by Gary Reinecke | Apr 17, 2021 | Disciplemaking |
“In order to develop a framework, it is necessary to be clear about what you are trying to accomplish;
what are the identifiable traits of loving God, loving others and making disciples.
You need to start with the big picture.”
As You Go… Make Disciples by Colin Noyes
March 2020 we launched our first Leadership Collective. The Leadership Collective facilitates a learning community of up to 15 church planters, pastors and network leaders to assess and strengthen their leadership pipelines, beginning with the newest disciples of Jesus. After the 2-day, in person event, the state of CA shut-down! Little did we know then, that the shut down would last as long as it has.
What did we learn about disciplemaking through the Leadership Collective during the pandemic?
- The mission will always trump religion!
- The Gospel will thrive during times of adversity!
- The process of making disciples must be reproducible!
Let me briefly unpack each of these points:
The mission will always trump religion!
Sadly, Barna reported that 1 in 3 practicing Christians stopped attending church during the pandemic (July 2020). What does this statistic suggest? I’m not a statistician but I believe the last year did some necessary sifting and the result speaks for itself.
- Church leaders that were making disciples before the pandemic were able to bare down on the mission.
- Church leaders that weren’t making disciple were reminded what the mission is and made a quick pivot.
The Gospel will thrive during times of adversity!
You might be wondering what thriving looks like? Thriving in my use of the term here is the manner in which followers of Jesus chose to respond to the circumstances sourounding the pandemic. Some chose to remain open, curious and committed to learning. Others chose to be closed, judgmental and unwilling to learn. Those who chose the former are thriving and those who chose the latter – not so much..
- Church leaders that had an intentional small group ministry with 80% or more of their adults in small groups, survived and some are thriving.
- Church leaders tested new platforms for virtual ministry to expand their reach.
- Church leaders that did not meet that threshold are playing catch-up.
The process of making disciples must be reproducible
Leaders in the Leadership Collective were challenged to share their disciplemaking cycle using a napkin, record their explanation and enter the 3-minute video in a friendly competition. The idea is that if you can illustrate your cycle on a napkin it will probably be clear and simple enough to reproduce in other disciples. This is what we discovered last year.
- Church leaders with a reproducible process put more and more energy into making disicples, that were making disciples.
- Church leaders that had a rough idea of their process further refined it to make it more transferable.
Where are you and your congregation?
Below are a couple of resources that might help you assess your disciplemaking process, begin coaching disciples you are making and replicate that with other disciplemakers.
Making Disciples Coaching Guide with Storyboard
Making Disciples Storyboard
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 9, 2021 | Disciplemaking |
One of the lessons Jesus lived-out with his disciples was the importance of relationships. Inside the band of disciples the relationships were deeper. There was John; then Peter and James; then the other nine. Outside the band of disciples were a wide assortment of people Jesus related to ranging from religious to non-religious people, far from God. The lesson Jesus taught his disciples was to live in both worlds.
In my last blog I presented the habit: Missional Values. I explained what I mean by missional values:
- Missional = disciples making disciples into the 3rd & 4th generation
- Values = principles that drive missional behaviors
Simply put, Missional Values guide people who are making disciples into the 3rd & 4th generation.
This may seem so basic, but if followers of Jesus focused on Active Prayer (Habit #1) and Missional Values (Habit #2) we might see an upward tick in the calibre of disciples being made. What do you think?
The goal of this exercise is to arrive at the essential support, resources or training a disciple needs – to make disciples, that make disciples.
Now let’s take a look at two areas of focus under RELATIONAL CONNECTIONS:
- Relationships with non-Christians
- Relationships with Christians
It is challenging to live in the tension of developing relationships with people near to God (insiders) and with other people who far from God (outsiders). It is challenging but this is the way Jesus lived and the way he trained his disciples In my life it is easy to make excuses and end up not doing either well. How about you?
Research tells us that after a relatively short period of time (the most conservative estimate is 2 years but some say 3-6 months is more accurate) new Christians lose contact with their non-Christian friends. My earliest memories of connecting with outsiders goes back to when I was in elementary school and I felt the compulsion to invite my neighbor to church. I did eventually give an invitation and I thought that was a major accomplishment. I also remember my mom hosting a VBS in our backyard (to my introverted self it felt like an intrusion on my privacy) forcing me to put my faith “out there”. My dad took a bold step and invited all 300+ employees from his plant to an outreach event at our church during the holiday called the Living Christmas Tree. Together they led a vibrant ministry to singles and singles-again through our home church. There were fits and starts through my college years as I attempted to connect with outsiders. In my estimation the lineage of disciplemaking is more of a squiggly line than an upward trajectory. And perhaps that is a good insight to capture here – disciplemaking is hard work, with little reward (at least in the here and now).
