Simple Discipleship @ Wordpress

THREE REASONS WHY TRADITIONAL DISCIPLESHIP DOESN’T WORK

Tom — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:16:46 +0000

The Brain and Learning

There has been much discussion and many articles or books written to address the decline of the church in recent years. Some, including me, have stated that the decline feeds the decline because of a lack of genuine discipleship. In other terms, an investment in discipleship is an investment in evangelism futures. My books Simple Discipleship and The Disciple-Maker’s Toolkit provide Christian leaders and laymen with solutions that can help leaders develop transformational discipleship ministries that involve both the cognitive and emotional/experiential parts of the brain. Yet, there are many church leaders that keep doing what they’ve always done…and continue to get the same results. They wonder why they are getting the same results but seem unwilling to change anything. This article offers three reasons why traditional discipleship doesn’t work.

Keep doing what you are doing and you will keep having what you are having.

1. It is Rooted in Cognitive Teaching Methods.

Western culture and learning methods continue to model a cognitive pedagogy and methodology meaning that is rooted in logic and oratory. Pastors and church leaders may improve their church’s effectiveness at making disciples if they simply intentionally include as many methods as possible. A series of my articles identified at least thirteen ways to make disciples that include both cognitive and emotional/experiential methods:

DISCIPLESHIP BEST PRACTICES: 13 Ways to Make Disciples

1. Passive Discipleship: the least effective method but essential to support other methods

2. Private Discipleship: the Christian and the Holy Spirit (most effective but under used)

3. Presence Discipleship: In times of crisis the disciple invests time, assistance, and prayer.

4. Participation or Proximity Discipleship: applies to all areas but most of all to giving

5. Projected Discipleship: Actively but humbly projecting a Christian example of living Christ’s teachings.

6. Platform or Presentation Discipleship: preaching in church and lecture-style Bible study

7. Program Discipleship: Pre-packaged materials delivered in large or small groups.

8. Personal Discipleship: One-on-one discipleship (very effective but seldom used)

9. Peer Group Discipleship: Bible study and Sunday School

10. Practical Discipleship: Hands on service, evangelism, and missional projects

11. Proficiency Discipleship: Leadership Development

12. Proclamation Discipleship: Evangelism and preaching to unchurched

13. Process Discipleship: All of the above delivered in a systematic way

Many churches employ #6- Platform or Presentation Discipleship for the greater part of their church discipleship ministry. However, they often fail to encourage the other methods. Platform Discipleship and other lecture/preaching methods of making disciples tend to actuate the cognitive part of the brain which is the top part of the organ called the cortex and neo-cortex. Information received in the cognitive part of the brain is often stored for later reflection and may never be recalled. When that is the case, there is little chance for cognitive learning to actually change behavior. Jesus actually employed virtually all of the methods listed above and he likely did not use oratory as his primary teaching method. Today’s church leaders need to FLIP the discipleship paradigm to make it highly experiential.

Discipleship Myth: It is the job of the Holy Spirit to make disciples.

It is true that the Holy Spirit has a major role in discipleship that results in behavior change. However, many leaders believe the discipleship myth: It is the job of the Holy Spirit to make disciples. Jesus gave the Great Commission to the church to make disciples and when it does not happen, it is not the fault of the new Christian or the Holy Spirit.

2. It has Little Chance of Changing Behavior.

As pointed out above, cognitive learning often does little to change behavior for several reasons:

The message may be stored for later recall but then never recalled.
The message may be delivered poorly.
The message may be misunderstood by the hearer.
There may be no opportunity to ask questions or to clarify.
More than ever and for many reasons, people learn by experience rather than by cognitive methods.

Many have played the gossip game in which something is stated to a person and whispered to several people until the final person states something totally different from the original message. This is part of the problem with oral communication such as preaching and presentation style teaching.

Young people today are less cognitively oriented and more experiential.

Young people today are less cognitively oriented and more experiential. This is not to suggest they are less intelligent and we are not making a case against cognitive learning, but for discipleship experiential learning has a better chance of changing one’s values and behavior. The problem is that experiential/emotional learning is actuated in a deeper part of the brain—we have to drill deeper.

An investment in discipleship is an investment in evangelism futures.

3. It Fails to Actuate the Emotional/Experiential Part of the Brain.

The limbic portion of the brain is under the cortex and neo-cortex. Methods such as private, presence, participation, peer-group, practical, proficiency, and process discipleship all involve the limbic (experiential/emotional) part of the brain. This is where discipleship behavior change occurs. The best learning of course occurs when both the limbic and cognitive brain are actuated. The problem at hand is that many churches focus on only the cognitive learning methods. Church leaders should intentionally develop plans to make disciples using methods that are cognitive and experiential. Until churches do this, little will change and many churches will continue their steady decline.

