Training for Reaching People who Live in Apartment Communities

As Marion County continues to grow in population, the demand for housing is increasing as well. We are seeing historic increases in both single-family and multi-family development. However, the Florida Apartment Association estimates that there is currently a shortage of 3,391 apartments in the Ocala-Marion Metro and that by 2030 the housing unit gap will increase to 12,815. That is why there has been a significant increase in apartment building construction in recent months. 

When it comes to church attendance there appears to be a gap between single-family residents and multi-family residents who attend church worship services on a regular basis. According to a 2010 article in Baptist Press, while 57% of the people in North America live in multi-housing communities, an estimated 95% of them are considered to be "lost without Christ." 

There are numerous reasons for these differences and there are multiple ways churches can bridge the gap. At MBA, we are offering training that will help churches to build outreach, evangelism and discipleship strategies for people who live in apartments and other types of multi-housing communities. For more information about this training and helpful resources available to churches, visit www.reach.mba/apartments. 

What is the Golden Rule of Evangelism?

The "Golden Rule of Evangelism" is the "Golden Rule," Jesus said, "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them" (Matthew 7:12). The Golden Rule always works. If you were lost in your sin, how would you want someone who loves and cares about you to share the Gospel of Jesus with you?

Several years ago, while speaking at a Christian college, I shared with the students a process that I called “reverse engineered evangelism.” I developed this system after realizing that most evangelism training begins with the assumption that the person sharing the gospel and the person hearing the gospel are complete strangers and have not had any previous interaction. For most believers, the prospect of sharing something as profound and deeply personal as the gospel with a complete stranger is terrifying. I developed this process after hearing Bill Faulkner ask the question, “How are we teaching people to evangelize the people that they love?” This caused me to think and ask myself, “Why don’t we love everyone that we are evangelizing? Wouldn’t that make evangelism much easier.” So, here is what I shared with the students:

• Evangelize those that you love.

• Love those that you serve.

• Serve those that you know. 

• Get to know those that you don’t (love, serve or know). 

The students responded with enthusiasm and relief. This process incorporates establishing and building relationships, meeting people’s needs, demonstrating the love of Christ and verbally sharing the message of the gospel. On that day, those students conveyed to me that following this pattern of evangelism seemed more natural, less contrived and less stressful. It seemed to be more authentic and less awkward than trying to talk to complete strangers about spiritual life change. In Disciples Making Disciples, we talk more about The Golden Rule of Evangelism and evangelizing the people that we love.  Sign up for this free online course at www.reach.mba/dmd.

Become a Multiplying Church leader

Here is the recording of my interview with Dr. David Nelms, Founder and President of The Timothy Initiative.  In this video, we talk about the need for Micro Churches to reach people who are currently being missed by Legacy Churches.  We are offering free TTI training through our website.   Go to reach.mba/cpmx2 to sign up for the online course. 

Micro churches start out small and multiply quickly. They can meet virtually anywhere and they typically have unpaid leaders. In reality it costs absolutely nothing to start a micro church. On the other hand, it can cost ¼ to ½ million dollars to start a legacy church where paid staff and rented facilities are needed.

Legacy churches are currently reaching less than 20% of the American population. If we could increase that to 50%, that would leave half of our population without a local expression of church that they are willing to attend. 

Tony and Felicity Dale compare micro churches to rabbits, they start small and multiply quickly. The gestation period for rabbits is approximately three months while the gestation period for elephants is 18-22 months. Two elephants can multiply to 4 elephants in about four years. Two rabbits can multiply to nearly four million rabbits in that same four year period.

To learn more about how to make disciples who, make disciples, who make disciples that plant churches, that plant churches, that plant churches sign up for our free online Church Planting Movement Leader course. 

What is Obedience-Based Discipleship?

Church Planting Movements (CPMs) are movements of God where churches multiply rapidly - reaching to four generations in less than two years. Reports are coming in from all over the world where Christian churches are seeing rapid multiplication.  Multiplication of churches stems from the multiplication of leaders, which comes from the multiplication of disciples. We see this occurring in the New Testament and in various parts of the world today. 

