I just got from the Drive '08 Conference with the Management Team and Elders of Living Hope. We had a blast and received some amazing training in leadership and church development. On Wednesday afternoon I heard the best challenge on leadership I've ever received (more on that in the days to come). Andy Stanley and the leaders at North Point Community Church have been a huge blessing to me and the leadership I serve with this week.
I also had some time to think. The thought that is consuming me these days is how can I and the people I lead help more people Get to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Last week I blogged about our process as a church of how a disciple can make a disciple. You can read more about it here.
The thing that I didn't speak to directly was the need many times for it to be a journey where steps are taken. I believe this can be assumed because it is described as a process, but because it is easy for disciples to get discouraged and think that they are not being effective or doing something right the journey needs to be addressed.
Every person has a starting point with God. It is the job of a disciple of Jesus to help a person take their next step toward God.
Imagine that every person is on a graph between -10 and +10. Those at a -10 would be strongly against believing in the existence of any God and certainly in Jesus. Those at 0 would be those who accept Jesus as the Christ and are saved by grace through faith. Those at +10 would be fully functioning followers of Jesus who are serving His church and His Great Commission with a completely submitted life to God.
This journey is one that we are all on and that we are to help others with. We are all to take steps to get closer to God's design and desire for our lives. At the same time we are to help others take their next step too.
1 comment:
This is a vital understanding both for those who are seeking to better understand their own growth, as well as those who are seeking to lead others to faith.
The scale you referenced is the Engle Scale of Evangelism (adapted from What's Gone Wrong With The Harvest? by James F. Engel & Wilbert Norton - Zondervan 1975)
It describes the steps as follows:
-10 Awareness of the supernatural
-9 No effective knowledge of Christianity
-8 Initial Awareness of Christianity
-7 Interest in Christianity
-6 Awareness of basic facts of the Gospel
-5 Grasp of implications of the Gospel
-4 Positive attitude to the Gospel
-3 Awareness of personal need
-2 Challenge and decision to act
-1 Repentance and faith
0 A Disciple is Born!
+1 Evaluation of decision
+2 Initiation into the church
+3 Become part of the process of making other disciples
+4 Growth in understanding of the faith
+5 Growth in Christian character
+6 Discovery and use of gifts
+7 Christian life-style
+8 Stewardship of resources
+9 Prayer
+10 Openness to others/Effective sharing of faith and life
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