Author: Scott Chafee

Scott serves on staff at King’s Grant Baptist Church in Virginia Beach.

Disciple-Making Pastor, Part 5

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The Role of the Disciple Making Pastor:

The pastor is to shepherd. (elder, bishop, and pastor are generally used synonymously).

Elders:
Presbuteros, are people to whom the care of the church is committed (Acts 14:23, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 1 Timothy 5:17, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 5:1-3).

Bishop:
Episkopos, is a function of elders to give oversight and leadership to the church (1 Timothy 3:1).

Pastors:
Poimen, are elders who pastor the church, feeding the flock, teaching the Word and protecting the church from within and without (1 Peter 5:1, Acts 20:28, Ephesians 4:11).

Two major functions:

  1. Oversight: to rule – proistemi, to stand before the church (1 Timothy 5:17) or have charge over (1 Thessalonians 5:12); to labor – to work hard (1 Thessalonians 5:12); to lead – hegeomai, the description of leadership responsibility of watching over souls (Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24).
  2. Pastoring: to care (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-3); to protect (Acts 20:28, 2 Timothy 2:24, 1 Thessalonians 5:14); to teach (2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1Timothy 5:17).

The Disciple-Making Pastor’s Functional Role:
The trigger mechanism that sets the whole process in motion (Ephesians 4:11-16). The pastor as coach.

  1. Preparation as top priority: preparing God’s people.
  2. Proper identification of God’s people: for the works of service.
  3. Pastor/Teacher, not Pastor/Teller: bringing people in to the ministry, not just sending them out. Effective preaching leads to effective ministry is a myth.
  4. Goal-oriented leadership: until the body is built up, and in unity, which is measurable.
  5. Creation of a growing environment: pointing out progress and where thing may have gone wrong, having a passion for excellence.

Disciple-Making Pastor, Part 4

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The Product We Hope to Develop: a re-commitment to Christ’s clear commands to make disciples.

Biblical Foundations of Disciple Making:
Matthew 28:18-20, John 20:21, Acts 1:8. As you are going, baptizing and teaching, making disciples. The charge is not to make converts. This is a process of multiplication, not addition.

The Obedient Church:
This is an intention effort that requires a commitment to reproduction, and multiplication.

Are Disciples More Than Converts?
We are called to make disciples and to bear fruit, Luke 14:25-35.

Are Disciples Born or Made?
The Bible talks a lot about transformation and a willful decision to become a follower of Christ. Paul writes about immature believers that ought to be farther along, 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, and the writer of Hebrews 5:11-13 addresses the same issue.

Jesus’ Definition of Disciple:
Luke 9:23, Luke 14:25-35, John 8:31, Matthew 9:36-38, John 13:34-35, John 15:7-17 (the disciple’s profile: he remains in Christ, relates to Christ’s words, is committed to prayer, is obedient, bears fruit, glorifies God, has joy, loves as Jesus did).

  1. True believers are more than just converts, but followers of Jesus, obeying what He has commanded.
  2. Jesus meant more than just go and do evangelism. Disciples count the cost, make sacrifices, and follow Him, which requires a long and intentional process for people to become disciples.
  3. Making disciples of all nations is stated as a goal, to win as many as possible, develop many as possible and multiply through many as possible. Converts are born but disciples are made.
  4. Jesus charges the church with building reproducing disciples. Disciple making triggers multiplication.

Disciple-Making Pastor, Part 3

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The Conflict Regarding Disciple Making and Churches:

The characteristics of disciple making are intentional, measurable, clearly communicated ministry.

Liberal Church:
This generally came out of the breakdown of absolute truth rooted in Scripture. It wanted to change the world through social action without much of a call toward salvation of the people in society.

Misconceptions About Discipleship:
It’s more than a trendy evangelical term, or getting serious about Christ, or mastering certain basics in Christianity, or skills training, program participation.

Weak Non-Professional Leadership:
Leadership from the marketplace is needed to make an impact in that marketplace, making changes in their circles of influence.

Churches Have Not Taken Seriously the Great Commission:
Perhaps the average church member has not been taught that the Great Commission is for all people, not just the church in general.

Accommodation to Culture:
This is the belief system of society, through media and the mind, morality, secular methodologies, superficial Christianity.

Disciple-Making Pastor, Part 2

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The Need for Disciple Making Pastors:

Elton Trueblood stated that perhaps the single weakness of the contemporary Christian church is that millions of supposed members are not really involved at all and, what is worse, do not think it strange that they are not. Christ’s intention is to form a militant company to carry out the Great Commission. There is no real victory in a campaign if ninety percent of the soldiers are untrained and uninvolved, but that is exactly what we have now.

Most churches are growing by transfer, sort of a rotation of the saints. Relationships between clergy and laity have become professional performers and audience. Trueblood also stated that cheap Christianity can pull together a pretty good audience.

George Barna has stated that there is not too much difference between the beliefs of Christians and non-Christians. The fact is that the proportion of Christians who affirm these values is equivalent to the proportion of non-Christians who hold similar views indicates how meaningless Christianity has been in the lives of millions of professed believers.

