Category Archives: Discipleship

Book Review: Real-life Discipleship by Jim Putman

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In “Real-life Discipleship”, Jim Putman records the strategy by which churches can build themselves through making disciples.  The emphasis is placed on what God does through ordinary people available and faithful to God’s calling to make disciples.  The challenge exists, but the process is simple enough for any person feeling “inadequate, fearful” or like a “failure” in life.

Discipleship does not just happen.  It won’t happen by accident, except in a few cases like the apostle Paul and Billy Graham.  Churches must become intentional about building up disciples.  When the Biblical foundation is secure in a relational environment, then the reproductive process can grow people spiritually. 

Putman outlines well the spiritual growth process through five stages of living.  The first is the spiritually dead and then four stages of the Christian: infant, child, young adult and spiritual parent.  He makes the case well, because several of the chapters include “the phrase from the stage” that identifies how far along the spiritual growth level a Christian has grown.  A Christian may have been converted for 60 years, but if he is still saying things like “Why do those new people have to come into our small group?” it’s obvious that he is still in the spiritual child stage.  This assessment is essential to help people understand where they are in the Christian life, so they can grow up and consider how to become spiritual parents and reproduce growing disciples.

This book could have been outlined more clearly.  At times it could have been more succinct, but the content is so refreshing and focused on a missing ingredient of multiplication.  Jim has a laser focus on what his church is supposed to do and every Christian ought to consider two questions.  First, “What is my goal?”  And secondly, “What am I producing?” 

Book Review: Church Is a Team Sport by Jim Putman

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In “Church Is a Team Sport”, Jim Putman takes his wrestling background and shows how important the “team” concept is in church ministry.  As a Preacher’s Kid, Jim took off on his own tangent walking away from God, but God brought him back to Himself through Jim’s own pastoring father.  After finishing his schooling, he began in youth ministry and developed a great youth group, because he spent time with them, loved them and took a keen interest in them individually and as a group.  After eight years in a couple youth ministries that were growing, but the adult ministry was not, two couples from northern Idaho asked him to plant a church.  He had no desire to plant a church, but through many obvious events, he returned to where he had roots from his college days.

His plan was simple.  Focus on small groups that had a consistent system for growth.  Coach the people to see they are the players, not the spectators.  Help people see they can lead others and reproduce themselves through small groups.  With coaches overseeing the small group leaders, those coaches provided weekly support and encouragement to the small group leaders.  Those small group leaders looked to reproduce themselves in the people that were growing.  As leaders grew, they were encouraged to serve and look to become disciple-making people themselves.

Jim’s sports background permeates the entire book. The reality is we are made to function on the Lord’s team in His body working together in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  Whether Jim discusses from the “locker room” to the “board room” or working with the same “playbook” he draws the reader into seeing how God can transform lives immediately, because it’s not based on religion, but authentic relationships in a safe environment of a small group.  He certainly inspires you to want to become a champion disciple-maker.

If you want to continue only attending church and going about your business, I would suggest you not read the book.  The principles are infectious and motivating for any background or ability to rise up and say, “I can do that [discipleship] (in His power).”

Book Review: Truth that Sticks by Avery T. Willis Jr. and Mark Snowden

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In “Truth That Sticks” Avery Willis walks through the change in American culture from a reading society to an oral learning society.  I accept his statistics and points, but am unable to verify them.  I can, however, say that people in my community and church do not read as much as they did 20 years ago.  People seem to be far more oriented to television, the internet and texting.  I also can say that people enjoy stories and always have. 

Avery’s desire is to present “How to Communicate Velcro Truth in a Teflon World.”  God’s truth is the crux of life, but our post-modern society is quick to choose only what it wants and it acts like it is the final judge of what truth is.  Hence, the possibility and importance of telling stories to answer questions for the world.  His appendix, “Why the Johnnys of America Can’t, Don’t, or Won’t Read” provides a good explanation why and how our society has changed in learning style.

People often think telling stories is for children.  I don’t think someone like a Garrison Keillor would agree with them.  Many of you will remember great storytellers like Mark Twain, JD Salinger, Edgar Allen Poe, John Updike, F Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen King and Washington Irving.  I find people normally remember one of my illustrations far longer than they remember an expositional outline.  I would not, however, exchange exposition of God’s Word to proclaim the truth or provide answers to life’s questions.  Yet, could story-telling be an essential ingredient to reaching people AND preparing leaders to multiply in making disciples?

Avery Willis has been working with a church in Post Falls, Idaho, called Real Life Ministries.  They’ve been able to expand a church plant to 700 small groups in ten years in part due to story- telling in their small groups.  They also have a laser focus on their purpose and what they are trying to produce.  People with little to no biblical background are able to read through a passage many times and tell it in a story to a small group and then the group goes back over the story looking at the biblical passage to note what was added or left out and the leader facilitates several questions regarding the story.

