Multiplying Churches, Home Groups, Leaders and Disciples

The biblical principle that we see throughout scripture is church growth through organic reproduction. This model is not only successful all over the world but it is the most sustainable. Multiplication through home church planting leads to quality growth because it is reflected in personal discipleship. Jesus said: go and make disciples.

There are four biblical principles that should propel the church into a multiplying movement. The first is that all people are sent into the world to share the Gospel. The second is that Jesus commissioned his followers to go to all people. The third is having a true understanding of the message that should be shared; the Gospel. The fourth principle is that in all this work God is the one who empowers you with the Holy Spirit.

In Paul's call to be ambassadors for Christ we find the mission of the church. In order to understand how we can live out the mission and multiply we need to understand the obstacles. There are four obstacles to keep in mind: 1) putting the world's values above God's; 2) recruiting people, rather than reconciling people; 3) not being on a kingdom mission; and 4) failing to appreciate the cross.

In Paul's second letter to Timothy we get a glimpse into his intimate inner circle of friends and fellow co-workers for the Lord. It is there that we learn one cannot grow an enduring ministry without working in close relationships. To have advancement in ministry it is important to find people who display a desire to love God and have their character transformed. Once God has revealed these people to us, we can model and lead through friendship.

McCallum teaches that multiplication is better at producing church growth than other ways. In living according to this biblical model it's essential to understand God's role and man's role. Things only God can accomplish in people's lives include: 1) reaching people's hearts; 2) conviction of sin; 3) imparting wisdom; 4) real transformation; 5) imparting hunger for ministry; 6) sustaining motivation. Under a correct view of God's role, we can participate in our role effectively. A few things this includes is exerting myself to love others, trying to disciple others, and playing my part in the body of Christ. Regular reassessment of how we're viewing God's role and our role is necessary for every Christian.\r\n

The Puritan mission movement had both successes and failures. While the goal was to reach the Native Americans for Christ, their approach tended to be egocentric and they emphasized the natives abandoning their current cultural practices to imitate the Englishmen. That said, there were examples of missionaries who did effective evangelism, and from them we can learn. The Pietist missions were also characterized by positive and negative attributes and emphasized individual piety and faith displayed in action.

Christians are called to follow Jesus' example and stand out as people who represent the gospel. There are many open doors to adorn the gospel through words and deeds, and doing so glorifies God. This can be applied in neighborhoods, jobs, agencies, and even city-wide situations.

The first step in our spiritual battle is recognizing the reality of the battle at all. Scripture is clear that we are engaged in a spiritual war, and God calls on us to be engaged and to fight diligently. As we awaken to this reality, it is wise to create for ourselves a combat field manual, a resource for us to go back to regularly. There are lots of different ways to approach and create a field manual for ourselves, but some key aspects would include passages of Scripture, written prayer and insights from the Word. Having this and adding to it can help us continue in our daily battle.

The words entertainment and hospitality are often used interchangeably, but they are quite different from each other. Entertaining seeks to impress and places things before people, causing us to worry about making sure the house is clean and well-decorated. Hospitality puts people before things and is a demonstration of sacrificial love, that we welcome friends and strangers into our home and give generously to them. As we look at the true definition of hospitality, analyze what really makes people feel welcome into a home, and make a plan to get started, we can move toward answering God's call in this area of our lives.

Grow Your Marriage is a product of Search Ministries, Inc. and is designed as a workshop to help ease couples into a setting where they can learn about biblical principles that can help their marriage. This class describes the overall outline of the class, including the target audience, topics discussed, guideline for invitations, group assignments, goals, and follow up. This is presented in the hopes that other people will use the material to start their own workshops in their neighborhoods and communities.

In our age of information overload, our culture is still starving for wisdom. God offers His wisdom to us as His children throughout the book of Proverbs. Through the Proverbs we can see things as they truly are, through God's perspective. God wants us to have a teachable heart, to value His Word, and therefore be able to reap the benefits of His wisdom. \r\n

There are many leadership lessons from Moses and Joshua's life. Passing the baton to the next person is key in leadership success. There are two ways to evaluate the ministries of Moses and Joshua: how their lives ended and what happened after they died. Though Moses ended poorly he left many to continue following God where Joshua left no one after he died. It's important to think ahead and to prepare people for the future.\r\n

Multiplication within an urban context is a unique goal that has its own breadth and depth of challenges. Barriers to people accomplishing functional and spiritual goals can run incredibly deep as we consider the potential lack of helpful family support, negative examples, the stigma of success, lack of funds, and transportation. Discipleship is still the goal to strive for, so we must recognize and consider practical steps to the unique challenges presented. Some of these suggestions include being honest and open about our own struggles, teaching them to distrust themselves, studying God's faithfulness and goodness, and both praying and going with them to help resolve conflict with other Christians.