I honestly believe people like my mom and dad have an amazing lineage of people who are now celebrating with their Lord and Savior in heaven. You may be that kind of person. In this habit I want to encourage you to take a honest look and see yourself as God created you. And take on the challenge to develop relationships with both insiders and outsiders to make disciples. I have 30+ years of experience, coaching amazing leaders I’ve had the privilege of working with that have soul-crushing stories of how God has used them to empower others to connect with insiders and outsiders through starting and reproducing healthy churches.
You might be wired more like an introvert than an extrovert. That does not give you an excuse. It does suggest that you will build different kinds of relationships than your extrovert friends. You may be an extrovert and you have an amazing ability to connect with people. But developing connections in and of itself is not the mission – making disciples is; therefore, be certain that you have a path to help others follow you, as you follow Jesus.
That leads us to the following habit which we will cover next time – STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS.
by Gary Reinecke | Apr 2, 2021 | Disciplemaking |
I’ve been pondering this question for some time now: “What essential support, resources or training does a disciple need to make disciples, that make disciples?”
Back in the fall of 2020 I began a conversation with one of my friends who was asking the same question. Glenn worked in industry his entire career and has a pretty good pulse on how to make disciples in places the local church is having little success. In fact, one of the catalysts for Glenn has been his frustration with participating in local churches but seeing little impact made beyond the walls of the church building. Simultaneously, I’ve informally asked people what they really need. I’ve blogged about some of those ideas. Glenn and I are working at refining the list.
In my last blog I presented the habit: Active Prayer. We identified two areas of focus that a disciple could benefit from in his/her prayer life.
- Prayer for self
- Prayer for people God has placed in their life to coach on their spiritual journey
Now I want to circle back around to the second habit on the list: Missional Values. What do I mean by missional values? Let’s start with “missional”. And then define “values”.
- Missional = disciples making disciples into the 3rd & 4th generation
- Values = principles that drive missional behaviors
Simply put, Missional Values guide people who are making disciples into the 3rd & 4th generation.
In our conversations with people, the three missional values we see in Scripture and are verified in ministry with other leaders include:
- Loving God
- Loving your neighbor
- Making disciples
It is like a three-legged stool.
One leg without the other two is worthless. Two without the one is broken. All three legs must be solid.
This is the reason why the habit made it’s way into the list. Without missional values the motivation will always be lacking. A person may make disciples for other reason like:
- obligation
- guilt
- legalistic teaching
When a person embraces these it is hard to NOT make disciples: Loving God, Loving your neighbor and Making disciples.
How important are these three values to you?
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 27, 2021 | Disciplemaking |
There is a lot to understand about discipleship and making disciples. Today there is the organic vs. the programmatic approach. Examples are a plenty: Alpha, DMM, 3DM, etc. Relationship without intentionality leads to – well problems!
I remember when I was in seminary. With the pressures of doing life and studying, idealistic thoughts of how ministry should be and romantic thoughts of serving in adventurous regions of the world – I pondered: “What could possibly grab my attention and become my life-long mandate?”
One of the reasons I attended the seminary I did was because both of the pastors I grew-up under highly recommended it because the founder, Bill Bright, envisioned an institution that would integrate theology with ministry. As a result, I served in a church as an intern and within the first 3 months voluntarily signed-up to be part of a church planting team. The lag time between the classroom and ministry was compressed. I intentionally focused on things that I could apply or at least, thought I might be able to apply in the church plant where I was establishing a small group ministry.
Back to the question at hand. I remember sitting in the lounge on campus and reflecting on this notion:
“If I could spend my life doing one thing, what would that one thing be?
Making disciples was what we are all charged to do as followers of Jesus.
This would be a worthwhile cause to give my life to.”
Since then I have been practicing, learning, reading observing – you name it – I’ve become somewhat of a nerd!
Lately, I have shifted my focus slightly, asking a related but different question: “What essential support, resources or training does a disciple need to make disciples, that make disciples?”
Back in the fall of 2020 I began a conversation with one of my friends who was asking the same question. We have been working at refining the list. Simultaneously, I’ve informally asked people what they really need. I’ve blogged about some of those ideas. Now I am refining the list. Here is an example of what we have come up with in the informal study I have been conducting. If you would comment or expand on this first idea I would love to read your thoughts. Over the course of the next couple of blogs I will unpack each of the “habits” and then suggest an experiment that you might find helpful with disciples you are making.
