Your Voice

Transformed to thrive: importance of discipleship

By Tom Fillinger
CEO, IgniteUS, Inc.

The purpose of the church, every church, is to “make disciples.” To accomplish this, there must be a clear and well formulated definition — what is a disciple? 

Second, there must be an intentional strategy to make disciples. Parking your car in a stable will not cause it to suddenly turn into a horse. Going to church will not suddenly cause people to become obedient disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Third, there must be an objective process to determine growth and maturity in Christ (2 Pet. 3:18).

There must be a sense of urgency to accomplish the changes necessary to not merely survive but thrive. 

Three issues constitute critical action for the pastor and those in leadership: 

1. This is a process not an event. 
2. Those who oppose any changes in the church (an estimated 47% of the people in any given congregation) must be overcome if systematic, measurable positive transformation is going to take place. 
3. Declining churches need the counsel and mentoring of an experienced “change agent” to guide them through these turbulent waters. Unfortunately, most churches wait until after they have passed the point of no return to attempt correction.

After Moses sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb urged the nation to enter the Promised Land. The other 10 pseudo-leaders led a rebellion, seeking to stone Moses. In Numbers 14:39–45, the rebellious engage in pseudo-repentance, motivated by self-preservation rather than a desire to honor God who had rescued them from bondage in Egypt. 

After they lost all semblance of effectiveness, lost many of their people and lost the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, then and only then did they attempt recovery. 

God brought a plague upon those so-called leaders for their willful disobedience to His clear direction. He does not take lightly the disobedience of leaders. Reflect on where you are. You may indeed have time to act. Do it now!

The Bad News — this process is emotionally, mentally and spiritually exhausting. Weigh this carefully before saying “We Will!”

The Good News — There is hope. When you are fully committed to see positive change take place in the church you pastor, change is possible. You must be willing to pay the price required. When you are convinced God has placed you where you are, act. You must win the lost, build up the saints and multiply leaders who make disciples who make disciples. Pray and engage!

EDITOR’S NOTE — IgniteUS is a nonprofit organization based in Cullman whose mission is to provide leadership development and intentional disciple making in local churches. For more information, go to www.igniteus.net or call 800-472-3764.

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Blazing new trails at SBC

Your Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries will be blazing new trails very soon. 

We have never before had an exhibit at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting. But with the SBC coming to Birmingham we decided this would be a great year to have a presence in the exhibitor’s hall. Several  friends are coming by for some delightful conversation. I hope you can join us.

Jedd Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, will be my guest all day Monday and Tuesday at our booth. Please come by and introduce yourself. Jedd and I will be interviewing friends of our ministry about the many opportunities for Southern Baptists to engage in orphan care and foster care — Kevin and Pat Smith, J.D. Greear, Todd Unzicker, Kevin and Lynette Ezell, Danny and Charlotte Akin, David and Tera Melber, Paul and Michelle Chitwood, David and Heather Platt and Sandy Wisdom-Martin. 

Each of these interviews will be made into videos but I hope you will come by our booth and listen in person.

For a full schedule of the interviews, visit our website, www.alabamachild.org/sbc19.

—Rod Marshall

EDITOR’S NOTE — Rod Marshall serves as president and CEO of the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries.

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Letters to the Editor

I want to thank you for the editorials you are writing, especially the editorial in the Jan. 31, 2019, issue about fasting from 24-hour cable news networks.

I had to ban myself from the “talking heads” several months ago because they would make me so angry. 

I decided to pray for them instead and I now get all my news from our local paper and the local nightly news.

God has given me such a peace as I spend more time in His word and in prayer. 

You are correct in that the only way we are going to make a difference in our world is by reading His word, praying and letting His light shine as we go.

I am 77 and a longtime reader of The Alabama Baptist. I appreciate the changes you are making. 

Thank you and keep up the good work.

Pat Parker Kines
Dothan, Ala.

