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“The waves of discipleship materials that have swept over the church in the past sixty years have in many cases caused people to be more confused than ever when they think of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ,” writes Michael J. Wilkins, Professor Biola University. 1

According to Thomas Tarrants, Director of Ministry at the C.S. Lewis Institute, “There is a crisis of discipleship in the American church today. Reams of research confirm the simple observation that in many ways the lives of most professing Christians are not much different from their non-believing neighbors. Like ancient Israel and the church in some periods of history, we have adopted the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the surrounding culture to an alarming degree. Although there are exceptions among individuals and congregations, they only serve to confirm the reality. Read the rest of this entry »

More than 10,000 congregations have committed to active participation in National Back to Church Sunday on Sept. 16. By registering their names and locations, these congregations have signaled their intentions to invite family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, who, for a variety of reasons, no longer attend church.

The largest community outreach in the nation is expected to draw the participation of more than 14,000 churches. Read the rest of this entry »

Many efforts to train children are based on “behavior modification” techniques. These usually focus on symptoms rather than on the heart. The Bible teaches that the heart is the control center for all of life. A person’s conduct mirrors what is going on in his or her heart. Proverbs 4:23 summarizes, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well-spring of life.” Ted Tripp explains further, “The heart is a well from which all the issues of life gush forth. This theme is restated elsewhere in the Bible. The behavior a person exhibits is an expression of the overflow of the heart.” Read the rest of this entry »

Kids are heading back to school. To help you equip children for lifelong learning and success, we have provided the following keys adapted from Cheri Fuller’s series entitled “Equip Kids for Lifelong Learning.” 1

5 Keys for Lifelong Learning

1. Build Responsibility: Kids who learn responsibility tend to be more competent and successful at school. Empower children by encouraging self-reliance and responsibility. Read the rest of this entry »

This is part 12 in a 12 part Series on D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.S.H.I.P. – Twelve Tips to help you become a more effective discipler of children.

“Life is the best laboratory.”

We don’t disciple in order to pass on a head full of knowledge. We disciple in order to prepare others for a life of following Jesus! Therefore, it is important during the discipling process to include opportunities for your disciples to put into practice the things they are learning. Don’t think that once they finish learning everything you are teaching them they will “graduate” and then go out and apply it. If you have merely met and read the Bible and talked about godly living as a “concept,” that will be the lesson they have learned – that spirituality is something that you sit around and talk about. Your disciples will learn, if not in word, but in example, that Christianity is a matter of talk rather than of action. No matter what you are studying and learning about, you must look for real life areas in their life, or in your church or community, where they can apply what they are learning. Read the rest of this entry »