Let me begin with the idea of Active Prayer. We identified two areas of focus that a disciple could benefit from in his/her prayer life.
- Prayer for self
- Prayer for people God has placed in their life to coach on their spiritual journey
To test this first habit – ask the question: Could a disciple, make disciples without Active Prayer? If the answer is a resounding “Yes” or “maybe”; then we will need to reconsider. We agree that Active Prayer is a habit Jesus embedded in the DNA of His disciples; therefore, we need to take a deeper look.
What are your thoughts?
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 19, 2021 | Uncategorized |
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Lately I’ve been meditating on Psalm 1 and found myself caught-up by the imagery of the “righteous”.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Then I came across this Bonhoeffer quote – one of my heroes of the faith.
This weekend we put our two, young adult children on a plane so they could spend the next 10 weeks together in another city before they head-out on what is next for them. It has been a really special time for us as a family since last March when the kids came home for Spring Break but did not return to their respective college campuses for their final quarter. Instead they have remained with us. What a wonderful surprise to have them at home as one graduated and the other has been preparing for graduation this year. I am sure you can relate to this on some level.
I certainly am not an expert on parenting. But I know we need to make the most of every opportunity to love, listen and laugh!
When I overlay the two together – the image of the righteous and the opportunity to influence the next generation – I realize that coaches who are developing emerging leaders have an intense responsibility. We do this well, imagine the fruit. We fumble the “passing of the baton” – everyone loses!
Here are 5 questions to help you reflect on how you can steward your calling to “live for the next generation”:
- How would you describe your vision for the next generation?
- What is getting in the way of you being fully present when you are coaching?
- How can you maximize every opportunity you have to prepare the next generation?
- What are some ways you are willing to experiment to engage more and more with younger leaders?
- How do next generation leaders you coach demonstrate that they are living a life characterized by righteousness?
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 12, 2021 | Focused Ministry |
Take a moment and think about what you really need to accomplish today. Identify the 3 most important activities you can accomplish in a 24-hour period that will move your ministry forward. Now write those out!
I conducted an experiment in 2020 and purchased two different Muju black books. One is larger, about 5″x8″ and the other smaller about 4″x6″.
- The larger book I call my Gratitude Book. Each day I record 3 things I am grateful for, to remind myself of God’s active involvement in my life, His sovereignty and grace!
- The Smaller book I call my Top 3 Book. Each day I do the exercise I opened up with at the start of this blog.
I repeat this exercise Monday-Friday (and sometimes on the weekend).
What has been the results of my notebook experiment?
- I am seriously less stressed-out.
- Coincidentally, my experiment overlapped with the Covid virus which was in the back of everyone’s mind. It was and continues to be an unpredictable time in our society and globally. Questions about safety, financial viability and leadership from all-sectors of society scramble my thought life. But this simple exercise created a moment of clarify that focused my day!
- I am seriously more productive.
- In the midst of a typical day if I am honest – the highs, the lows and the mundane sap the energy and joy from my soul. Keeping this list before me, in addition to the other already planned activities of the day, was like a breath of fresh air. I can always say at the end of the day – “Well done!”
- I am seriously more purposeful.
- I wanted to say “more missional” but that is such an over-used term it can lose it’s meaning. What I mean by purposeful is that these 3 activities, based upon my best understanding of what will move the mission of God forward, will have the greatest impact. Regardless of your particular field you can apply this to your context and feel like you are about the Lord’s work – discovering what God is already at work doing and partnering with Him on His mission.
Let’s play this out in real time!
What if you took out a piece of paper – right now. And you wrote-out 3 things you are Grateful for: They might be random things like:
- your health
- your family
- the chance to serve God through your work
Now take another piece of paper and write-out the Top 3 activities or tasks that will move your ministry forward. They might include:
- call a leader that you need to foster a relationship with in your church.
- write an e-mail to a board member
- mail a check to a vendor
Reflection Questions to Consider:
- How can you improve on what you are already doing?
- What could this give you that you don’t already have?
- What one thing will increase your effectiveness today?
This is not simply a work smarter – not harder idea!
