I had the privilege to interview Colin Noyes and Micah Dodson in response to the question: Why does disciplemaking begin in the Harvest?
Watch the video – CLICK HERE!
Colin lives in Brisbane, Australia and is an authority on disciplemaking movements. For the last twenty years he has served in denominations, ministries and leaders as a coach/consultant/trainer. Colin has authored three books on the topic.
Here are key points Colin shares:
- Jesus started in the harvest
- Disciples worked in the harvest because they were a very small group in a pagan world
- Disciplemaking was a normal part of life for every believer
- People today are interested in Jesus and what He has to say
- The post-Constantine church has to be obedient to Jesus and look back
Read more about Colin – CLICK HERE.
Here are the key points Micah shares:
- Orienting our lives around people who don’t know Jesus
- Jesus intends that we make the most of every opportunity
- Live in proximity to people who don’t know Christ
- Empower people to go out
Micah is an experienced church planter. He serves in the Pacific Northwest coaching, training, and assessing church planting leaders. Micah brings a compassion for the church planting couple and family in partnership with his wife, Kristen. Read more about Micah – CLICK HERE.
Please interact with the points from above, in the conversation below.
Because currently our only presence as a worshiping and learning community is “out there,” we are making contact with people where they are, online. Sunday worship is no longer taking place in a building but literally on the world wide web. We are making unique and unforeseen connections with people from other countries and regions who stumble upon what we are doing. This is a season of opportunity, as you say. The question will be how we take advantage of the opportunities. Creativity has been forced upon us by circumstances, and as I see it, that has often been the most fruitful place for the church to be.
Q1: In your opinion, how are you seeing the needle move in the direction Colin and Micah describe above in your church during this “season of opportunity”?
One of the churches that I’m connected with has revamped their wed site from a “come to us approach” and turned it into an equipping tool to resource their church to reach out during this quarantine. Additionally, they took their Easter egg hunt to people by inviting folks to sign up for an “egg your house” event. They delivered 652 Easter baskets to people’s houses. Don’t worry, everyone sanitized their hands and wore masks.
I am seeing the needle move quickly to the go and be during this time. There have been many discussion about being the church to the world. I would also say the predominate model currently in the go and be churches I know have a back end twist to the model. Go and be to bring them here. We have not fully embraced a new model of “me” being on mission every day in the world to make disciples.
I believe there is a strong role the church plays in the new model. Colin said it well when he detailed his framework this way; Jesus, pre Constantine church then the modern church.
I grew up in a model where the church was #1 and relationships where somewhere down the list. I see this starting to change but it’s scary and hard work.