Category: disciplemaking learning communities

What If Disciplemaking IS Leadership?

What If Disciplemaking IS Leadership?

Bill Allison
One of my friends who is a leader in his denomination asked me, “Do you do any leadership training?”
 
I said, “Yes. We call it disciplemaking training,” and then I winked at him. (We’re still good friends.)
 
There is so much talk about “leadership” in ministry these days—and yet, so little disciplemaking.
 
Here’s a crazy thought on leadership: 
What if disciplemaking is leadership? If that’s true, then whoever initiates disciplemaking friendships is a leader—even if he or she doesn’t hold a “leadership” title or position. Real leaders don’t need a title or position. They just live it. It’s a way of life for them, not a job. 
 
While I’m jumping off a cliff, let me say this: 
All disciplemakers are leaders, but not all “leaders” are disciplemakers.
 
There. I said it. But before you reject it, run what I just said through your understanding of Jesus’ life and ministry. Think with me: Jesus doesn’t just make disciples, he makes disciplemakers. Jesus doesn’t simply collect a large group of followers and call that success. No, Jesus seeks to transform every follower into a fisher.
 
Hence, Jesus is the ultimate “leader.” But he lived as a humble servant who made disciplemakers. Pardon me, but I’m a little suspicious of any talk of “leadership” that is not centered on Jesus, humility, servanthood, and disciplemaking.
 
The more I study Jesus the more I question current conventional wisdom on leadership.
 
We really need to pause and rethink what it means to be a ministry leader or church leader in light of the biblical Jesus. I contend that making disciples like Jesus is the fullest and truest expression of what it means to be a spiritual leader. And if that’s true, then whoever initiates, lives, and shares The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus as a way of life with others is a leader. 
 
What if instead of defining leadership as “influence,” we defined it as initiating disciplemaking friendships that multiply? What might happen if every paid and volunteer leader in a church or ministry actually led—not just with their lips—but with their lives like this? 
 
I dare you to try to find out.
 
 
[Note: This post has been excerpted from The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus, (c) 2018 CadreMissionaries.com. Used by permission.]
Are You Aware of Jesus’ Disciplemaking Secret Sauce?

Are You Aware of Jesus’ Disciplemaking Secret Sauce?

Dave & Rennie Garda

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Because of your history with CadreBlog, we want to honor and thank you in a special way. 

You are among the very first to hear about Cadre’s brand new book, The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus: The Why, What, and How of Disciplemaking Friendships that Multiply.

That’s right. We wanted to do something special for our longtime friends like you—so we’ve printed a limited number of special book covers we’re calling our “Pre-release Friend Edition.” 

Here’s how the brand new book is laid out…

Section 1 The WHY of Disciplemaking Friendships

  • Introduction: Are We Confidently Walking In Circles?
  • Chapter 1 Why Disciplemaking Like Jesus?

Section 2 The WHAT of Disciplemaking Friendships [Discover the Secret Sauce]

  • Chapter 2 It All Starts with TW
  • Chapter 3 Add Generous Amounts of K4
  • Chapter 4 Stir It All Together with D3

Section 3 The HOW of Disciplemaking Friendships

  • Chapter 5 Start Here Start Now—with PIE
  • Conclusion: Your Disciplemaking Friendship Stories

This book explores…

  • Why disciplemaking friendships is a way of life is for every follower of Jesus.
  • The three irreducible minimums for Jesus-like disciplemaking friendships that multiply (a.k.a., Jesus’ disciplemaking “secret sauce.”
  • Tons of real-life stories that reveal the nuts and bolts of Jesus-like disciplemaking friendships.
  • Almost 400 questions to make you think and wrestle what disciplemaking friendships that multiply looks like in real life with your family and friends.
  • The three most important first steps for engaging God and others in a disciplemaking friendship.
  • How to listen and respond to the Holy Spirit’s leading in the formation and development of disciplemaking friendships that multiply.

Plus, each of the five chapters concludes with application and discussion questions perfect for reading and wrestling what you learn together with family and friends. 

We’ve built-in bulk-quantity discounts up to 33% off for larger quantities. And discounts start for as few as 5 or more.

  • Buy 5 – 10 and get 10% off
  • Buy 11 – 20 and get 15% off
  • Buy 21 or above and get 18% off
  • Buy 50 or above and get 33% off
  • Go here: to order your copies today.
Insights from a Communal Perspective As you put away your Selfie Stick…

Insights from a Communal Perspective As you put away your Selfie Stick…

Dave & Rennie Garda

 

One of of my favorite chapters in Lois’ new book is Chapter 7. It calls us to the joy of mutual community and hovering friendships as we engage God as a people of friends…  a y’all of a faith community:

Here is how the Chapter “Insights from a Communal Perspective” begins:

Did you know that you can now order a copy of a Bible translation called “Your Personalized Bible” which will insert your name in more than seven thousand verses?

Here are a few verses from my copy: Lois like a sheep has gone astray. Lois has turned to her own way; and the LORD has laid on Him Lois’s iniquity. (Isa. 53:6)
Lois is the light of the world. (Matt. 5:14)
You have made Lois a little lower than God, And crowned Lois with glory and honor.
You make Lois a ruler over the works of Your hands.
You have put all things under Lois’ feet. (Ps. 8:5–6)

You might think I’d be a fan of this style of study. I’m single, never married. I’m self-employed. I work by myself out of my own home office. I have no boss, no husband, no children. I’m queen of my own pleasant little world. I’ve heard the siren call of individualism and succumbed as much as anyone, so you’d think I’d want to read my Bible that way.

