In an earlier blog The Starting Point I highlighted the point that discipleship was considered an important topic by the writers of the New Testament and the concept of discipleship is prominent in the last words of Jesus before He…
What’s Wrong with Attractional Evangelism
Attractional evangelism in its many forms has been used from the time of George Whitfield through to Billy Graham and has been the catalyst to bring many into the kingdom of God. Today it is still used in many church…
Making Disciples Today
The major view today is that people encounter Jesus and grow as disciples in a church. It is interesting to note that there is a lack of Biblical examples of this view of disciple-making. People met Jesus at the side…
Practices to Avoid in 21st Century Discipleship
As part of a presentation on discipleship, I seek to focus participants on “Practices to Avoid in 21st Century Discipleship”. This part of the presentation usually creates a lot of discussion because it raises a number of issues that have…
The Discipleship Journey
A few weeks ago I was helping a ministry team define their view of discipleship. I always find this process fascinating because the conversation usually start with ‘our model is Biblical’ and then they go on to explain what they…
Philosophy and Discipleship
One of the first questions I ask a Christian leader when I start working with them is “What are you trying to achieve?” When they have finished outlining their intended journey I ask another question, “How is it going?” Most…
Culture and Discipleship
Part of my ministry involves helping churches reach their full potential. That has meant interacting with a lot of very different churches. The first thing I try to work out at the start of these encounters is the culture of…
Historical Discipleship
The pivotal events of the Christian faith – Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension – occurred almost 2000 years ago. Those same foundational events are still celebrated today as believers meet together regularly as a community, just as they…
Isn’t it time to break the cycle?
In my early ministry at a seaside town in Queensland, Australia, I had a meaningful exchange with one of my young leaders which has remained in my memory. We were standing on a jetty, looking out at the river, when…
Leadership & Discipleship
Over the years I have consulted with a large number of church groups on the area of leadership. As part of what I do I ask people to make a list of all of their leadership development problems and challenges.…