Tag: discipleship

Deep And Wide Churches

On By joshnnomiIn ChurchLeave a comment

deep and wide

Last night as I was reading an assignment for school, Professor David Feddes quoted a comment by Peter Eldersveld from 1959 about measuring success, Peter says “a typically modern standard of what constitutes success, measuring everything in terms of mere numbers–always counting instead of weighing.”

Measuring By The Numbers

Numbers never lie, right? According to the Pew Research Center 70.6% of adults in the United States call themselves Christian. If this number were true, I would venture to say we would be living in a very different United States. Too often, as the church, we have been consumed with numbers and use numbers as our sole metric of success. We are consumed with, professions of faith, dunking people in water and adding them to the church roll.

When we elevate numbers as our sole metric of success, we will end up with a diluted church body. Many churches across America are filled with the “unregenerate church member”. These are people who may have walked an aisle, received baptism and were added to the church members roll, but were never really saved by the Gospel of Christ. Many churches are happy to do so because it gives the appearance of success. Unfortunately some unregenerate church members end up in leadership positions in churches and cause more harm than good.

Weighing and Counting

As churches we want to grow deep and wide, we should count and weigh. Using numbers as our only metric of success will lead to disaster. Who can forget the crowds of people who were following Jesus in John 6, but when Jesus put them on the scale and weighed their discipleship, we discover they were following Christ for selfish gain. When put on the scale, the people of John 6 rejected Christ.

We need churches to be deep and wide churches. Wide churches are churches who carry the mantle of missions in their community and share the Gospel of Christ. Wide churches are churches who add to the church people who are being saved, baptized, getting involved through church membership and walking with the Lord daily.

We also need deep churches. Deep churches are churches who have a strong discipleship culture who are not satisfied with just adding to the church, but are concerned with the individual growth of those who are being added. Deep churches are churches who have developed a leadership pipeline, a system of training, to help a person move from a disciple to a discipler. Successful churches are deep and wide churches.

May the Lord produce an abundance of deep and wide churches across our communities, the nation and our world.

Until Next Time

grow deep and help the church grow wide

 

The Early Bird Gets The Link

On By joshnnomiIn Around the Web, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Feb 20 How Word Studies Go Bad: A (Slightly Funny) Example

This example was great.”Now, the word I have translated as “help” is συλλαμβάνω (sullambanō)—that clearly is the right translation—but I was struck by the fact that a word study on this term could turn out to be anything from horrible to hilarious if handled poorly. As we consider the various possible meanings for the word in the ancient world, we find the following.”

Disciples Give More Than They Take

A man’s final words are probably the most significant; it’s what he most wants others to remember. If you were making a farewell speech, what would you include? A list of your accomplishments? Words of wisdom for how to be successful?

Stop Calling Everything a Bible Study

Over time, “Bible study” has become a catchall to describe all kinds of gatherings. In the words of the esteemed linguist Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Watch an Entirely Free, Seminary-Level Course with Carl Trueman on the Reformation

Worth your time. “Thanks to the generosity and permission of Carl Trueman—Paul Woolley Chair of Church History and professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, as well as the author of Luther on the Christian Life—and The Master’s Seminary, you can basically take Professor Trueman’s course online for free. (You just don’t have to take any tests, write any papers, or get any credit!)”

Tim Keller Speaks At Google

An Evangelical Response to Fake News, Cynicism, & “PC” Conformity

What we need is not political correctness but civility. Whereas today’s political correctness often demands social conformity at the expense of personal beliefs, civility encourages us to articulate our beliefs, but to do so in a way that respects the dignity and decency of other persons. Civil citizens are smart enough, strong enough, and patriotic enough to make their political points without having to take the low road.

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The Early Bird Gets The Link

On By joshnnomiIn Around the WebLeave a comment

The Early Bird Gets The Link is a daily roundup of interesting and thought provoking articles, videos, or audio clips.

Seven Principles for Angry Parents Disciplining Angry Children

In Ephesians 6:4, God tells fathers–though I think it’s okay for moms to listen in–to raise children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. He also warns against provoking our children to anger. So how do we do one without the other? How do we discipline exasperating kids without in turn exasperating them unnecessarily?

Dad Enough to Sing

I want my sons to grow up believing that a grown man singing is one of the most natural sounds in the world. It doesn’t have to be great singing. I’m no accomplished vocalist. Yet I don’t want my boys — or my daughter, for that matter — to ever think it’s strange for men to sing. Rather, it’s strange, and sad, when men don’t sing

A 3 Step System to Come Out Smarter After Failure

Have you ever failed? Of course you have, so have I, many times, here is a system to come out smarter in the end. 

Five Reasons Why Churches Are Dying and Declining Faster Today

With some exceptions, it is indeed more difficult to lead churches to growth. Such is a reality that is about 15 years in the making. The obvious question is “Why?” Allow me to articulate five of those reasons.

Eye-Rolling is Not Discipleship

This was a great reminder. “Those of us who are privileged to have vocations that involve reading and studying the Scriptures can form a dangerous bubble of elitism. We get paid to read, study, and be “experts” at theology and mission. We’re perusing books, attending conferences, and engaged in conversations with other ministry professionals.”

3 Questions to Detect Sports Idolatry

Football season is here! With that comes this article, worth the read. “Though I’m an unabashed sports fan, I don’t write this article as a fan but as a pastor and seminary professor. Any consideration of love for sports raises the question: Is this good or bad? My answer is an unequivocal yes.”