In a 2014 interview with Lifeway Research, Dann Spader, author of “4 Chair Discipling: Growing a Movement of Disciple-Makers”, was asked this question: What will the future of the American church look like if we get disciple-making wrong? “We will continue to decline in impact and influence as “salt and light”. The command to “go and make disciples” is not an option.This is not a great commission ...  Read More

I recently ran across an article that described a societal condition called “The Complexity Bias. It offered this up to explain why we humans lean towards complicating our lives rather than keeping things simple. The principle was this: when we are faced with too much information or we are in a state of confusion about something, we will naturally focus on the complexity of the issue rather than l...  Read More

Servanthood in the Kingdom20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the c...  Read More

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3). There is a circle of fellowship into which all believers are brought through faith in Jesus Christ. No one is excluded. When we believe the Scriptures’ testimony about the person and work of Jesus, we enter fell...  Read More

I recently came across this statement from Lifeway Research “Partial knowledge (of the Bible) can lead to partial understanding. Partial understanding can lead to partial obedience.” This conclusion from their research on disciple-making in the church was based in part on the decline of daily Bible reading in America. And they are not alone in their concern. Church leaders from nearly every evange...  Read More

An important aspect of our Christian faith is that we are called to live in community, united by a shared purpose and mission. Not just as individual believers in our church, but included in this community is our church leadership, those called to shepherd and guide God's people. Admittedly, submitting to leadership can sometimes be challenging. Especially true because our Western culture places a...  Read More