What does it cost your ministry to make a new disciple?

What does it cost your ministry to make a new disciple?

Have you been asked: “What is the fruit of an apple?”  It is kind of a trick question.  The expected answer is, “the seeds of another apple”.  The fruit of an apple is NOT just another apple; the fruit of an apple is an orchard.

Relating to Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28:18-20.  The true fruit of a disciple is a disciple who makes disciples – who makes disciples.  Another way of saying this is, the seed of a disciple-making movement are contained in every disciple.

If the fruit of a disciple is a disciple-making movement then a fair but more strategic follow-up question to ask leaders of leaders is: What does it cost your ministry to make a new disciple?  This may seem like an odd question to ask a pastor, church planter or missionary.  But is it really?

I was speaking with a colleague last week.  He mentioned a network of disciple-makers that had done the hard work to track and calculate the return of their investment so they could study the metrics that mattered most to them.  Note, these are conservative estimates.  To-date they have facilitated the transformation of approximately 830,000+ people who now follow Jesus at a cost about $35 per new disciple.  In addition, they tracked the following data points:

  • 2,400,000+ people reached with the gospel
  • 36,000+ churches started
  • 720,000+ people in small groups.
Back to the question: What does it cost your ministry to make a new disciple?

 

This question triggers a number of reactions:

  1. Defensive (We don’t track that sort of thing!) OR Curious (Why do you ask?)
  2. Closed (Are you kidding?) OR Open (I’ve never thought about it that way before.)
  3. Criticism (Aren’t you bringing business principles into the church?) OR Willing (That is an interesting question!)

One of the first things we will do in the Leadership Collective – Missional Discipleship is ask leaders to consider this question. It is a clarifying exercise and one that helps leaders grasp a number of insights.  See if you can relate to these.

5 benefits to asking the question:

What does it cost your ministry to make a new disciple?

  1. Clarifies the type of fruit a leader is harvesting
  2. Channels resources in the direction of making disciples
  3. Helps a leader know what opportunities to say “no” to
  4. Has the potential to align ministries to support the work of making disciples
  5. Empowers teams to celebrate “wins” along the way

Here are some of the reasons why we created the Leadership Collective – Missional DiscipleshipWe believe this is a strategic opportunity for leaders to re-think their disciple-making process due to the restrictions that are being opposed in our society.  See if you resonate with any of these:

  • Simplify your disciple-making process
  • Adapt innovative ideas that have worked elsewhere
  • Create new discipleship processes you have been envisioning

If you relate to any of the above and would like more information on the Leadership Collective – Missional Discipleship – watch the video below.  Micah Dodson and I share the vision for this 10-month learning community so that you have a clear picture of what you will achieve.  We pray you can join us in La Jolla, CA for the launch event November 15-17.Leadership Collective - Missional Discipleship: interview with Gary & Micah

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LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE – Missional Discipleship

LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE – Missional Discipleship

A real problem I am experiencing in leading our small group is keeping people engaged in the disciplemaking process.  Not just because we are doing this remotely but also because discipleship is hard work.  Can you relate to any of the following challenges that lead to Mission Drift:

  • busy schedules
  • family responsibilities
  • recreation
  • financial obligations
  • work pressure

Many times we stall-out in our development and it is easy to go through the motions and maintain vs. doing the hard work of making disciples, who make disciples.

How does that translate into the leadership roles of church planting, lead pastor or as a pastoral staff member of a church?  The problem of making disciples grows exponentially with increasing scopes of care.  It is one thing to disciple a small group.  It is quite another to be charged with discipling multiple groups.  Or an entire congregation.

The task of making disciples that make disciples is as critical today as it was 2,000 years ago.  In the midst of giving leadership in a local church it can be lost in the tyranny of the urgent.  I invite you to watch an interview with Ty Davis of Tulare Community Church below.  He highlights the challenges he faces in his role on church staff, the struggles he encounters as he reorients his focus on making disciples and the benefits of being part of the Leadership Collective.

Interview with Ty Davis Tulare Community Church

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If you would like more information on the LEADERSHIP COLLECTIVE – Missional Discipleship – please CLICK HERE.

Covid-19 UPDATE

InFocus will do everything within our ability to meet and exceed regulations so people are safe, remain healthy and have a peace of mind.  If we believe it is in the best interests of everyone involved we will move the live, face-to-face event in La Jolla to a virtual Zoom event.  We will communicate the adjusted cost and the modified agenda with all interested participants.