Disciple-Making Pastor, Part 1

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This is insight from Bill Hull’s book, The Disciple-Making Pastor: The Keys to Building Healthy Christians in Today’s Church.

Today’s church has become “weak and flabby,” says Hull. We have proliferated self-indulgent consumer religion, the “what can the church do for me syndrome.” What can you do to help restore its power and vigor? Become a discipling pastor! Offering solid, practical insight, Hull challenges you to re-evaluate your priorities as pastor; presents Christ’s step-by-step model for biblical discipleship; guides you in teaching others to make disciples; and more.

Bigger is not always better. Mega-churches have a tendency toward anonymity and are also consumer-oriented. There are two fatal flaws in measuring greatness by numbers.

  1. Numbers do not indicate greatness…just think of a riot or a mob or Tupperware parties.
  2. We often ask the wrong question. Rather than “How many people are present?” we should ask, “What are the people like?”

What obvious truth caused church members to squirm? The church exists for a mission, it does not exist for itself. We are to penetrate the world. The crisis is of the heart. Jesus’ command to the church is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). The author challenges pastors to be unleashed from evangelical busy work and get on with the task.

The Disciple-Making Pastor:

This is insight from Bill Hull’s book, The Disciple-Making Pastor: The Keys to Building Healthy Christians in Today’s Church.

  1. Introduction to the Disciple Making Pastor
  2. The Need for Disciple Making Pastors
  3. The Conflict Regarding Disciple Making and Churches
  4. The Product We Hope to Develop
  5. The Role of a Disciple Making Pastor
  6. The Understanding and Commitment Required
  7. The Practices of a Disciple Making Pastor
  8. The Disciple Making Pastor as Coach
  9. Making it Work in the Local Church

Sunday School Growth

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Josh Hunt is a church and Sunday School growth consultant based in New Mexico (www.joshhunt.com). He recently wrote an article in which he asked whether there is a place for the “normal” church. In a landscape populated by the purpose driven, missional, seeker-driven, or church du jour, can the “normal” church still be used by God? His conclusion, “Yes, if …..” church leaders give attention to some of the basics.

Here is the gist of the ten items Josh listed:

  1. Study your church. Know your people.
  2. Improve the music. More than the style of the music, the question is, “Is it any good?”
  3. Improve the preaching and teaching. Josh notes, “The number one predictor of the growth of any church is the preaching ability of the pastor.” He goes on to suggest, “The best way for a pastor to improve his preaching is for him to teach his Sunday school teachers how to communicate. You work on improving their communication skills and everyone improves.”
  4. Train the workers. People make growth strategies work! Train them and give them experience in teaching skills, leadership skills, people skills, evangelism and growth skills, and spiritual development.
  5. Preach a gospel of joy and grace. I love the way Josh put it: “The gospel is a gospel of good news. It is a message of joy and grace that God loves us and will forgive us of all of our sins. He will give us a life of meaning and purpose. He will show us, through His word, how to live the best life possible in an often inhospitable world. Being in several hundred churches has taught me that the theology in growing churches is often different from the theology in non-growing churches. Growing churches preach grace with a smile. Declining churches teach grace with a scowl. There is a difference.
  6. Model and vision cast of growth. Want to grow your Bible study groups? Then do more than just encourage others; get personally involved.
  7. Take care of the visitors. Beyond the simple matter of a good first impression when they arrive at your church, see that they’re invited to lunch or a Sunday School class gathering. Invest in the relationship.
  8. Take care of the details. Again, Josh puts it so succinctly: “It matters that your nursery doesn’t smell like a dirty diaper. It matters that the words are speled wright in teh buliten. It matters that the soloist sings on key.”
  9. Go after kids. God still works salvation miracles with adults. But, the number of people who come to Christ after their teenage years is small when compared with those reached when they are younger.
  10. Love God; love people. “Don’t get so focused on getting church right that you fail to keep your relationship with God right.”

Simple Church, Part 6

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Simple Church: Return to God’s Process for Making Disciples
(Rainer and Geiger)

This is a very easy to read and understand assessment of the church in America. The authors provide research to support the assertion that church in America has become complex; leaving a simple strategy that attracts people and moves them into deeper levels of commitment to Christ and the community.

“Art is a process of elimination. The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed.” — Elbert Hubbard (Focus)

We must shy away from our culture of super-size me and stick to what fits the process. More and bigger programs do not bring spiritual health. Remember Curly, on City Slickers? He would hold out his bony finger and say there was really only one thing… and if I remember, he died before he told them! David longed for one thing (Psalm 27:4); Paul longed for one thing (Philippians 3:13-14); Timothy was to focus on one thing (1 Timothy 4:7-8); even the writer of Hebrews wants us to focus on one thing (Hebrews 12:1-2). We are focus as a builder:

Eliminating:
This is difficult since churches are like pack-rats, surrounded by clutter. Churches that eliminate clutter in programming are more focused on what they are to do.

  1. Going Google – streamline and keep it simple.
  2. Stewardship – don’t just spend, but invest. Every program is an investment in the process. Be wise in use of time and money.

