About a year after I started pastoring a new church plant, I knew I was in over my head. My seminary training was good, but it seemed to fall short of the challenges I faced while leading a new church to become a disciple making movement.
I remember reading everything about church growth and disciple making I could get my hands on. I listened to every tape (yes, cassette tapes) I could find on church health. I attended every conference and seminar I could find on discipleship and small groups. Honestly, I was desperate to learn how to lead the church that God had brought me to, so I consumed every resource I could.
Nearly two years into my pastorate and my search for the “secret sauce” of disciple making, I attended a seminar that had a profound impact on me. I attended a “Growing A Healthy Church Seminar” by Dann Spader. It was an “ah-ha” moment for sure. Dann’s training was all based on the disciple making ministry of Jesus. Dann was simply taking us through the gospels and showing us how Jesus did ministry.
I cannot tell you how freeing this seminar was for me. Instead of trying to copy other church models, it was so liberating to just follow Christ’s model. Now, nearly thirty years later, I am still following Jesus’ model for disciple making. I will never need another model for ministry. Jesus’ model is all I need.
My journey has brought me full circle. Today, I teach a seminar called The Disciple Making Church Seminar. This seminar is based on the ministry model of Jesus. I add stories, practical examples, and personal experience from the past 30 years, but it is primarily a seminar about making disciples the way Jesus did. This seminar truly comes out of three decades in the trenches of disciple making in a local church. I like to say, it is really a seminar about what not to do more than it is a seminar about what to do.
If you are interested in learning more about Jesus’ approach to disciple making, highlighted with some stories from a pastor who is still swinging at it, then I invite you to attend our next Disciple Making Church Seminar. If you can’t make a seminar we already have scheduled, how about we come to you? Click here and contact us to inquire about hosting a Disciple Making Church Seminar for your church or organization. We hope to see you and your ministry leaders soon!