This workshop includes a brief overview of the number and structure of home groups in Xenos, the history of how Xenos came to be, and how these home groups plant new groups. When a plant happens, new leaders must be considered through biblical criteria and raised up. There are several main areas that are crucial for leaders within the groups to focus on and emphasize, which include both evangelism and discipleship. We can promote both of these focuses in our home groups in numerous ways as we equip ourselves with some practical suggestions.

Apologetics are the rational defense and articulate communication of Christianity. They are used to rouse curiosity in people, give credibility to the Christian worldview, remove barriers to belief, and build the confidence of Christian workers. Christians should learn how to use apologetics in a convincing, but gentle, way.

Often, people derive much of their identity from the work they do. Work is important and provides many opportunities, but the purpose of a person cannot be taken from it. Knowing that one is first a child of God and then translating that into their work life allows Christians to be good workers without having a career as the center of their life.

Confidence can sway in two opposites: arrogance or a low and guilty view of self. The Biblical picture of confidence is rooted in knowing one's identity in Christ. The Gospel permits a steady assurance of God's truth to lead Christians' lives.

Repentance is an important aspect of the growing Christian life and having intimacy with God. All throughout the Old and New Testaments, biblical characters demonstrate what it truly looks like to have godly repentance and what it looks like to have worldly sorrow. While both of these may be preceded by feelings of sorrow or guilt, godly repentance brings us closer to God and includes us agreeing with God without minimizing our sin. As we examine other key differences, we can discern true godly repentance in ourselves and other believers.

The statistical decline of people in the Western church is alarming, and if continues at its current rate, the church is at risk of dissolving into an ineffective, forgotten task force. This decline is apparent in both attendance and church planting, though church planting is still the most effective mode of growing the church as evident by the research. The Western church may be in decline due to the church (and the believers inside of it) having often become impersonal, selfish, and hypocritical. Apart from these characteristics, there is hope if we emphasize aspects common to all church planting movements, ten of which are included in this presentation.

While many churches avoid discipleship because of its difficult behind-the-scenes labor and its tendency to require much investment before producing tangible fruit, we see the example of discipleship littered across the New Testament. Through properly defined and committed discipleship, we can effectively raise up leaders throughout the church, instead of just replacing leaders at the front of the church. This allows for multiplication, a powerful result of this biblically prescribed tool.

The church can experience great joy as God's power moves through us as a community. Paul explains that both truth and love are essential as he models it in his relationship with the Thessolonians. He loves like a nurturing mother and exhorts like a father. Both are essential to have an impact on others. He loves people where they are at but isn't content to leave them there. He lives this way because he understands it's not about him growing his own church but it's about serving God, leading people toward Him; for His glory and their good.\r\n

Faithfulness in multiplication ministry is accomplished through four means: 1) regular strengthening by God's Word; 2) peer friendships; 3) appreciating your ministry role as a privilege of God's grace; 4) build a biblically-informed focus on your eternal destination. These four things need prioritized or they will not happen. Multiplication is difficult work that takes a long time. Cultivating these will ensure faithfulness to God's call in our lives.\r\n

The modern mission movement in the United States was influenced by four factors: 1) prayer; 2) missionary literature; 3) revision to missions; 4) specific plan of action. John Edwards and many other were huge contributors who influenced this movement. Calvanism and Arminianism collided leading to questions of theology which impacted the way Christians were involved in the movement. The spread of the Gospel continued where many came to faith and many were impacted by the biographies of missionaries even today.\r\n

There are many lessons from missions history that can be applied today. Some lessons include indigenization, God's sovereignty, and determination for the long haul. There are also many good examples such as Carey, Judson, Wilberforce, Wedgewood, and Buxton to follow after. The Haystack prayer meetings were extremely influential in the missions movement having effects on Asia, Africa, and Britain. Samuel Crowther was a leader that had incredible influence in the 19th century in which slaves were freed from Britain. He taught that missionaries were to be mentors and that the natives were to be the preachers. They were also not to be dependent on foreign money and to make sure the natives were the ones sharing the Gospel.