A Spiritual Exercise
I approach this activity as a spiritual exercise. I want to hear what God has to say about my day and the absolute best way I can partner with Him. This has the desired effect of putting things in perspective and joy in my soul.
by Gary Reinecke | Mar 8, 2021 | Disciplemaking |
4 Postures People take when Relating to God:
Did you grow up going to Sunday School like I did? One of the early memories I have was graduating from third to fourth grade and getting the “big kid” curriculum. It revolved around the Bible illustrated in a comic strip format. It felt more grown-up because the art-work was more refined, sophisticated. Can you relate?
Years later I remember being introduced to various tracks including the “4 Spiritual Laws”. It illustrated the gospel in a clear but simple way. There was the throne of life and how one normally puts the “self” on the throne and God outside of one’s life. Until one decides to make God Lord of their life, he or she remains on the throne of their own life until they surrender the throne to Jesus and allow him to take it.
It made sense to many people in the second half of the last century.
Now the culture has changed. The way people engage others to communicate the Gospel has change along with it. But the message remains the same.
Here are a couple of questions for your consideration:
- How do you communicate the message of the Gospel?
- How are you helping other’s share the message of the Gospel?
- Are you satisfied with your results?
If you struggle with a relevant and simple way to communicate the Gospel message you might be interested in what Skye Jethani has to say in the book “with”. He suggests that people typically relate to God taking one of four postures – or a combination. Here are the four postures he shares in a simple stick-figure picture:
- Life Under God
- Life Over God
- Life From God
- Life For God
The title of his book suggests an alternative posture: Life with God.
If you want to learn more about the four postures in a 5-minute video – CLICK HERE.
Check-out the book below!
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 26, 2021 | Disciplemaking, Uncategorized |
In case you missed it a recent report was published comparing the views of four Christian groups in a number of areas – see graphic above.
The American Worldview Inventory 2020, conducted by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) Director of Research Dr. George Barna, surveyed 51 beliefs and behaviors among Christian groups and found that rather than transforming the culture around them with biblical truth, the opposite is happening. American Christianity is rapidly conforming to the values of the post-Christian secular culture. Key findings of the survey include:
- Evangelicals are embracing secularism
- Pentecostals and charismatics take secularization a step further
- Mainline Protestants are the most secular of the four faith families
- Catholics are increasingly secular and permissive
If you are like me this information is both alarming and confirming – that is, it might affirm what we already sense is happening in the church!
What does this mean for the advance of the gospel?
- Your life and ministry matters
- It is easy to read data like this, hear yet another account of a leader who trips and falls or listen to the voice of the media take a sucker punch at the church or Christianity. In some cases this is well deserved. But the reason Christianity exists today is because people like you have taken a stand and refuse to retreat, give-up or give-in.
- Coaching Question: Where can you take a stand today?
- Continue the work of making disciples
- If you are part of the problem – change or get out of the way. Seriously! Now, if you are still with me – leverage your influence. Remember your values. Take action. Sometimes the little things we do, matter the most.
- Coaching Question: What values drive you to take the next step in helping someone on their discipleship journey?
- Go small and deep
- Jesus was a friend to the disciples. He cared. Jesus went deep. If you have experienced the fruit of a small band of believers you know the deep impact that can be made. Culturally the time is ripe to go small and deep: see MEGA-MULTI-MICRO
- Coaching Question: Who are you partnering with to multiply disciples?
Take courage my friend – this battle is not over. More and more Christians and local churches are being marginalized, ignored and hated for what we STAND AGAINST vs. what we STAND FOR. Be strong and courageous (I Cor 6:13)!
For the full report entitled:
American Worldview Inventory 2020
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 23, 2021 | Church Multiplication |
One of the important transitions over the last 30 years in the church in the West are the three shifts mentioned in the title of this blog (Mega-Multi-Micro) which is based on a recent webinar hosted by the Multiply PDX Third Thursday series. Their special guest was Ralph Moore and the theme was “Embedding Multiplication DNA in your Church Culture”. Following is a critique of what has happened that has forced the transition with a reflection question for you and your church to continue to make the shift from Mega-Multi-Micro.
Mega: When I was in my early years of ministry (1980s) I served as an intern at my home church. Skyline Wesleyan Church was one of the most innovative churches in the US at the time (see Elmer Townes book: “10 of Today’s Most Innovative Churches: What They’re Doing, How They’re Doing it & How You Can Apply Their Ideas in Your Church”). Mega churches (1,000 members and above) have obvious benefits and certain limitations. Most of all, because multiplication is not commonly built-into the DNA, mega churches will inevitably hit ceilings like: when their members outgrow facilities, when finances become a limiting factor or when the vision is not big enough. At some stage, every mega-church hits a ceiling.
