Growing Disciples Organically

Growing Disciples Organically PDF Author: Don Detrick
Publisher: Deep River Books LLC
ISBN: 9781937756819
Category : Christian life
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"Follow me." These two simple words spoken by Jesus are often needlessly complicated with theological, psychological, and sociological interpretations. Using metaphors from organic farming, Don Detrick believes that a less complicated, organic approach for growing disciples makes sense. Maybe Jesus just wants us to simply accept the clear invitation to follow him, and experience the excitement and adventure of the journey. Don's powerful book on spiritual formation is uniquely positioned for such a time as this in the church, as younger generations are discovering that bigger churches do not guarantee spiritual formation in the life of attendees, nor do they equate greater numbers with greater levels of spiritual passion. Growing Disciples Organically addresses these honest questions: Why don't people act more like Jesus after spending a lifetime attending or actively engaged in a local church? Why can't we see that another sermon or class, however well intentioned, may not result in significant spiritual growth? Why is it difficult to face the fact that more commitment, trying harder, or more activity may not result in increased spiritual growth? Why are we reluctant to admit that we may not have all the answers? This book is intended to help people in church leadership ask, "How is our present strategy of creating disciples working for us?" Pastors, leaders and any follower of Christ will find Dr. Don Detrick's book important and compelling as it offers a fresh approach to effective, time-proven, and biblically-based methods for spiritual growth. Don Detrick has spent more than thirty years in ministry as a pastor of churches. He currently serves as one of three executive officers for a network of more than 300 churches and over 1400 credentialed ministers in the Northwest. In this role he serves as CFO, oversees credentialing, and is involved in speaking, conflict management, coaching, consulting, and training pastors and churches. In addition, he is a board member for his national denomination and an adjunct professor for Northwest University, Kirkland, WA, and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO. Detrick holds a doctor of ministry degree in leadership and master of divinity (equiv.) from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, a master's degree in counseling from Luther Rice Seminary, and a BS in pastoral ministries from Eugene Bible College and a BA in Bible from Baptist Christian College.

Growing Disciples Organically

Growing Disciples Organically PDF Author: Don Detrick
Publisher: Deep River Books LLC
ISBN: 9781937756819
Category : Christian life
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book

Book Description
"Follow me." These two simple words spoken by Jesus are often needlessly complicated with theological, psychological, and sociological interpretations. Using metaphors from organic farming, Don Detrick believes that a less complicated, organic approach for growing disciples makes sense. Maybe Jesus just wants us to simply accept the clear invitation to follow him, and experience the excitement and adventure of the journey. Don's powerful book on spiritual formation is uniquely positioned for such a time as this in the church, as younger generations are discovering that bigger churches do not guarantee spiritual formation in the life of attendees, nor do they equate greater numbers with greater levels of spiritual passion. Growing Disciples Organically addresses these honest questions: Why don't people act more like Jesus after spending a lifetime attending or actively engaged in a local church? Why can't we see that another sermon or class, however well intentioned, may not result in significant spiritual growth? Why is it difficult to face the fact that more commitment, trying harder, or more activity may not result in increased spiritual growth? Why are we reluctant to admit that we may not have all the answers? This book is intended to help people in church leadership ask, "How is our present strategy of creating disciples working for us?" Pastors, leaders and any follower of Christ will find Dr. Don Detrick's book important and compelling as it offers a fresh approach to effective, time-proven, and biblically-based methods for spiritual growth. Don Detrick has spent more than thirty years in ministry as a pastor of churches. He currently serves as one of three executive officers for a network of more than 300 churches and over 1400 credentialed ministers in the Northwest. In this role he serves as CFO, oversees credentialing, and is involved in speaking, conflict management, coaching, consulting, and training pastors and churches. In addition, he is a board member for his national denomination and an adjunct professor for Northwest University, Kirkland, WA, and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO. Detrick holds a doctor of ministry degree in leadership and master of divinity (equiv.) from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, a master's degree in counseling from Luther Rice Seminary, and a BS in pastoral ministries from Eugene Bible College and a BA in Bible from Baptist Christian College.