This is not about dumbing down the truth or helping people become lazy regarding Bible study. It’s about reaching the world of people who need a leader to help them become disciples of Jesus Christ.  It’s also about helping people remember the content of holy Scriptures in a way that they see their role in multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ to reach the world

Sustainable Youth Ministry- Book Review

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Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries When a man sticks with youth ministry for some thirty years, he’s going to get a grip on what is important. DeVries has a grip on youth ministry. He has worked in a few churches and coached many churches through youth ministry crises. He is not like many who are shifted around every three years. He has been successful because he is objective, understands the heart of a young person and knows how to work on a church staff. I was personally taken aback at how well he understood how a youth minister should relate to the senior pastor. Who in their right mind would want to work with youth anyway? A lot of us! It’s going to be someone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ and knows that young people are the key to future leadership. Young people are often easier to get to know, because they don’t have quite as much baggage as adults. Young people are just like adults in that you have to gain their trust in enter their world. Young people are just adults, except most people have lower expectations on them and assume they need to be coddled.

DeVries has many great illustrations regarding youth ministry. The Steeple Chase that says we would spend any amount of money to fix certain facility problems, but we are unwilling to spend what it takes on youth ministry. The Panama Problem that moves the youth ministry to the next level. The Triangle diagram focuses on Climate and Vision before Tasks to change the culture and build a lasting youth ministry.

 DeVries has certain key pegs that drive his train in order to develop tasks that will work with the youth who are gathered. He emphasizes that vision alone is not enough; it’s the execution of vision that matters. What makes this book unique is that many of the penetrating principles apply to every ministry to people, not just youth. Because it is written for youth, it provokes grey matter to realize, this needs to be done with parents and adults! He has excellent discernment related to technology and rabbit trails.

DeVries insightfully declares that youth ministry is not about youth doing ministry for themselves, but leaders leading so youth learn how to do ministry with youth. Everyone needs to learn, especially youth. If they aren’t God-focused and other-centered, then they need to learn from those who love youth how to love God and love others. I highly recommend reading this challenging and refreshing volume!

Book Review: Living the Cross Centered Life

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Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney

What keeps the Christian’s perspective on target for eternity?  The cross.  The cross-centered life is the one paradigm that will keep Christians focused on the freedom that exists in this bondage-wrecking world.  The very essence of faith is the cross of Christ.  It sets us free from bondage of a normal life to living a supernatural life, even one living on earth.  Several times he addresses three things that rob the Christian from joy: Subjectivism; Legalism and Condemnation.  Each of these pulls the Christian from the cross and takes His joy away.  He writes, “We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross.”  I also appreciate his discussion on “feelings.”  He writes, “We allow our feelings to guide our thinking, and we shouldn’t…that should be left to God’s Word alone.”  This direct, easy to read volume will get you back on track to a simple pure devotion to Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 11:3).

Book Review: God Space- Where Spiritual Conversations Happen Naturally by Doug Pollock

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God Space – Where Spiritual Conversations Happen Naturally by Doug Pollock

There is no singular topic more important than the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Yet that is often the subject that is least brought up in conversations for a variety of reasons.  If both or all parties are Christians, the gospel is often not mentioned, because people view each other as having accepted the good news so there is no sense discussing it more.  When non-Christians are present, it is often not discussed because Christians hope their example will be enough, or they often think others have heard it before so they talk about sports and other things, or Christians want to fit in and not be rejected by the world.  That fear of rejection often comes because Christians have not been equipped to create the environment to discuss the good news.  Doug Pollock draws the reader in to consider many factors about how to make that space of conversation an opportunity to share Christ.  Too often Christians go for the jugular and just move through the gospel without creating thirst on the part of the non-Christian.  We get more focused on information, rather than transformation.  He begins by delineating 10 Spiritual Conversation Killers.  Things like using our language rather than theirs, disrespecting their views, having an agenda to get through the message, or controlling the conversation make people feel boxed in. Then he has four great chapters on “Noticing, Serving, Listening and Wondering Your Way into Spiritual Conversations.”  Each of these chapters put the reader at ease resting in an easier, other-focused way of drawing a person into a spiritual conversation.  His chapter six on “Wondering Your Way into Spiritual Conversations” was especially good in turning the hearers comments into “wondering” questions that allow the non-Christian to be drawn into deeper spiritual conversations about God that they may not have considered.  I appreciate his quote from Howard Hendricks, “Show me a man with a bag full of successes, and I’ll show you a man with a bag full of failures.”  We are successful, because we’ve tried so many times to do it right, but failed over and over.  However, because we persist, we find better ways to do things right and then find success.  Concluding his book, Pollock gives 99 wondering questions to help give many ideas how to get the “other” person talking and drawn into the good news of Jesus Christ.  His approach makes me think of Paul’s comment to the Colossians, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Col 4:6)