Limit adding:
Use existing weekly programs for special emphases/initiatives instead of adding new programs. Less is more. Choose new options rather than adding new programs.

Reduce special events:
Don’t ride a fence, you must be focused. Perhaps it is time to pull out the knife. If special events are always publicized, the essential programs that move people through the process are not emphasized. These other events will complete with the essential programs for the time of the people. Funnel the special events into existing programs. Special events must be used strategically.

Easily communicated:
If you want people to understand why you are so passionate about your ministry process, you must be able to communicate it with ease.

Simple to understand:
Saying “no” is easier to accept when there is reasoning behind it. When people are committed to the process, they will be more likely to embrace the decisions that accompany such focus. Be brief and choose simple language.

Simple Church, Part 5

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Simple Church: Return to God’s Process for Making Disciples
(Rainer and Geiger)

This is a very easy to read and understand assessment of the church in America. The authors provide research to support the assertion that church in America has become complex; leaving a simple strategy that attracts people and moves them into deeper levels of commitment to Christ and the community.

“Now I urge you brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all same the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.” — Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:10 (Alignment)

Unity is a miracle: Jesus prayed that his disciples experience unity, that they be one (John 17:21). Alignment is having all those involved on the same page.

Recruit on the process:
Don’t just hire people on their talent but how they fit the organization. Hiring the best in each role will lead to division. A staff person cannot be all things to all people; each must stand on their convictions and priorities.

Offer accountability:
The church is not a building, a creed or an institution; it’s alive. There is a balance between micro-managing the process and neglect. This balance is called good leadership. A tool worth considering is having a Ministry Action Plan. We used this approach in Africa and is very helpful in defining measurable goals and action plans to meet those goals.

Implement the same process everywhere:
The simple process guides every group and department; children through students and adults. The benefits include:

  1. Understanding is increased – everyone understand the direction of the community.
  2. Unity is promoted – each ministry is pulled together.
  3. Families experience the same process – they are challenged toward movement within the process.

Unite around the process:
If the community is not united around the same process, it will look a lot like Mr. Potato Head with his parts in the wrong places. We must function in the right way (1 Corinthians 12:12). New ministries are always added and evaluated according to the process.

Simple Church, Part 4

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Simple Church: Return to God’s Process for Making Disciples
(Rainer and Geiger)

This is a very easy to read and understand assessment of the church in America. The authors provide research to support the assertion that church in America has become complex; leaving a simple strategy that attracts people and moves them into deeper levels of commitment to Christ and the community.

“And we, who with unveiling faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” — Paul 2 Corinthians 3:18 (Movement)

Strategic programming:

  1. Begin with your clearly defined process (not the programs).
  2. Choose one program fro each phase of the process (rather than attach all programs into the new process).
  3. Design each program for a specific aspect of the process (don’t let other priorities clutter the process).

Sequential programming and intentional movement:

  1. Order the sequences of your programs to reflect your process (programming flows from the process).
  2. Designate a clear entry-point to your process (the place where most people are likely to enter the process, then do it with excellence).
  3. Identify the next levels of programming (once they attend at the entry-point, the program that is their next target).
  4. Capitalize on relationships and connect people to groups.

New Members’ Class?

  1. Teach the simple process (correct their preconceived ideas about the church).
  2. Ask for commitment to the process (invite people to join the journey).

Jesus’ example:

  1. The Calling – Luke 5-6
  2. The Building – Luke 7-8
  3. The Sending – Luke 9-10

Simple Church, Part 3

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Simple Church: Return to God’s Process for Making Disciples
(Rainer and Geiger)

This is a very easy to read and understand assessment of the church in America. The authors provide research to support the assertion that church in America has become complex; leaving a simple strategy that attracts people and moves them into deeper levels of commitment to Christ and the community.

“If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.” — Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:14 (Clarity)

How to get started:

  1. Determine what type of disciple you wish to produce in your church (like passionate lovers of God desiring to serve others).
  2. Describe your purpose as a process (expecting movement and spiritual growth).
  3. Decide how each weekly program is part of the process (how a program used to move people through the process).

Illustration:

  1. The illustration should reflect your process (which reflects the reality of the process).
  2. The illustration should show progression (Rick Warren used the baseball diamond).
  3. The illustration should help simplify (don’t use symbols with hidden meanings that need clarification).

Measurement:

  1. Learn to view numbers horizontally, not vertically – vertically numbers how many people are participating in each event or group. Horizontally measures how many are moving within the process.
  2. Measure attendance at each level in the process – how many are plugged in and then measure the movement.

Ongoing conversation:

  1. View everything through the lens of your simple process, the blueprint.
  2. Surface the process in meetings.
  3. Test leaders on it (like fill in the blanks of the illustration).
  4. Brainstorm new ways to communicate the process.

Increased understanding:

  1. Articulate the process corporately (repeating significant things, from the top down).
  2. Share the process interpersonally (not just from the pulpit, but around dinner tables and at meetings).
  3. Live the process personally (live what you are asking your people to do). The difference between a travel agent and a river guide, is that the travel guide sets up your journey and turns you loose, while the river guide actually takes you on the journey, knowing all the rough spots and helps you through.