Organic Church

Organic Church PDF Author: Neil Cole
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0787997846
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
Churches have tried all kinds of ways to attract new and younger members - revised vision statements, hipper worship, contemporary music, livelier sermons, bigger and better auditoriums. But there are still so many people who aren't being reached, who don't want to come to church. And the truth is that attendance at church on Sundays does not necessarily transform lives; God's presence in our hearts is what changes us. Leaders and laypeople everywhere are realizing that they need new and more powerful ways to help them spread God's Word. According to international church starter and pastor Neil Cole, if we want to connect with young people and those who are not coming to church, we must go where people congregate. Cole shows readers how to plant the seeds of the Kingdom of God in the places where life happens and where culture is formed - restaurants, bars, coffeehouses, parks, locker rooms,and neighborhoods. Organic Church offers a hands-on guide for demystifying this new model of church and shows the practical aspects of implementing it.

Organic Leadership

Organic Leadership PDF Author: Neil Cole
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 9781441203861
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Is it possible that the division between the clergy and the laity is unnecessary and, in fact, harmful to the church? In Organic Leadership, Neil Cole fervently says yes and shows how this causes great harm to all. But rather than doing away with the clergy, Cole argues that the answer is to raise up organically grown leaders from ordinary Christians and make everyone "a priest." Using examples from modern cinema, personal experience, and the Bible, Cole sets out to change our view of what a leader is and how one is formed. This fresh and revolutionary alternative will transform readers and equip them to challenge themselves and others to find the vision God has for them. Now available in trade paper.

Organic Disciples

Organic Disciples PDF Author: Kevin G. Harney
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310120160
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Could sharing your faith be the secret to developing your spiritual maturity? For many followers of Jesus, discipleship means doing certain things to deepen our connection with Jesus Christ. But our spiritual growth checklists are often disconnected from the mission of reaching a lost world with the gospel message. Taking a holistic approach that unites evangelism and discipleship, Kevin and Sherry Harney demonstrate how God's plan for our spiritual growth is intimately connected to his mission to the world. In Organic Disciples, the couple lead ordinary followers of Jesus through seven markers of spiritual maturity, showing how simple shifts in our Bible reading, prayer, community life, giving, service, and other biblical practices can connect us with God's work of reaching people with his love. You'll learn: Why true spiritual maturity will always lead believers outward to engage the world with the good news and truth of Jesus. How to overcome the common roadblocks and false narratives that stand in the way of spiritual maturity. How to design a personal pathway of growth to be more like Jesus in character and mission. Along with the Organic Disciples book, churches and individuals can utilize a free, self-directed online tool at OrganicOutreach.com to help each person identify where they are in their growth journey. Also look for eight-session small group curriculum—Organic Disciples Study Guide (9780310139089)—to take congregations and Christians deeper on this journey.

Organic Disciples Study Guide

Organic Disciples Study Guide PDF Author: Kevin G. Harney
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310139090
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
Could sharing your faith be the secret to unlocking your spiritual growth? For many followers of Jesus, spiritual growth involves a series of spiritual practices that promise to deepen our connection with God and train us in the ways of Jesus. Unfortunately, these practices are often disconnected from the mission and purposes of God in reaching a lost world with the gospel message. But what if the secret to unlocking spiritual growth was as simple as infusing our spiritual practices with an outward focus? In the Organic Disciples Study Guide, Kevin and Sherry Harney walk ordinary followers of Jesus through seven markers of spiritual maturity, showing how simple shifts in our prayers, Bible reading, giving, and other practices can connect us with God's work of reaching people with his love. Taking a holistic approach that unites evangelism and discipleship, Kevin and Sherry explain how God's plan for our own spiritual growth is intimately connected to his purposes for the church, unleashing God's power in our lives as we engage God's mission to the world. True spiritual growth and maturity will always lead believers outward to engage the world with the good news and truth of Jesus. And in a surprising twist, our own spiritual growth will often remain stunted and limited until we take the step of joining God in his mission to love others. This book will help you see how Jesus modelled a lifestyle of loving others, overcome the common roadblocks and false narratives that stand in the way of spiritual maturity, and design a personal pathway of growth to be more like Jesus in character and mission. Used together with the Organic Disciples book and the free video study and online assessment available at OrganicOutreach.com, churches and individuals can better identify where they are in their growth journey and what the next steps are in becoming more like Jesus.

How Can I Find Someone to Disciple Me?