The more I study the Bible, however, the more I’m realizing the many ways that an individualistic approach misunderstands the text.”

… And later in the chapter…

Part of the reason we read the biblical text as if it were addressed to “me personally” is because English only has one word, you, which can be either singular or plural. Unlike Greek, Hebrew, and many other languages, we can’t distinguish whether a speaker is addressing one person or a group. As a result, English speakers have a habit of reading every “you” in the Bible as if it’s addressed to “me all by myself” rather than “me within God’s larger community.”

American Southerners have an advantage here, because they use “y’all” when they address a group. Maybe the antidote to the “Your Personalized Bible” is to publish a “Southern-style” Bible where Jesus says, “Y’all are the light of the world,” and Paul says, “Y’all are the temple of God,” so that we’d know both were speaking to groups rather than to individuals.

Putting Away My Selfie Stick

…

I hope I’ve awakened your appetite to read more. I am…

Excerpt From
Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus
Lois Tverberg
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/reading-the-bible-with-rabbi-jesus/id1276245722?mt=11

 

Cadre’s Twelve Days of Christmas for Disciplemaker’s like YOU!

Cadre’s Twelve Days of Christmas for Disciplemaker’s like YOU!

Dave & Rennie Garda

Celebrate Twelve Days with Cadre Missionaries.Day One: Christmas Day. Cadre Digital Living Guides from the iBookstore for iPads, Computers and iPhones for only .99 cents. NEW. These tools just hit the iBookstore in their enhanced made for iBooks formats. You’ll be able to carry with you on your phone, iPad or computer these effective Disciplemaker’s Tools: The Disciplemaker’s Living Guide and the One Another Living Guide.

Day Two: Free Digital PDF edition of Volunteer Dialogue 2. What’s the difference between Speaking, Teaching, Preach and Training?

Day Three: Save $6 on your digital iBookstore edition of Recruiting, Motivating and Retaining Volunteers. Grab your copy for only $6.99

Day Four: Fuel your prayerfulness while you save $1.50 plus get free shipping on your set of 10 Disciplemaker’s Prayer Cards for study plus 10 wallet sized cards.

Day Five: Save $4 and pick up your copy of Encourage Your Pastor for only .99 cents. This made for iBooks digital resource works with your iPhone, iPad or computer.

Day Six: Free Digital copy of Big God, small problems: A disciplemaker’s walk with Nehemiah. This made for iBooks digital resource works with your iPhone, iPad or computer and comes with bonus audio segments to prompt your havering.

Day Seven: Save $6 on your digital iBookstore edition of the Disciplemaker’s Guide to Grow, Minister & Lead (Helping Volunteers and Teams to Live & Support Disciplemaking). Grab your copy for only $6.99. This digital edition includes four bonus equipping audios with Bill Allison.

Day Eight: Save $13 and Getaway like Jesus for only $1.99. This digital PDF edition works with Kindle, iBooks, PDF screen readers.

Day Nine: Get your free copy of Volunteer Training Dialogue #1: Training Like-Jesus Makes all the Difference. This digital PDF edition works with Kindle, iBooks, PDF screen readers.

Day Ten: Free Email From Hell Episode: IDENTITY THEFT. Enjoy this dramatic audio and study sheet pdf to help you understand Satan’s strategy to steal your Spiritual Identity. Save $4.99.

Day Eleven: Free digital audio: How Personal Growth Can Move You from Ordinary to Extraordinary. Save $4.99.

Day Twelve: Free PDF training article from the Disciplemaker’s Guide Chapter 1: Why Volunteers Can Change the World. Save $1.99.

Be watching Cadre’s Facebook Page for daily updates and links.

The Disciplemaking Learning Community right under your nose

The Disciplemaking Learning Community right under your nose

Bill Allison

After years of being single—and only after a few years of being married, Martin Luther said, “Marriage is a far better school of character than any monastery.” (Can I get an “amen” from the married people?)

And if marriage isn’t challenging enough, try parenting. Before we were married, my wife and I had seven keys to raising kids. Now we have seven kids—and no keys.

Your Disciplemaking Learning Community (DLC) at Home

But make no mistake about it: Your first DLC is your home. Let’s call marriage, parenting, and grandparenting what they really are—disciplemaking. And while we’re keeping things real, let’s also admit that our homes are often the last place that feels like a DLC. God wants this to change.

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The good news is that you need not be a perfect spouse, parent, or grandparent to make your home feel like a DLC. The moment you begin to try to live Deuteronomy 6:5-9, your home begins to look and feel like a DLC:

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all    your strength. These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

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For our family right now, trying to apply Deuteronomy 6:5-9 means reading the Scriptures together and praying with our high school kids before they go off to school.

  • It means taking time around our dinner table to engage a short passage of Scripture and to pray together (less than 10 minutes usually).
  • It means confessing and repenting of our sins against each other when one of us loses our temper or is less than loving.
  • It means having enough humility to laugh at our own idiosyncrasies—and not mind if others laugh along with us.
  • It means driving to church together and trying to not being out of fellowship with God and each other by the time we arrive.
  • It means learning to sincerely say, “I love you,” “Will you forgive me?” and “I forgive you.”
  • It means sitting on the deck at night enjoying a sunset and together as a family literally applauding God for his handiwork.
  • It means inviting our teenagers to consider God and his Word when they ask us to go see a movie that we’re not quite sure about.

What does a Disciplemaking Learning Community mean for YOUR family?