To purchase Simple Discipleship materials, coaching, and leadership development click http://www.simplediscipleship.com/

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 20 years experience as a pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team

MISCONCEPTIONS OF LEADERSHIP

Tom — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:46:04 +0000

Image credit: 72soul / 123RF Stock Photo

REPUBLISHED BY CHURCHLEADERS.COM

I am making an ongoing collection of leadership misconceptions and I have gathered twenty two to get the list started. Perhaps the list will help readers in some way and be discussion starters. I did not come up with all of these and in fact gathered them from various sources. Some of them are common thoughts about leadership. Please submit additional potential misconceptions in the concepts section and I will consider adding them to the ongoing list, giving credit to the one making the submission.

Leaders are born and not made. No! While some people develop innate leadership skills early, many learn the skills and become good leaders because of crises and challenges.
Leaders define leadership. No! the fact is that followers define leadership and why they follow another person. Leaders cannot always identify why others follow them although it must be stated that people will often follow a leader that is absolutely WRONG.
A person is a leader because they have a title. No! Positional leadership is temporary. People decide rather quickly whether they will continue to follow an individual in a position. He or she must earn the right. It is called Leadership Capital.
A person is a leader because they have power and authority. No! A person may have the authority to make decisions but that does not mean they make good decisions. Likewise, some leaders have had little authority but were great leaders. Martin Luther King Jr. is an example.
Managers are leaders. No! The opposite is also false: Leaders are managers. While there are similarities, there are some differences between managing and leading.
Being in a job a long time makes one a leader. No! Does the person have 20 years of experience or a year of experience 20 times?
Education makes one a leader. No! There are people with 4.0 averages that have little leadership ability and there are people without a college education that are great leaders.
One has to be old to be a leader. No! Some people have a quick aptitude and very good intuitive and relational skills that make them early leaders.
Innovators are leaders. No! Not in every case. Many people have invented new products but could not get them to the market.
Entrepreneurs are leaders. No! Not all company CEOs are good leaders of others.
Leaders know everything. No! However, they are often good at resourcing. They know where to get what is needed and they know how to bring the right people together to accomplish more than otherwise would be done.
Leaders are infallible. No! New leadership skills are often learned through mistakes.
Leaders only give orders. No! The best leaders give more inspiration and give fewer commands. 3/7/13 Tina Gibson added, ”… leaders lead by example (Do what I DO, not do what I say!”
Leaders are charismatic. No! Leaders come from all people-style groups. Some are amiable, analytical, assertive, and animated.
Leaders have imposing personalities. Again, leaders come from all of the personality styles.
Leaders do not delegate the most important things. No! The best leaders build collaborative teams that make good ideas better.
Leaders treat everyone the same. No! If that were true, a successful leader might put everyone one the same bus in the same seat on the bus. Leaders often see the uniqueness of people and see how they may help them reach their full potential.
Leaders should not be friends with team members. No! The best leaders often have some very close friends on their team.
Leaders select only experienced people. No! Great leaders often will select talent for the next generation.
Leaders should focus on the weaknesses. No! They should delegate to their weaknesses and work toward their strengths.
Leaders develop the people around them. No! Many leaders are poor at developing the next generation of leaders.
Leadership attitudes do not matter. No! They do matter. Attitude may be one of the greatest differentiators of leadership.
Leadership can be inherited. No! It is true that a leader may choose a successor but those he leads will decide whether the new leader is a leader. Leadership ability may be taught but it is not passed on with a position. Added by Tom Cocklereece on 3/11/2013.
Evil leaders are poor leaders. No, unfortunately! We may not like this one but history is replete with leaders who perpetrated great evil but to do so they had to have had well developed leadership abilities. Perhaps one of the most notorious examples of this is Adolf Hitler. Added by Tom Cocklereece on 3/11/2013.

Again, please offer additional misconceptions of leadership in the comment section for my consideration.

Simple Discipleship Blessings!

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 20 years experience as a pastor, and is an author, professional coach, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team

DO OTHERS SEE YOUR FAITH?

Tom — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 03:24:12 +0000

Know Christ!

The Simple Discipleship process includes four primary value dimensions based on the four color fields or quadrants surrounding the cross—Worship (red), Word (blue), Ministry (yellow), and Missions (green). The words summarize four broad dimensions of the Christian life and may also be stated—Know Christ, Grow in Christ, Serve Christ, and Share Christ. Much, if not all, of the Bible may be categorized using these four broad value-based dimensions. The following is a Simple Discipleship devotional.

_______________________________________

Do other people see your faith? I am not suggesting that Christians should draw attention to themselves. In fact, Jesus’ method was not to do good things just to get attention. However, sometimes your best way to earn an opportunity to share your faith is through the authenticity of your faith as others see you live life. We might consider that others see and sense your faith.

