An Overview of CRM & Disciple Making Movements

Transcription

1 1 An Overview of CRM & Disciple Making Movements The Background The past two millennia hold a rich history of the growth and multiplication of the Christian movement. From being a marginal Jewish sect whose central figure was Jesus a carpenter in Nazareth turned rabbi who did remarkable miracles and ultimately rose from the dead to being the largest and most robust religious movement in the history of humanity, it s an extraordinary story. The impetus for the growth of this movement is found in the very words of Jesus throughout his earthly ministry as recorded in the Bible, and there is an array of other important theological underpinnings that justify the necessity of taking the good news of Jesus to every human being on the face of the planet. In fact, a fully developed theology of mission is firmly evidenced in the very nature and character of the triune God and his redemptive purposes that are timeless and eternal. Since its advent just over 200 years ago, the modern missionary movement s expansion has been characterized by the starting and multiplication of groups of people not just individuals who are committed to following Jesus. These groups take on functions elucidated in the Bible and become visible expressions of Jesus rule over his created order, referred to in the bible as his Kingdom. Early on, these visible groups of Christ followers were given a label that has stuck, for better or worse, for two thousand years. They are called the Church... a Greek term that has found its way into the lexicon of the world s languages to describe these groups that commit to following Jesus. The eight great epochs of the Christian movement since the time of Jesus have always been characterized by the multiplication of those who are committed to following Jesus and the multiplication of the groups of which they are a part. Both individuals grow and reproduce as disciples of Jesus, and churches grow and reproduce. It s never an either or. It s always a both and. The methods and processes used for both reproducing individual disciples and new church expressions have been incredibly varied. There is a staggering number of factors that

2 2 contribute to the vitality or failure of such ministry, and there has never been one way for this to be accomplished. One of the primary goals of those committed to obeying Jesus command to make disciples of everyone on the planet is to accomplish this objective multiplication of both individuals and groups as effectively as possible. That was the intent of even his earliest followers who... proclaimed Jesus and admonished everyone so they all could become followers of him, and it remains so today. 20th Century Models In the latter half of the 20 th century, the methods and processes used to multiply disciples and churches have been as varied and diverse as the cultures in which these processes have been attempted and the gifts of the leaders who have pioneered these efforts. We ve seen everything from gospel blimps to crusades, from literature distribution to mass media, from door knocking to the use of the arts. The end results of this energy, passion, and activity has been introducing people to Jesus, persuading them to become his followers, and simultaneously joining with others who are similarly committed, i.e. the formation of expressions of church. For missiologically astute observers, some very effective and important advances were made in the latter half of the 20 th century. A detailed overview can be found in Tracing the Roots of Disciple Making Movements by Steve Hoke. CRM and Disciple Making Movements CRM today has over 450 missionaries laboring in 31 nations worldwide. Ministry in the Middle East began in In those early years, CRM committed to work with and through the existing traditional and institutional churches of the region, many of which have roots centuries old. Consistent with our ministry around the world, we invested personnel, resources, and prayer into helping existing churches, pastors, and leaders grow in their effectiveness and their sense of mission to those around them who were not yet committed followers of Jesus. However, it became increasingly obvious that the existing expressions of church in the Middle East were inadequate. In reality, most were struggling, declining, and increasingly marginalized in one of the most volatile regions of the world. The possibility was increasingly likely that in the very region in which the Christian movement was birthed, if present trends continued, there would be little visible evidence of the movement left in coming decades other than empty buildings. If the clear commands of Jesus were to be obeyed in this setting, to multiply his followers and churches, new methods and processes had to be employed. The status quo was not acceptable. CRM considered introducing into the Middle East some of the church planting processes

