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One
reason why I have struggled in “Making Christlike Disciples”
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This
week I have been thinking a lot about discipleship. I have been meeting in
2014 with a life coach. He has worked with hundreds of churches and thousands
of pastors over the years. He told me this week, “Not many churches are doing
well in discipleship.”
Why
is that so? I am sure it is partly a matter of focus and priority. When I was
a child, churches in America often put the focus on discipleship, usually
through the Sunday School. Today churches are usually centered on the
worship experience.
But
the problem runs deeper than that for me. I was reading an article today by
Ross Parsley. He said, “It takes a long time to make disciples. It takes a
long time and a lot of consistency to help people in their journey of
discovering who Jesus is and how He wants to work in their lives.” My biggest
challenge has been exposed! I want to see people saved and changed, but I
want it all instantly instead of the long journey that marks discipleship.
I
marvel that our Lord came and devoted so much time to 12 men. He only had
three years of active ministry on this earth. How could he commit so much
time to such a small group? Could it be that Parsley is right – “it takes a
long time to make disciples.” Jesus invested in a few...and they invested in
others... and they were dispersed by persecution....and they invested in
others... and the world was turned right side up!
Is
it too late to sign up for Jesus strategy? I want to recommit to the method
of our master in making disciples. How about you?
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August
16
9
am - 3 pm
I
want to encourage you to join us on Saturday, August 16, for the Leadership
Training Event. It is our goal to have 200 persons on that day.
THERE
IS NO COST AND LUNCH IS PROVIDED!!
I
want to update you on the adult track. We will have David Nash from Sunday
School and Nazarene Publishing House. He will be leading the adult morning
session on “Everything you want to know about Small Groups”. For the past
three years, NPH has produced a tremendous amount of material that you may
not be aware of. For this reason, David will be setting up a bookstore of
Nazarene Publishing House materials for you to review.
In
the afternoon session we are blessed to have Jon Comstock of the Discipleship
Place. There are multiple resources available online that are free and that
we need to be taking advantage of.
There
will be a children's track led by District Children’s Director, Beckie
Richburg, and our NYI president, Ryan Amey, will be leading sessions for our
youth workers.
We
do need a count from every church who will be attending. I am asking that you
contact my administrative assistant, Mandee Stevens (mandees@centralchurch.tv) with the
number that will be attending no later than Monday, August 11. We want
to make sure we will have enough food for everyone attending.
It
is my prayer that every church will be represented. We really are better when
we are untied as one. We are the NEO district and we will expand the Kingdom
in our cities.
Blessed
to be Family,
Steven
R. Lester,
NEO
SDMI Chairman
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The
Discipleship Place has partnered with Dr.
Doug Hardy, Professor of Spiritual Formation at Nazarene Theological
Seminary, to offer two free learning opportunities for laity and pastors. The
first is a webinar series and the second is an 8-week online course. Each of
these learning opportunities will discuss Christian spiritual formation
disciplines and are free to all participants. If you would be interested in
participating this instructor-led courses, email us at DiscipleshipPlace@nazarene.org.
We will send the details on how to register.
If
you are a pastor please note that both opportunities are eligible for
Lifelong Learning credits. The webinar series is worth 3 hours of learning
while the online course is worth 20 hours of Lifelong Learning credits for a
total of 23 hours.
Be
sure to register for each of the three webinars below that you would like to
attend.
Why Disciplines?, Monday, August 11th at 7:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. “Discipline” is a word that sometimes brings up negative memories and associations. Are disciplined practices really necessary for living the Christian life? This session explains our need for disciplines and their purpose for Christian spiritual formation. Click here to register for this webinar. What Disciplines?, Monday, August 18th at 7:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Over the centuries and across many different cultures, Christians have engaged in a variety of disciplined practices for the sake of growth in Christ-likeness. This session provides an overview of the historic, classic Christian disciplines with suggestions for engaging them today. Click here to register for this webinar.
How
Disciplines?, Monday, August 25th at 7:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
How do I transfer my knowledge about various Christian disciplines into
meaningful, personalized practice? This session provides guidance for
discernment and decision-making about personal and communal spiritual
practices. Click here to register for this webinar.
If
you have any questions, feel free to email us at DiscipleshipPlace@nazarene.org.
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