Rethinking How Disciples Are Made


"I came through the whole system with the best education that evangelicalism had to offer—yet I really didn't receive the training that I needed. Seven years of higher education in top-rated evangelical schools didn't prepare me to 1) do ministry and 2) be a leader. I began to analyze why I could preach a great sermon and people afterwards would shake my hand and say, 'Great sermon, Pastor.' But these were the very people who were struggling with self-esteem, beating their spouses, struggling as workaholics, and succumbing to their addictions. Their lives weren't changing. I had to ask myself why this great knowledge I was presenting didn't move from their heads to their hearts and their lives. And I began to realize that the breakdown in the church was actually based on what we learned in seminary. We were taught that if you just give people information, that's enough."
—Dr. Clyde McDowell, Vantage Point: The Newsletter of Denver Seminary, June 1998

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This Fall: First Thursday Nights in Central IL!

Image
This four-session disciplemaking training experience takes you to the very heart of disciplemaking friendships that flourish and multiply. It's an exploration of how to live the "one-another" verses as found in the Bible. This will NOT be a lecture or a passive  workshop. Expect fun, thought-provoking interactions, encouragement, and God-directed transformation that you'll be able to apply to your life and ministry immediately. Bring your Bible and your framily (friends and family). Each person receives a training manual  and  a One Another Living Guide for taking what you learn back to those where you live, work, play, and church. Y ou'll encounter these four sessions: *  Session 1  (Thursday PM, September 5 th, 6-8 PM ) No Relationships = No Ministry;  Know Relationships = Know Ministry An out-of-the-box learning experience will get us started and explain why relationships are the heart of ministry—and God’s mode of operation for impacting and c...
Read more

Evangelism for Non-Evangelists

Image
What if sharing your faith in Jesus Christ was as simple as praying, loving, speaking, and sharing? In Cadre's  Evangelism Is Relationships  training experience, you will learn to live a simple, Jesus-based approach for helping your family and friends find and follow Jesus. Session 1 Pray iNTERCEDE .  The first step in helping your friends find and follow Jesus is not talking to them about Jesus. The first step is talking to Jesus about your friends. Session 2   Love iNVEST.  The natural result of connecting with God's heart is a desire to love people with God's love. We will explore how Jesus intentionally befriended those in his relational sphere of influence—and how we can follow His example. Session 3   Speak iNTERSECT.  We'll explore how Jesus brought God's truth  and  grace to people in His relational sphere of influence. Then, taking our cues from Jesus, we'll explore how to bring God's truth  and  grace to those in our rela...
Read more

What God is Doing—Fall 2024!

Image
      [Note: We are disciplemaking missionaries with   Cadre Missionaries . As such, we give a brief ministry update here at   Cup O' Joe with Bill   once every three months—especially for those who love, pray, and support us.] All Glory to God!   (Click image above to enlarge for reading, viewing, and praying.) Join Cadre Missionaries in Celebrating  22 Years of Fruitful Disciplemaking! In honor of Cadre's 22nd anniversary this month, we're asking God for 300 people to give $22. This would provide $6,600 much needed dollars for Cadre. W ould you please consider donating $22? Donate securely online here . Or send a check to Cadre Missionaries PO Box 278 Sycamore, IL 60178 If video above doesn't appear, go here . (Click image above to enlarge for reading, viewing, and praying.)   Our Fall 2024 Ministry Mailing Team  These are the peeps that made it happen! Thank you so much. This beautiful group of friends and family helped us g...
Read more