Daniel Edmonds said the journey of faith is often tough and brings fear, but we’re encouraged by our walk with Christ.
“We abide in Him and obey Him, so it begins and continues with prayer,” he said.
Edmonds, director of the office of Sunday School and discipleship for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, spoke to gathered church leaders at the Disciple Link meeting at Bethsalem Baptist Church in Billingsley on Oct. 10. Mark Gainey, lead strategist for disciple-making for SBOM, served as host, along with Jeremy Jones, pastor of Bethsalem Baptist.
Edmonds shared the familiar story from Luke 5 about Jesus using Peter’s boat as a pulpit and then asking Peter to let out his nets again despite his having fished all night for naught.
“Peter replied, in effect, ‘Lord, we’ve never done it that way before!’” Edmonds said.
“Haven’t we heard that before in our churches? And confessionally, haven’t we said that ourselves?” he noted. “A lot of battles in the Church revolve around change, so we must strive to be consistent leaders who bring our people through change with wisdom.”
Culture
Edmonds said one change the Church faces is an unbelieving culture, and he warned against being “corporate professionals” who assume others know what we know and perhaps judge them when they don’t.
“Of course we know things the unchurched don’t, but we must be gentle and patient with them and be a welcoming presence,” he said.
Edmonds said that discipleship, though perhaps a new emphasis in our churches, is actually the example Jesus set for us.
“We have the ‘macro’ programs in our churches and these are fine, but discipleship is the ‘micro’ program by which we invest in a small group and then ask them to go and do the same.”
Edmonds explains the process of discipleship in his new book, “Start Small, Do It Right, Build It Strong: Observing Jesus: What He Did That You Can Do,” published by Incite Publishing.
After Edmonds spoke, Gainey hosted a panel discussion with three other leaders: Cody Hale, lead pastor of Iron City Baptist Church in Anniston; Eric Taylor, senior pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Pleasant Grove and Andy Frazier, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Jasper.
Gainey agreed that current American culture is not church-oriented, and traditional church outreach with “cold calls” isn’t as welcome as it once was.
“I think what we must do is to engage and equip disciples and tell them in biblical language, ‘as you go’ into the world, you make disciples too,” he said.
“And I agree church leaders ‘start small’ with a group we invest in, but we actually start smaller since discipleship begins with us and the Lord.”
‘Build bridges’
Hale said he believes the Church — including the pastor — must “build bridges” to the unsaved world by going outside the church building.
“When I finished my seminary studies, I decided to take up golf again,” he said. “This gives me the opportunity to meet people outside the Church and I’ve worked at this. I’ve had people come to me on the golf course and ask me to pray with them about something.”
Hale further suggested that another valuable outreach tool is the church’s crisis ministry, in which congregations reach out to people in need or distress.
“Mental and emotional health are very important, and the Church offers stability and hope,” he said.
Taylor agreed that meeting needs is the new outreach.
“I tell people that our address and our ZIP code is no accident,” he said. “And when they remind me in our changing neighborhood that ‘so-and-so’ used to live there, I encourage them to make a plate of brownies and go and meet the family who lives there now!”
Taylor said he teaches “the art of neighboring,” in which members are encouraged to meet and know those who live on all sides of their houses.
Frazier agreed that outreach is achieved when Christians build relationships and are sent out on mission.
“Churches used to do door hangers, but the new door hanger is our digital presence,” he said.
“Those who come to our church have already checked us out on Facebook and on our website. They’ve followed several services online, and then they come to worship with us. Digital time is a necessary part of church outreach today.”
Gainey said the Oct. 10 gathering was one of four he’d superintended in 2024 with the idea of hosting smaller gatherings and being geographically diverse.
“Our office wants to be shoulder-to-shoulder with church leaders, to give them some good resources and to encourage them,” he said.
Attendees at Bethsalem received a copy of Edmonds’ new book.
Gainey and Edmonds can be reached at 800-264-1225. The website is makingdisciplesal.org.
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