Christians who visit our home say they feel a sense of harmony and safety. They sometimes use the word “haven” to describe it. People who are not particularly active in the Christian faith also say much the same thing. However, people who are antagonistic to the Christian faith clearly feel uncomfortable in our home. We have no Christian icons or decorations and while we do have prayer at meals, we do not have other worship activities in our home other than private individual devotional time. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit creates an environment of harmony for Christians and non-Christians sense it as discomfort that is actually conviction. The point is that people sense and see the authenticity of our faith. I only share this to make a point. Consider the passage:

Genesis 21:22-34 (SD- WORSHIP)

²²And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying,”God is with you in all that you do. ²³Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” ²⁴And Abraham said, “I will swear.” ²⁵Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. ²⁶And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” ²⁷So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. ²⁸And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹Then Abimelech asked Abraham,”What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” ³⁰And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” ³¹Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. ³²Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. ³⁴And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days. NKJV

In the text, Abimelech is a Philistine and told Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.” (Genesis 21:22) He and Abraham made a covenant of peace and apparently gave him the opportunity to settle in Beersheba. Abraham immediately planted a tree and worshipped the Lord in that place to commemorate God’s blessing on his life. Presumably, Abraham planted what became an oasis that was dedicated to God.

SD CrossPoints

Is your house a place to sleep or is it a haven of rest that is dedicated to God?
Is your house an escape from reality for just you and your family or is it a place of spiritual respite for ministry to help others?
Would you consider your home to be just a structure or a blessing provided by God to use to minister to others?

Simple Discipleship Blessings!

ANYONE CAN BE A SERVANT OF GOD

Tom — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 04:36:02 +0000

Serve Christ!

The Simple Discipleship process includes four primary value dimensions based on the four color fields or quadrants surrounding the cross—Worship (red), Word (blue), Ministry (yellow), and Missions (green). The words summarize four broad dimensions of the Christian life and may also be stated—Know Christ, Grow in Christ, Serve Christ, and Share Christ. Much, if not all, of the Bible may be categorized using these four broad value-based dimensions. The following is a Simple Discipleship devotional.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “CALLED” BY GOD?

Many Christians make the assumption that God specially “calls” people only to ministry such as preachers, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. Perhaps we need to understand the biblical concept of “calling.” By “calling” we mean that God specifically leads people to serve in the world, the church, and/or his kingdom in a certain role. We might call this “purpose driven” or understanding your purpose in life. The outworking of this is that in the context of prayer, worship, Bible reading, and meditation within the relationship between the individual and God, the person feels impressed to serve God in a certain way.

The Apostle Paul said, “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop (Pastor), he desires a good work.” (1 Timothy 3:1) The word used for “desires” means “to stretch oneself out in order to touch or to grasp something or to reach after or desire something.” When expressed that way it sounds as if someone wakes up one day and says… “I want to be a pastor.” …which sounds so cliché like, “I could have had a V8.” Allow me to describe a “calling” with a personal experience:

MY CALLING

I had been a Christian for several years and as an early teenager I went on a youth trip. During that retreat I had the strong impression and feeling of God’s presence and that he wanted me to be a pastor someday. I did not know how to process this experience. My pastor met with me but offered little practical help with my growing impression. For several years every time I went to church, read the Bible, prayed, or passed by a church, I felt the Lord pulling at my heart with almost audible words in my mind, “I want you to serve me as a pastor.” The compelling impression became a “desire” once I acknowledged the calling and agreed with God’s purpose for my life. I did not begin to officially serve as a pastor until several years later but in my mind, once I agreed with God’s purpose for my life, I already was a pastor. This is in contrast with some of my friends at seminary who felt that they were not pastors until graduation from seminary. I contend that they failed to truly understand the meaning of a calling. They went to seminary to become pastors but I was a pastor who went to seminary.

The compelling impression of God’s calling me became a “desire” once I acknowledged the calling and agreed with God’s purpose for my life.

WHAT IS YOUR “CALLING?”

So far you are thinking that all of this discussion is fine for pastors but you may not see pastoring in your future. I believe God calls people to serve him as chefs, painters, teachers, medical technicians, doctors, janitors, architects, policemen, paramedics, and lawyers…yes, even lawyers. Consider the following Scripture:

¹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, ⁴to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, ⁵in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. ⁶“And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: ⁷the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle — ⁸the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, ⁹the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base — ¹⁰the garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, ¹¹and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.” (Exodus 31:1-11 NKJV)

The passage says that God gave specific knowledge and ability to people to serve him in particular ways, in this case, serving in careers other than as clergy. Goldsmiths, silversmiths, woodworkers, producers of oil, incense, and textiles were specially equipped and called by God to serve him to build, serve, and maintain the tabernacle. If your broader purpose is to glorify God through your work and share Christ as you have opportunities, then almost any moral profession may be used as a vehicle to serve the Lord. Pastors and others who serve churches have a special calling from God, but so can you. What has the Lord called you do do to serve him?