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Our intention is to offer encouragement to associations, state conventions and churches to diligently guard those whom God has given to us for the purpose of ministry.

Excerpt from statement on sexual abuse prevention, Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders (SBCAL)

A leader is a person God has assigned to make a place better. Every person has the opportunity to make a place better.

Richard Blackaby
Author, Bible teacher and leadership coach

To be able to tell your story is a way to become known and thus become less lonely and connect with the spirit inside of us.

Jim Rawlings
Retired chaplain, former head of Duke University Hospital’s pastoral services

Southern Baptists are known for working through disaster to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Don Williams
Director, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief

The Christian faith is belief, trust and obedience. It is not multiple choice.

Gary Fenton
Senior advancement officer, Samford University

When we see issues as problems, we only recognize the negative effects on the surrounding people and environment. On the other hand, when we recognize issues as opportunities, we accentuate the positive, which drives us to seek resolutions.

George Yates
Church health strategist, Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions

For much of the ’80s and ’90s, Southern Baptist kids were pretty likely to grow up to become Southern Baptist adults: Seven in 10 maintained their SBC identity into adulthood in surveys conducted between 1984 and 1994. That has declined precipitously. In the most recent surveys conducted between 2015 and 2018, just over half of those raised Southern Baptist were still with the SBC. In other words, nearly half of Southern Baptist kids leave and never come back. 

“Only Half of Kids Raised Southern Baptist Stay Southern  Baptist” by Ryan P. Burge
ChristianityToday.com

In the early church, stories of martyrs were told to encourage Christians to remain steadfast, even in the face of persecution, even if they were called upon to give their lives for Christ. These stories tell of how those persons testified to Christ not only in life but also in death and they serve to strengthen Christians by providing examples of faithfulness grounded in the hope of a future resurrection and eternal life with Christ.

Col. John D. Laing
U.S. Army Reserves, Senior chaplain, Texas Military Dept.
Southwestern Seminary professor of systematic theology, philosophy and chaplaincy

We have new opportunities to share Christ with people who have never heard the gospel, and we have opportunities to develop real relationships, share Christ and reach the nations in the U.S. The Great Commission is not an option clause; it is a command from our Lord.

John Barnett
Missions strategist, Kentucky Baptist Convention

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@ricklance

I am grateful for all those participating in Crossover Birmingham prior to the SBC. Sammy Gilbreath has been point person in this outreach endeavor but many others have devoted themselves to the cause. http://crossoverbhm.org 

@EC_SBC

“We need to become known for being the most multigenerational, multiethnic, multilingual denomination in the United States that is advancing the gospel of Christ, planting gospel churches, advancing the gospel to the ends of the earth.” — @ronniefloyd #SBC19

@jaredcwilson

I’ve been hurt by church people more than by anybody else. And yet solo discipleship is not a biblical option. I’ll give up on the local church when Jesus does and not a second sooner.

@TozerAW

“The music must not turn the church into an audience enjoying the music but into a congregation singing the Lord’s praises in His presence.” John Calvin #worship

@AleahMarsden

 Contemplating: What if when I daily pray, “Your kingdom come,” I actually expected to see it in the present tense? Not just in the sense of Christ’s return but in the here-and-now reality of his kingdom?

@clbolt

Three questions to ask of any sermon:

1. Is this sermon mere opinion or is it from the Bible?
2. Is this sermon focused on good things or is it centered on Christ?
3. Is this sermon about what I can do or about what Christ has done for me?

@SBCexplainer

The truth is, the fighters are going to fight. … We’re all best off if we just let them rage and move on. But we have to move on. It’s up to us. Will we give them a voice by continuing to squabble with them? Or will we rise above it to fulfill our mission and reform what is needed (like sexual abuse accountability)? The buck stops with us.

@IMB_SBC

Here are five ways to teach kids about missions:

1. Start with yourself.
2. Start small.
3. Pray.
4. Do something creative.
5. Bring them along.