5 Truths from 10 Years of Discipleship Research
Jesus gave His people a clear mission—to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). For this reason, a local church exists to make disciples. C.S. Lewis challenged: The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, everything else is simply a […]
5 Current Church Views of “Discipleship”
I have been in many settings with church leaders where the question was posed, “What is your church doing for discipleship?” I am grateful that church leaders are asking questions about the church’s fundamental mission—making disciples. After all, a church can excel at anything and everything else, but if the church fails to make disciples, […]
Groups Matter: An Interview with Ed Stetzer on Transformational Groups
The following is an interview with Dr. Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of LifeWay Research. Ed and I recently co-authored a book, Transformational Groups. Ed, you and I worked on this book together, so I know a little bit of your thoughts on groups and community, but why did you see a need for a book on […]
The Two Most Difficult Ministry Roles to Fill
Based on phone calls and emails from pastors and friends looking for staff members, the two most difficult roles to fill on a church staff are (1) a kids ministry director/pastor and (2) a groups director/pastor. Churches seem to be having a difficult time finding the right leaders for these critical roles. The numerous inquires […]
Trade-Offs on Where Your Groups Meet
Michael Porter has famously said that strategy is about making choices, about making trade-off decisions. As an example, IKEA is known for making the trade-off decision of offering great prices over offering great service. It is not that they de-value service, but they have chosen to value “low cost” more. This strategic choice impacts organizational […]
The Trade-Off Discussion: On-Campus and Off-Campus Groups
Michael Porter is a well-known expert on strategy. Porter has articulated “strategy is about making choices, trade-offs.” An effective strategist thus understands the landscape and deliberately chooses a path with awareness and understanding of the trade-offs. A leadership team that is strategic is able to say, “Here are the potential benefits and the potential pitfalls […]