——————–

Questions:

What has the Lord called you to do to serve him?
Share how God has used you to serve him in your non-church job.

——————–

LIVING THE DREAM OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Tom — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 17:36:01 +0000

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Brandon Bourdages / Shutterstock.com

There he stands carved in stone in the new memorial in Washington, D.C. commemorating his legacy. The look on the face of his likeness that is carved into the marble looks stern and demanding that we make his dream a reality in our time. Of course I am writing about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I recently read Scott William’s compelling book Church Diversity: Sunday the Most Segregated Day of the Week. While reading the book I was involved in trying to transition a “white church” to a more diverse church that matched the community demographics that had changed. I learned first-hand why this issue is so challenging, even in the 21^st century. The church membership came to understand the changes and differences in the church and community. We started a sports ministry and 95% of those who attended were black. One only needed to stop behind a local school bus and see the children getting on and off to see that our community consisted of few whites. However, the church was known by the blacks in the community as a “white” church. The proverbial hand-writing was on the wall…our church must become a diverse church in order to survive. The leadership began the journey with much excitement but with delusions that it would be relatively easy. WOW! We were wrong.

THE GOOD

People of all races superficially say they want to work together to build the Kingdom of God. Even the famous black and white cookie has become a symbol of racial reconciliation. People of all races will often smile and say the right things. In my experience, cooperation began with much excitement and fanfare from both the blacks and whites. As the pastor for several years, I led the church to hire a black associate pastor who would help reach the blacks of the community. I have always loved the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech:

Full text to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

…but more than liking the words, I believe and want them to become reality. I see what God did at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13 when the Holy Spirit reversed the confusion of the languages at Babel as how the church should be. Churches should not be cliques of people but should be made up of people from all nations TOGETHER. That’s the meaning of fellowship.

THE BAD

Before his life was tragically cut short Dr. King also acknowledged that Sunday morning in church was the most segregated time in the United States. Our church was no different but we started challenging the status quo. I am certain that we gained some members because of our intentional efforts. We also lost some church members who clearly did not want diversity. There were a few open confrontations and it became clear that the church membership was divided. I knew that we had lost the initiative to become a church for all people in the community.

THE UGLY

In trying to bring Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream into reality the effort had an unintended consequence We successfully divided the church into four groups: 1) whites who were resistant to diversity, 2) blacks who were resistant to diversity, 3) whites who wanted diversity, and 4) blacks who wanted diversity. I discovered that not everyone who celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream truly believes it–including some black pastors. In hindsight we did not properly vet the individual whom I still love and respect to serve and help build a “dream” church. He had his own dream of using our location and his role at our church to reach the blacks of the community to build his own black church. His dream conflicted with my Dream that matched that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream. The irony is…I am white. I long for the day when we do not refer to one another with the label of what race we are.

I discovered that not everyone who celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream truly believes it–including some black pastors.

After leaving the church I had hoped to lead to realize the Dream, I took a secular job as an executive coach and leadership speaker/trainer. We began to consider which church we would join as we began a journey of seeking our place for future ministry. There are several churches we liked around our home community as we had visited them when we stayed home for vacations. But now we suddenly realized something was “wrong” with them: in the 21^st century Cobb County, GA in which the population is 26% black, the churches we were considering were very “white.” They certainly welcomed people of all races but did not embrace and empower them in the leadership. This is what Scott Williams discussed in his excellent book, Church Diversity in which he dared leaders to challenge the “elephant(s)” in the room. To talk about that which nobody wants to talk about–race. Williams is correct but there were two issues which he did not challenge enough: 1) few blacks are willing to acknowledge their own racism toward other races, and 2) a significant number of black or white churches lack diversity because of cultural issues.

For instance, a black church may be considered very conservative while they are more inclusive of women in ministry than many conservative white churches. With the election of a black denominational president, Fred Luter, Southern Baptist Churches are increasingly accepting more black churches into their membership despite some of the doctrinal and/or cultural differences as noted above. Soon, SBC leaders will have to face a new elephant in the room regarding women in ministry since they have largely accepted greater inclusion of women in ministry in the black SBC churches while rejecting or sidestepping the issue in traditionally white churches. It seems that we have herds of elephants in the churches. …but I digress. We joined First Baptist Church of Atlanta, GA first because we knew that is where God wanted us and second…because as we looked around we saw that the demographics of those attending church matched the community. It appeared that about 25% of those attending either worship service were of a race other than white. When I serve as a pastor again in the future, I hope it is a church that lives the Dream. As Christians we are all God’s children. Can we not worship together?