There are many common characteristics of church planting movements and they have been well documented. However, one characteristic that appears to be common in areas where there is rapid church multiplication is obedience-based discipleship. 

Obedience-based discipleship is a method of discipleship that focuses on teaching people to obey the Bible, rather than simply teaching them Bible content. This approach is based on the belief that true discipleship is not just knowing about Jesus, but following Him in every area of our lives.

Obedience-based discipleship often results in the multiplication of disciples, leaders and churches. In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded us not only to make disciples, but we are to be about "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). When we move from knowledge-based discipleship to obedience-based discipleship, we begin to see the 30, 60, 100 fold kind of fruit that Jesus talked about in Mark 4:20.

If you are interested in learning more about obedience-based discipleship and church multiplication, sign up for our free online course, "Become a Multiplying Church Leader" and see for yourself at: 

https://www.reach.mba/obedience-based-discipleship

State of Theology Survey Review and Implications

Every two years Life Way Research and Ligonier Ministries partner together to take the theological pulse of Americans. The latest findings have been published at thestateoftheology.com. On December 1, 2022 Pastor Eric Gervais of First Baptist Church of Salt Springs led our discussion of the survey results and their implications for pastors and churches. 

Some topics covered include:

• Does God Change?

• Are We Born Innocent?

• Does Church Membership Matter?

• Is the Bible Divinely Authored by God?

• What Is God's Will For Human Identity and Sexual Ethics?

Being the Church in the Digital Age

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited digital transitions around the world by about 10 years.  Churches and organizations of all sizes have learned new ways to connect and communicate with people remotely. At our April, 2022 lunch and learn, we discussed best practices for churches for growing disciples of Jesus in this new digital environment.

Lunch and Learn at the MBA Missionary Resource Center is an opportunity for pastors and church leaders to enjoy some food and fellowship while learning about resources available to assist local churches. 

Why Church Multiplication is Important

What would your church look like if every follower of Jesus was involved in making disciples who made disciples? Can you imagine a day when all of the leaders in your church actively enlisted and developed new leaders? What if your church had so many leaders that you had to send some of them out to revitalize and plant other churches in order for them to continue developing spiritually? Can you imagine the impact on global evangelism and missions if every church was sending people to the mission field? This isn't a dream, it is a Biblical expectation. Church multiplication is both prescriptive and descriptive in the Acts of the Apostles and early churches in the New Testament.  

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” - Mark 4:20 ESV

When we look at churches in the New Testament, we see that they made disciples who made disciples, developed leaders who developed leaders, and planted churches who planted churches. 

But the word of God increased and multiplied. - Acts 12:24 ESV

In the Great Commission passage of Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus instructed his disciples to make more disciples. In Acts 13, the church in Antioch sent out leaders to spread the Gospel further and to start more churches. In Ephesians 4:12, Paul instructed the church in Ephesus to build up the body of Christ by preparing the people for the work of the ministry. 

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. - II Timothy 2:2

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul is writing to people that he did not know in a church that he did not start. We understand from the context in chapters 1 and 4 that Paul heard about this church from a disciple named Epaphras.  Evidently the church in Ephesus sent Epaphras to Colossae to preach the Gospel and start a church there. Then, the Colossian church started churches in Hierapolis and Laodicea.

This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. Acts 19:10 ESV

It is clear that the New Testament pattern is for church leaders to train new disciples of Jesus to obey His command to take the Gospel to all people groups everywhere. Church leaders also developed more leaders who served in the local churches and were also sent to spread the Gospel and plant churches in other places.  The church in Ephesus was so effective in following the instructions of Paul that they were able to reach everyone in their entire region with the Gospel as reported in Acts 19:10.

According to a study conducted by LifeWay Research, only 7% of the churches in America are practicing Biblical multiplication (You can download the report by clicking here). 

Bless Every Home with Chris Cooper

We had such a great time fellowshipping with each other and learning together at our November, 2021 Lunch and Learn at the MBA Missionary Resource Center. We've had several requests for the video of Chris Cooper's, (founder of BlessEveryHome.com) training that we are sharing it here. If you would like to sign up your church to be a Bless Partner, you can do that through the MBA portal at www.bless.mba.