THINK ABOUT IT! From Willow Creek Association Blog: Missing the Key to the Whole Thing Posted: 24 Sep 2013 08:30 AM PDT Post from Greg Atkinson Telling church leaders that discipleship is vitally important, or that pointing their people to Jesus should be the bulls-eye of everything they do is … absolutely nothing new. Yet, everyday we talk with pastors who struggle with leading discipleship efforts in their churches. Perhaps you’re one of them? In a recent blog, pastor and author Greg Atkinson described his own struggle with—and his fresh insight about—discipleship. In his words: “When I interviewed at my current church and they asked me about discipleship, I said that it happens in a number of ways…and that I love mentoring and one-on-one discipleship, as well as small groups. This is still true, but in hindsight I missed the key to the whole thing.” This is so true, isn’t it? It’s so easy to get tied up in the “what’s” of discipleship—like the mentoring strategy, the small group curriculum, the sermon series campaign. Our REVEAL team just talked this week to a pastor in Arlington, Texas who was sure that revamping their Life Groups was the answer. “It’s so hard to assimilate,” he said. “We need a coaching system, a care structure. Life Groups are failing. It’s our biggest problem.” Life groups are important. But if that’s where you’re placing your discipleship bet, Greg is right. You’re missing “the key to the whole thing.” What’s the key? Let’s hear from Greg again: “We’ve been so big on programs for years—whether it be a discipleship program, a Bible study, mission groups, Bible Study Fellowship, AWANA, small groups—you name it. We like to keep our people busy with church activities and rarely, if ever, do we point our people to Christ and encourage them to spend personal, quality time with Him daily.” That’s the key—per Greg and per the findings from REVEAL, which are based today on 2000 churches and 450,000 congregants. REVEAL concludes, along with Greg, that personal spiritual practices trump everything when it comes to growing a “healthy, vibrant relationship with Christ” (Greg’s words). They trump small groups, worship services, mentoring relationships, evangelism activities, even serving the poor. “Spending daily time with Him in prayer and in His Word…that’s how you and I and anyone in our church grows and matures. This is how we disciple. It’s always been about Jesus, and it always will be. No program and no movement will ever change that.” Discipleship isn’t what you do; it’s who you know. How are you leading your church into spiritual, life-giving practices with the person of Jesus—not just programs. What does it look like to practice this truth in your own life?
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:53:34 +0000
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