——————–

Questions:

Does your church demographic match that of the community surrounding the church?
On a scale of 1 to 10, to what degree do you agree with the argument for diversity?
What are you going to do to challenge the “elephants” in your church?

——————–

A SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE LESSON

Tom — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 03:27:00 +0000

Celebrate Life!

The third Sunday in January is traditionally designated as “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.” The day will pass with little fanfare in the nation or even in many churches even though over 55 million babies have been aborted since Roe vs. Wade made abortion on demand legal in the U.S. in 1973. This article is a redo of a devotional I wrote last year that I felt is appropriate for the recognition of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2013.

We live in a time when many of the same people who get upset about cruelty to animals often support abortion which is called “pro-choice.” Ironically, many of those who are descendants of slavery, another violation of the sanctity of human life, are now victims of abortion. Perhaps abortion is the “slavery of the 20th and 21st centuries.” This is simply extreme irony and contradiction based on human desire for convenience and sex without consequences. The problem is that the result is the death of an innocent human being. Societies have long had some form of baby-killing with what they felt was fair justification. People in ancient times sacrificed children to their gods and there may be little difference today as many agnostics accept the sacrifice of infants to their unknown gods and all for the sake of political positions, money, and power. Consider a story from Genesis in the Bible.

Ironically, many of those who are descendants of slavery, another violation of the sanctity of human life, are now victims of abortion. Perhaps abortion is the “slavery of the 20th and 21st centuries.”

Abraham had a history of faith and failure in his relationship with the Lord and yet he is held up as a member of “The Hall of Fame of Faith” in Hebrews 11:

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Heb 11:8-9; 17-19 NKJV

Abraham, or Abram at that time, was countercultural as he rejected the worship of false gods made by man and followed the one true God. He left his country to find the place to where God would lead him. However, the Bible records that he followed God but did so with some “fits and starts.” His life was marked by occasional impulsive actions in which he went his own way instead of God’s way. For instance here are some tests of Abraham that he failed:

At first he failed to completely follow God’s instructions to leave his family, their land, and their religion. He failed on two occasions to depend on God and jeopardized Sarai’s life and his own. He failed when he did not wait upon God for a promised son and tried to solve the problem himself.

Abortion may be the modern equivalent of religious ritual child sacrifice that compares to the ancient brutal practice of various religions.

However,…it is the Final Exam that changed everything. Genesis 22 clearly records the Final Exam of Abraham. He was told by God to go to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice his only son as he would kill and sacrifice a lamb and dedicate it to God. Indeed, to Abraham the command from God went against the Lord’s character as it was a practice of the world religions of the time to sacrifice children by ritual killing. (We might see abortion as the modern equivalent of religious ritual child sacrifice that compares to the ancient brutal practice.) There is no inkling that Abraham did his usual rationalizations with God and then did his own thing. Instead we see Abraham obeying and doing exactly what God said to the point at which God provided a substitute and saved the life of Isaac. It is indeed a picture of what God did for you by providing Jesus the Christ as your substitute.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

Here are some lessons we can learn from Abraham:

It is the Final Exam that counts but…you never know which is the Final Exam.

God does not tempt his disciples but he does test us.
When God tests us he prepares us.
God’s tests may come when we least expect them.
The duration of the test may be short or long.
God’s tests are designed to grow our character in our weakest areas.
God may give you a similar test repeatedly until you can pass it.
God’s tests may appear illogical to us. (God’s ways are not our ways.)
God gives unique tests to specific disciples he has chosen to carry the vision and purposes of his Kingdom.
It is the Final Exam that counts but…you never know which is the Final Exam.

I contend that by the time of the events recorded in Genesis 22, Abraham had such closeness with God that he KNEW that if he was required to sacrifice his son Isaac, God would resurrect him. The key is to pass every test as if each one may be the FINAL EXAM!

Could it be that a major point of this event is to illustrate that Abraham and his descendants are to be counter-cultural and celebrate the sanctity of human life instead of being cultural by sacrificing children? Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, there have been approximately 50 million abortions performed in the United States. One difference in the two times is that the ancients sacrificed publicly which may be why the practice eventually ended but today abortion is kept out of sight, quiet, and sterile. Be counter-cultural…Celebrate life!

SD CrossPoints

Can you see the parallel between acceptance of killing children in ancient times with the killing of pre-born children in our time?

Identify some tests God has given you that you passed.

Identify some tests God has given you that you failed.

Are you ready for your Final Exam?

Simple Discipleship Blessings!