- Reflection Question: How can we grow bigger by getting smaller?
Multi: In 2008, InFocus was hired to coach the 22 campus pastors of the NorthPoint Partnership Group. For the next 3 years I learned a lot about the multi-site model. Mega churches that continue to grow and eventually outgrow their home campus have gone multi. When a church reaches maximum seating capacity AND enough people drive more than 20 miles to reach the campus, new sites or campuses are launched to create more space for new church members. The critical mass needed to support the launch plus the 20 mile drive existing members make to the main campus informs the decision to launch a new campus.
- Reflection Question: How can we mobilize more leaders to start more campuses?
Micro: This model is not new but it is not the type of church that catches the attention of mainstream Christianity in the West. Two distinctions mark the micro-church . First, micro-churches prioritize multiplication, leadership development and church planting. Pastor’s of micro-churches tend to be co-vocational, learn from on-the-job-training and are entrepreneurial. Second, because micro-churches meet in homes or neutral spaces, they have low overhead. Facilities do not play a prominent role as in the Mega and Multi.
Ralph Moore shared two observations that are unique to this time in our history that present a special opportunity for the micro-church.
- This last year has changed the way American culture perceives the church. At best, the culture has ignored the church. But this last year has heightened the hostility towards the church and that trend, according to Moore, will only increase over time. Micro-churches allow churches to operate under the radar. Imagine a church that meets in your home to gather your neighbors.
- Mega and Multi churches tend to reach homogenous groups. This presents a special opportunity for the micro-church. Flexibility, focus and intentionality of reaching affinity groups are traits of the micro-church.
- Reflection Question: How can we reach affinity groups that are ignored by the existing churches in our community?
Will the Mega and Multi-site church cease to exist?
This is a hard question to answer. Here is my critique on what will continue to happen with the church in the West. From the work of Ralph Neighbors and others, the church of the future will be bigger AND smaller. In the US though we have not hit the scale that other countries have experienced. Larger churches on the global scale are in the 100s of thousands – see Global Megachuches by Leadership Network. AND churches will get smaller. Cell churches, micro-churches, and house churches are examples of how the church will continue to get smaller. A better question in my estimation is the place of the mid-size church and how it fits into the landscape of the church in the West in the future? That in my opinion, is the challenge for the future.
If you would like to view the webinar in it’s entirety – CLICK HERE.
Check-out Ralph Moore’s book on a modern-day church multiplication movement in the West!
by Gary Reinecke | Feb 14, 2021 | Uncategorized |
One of the cool things with advances in technology is that you can leverage data to get better and better. Take Strava, the exercise app used by runners, cyclists and swimmers. I have discovered the power of tracking data while mountain biking. I have refined my riding over the last couple of years by comparing times on the same trails (called “segments”). One trail I am challenging myself with this year is a technical downhill that has boulders of all sizes with steep drops and sharp turns. Large boulders, stacked, rounded, sharp, gnarly – you name it, “Overdrive” has a bit of everything. I am improving my times little by little. Getting better and better with each ride. I know this because I have the data to support my times.
How does this apply to ministry?
We all measure what matters. Whether we do this formally or informally, we have some internal or external mechanisms to assess whether we are progressing, plateauing or in decline. We can probably agree on a few universal measures that most church leaders track like quantifying the disciples your church is making, leaders being developed and churches planted to name a few. In a related topic I wrote a blog entitled: WHAT DOES IT COST YOUR MINISTRY TO MAKE A NEW DISCIPLE?
My colleague in Australia, Colin Noyes expanded on the topic in a recent blog with some helpful insights and process questions to arrive at an ROI for making disciples in your church. You can read more by CLICKING HERE.
This may or may not be a helpful question for you to be asking right now. It is easy to criticize the church for what it is not doing well but it is also important to remind ourselves what we are doing well. If you want to focus on a particular area right now where you can improve and get better and better, here are a couple of questions to help you arrive at the measures that matters most to you and your ministry in this season:
- What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of relationships occurring in your church right now?
- How will you track the quality of relationships?
- What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of disciples being made?
- How will you track the quality of disciples being made?
- What is the most important indicator to assess the quality of leaders being trained?
- How will you track the quality of leaders being trained?
Bottom line – this stuff matters!
- Embrace what matters.
- Assess your starting point.
- Get better and better!
If you are interested in exploring our Leadership Collective and want to learn from a regional perspective the impact this can have on your churches – CLICK HERE. We will launch our next cohort on March 8. Please contact me direct – CLICK HERE.
