Front Line Discipleship Part 1 Being an Effective Disciple on your ‘Front Line’

Being effective disciples … skilfully disguised as a …

Being effective disciples Discuss: disciple front line being effective

Being effective disciples The Great Commission: Matt 28:19-20 Acts 1:8  Commission and Promise  1 st century & 21 st century disciples

Being effective disciples The disciples’ experience: Acts 8: 1, 4 Acts 11:19  Scattered due to persecution  Spread the message

Being effective disciples Think about: How were the disciples equipped to spread the message? Acts 2:1-4 Acts 2:42-47 Equipped in the Gathered Church context

Gathered Church

Scattered Church

Being effective disciples When we are the Scattered Church we are just as much the church as when we are the Gathered Church When we are the Scattered Church we are operating at our Front Line Between us we are touching thousands of lives each week.

Being effective disciples Number of hours available each week168 Sleeping hours 48 Balance120 Average number of hours devoted to church activities 10 Available hours110

Being effective disciples So – how do we use the 10 hrs that we spend as the Gathered Church to equip us to make the best use of the 110 hrs that we spend as the Scattered Church?

Being effective disciples Do we have an inadequate understanding of where we can be most effective as disciples of Jesus? The sacred/secular divide John’s story

Being effective disciples Interviews …..

Being effective disciples Does the culture of the Gathered Church adequately equip us to be effective disciples of Jesus as the Scattered Church ? Membership focus Recruit and Retain Discipleship focus Resource and Release

Being effective disciples The Gathered Church is where we learn to be effective disciples. The Scattered Church is where we practise effective discipleship.

Being effective disciples How might we best use the 10 hours (or less) that we spend together as the Gathered Church to equip one another to live well for Christ in the other 110?

Being effective disciples What we pray for when we are together? How would the teaching be focussed? What issues would be discussed in leadership meetings? What songs would we sing? What would we talk about in our small groups? What stories would we expect to hear when we come together?

Being effective disciples Imagine Church Survey

Being effective disciples Imagine … what might happen if we looked around at the people we spend our days with and asked God: “How do you want me to be good news to these people today?”.