Dr. Tom Cocklereece

To visit our primary website for resources, go to: http://www.simplediscipleship.com

Order the books “Simple Discipleship” and The Disciple-Maker’s Toolkit at http://www.simplediscipleship.com. Read the book and you will find yourself looking and studying the Bible with new enthusiasm.

YOUR PERSONAL GREMLIN

Tom — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:21:52 +0000

YOUR PERSONAL GREMLIN

The “gremlin series” of articles I have written has been hugely successful with over 40,000 readers all total. Human nature tends to lead us to see the gremlins in the lives of other people but if that is all you see then you are missing the point. A gremlin in this sense is a self-defeating behavior that reappears in life, work, and relationships that prevents you from achieving a new level of success. Like in the movie by the same name, gremlins usually are latent and easy to live with until they are activated by external or internal factors, either past, present, or perceived future. Every morning when you look in the mirror, if you look closely are your failings, you are likely to see your gremlin. Naming them can help you to be aware of your self-defeating behavior so you may make intentional decisions that are edifying and rewarding to all involved. The introductory article to this series is at Get Out of Your Own Way.

So, what is your personal gremlin like? What do you do repeatedly that sabotages your success? What do you do or say that repeatedly sabotages your relationships? You need to face your personal gremlin but how often we avoid seeing reality of our own ugliness…and I am not speaking of physical appearance but I am speaking of personal sin and failings.

An elderly woman had been diagnosed by her eye doctor as having severe cataracts. As a person ages the lens of the eyes ever so gradually become covered with an opaque film that affects sight. Someone with cataracts in both eyes may have variable perceptions of light and visual stimuli. It may be difficult to see clearly when looking in a mirror; color perception is affected as white objects appear yellow or gray; and night-driving is difficult as oncoming headlights leave one temporarily blinded with what might be called a “whiteout.” The woman had the cataract surgery and went to see her doctor for a follow-up appointment.

She said, “Doctor, there is one thing I don’t like about my vision after the surgery.”

“What would that be?” the doctor inquired.

She replied, “I have used facial cream every day for years. You know, the kind that gets rid of wrinkles. And I noticed that the cream is not working anymore.”

The doctor said, “Why don’t you try putting the cream on the mirror next time and see if that helps.”

THE REMEDY FOR GREMLINS

To err is human and to avoid seeing one’s own sin, failings, and gremlins is also human. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Don’t think for a moment that you are the only one in history who has avoided sin or is beyond judgment of it. There is only one person in all of history who is sinless, and he was crucified and rose again so that when we look in the mirror and confess our sin, he forgives. Yes, the person is Jesus Christ.

Perhaps you are a Christian but still have deeply rooted sin (gremlins). The remedy is the same but what you are looking for is genuine TRANSFORMATION. Include a time in every day during which you honestly look in the mirror. Spend time in prayer asking deliverance from besetting sin in your life. Someday perhaps when you look in the mirror, the gremlin will be gone and you will see the new you.

——————–

Questions:

What is the name of your personal gremlin?
What are you doing to get rid of your gremlins?

——————–

Read the Complete Series

Introduction to Gremlins: Get Out of Your Own Way!

Name Your Gremlin: Blamer

Name Your Gremlin: Denial

Name Your Gremlin: Scaredy Gremlin

Name Your Gremlin: Jekyll and Hyde

Name Your Gremlin: Pigpen Gremlin

Name Your Gremlin: Pride and Arrogance

Gremlins and Guardians: Stay on the Right Path- Integrity

BULLS IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

Tom — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 04:00:20 +0000

For the first time in many years I am currently not serving as a pastor of a local church and find myself in a reflective mood. Having enjoyed over 20 years of service as a pastor, I have observed not only wolves in sheep’s clothing preying on the vulnerable people in the church, but I discovered another kind of predator in the church—bulls in sheep’s clothing.

The reference for wolves in sheep’s clothing comes from Jesus in Matthew 7:15…

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Mt 7:15 NKJV

The Apostle Paul refers to the visual concept in Acts 20:29…

For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Acts 20:29 NKJV

Ravenous or savage wolves appear to be non-Christians that try to appear to be genuine Christians while they mingle with the church fellowship. During that time they are perhaps more mindful of living Christian behavior more than most disciples of Jesus. In the meantime they seek the vulnerable in order to exercise their own influence. Perhaps they seek a child to molest, or an adulterous affair, or an opportunity to swindle money from a elderly person…but of course Christians in the church are sometimes guilty of these behaviors. Indeed, it is difficult to tell the sheep from the wolves dressed and acting like sheep and it is equally difficult to tell the sheep acting like wolves from the wolves dressed and acting like…wolves. However, there is another predator of which Paul refers but he did not provide a metaphor…

Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Acts 20:30 NKJV

The difference between the latter from the former example is that these predators come from within—“from among yourselves.” These predators who cause division, strife, and sin within the church appear to be Christians who desire power and influence within the church. The best metaphor I might offer is that of –bulls in sheep’s clothing.

