Church Multiplication

What is a Disciple? Six Expert Views

April 7, 2013 By Daniel Im

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Do you know how many times the word “Christian” occurs in the New Testament? A measly three times. On the other hand, the word “disciple” occurs 269 times. Although the term “Christian” has been watered down, and many see discipleship as an optional matter, it is clear that this is not what Jesus intended (see previous post). After all, the early disciples were called Christians because they were learners, students, and apprentices of Christ. Thus, just as “being Canadian” is a part of the identity of a Canadian citizen, “being Christian” or “being a disciple” is an identity issue.

But what exactly is a disciple? What sort of definition should we use to understand our identity?

Here are six different definitions of a disciple by experts:

Where Did All the Disciples Go?

April 6, 2013 By Daniel Im

abandonedhouse

“There is a discipleship deficiency in most churches resulting in a lack of transformation.” This was one of many findings from the Transformational Discipleship Project that surveyed four thousand Protestants and one thousand Protestant pastors in North America. Their research revealed that pastors “know lives are being changed at some level but not with consistency from the ministries of the church.” Furthermore, the Joint Statement on Discipleship at the Eastbourne Consultation reiterated a similar statement,

“As we face the new millennium, we acknowledge that the state of the Church is marked by growth without depth. Our zeal to go wider has not been matched by a commitment to go deeper.”

Why is there such a great disparity between the magnificent life of Jesus and his early followers with the present state of Christians today? Why is there such a dearth of disciples within the Church? Where did they all go?

Multi-Site Churches and Discipleship: A Contradiction?

April 4, 2013 By Daniel Im

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“Multi-site Churches Are from the Devil” was the headline of a blog post written by Thabiti Anyabwile on the Gospel Coalition website. In his blog post, he defends that statement by explaining how “video multi-site tends to idolatry, pride, and self-promotion – even where the ambition of spreading the gospel is genuine.” He also argues, amongst many other things, that “multi-site churches reduce the family, body, and flock to an anonymous assembly” and essentially changes the nature of the church into an assembly, rather than a group of disciples on mission.

There are many objections to multi-site, even by way of scrolling through the 250+ comments of Anyabwile’s blog post, we quickly discover that there are legitimate arguments on both sides.

According to A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip, the objections can be summed up into these five categories:

Preachers don’t know people personally
Churches are just following the latest fads and trends
Multi-sites make church into a show
There are going to be negative outcomes
Multi-sites fail to make disciples (this is the objection that is most relevant to this post)

Mid-Size Communities Part 3: FAQ

March 31, 2013 By Daniel Im

The following is not an exhaustive FAQ list, nor does it contain all information regarding mid-size communities (MSC). It is merely a brief snapshot of MSCs. The upcoming posts will reveal more information regarding MSCs. What are Mid-Size Communities?

Mid-Size Communities are a new way to think about community. They are a group of 20-50 people who journey together to celebrate, to grow, and to be a blessing to those they live, work, and play with.
A community that is formed around a common affinity, geography, or societal need – and this gathering point becomes the mission focus of the group.
A community, not just a scheduled meeting. So typically, every other week, there is a large group gathering, but smaller groups for study and get togethers happen in the off weeks.
- For example, I lead a Young Families MSC and we have formed around a common affinity – young families. This affinity then becomes our mission focus – so my MSC of young families exists to reach out to other young families in our city. So everything we do, from our every other week gathering to the things we do in the off weeks, all relate to young families and reaching other young families.
A group of people on mission with one another – they are the church.
A place where you belong before you believe.
A sign, instrument, and foretaste of the Kingdom of God.
Not a large small group nor a small weekend gathering.
Small enough to care, but large enough to dare.
Big enough that you won’t be the centre of attention when you’re new, but small enough that you’ll find someone you connect with.
An open, inclusive, and safe environment where friendships are formed and we can discover who we could potentially grow a “deeper” relationship with.

Book Review: Creating a Missional Culture – JR Woodward

March 31, 2013 By Daniel Im

JR Woodward is an American church planter, organizational leader, entrepreneur, author, academic, and leader. His foremost interests are in missional theology, missional leadership, theology and film, spiritual formation, and organizational dynamics (see his website for a full biography).

The main argument (thesis) in Creating a Missional Culture is that the unseen culture of a church is what most powerfully shapes its ability to grow, mature, and live missionally, more so than its vision, strategy, and plans (Location 211). Woodward supports this thesis through four sections that each address a different aspect of that powerful unseen culture.

In the first section, he talks about the force of culture in life, society, and in churches. He then addresses how leaders need to be aware of just how powerful culture is in shaping their leadership style and the life of a church. He concludes this section by introducing the concept of polycentric leadership: leaders as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor, or teachers.

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