How Can I Find Someone to Disciple Me? PDF Author: J. Garrett Kell
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433572400
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
"I eagerly commend this series." — R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Many new believers have questions about what it means to live as a Christian in the context of a local church, and pastors are looking for resources to pass along to their congregations to help them think biblically about the Christian life. Church Questions is a series by 9Marks that seeks to provide Christians with sound and accessible biblical teaching by answering common questions about church life. Each booklet offers biblical answers and practical applications with the goal of nurturing healthy church practice and commitment. Discipleship is an important part of the Christian life. As we follow Jesus, we learn the importance of pointing unbelievers to Jesus and helping believers grow in their relationship with him. But how do you know where to start? In this addition to the Church Questions series, Garrett Kell explores the Bible's teaching on discipleship and how that plays out practically in the context of the local church.

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time PDF Author: Marcus J. Borg
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061747629
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
Of the many recent books on the historical Jesus, none has explored what the latest biblical scholarship means for personal faith. Now, in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg addresses the yearnings of those who want a fully contemporary faith that welcomes rather than oppresses our critical intelligence and openness to the best of historical scholarship. Borg shows how a rigorous examination of historical findings can lead to a new faith in Christ, one that is critical and, at the same time, sustaining. "Believing in Jesus does not mean believing doctrines about him," Borg writes. "Rather, it means to give one's heart, one's self at its deepest level, to . . . the living Lord." Drawing on his own journey from a naive, unquestioning belief in Christ through collegiate skepticism to a mature and contemporary Christian faith, Borg illustrates how an understanding of the historical Jesus can actually lead to a more authentic Christian life—one not rooted in creeds or dogma, but in a life of spiritual challenge, compassion, and community. In straightforward, accessible prose, Borg looks at the major findings of modern Jesus scholarship from the perspective of faith, bringing alive the many levels of Jesus' character: spirit person, teacher of alternative wisdom, social prophet, and movement founder. He also reexamines the major stories of the Old Testament vital to an authentic understanding of Jesus, showing how an enriched understanding of these stories can uncover new truths and new pathways to faith. For questioning believers, doubters, and reluctant unbelievers alike, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time frees our understanding of Jesus' life and message from popular misconceptions and outlines the way to a sound and contemporary faith: "For ultimately, Jesus is not simply a figure of the past, but a figure of the present. Meeting that Jesus—the living one who comes to us even now—will be like meeting Jesus again for the first time."

AND

AND PDF Author: Hugh Halter
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310325854
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
AND brings you fresh encouragement to your ministry. By teaching you how to move beyond the attractional-missional divide and utilize insights from both perspectives, you'll learn how to bring together the very best of the attractional and missional models for church ministry. AND is part of the Exponential Series.

Finding Organic Church

Finding Organic Church PDF Author: Frank Viola
Publisher: David C Cook
ISBN: 0781403529
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
From the bestselling author of Reimagining Church comes an essential guide that provides practical, effective tools for finding vibrant Christian communities. Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Frank Viola has written some of today's most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing home, organic, and missional church movements. Now Viola shares practical keys to a healthy and successful church plant. Viola contends that many congregations today are struggling to survive, not because of bad planning, but poor planting. He presents an essential guide for starting and nourishing organic churches in any culture. Drawing from both Scripture and a wealth of experience, Viola offers real-world tools, insights, and practical suggestions so churches won't just grow, but thrive.

In Pursuit of Love

In Pursuit of Love PDF Author: Rebecca Bender
Publisher: HarperChristian + ORM
ISBN: 0310356865
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Through her own gripping story of escape from human trafficking, Rebecca Bender reveals the inner workings of the underground world of modern-day slavery and helps us learn how we can be a catalyst for change where we live. Born and raised in a small Oregon town, all-American girl Rebecca Bender was a varsity athlete and honor roll student with a promising future. Then a predator pretending to be her boyfriend lured her into a web of lies that sent her down a path she never imagined possible. For nearly six years, Rebecca was sold across the underground world of sex trafficking in Las Vegas. She was branded, beaten, told when to sleep and what to wear, and traded between traffickers. Forced into a dark sisterhood, Rebecca formed bonds with her trafficker and three other women, creating a false sense of family. During that time, God began revealing himself to her. And in the midst of her exploitation, she found the hope she needed to survive. After a federal raid, Rebecca escaped. Her life was forever changed as she felt the embrace of her heavenly Father guiding her to healing and wholeness. Rebecca soon began to use her own experiences to change the lives of others as she went back into the darkest places she had known--assisting FBI, VICE, and law enforcement across the country in some of their most difficult cases. Through Rebecca's incredible story of redemption, we remember that our past does not have to determine our destiny.