voice in a Global Pandemic…and Beyond by Neil Cole and thought it was worth sharing with you. With all the available content available today, it is difficult to discern what is worth reading and what isn’t. I would definitely put Neil Cole’s book, “Viral,” on the “should read” list. I don’t use the term “must read” because it is overused and loses its meaning, but you should read this book.
In the 6th chapter, the author outlines 8 principles that catalyze Jesus’ movements. Each is critical IF you aspire to participate in some way in a multiplication movement that multiplies Jesus followers, disciple-making communities, and churches. I know other authors have distilled their lists, but I found Cole’s list gets to the root issues of a movement. Here is the list, which I am going to attempt to summarize in my language so that it might cause you to prayerfully consider them, read about them, and most importantly, implement them.
Let’s get started:
- Self-Directed Learning
All too often, church leaders and structure can get in the way of what the Holy Spirit is saying to a person on the individual level. Sermons can be great sources of information along with small group curriculum, but the most powerful type of learning is that which comes from within the disciple of Jesus. When we were raising our children, I realized that when they grasped for topics that truly interested them, they were inspired to learn more. In this way, providing opportunities for Jesus followers to self-select where they need to grow can be the most powerful learning they will encounter on the spiritual journey. This more individual approach will shape the culture of any community.
- Learning in Community
Over the last year, I’ve stepped away from the more common approach to training leaders in Christian coaching, which is to work individually, one trainer per one leader, To a more group-oriented approach. Instead of 1-1, I broadened my scope to 1-3 leaders. I did this primarily out of the realization that I was working cross-culturally in a context that was more communal. Makes total sense given my background in small groups, but it never clicked until this last year in the way I train. What I discovered is a more powerful dynamic. It goes along with the idea that what you learn together will make you grow faster.
- Simple and Replicable Methods
It is frustrating when we raise the bar so high for people to find and follow Jesus that you need a college degree to navigate the maze. In fact, what many leaders deem as simple is actually complex to the average person. I’ve written on this topic if you are interested – READ MORE HERE.
- Letting The Bible Speak for Itself
This is especially problematic with the inundation of content from Christian communicators. Much of it is good, but some of it is not so good. The challenge is when we ask people to read the Bible and let it speak – they lack the ability or skill to listen and hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to them.
- Empowering all God’s People in a Lateral Leadership Model
This is especially challenging in our culture of celebrity. We all have gifts and abilities God wants to use. And you may or may not reach the status of “celebrity,” but the seeds of a gospel movement are planted inside of you and every Jesus follower. The question is, “What are you and I going to do about it?” This is not to say that there exist leaders of leaders. No, but the more people can imagine their part in a gospel movement, the flatter the organization will become. And the more agile that organization, or another way of saying that is: the more the power is “distributed” to the first-time follower of Jesus, the more they can share in the movement.
- Obedience-Oriented
It is said that everything rises and falls on leadership. More elementary than that, in a Jesus movement, everything rises and falls on obedience. You only need to read the words of Matthew 28:20a, “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” It is easy to rely on other apparatuses in ministry. However, the catalyst for multiplication rises and falls on obedience!
- Use of Filters
I believe this one will rub some the wrong way because it might go against the grain of best practices for pastoral care, but in the ministry of training and equipping disciple makers, it is important to focus. Cole uses the word “filter” as the process of prioritizing people of peace, or receptive individuals to the gospel, who are gatekeepers. I like the way he casts the vision to move with those who are leaning into Jesus and hold the keys to a group of people that they influence. Here are some of the examples he uses:
- Culturally Transferable and Globally Applicable Methods
Principles are just that. They work regardless of culture. They are not model-specific. One example of a principle borrowed from science is gravity. When I mountain bike and take a fall, I 100% of the time will hit the ground. I go down, not up. In disciple-making, the need to confess sin is essential for growth. Further, a change in behavior, or repentance, is essential to reinforce the change.
High-Impact Viral Ministry Reflection Questions
| Are you building dependent followers or self-directed disciples? What is the evidence that the people you train are capable of teaching themselves and others? |
| How can we transform our current learning spaces into vibrant, irresistible communities that naturally draw people in and propel them toward deeper knowledge and action? |
| If you had to cut 50% of your ministry activities tomorrow, what would you eliminate to focus exclusively on what directly reproduces mature disciples? |
| What are the subtle ways we might be editing, complicating, or talking over the pure voice of Scripture, preventing its direct, unvarnished impact? |
| What specific actions are you taking to make discipleship the universal expectation (the “bar”) for everyone, while simultaneously making leadership accessible and shared among many? |
| What is the missing invitation or challenge that could move people from simply knowing the truth to actually experiencing the joy and transformation of obeying it? |
| Beyond good intentions, what is your measurable strategy for identifying and focusing your time and resources on the “people of peace” who will accelerate your mission? |
| If someone observed your team for a week, what core, non-negotiable principles would they easily identify as the actual, lived “DNA” that governs every decision and action? |
Photo by Juan Davila on Unsplash