3 KINDS OF BULLS IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

More properly, we might refer to the “bulls” as bullies and there seem to be at least three different kinds preying on the church from within:

The Intimidation Bully

The Conspiracy Bully

The Sniper Bully

Intimidation bullies use their influence among the people of a church fellowship to increase their own power and influence. It may come in the form of openly confronting the pastor and staff in a manner that belittles. It is often done in such a way that if the insulted leader responds, he/she usually appear to be the offending party. Bullies know that the church membership expects the pastor or staff to take insults, forgive, and refrain from retaliation even if the truth is suppressed. The only remedy is for other church members and especially the deacons and/or elders to confront or intervene on behalf of the person the bully is intimidating. Intimidation bullies are intimidated by people who are not intimidated.

Conspiracy bullies are difficult to confront because they tend to operate behind the scenes. They whisper false accusations about others to individuals who are part of cliques in the church. One such bully accused the pastor of embezzling money of the church. The accusation was even spread to the local district church leader. The fact was that the pastor had led the church to establish firm accountability structures such that he had no authority to spend church funds. Nevertheless, the false accusations took their toll on the respect of the pastor. Conspiracy bullies may be held in check if others in the congregation confront them at the point accusations are made.

Sniper bullies are individuals who will not control their mouth. During church business conferences they may shout their disagreement without being recognized by the moderator. In other situations they may voice their anger and even accusations so that many others may hear, knowing that they made their point. It’s similar to the attorney that deliberately raises a point that is objected to by the opposing council and is sustained by the judge. The point was made and cannot then be unmade since the jury has already heard the point. The damage is done since the point may raise a reasonable doubt. Sniper bullies will control their mouth if they are lovingly confronted by others.

A common statement of a church bully: “I was here before you got here and I’ll be here after you leave.” The problem is that people have to love the bully anyway but they don’t have to allow him/her to hurt others, the pastor, or the church.

WHAT IS THE CULTURE OF YOUR CHURCH?

The best remedy for any of the bulls in sheep’s clothing is a healthy church culture. When either of the bullies described above exhibits their bullish behavior they will be lovingly but firmly confronted in a healthy church. In an unhealthy church, the people try to ignore or look to run for cover when the bullish behavior is demonstrated. Church congregations such as this are largely passive and apathetic. They are non-confrontive and believe that confronting the behavior will do more damage to the church. They may believe that someone should confront but it’s not their job to do so. They collectively wait for someone else to confront…and nobody does. Greater damage occurs to the church fellowship, the leadership, and the community reputation of the church when bulls are allowed to run uninhibited.

——————–

Questions:

What do you think about the “bull” metaphor as applied to Acts 20:30?
What has been your reaction to bullies in the church?

——————–

THE TOP 10 SIMPLE DISCIPLESHIP POSTS OF 2012

Tom — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 03:41:22 +0000

It has become a tradition to post an article sharing the top 10 Simple Discipleship articles of the year. Writing is an interesting endeavor. Articles the writer expects will receive broad readership often get little attention and the opposite is also true. I did not count on the Gremlin articles to get such high numbers of readers. All total, all of the articles in the Gremlin series have received over 40,000 hits since they were originally published. The Discipleship Best Practices series also receives many hits on a regular basis. I hope you will share these top billed articles with others by re-posting them and sharing them on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Here are the top 10 of 2012:

Name Your Gremlin: Denial with 12,290 hits
Evangelism without Discipleship with 7,049 hits
Get Out of Your Own Way with 895 hits
Discipleship Best Practices: Process Discipleship with 729 hits
Discipleship Best Practices: 13 Ways to Make Disciples with 721 hits
The Red Pill or the Blue Pill? with 664 hits
Exponential 2012: Are You Being Sifted? with 642 hits
The Rise of the House Church: Is God Getting Us Ready? with 640 hits
Discipleship Includes Encouraging Jeremiah Pastors with 635 hits
Name Your Gremlin: Scaredy Gremlin with 557 hits

The New Year of 2013 finds this writer getting ready to begin a new series titled The Laws of Discipleship. Since I have already copyrighted the material, the postings will be restricted to those who register. Of course all participants will receive The Disciple-Maker’s Toolkit with permission to reproduce it for their ministry needs and they will become contributors for the book or resource when it is published later in 2013. You may read more about the project in the following link:

The Laws of Discipleship Project

2013 also brings new changes for me as I am no longer serving as pastor of a local church but will begin a focus on leadership development for churches and ministries as my ministry and working as an executive coach for a training and development firm. I look forward to assisting your church or ministry with leadership development.

