Spent Matches

1. The Church's Ineffectiveness in Fulfilling the Great Commission

We are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of those who don't know Christ.

Stark reality check: Despite centuries of effort, the church is failing to keep pace with global population growth. While the number of Christians has grown to 2.3 billion, at least 4.7 billion people face a Christ-less eternity. The cost of baptizing one person globally in 2014 was $753,000, projected to rise to $1.4 million by 2025.

Underlying issues:

• Overemphasis on knowledge transfer rather than obedience
• Dependence on professional clergy and complex structures
• Focus on growing individual churches rather than making disciples
• Failure to adapt to changing cultural contexts

Urgent need for change: The church must confront these brutal facts and re-examine its strategies to fulfill Jesus' last command effectively.

2. Redefining Discipleship: From Knowledge to Obedience

Jesus commanded us to teach people to obey all of His commands.

Shift in focus: True discipleship is not about accumulating knowledge but learning to obey Jesus' teachings. This requires a fundamental change in how we approach spiritual growth and disciple-making.

Key aspects of obedience-focused discipleship:

• Emphasis on applying biblical truths in daily life
• Regular accountability for putting God's Word into practice
• Developing a lifestyle of submission to God's will
• Fostering a culture of mutual encouragement and challenge

Practical implementation: Disciple-making should involve simple, repeatable processes that anyone can use, regardless of their level of biblical knowledge or formal training.

3. The Power of Discovery-Based, Obedience-Focused Disciple-Making

We don't feed people; we teach them to feed themselves.

Core principle: Empower people to discover God's truth for themselves through direct engagement with Scripture, rather than relying on expert teachers or pre-packaged curricula.

Key elements of the discovery process:

• Small groups (3-5 people) reading Scripture together
• Simple, repeatable questions to guide discussion
• Focus on personal application and obedience
• Emphasis on sharing insights with others outside the group

Benefits:

• Promotes spiritual self-feeding and independence
• Facilitates rapid multiplication of disciples and groups
• Allows for contextualization in diverse cultural settings
• Reduces reliance on professional clergy or extensive training

4. Hybrid Church Model: Combining Attraction and Multiplication

Our hope is to be a server church that can resource any number of expressions of biblically functioning community.

Dual approach: Combine traditional attractional church methods with a multiplicative disciple-making strategy to reach both those who seek formal religious structures and those who don't.

Key components:

• Attractional side: Weekly services, programs, and events
• Multiplicative side: Discovery groups in homes, workplaces, and communities

Implementation strategies:

• Train facilitators in simple, repeatable disciple-making processes
• Encourage group multiplication rather than growth
• Focus on reaching pre-Christians through existing social networks
• Develop a "server" mentality to resource various expressions of church

5. The 7 Journeys: A Framework for Spiritual Growth

The 7 Journeys gives some texture to God's work in our lives and substance to our communication with Him as we grow to trust, obey, share, relate, serve, give, and disciple.

Holistic approach: The 7 Journeys provide a comprehensive framework for understanding and facilitating spiritual growth, moving beyond linear or stage-based models.

The 7 Journeys:

1. Earner to Heir (Trust)
2. Self-Hearted to Soft-Hearted (Obey)
3. Receiver to Giver (Share)
4. Isolation to Community (Relate)
5. Consumer to Producer (Serve)
6. Charitable to Extravagant (Give)
7. Traveler to Guide (Disciple)

Application: Use this framework to guide Bible reading, group discussions, and personal spiritual development, focusing on movement and growth in each area throughout one's lifetime.

6. Leadership for Movements: From Marketer to Revolutionary

We are on a burning platform with an opportunity for a generation of Christian leaders to participate in a new Reformation or face the shame of spiritual irrelevancy.

Paradigm shift: Leaders must move from a marketing mindset focused on programs and tactics to a revolutionary approach that emphasizes culture change and movement catalyzation.

Key characteristics of movement leaders:

• Work at the fringes rather than the center
• Start small and embrace failure as a learning opportunity
• Focus on simple, reproducible processes
• Lead from behind, empowering others to take ownership
• Design learning experiences rather than providing content

Strategic approach: Identify and equip "holy discontent" individuals who are ready for a new way of thinking and acting in fulfilling the Great Commission.

7. Ten Mind Shifts for Catalyzing Disciple-Making Movements

Until we give up our misplaced trust in subject-matter experts and understand that Jesus doesn't need the equipped but the willing, we will never mine the wealth of Christ followers and discover the viral power of the good news.

Transformative thinking: Embracing these mind shifts is crucial for catalyzing disciple-making movements in the 21st century.

Ten key mind shifts:

1. From trusting the qualified to releasing the willing
2. From making disciples to making disciple-making disciples
3. From human reproduction to viral replication
4. From form (planting churches) to function (making disciples)
5. From conversion to making disciples
6. From individuals to groups
7. From knowledge-focused to obedience-focused
8. From thinking like a marketer to thinking like a revolutionary
9. From leading toward to leading from
10. From being a content provider to being a learning designer

Implementation: Regularly assess and challenge existing mental models, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptation in disciple-making strategies.

Last updated: October 1, 2024