Thanks for reading Simple Discipleship @ WordPress

——————–

30 Coaching Questions to Create your Ministry Leadership Development Plan

Tom — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 14:51:51 +0000

New Year Ministry Planning

The Mayans were wrong and the world did not end on December 21, 2012 as they predicted. My grandson told me, “If the Mayans were so good at predicting the future, maybe they would still be around.” Well stated! It looks like we are faced with a New Year. Has this past year been so good in ministry that you are willing to keep doing what you’ve been doing so you will keep having what you’ve been having for another year? As the year winds down, it’s a good time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and learned as a ministry leader and what you’d like to focus on for the coming year. Be careful of falling into the “busyness trap” in which you become so busy doing ministry that you allow God’s plan to outpace you.

Has this past year been so good in ministry that you are willing to keep doing what you’ve been doing so you will keep having what you’ve been having for another year?

Executive coach Dan McCarthy serves as the brainstorm for the following questions as he developed something similar that was directed to secular business leaders. He says, “Creating an Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a great way to capture those actions and increases your chances of keeping your commitments to yourself.” While ministry coaching involves a cost, you should consider the cost of not developing an intentional plan and following through with it. Many ministry leaders of large churches often hire a ministry coach to help them create their development plan. A good coach has the ability to ask just the right question at the right time in order to create insight and inspiration to change.

When you are ready, answer each question in detail. You may find it helpful to work through all of the questions several times with increasing detail at each run. I have broken the 30 questions into blocks so the project does not appear as challenging.

Purpose and commitment:

Why are you interested in developing your ministry leadership skills? What has stimulated this new interest?
How is becoming a better ministry leader going to help you achieve the results you are trying to achieve?
Are your perceived outcomes aligned with God’s ministry purpose for you and your ministry context?
What’s motivating you? Are you challenged in your current ministry? Do you have aspirations for a new ministry? If it’s just to be a better leader in your current ministry, why is this important to you and what do you hope to achieve?
How inspired and committed are you to changing?
Before you go further, have you prayed about developing the plan? Can you say that the Lord gave you the motivation to begin this process? Are you following his lead?

Identifying the “what”:

What does great ministry leadership look like to you? The answer should not necessarily involve looking at “successful” ministers of mega churches. The answer may involve you looking deeper into your current ministry context.
Who is a role model leader for you and why? What do they do?
What ministry leadership competencies (skills, knowledge, attributes) are important to your church, ministry, or organization, for your current role, and/or for the role you aspire to? Why?
How do you stack up against these ministry competencies? If you don’t know or are not sure, how can you get feedback?
How can you truly increase your competencies and even add some new ones?
What are your greatest strengths as a leader and why?
What are your greatest opportunities for improvement as a leader, and why?
What are the three areas (strengths or opportunities) you are committed to work on that if improved, will have the biggest impact on your desired results? Why?
By enacting this plan, what will change in your current ministry? What are the benefits to God’s kingdom, your family, your ministry, and to you personally?

Identify the “how”:

Is your current ministry the best opportunity to develop these three areas? If not, are you ready to consider a new ministry? If so, what would it be? Why?
What will you do, and with whom should you talk to further explore this possible change? You might consider hiring a ministry leadership coach.
What are some challenging assignments or projects, both in your ministry and outside of your ministry role that would give you an opportunity to learn and apply these new competencies?
Who’s really good at any one (or all) of those things? How can you approach them to ask for their advice?
Who can you meet with on a regular basis to get further advice and/or support? Your manager, a mentor, a coach?
How can you find a good course, a book, articles, websites, blogs, podcasts, and other learning resources related to your learning goals?

Implementation and follow-up:

What’s your action plan? Who’s going to do what, and by when?
What resources and support do you need to achieve your goals?
How will you share your plan with others? What support do you need from them?
In order to hold yourself accountable and gain additional support, who else will you share your plan with and how?
How will you ensure you do what you say you were going to do?
What roadblocks do you expect or need to plan for? What are some ways to overcome them?
On a scale of 1-10, how committed are you to your plan? If anything less than a 10, why? What would you need to change to make it a 10?
What will you do to ensure that what you learn becomes a regular part of who you are and how you think and behave as a ministry leader?
If you knew that you would not fail in this plan, what would keep you from getting started?

Be careful of falling into the “busyness trap” in which you become so busy doing ministry that you allow God’s plan to outpace you.

Answering all of the above questions will be challenging but doing so will give you a new spring in your step and joy in your heart as you serve in the New Year. Of course I am available to assist you. Consider the following links as various levels of ministry coaching available to you as you develop your plan:

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting. He is an author, professional coach, leadership specialist, and is a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team