3 3 and tools that had been used in the West, particularly during the 80s and 90s. However, the more we looked at these solutions, we were not convinced they would be effective in the region. Finally, in 2007, we invited David Watson to Beirut and began a series of training events, stretching over the next five years, to equip and train CRM personnel and others (all nationals) on how to multiply disciples and churches. The particular process that Watson advocated was previously known as CPM Church Planting Movement philosophy of ministry and strategy. It has since been renamed DMM, which stands for Disciple Making Movement. Since 2007, the Middle East has served as a laboratory of sorts for CRM as we have implemented this DMM strategy. What is DMM? A brief summary of salient features of DMM, entitled What Is DMM? is included in this packet. To summarize: Movements and Obedience 1. DMM is about the dynamics needed to generate movements. These dynamics are different than simply winning someone to Christ or planting a church. Starting a movement of multiplying groups that evolve into churches when the groups come together is very different than starting one church. 2. DMM is most effective when focused on people who are unreached, unchurched, or dechurched. It is not primarily a strategy for making those who follow Jesus better followers (although that can certainly be accomplished with some of the tools and components of DMM). 3. DMM emphasizes obedience to the commands of Jesus and the mandates of the Bible as normal for anyone who decides to follow Jesus. Long before anyone in the process may make such a followership commitment, they know that obedience to Jesus is a non negotiable. Jesus and the Supernatural 4. The DMM process is patterned after the model of Jesus in Matthew 10, Mark 6, Luke 9, and Luke 10, when he sends out the 12 and the 72 to minister to people. In these passages, Jesus commands his disciples to do four things: Proclaim repentance and the presence of the Kingdom Heal the sick Cast out demons Raise the dead

4 4 Finding a Person of Peace 5. Jesus commands his disciples to observe people s responses to these supernatural events and to be specifically on the lookout for a person of peace. Such a person is one of the individuals who responds positively to the supernatural, is open to spiritual things, and has been pre prepared by God to be engaged with the person (disciple) and message of Jesus. The person of peace is also one who has relational equity in a larger community and is welcoming to the disciples. Jesus also issues some sobering commands about what to do when no such person emerges in a particular setting. 6. Identifying and cultivating people of peace may be quick and instantaneous, or it may be a time consuming and drawn out process that takes many months. However, once ready, a person of peace is an individual around which we can begin to catalyze a DMM. Beginning a Discovery Bible Study 7. DMM uses a simple tool called a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) with a person of peace and that person s family, friends, or network of social relationships. 8. To move from simply finding a person of peace to forming a DBS, a variety of questions can be asked: What s your religious background? Where are you now in your interest in spiritual things? Would you like to know more about this? Who else do you know that has spiritual interests similar to yours? Would you like to explore this together? Where can I meet you? Who else can you bring? 9. A DBS: Can be done with literate or pre literate people. Only requires a carefully selected passage from the Bible, a piece of paper, and a pencil for those who can read and write. Requires three things to be done with the passage: Write it out word for word. Put it in one s own words. What does it mean? Assuming the passage is true, write out an answer to the question,

5 5 What must I do as a result? These are I will statements. 10 Ideally, the person of peace facilitates a DBS. Not the missionary. Not the outsider to the group. 11. DBSs are all about self discovery. No teaching. No experts. No preaching. No answers other than what the text says. DBS has a high view of the power and authority of the Bible to speak. We believe God can work in power through his written word to accomplish his redemptive purposes. DBS also has a bedrock conviction that the Spirit of God is at work in such a process, wooing people toward Jesus. This combination Word and Spirit is irresistible. 12.When a DBS group meets, there are other components that are included in the group experience, such as: What are you thankful for this week? What struggles do you or others have that you would like to share? How can we meet the needs expressed inside and outside of this group? With whom did you share what we learned last week? How did what you learned last week affect you? Whom did you help last week and how did it go? 13. One of the essential keys to multiplying DBS groups is to keep the groups closed. This means not purposely adding new member after the 2 nd or 3 rd week a group begins to meet. Naturally, others will hear about what s going on and may want in. Instead of letting them participate, it is better to say, Our group has already started and we aren t adding people. Sorry. But if you want to do something like this, we/i (person of peace) will come help you lead such a group for you and the people you know. Let s start a new one. Going from a DBS to a Church 14. When multiple DBS groups grow and multiply, there may be natural opportunities for them to meet and gather together. These opportunities occur best around natural social and cultural events: weddings, funerals, holiday celebrations, etc.. These can be organic ways for groups to have a larger sense of celebration and identity. 15. In addition, the groups will begin to see functions from Scripture that are natural and expected for groups of people who are together committed to following Jesus. As these functions are determined from within and implemented, DBS groups will gradually evolve into a church.

6 6 Leadership 16. All leadership of a DMM should emerge from the movement itself. Persons of peace are not necessarily the leaders; rather, they are the initial catalysts around which groups may form. Gradually, people with pastoral gifts may emerge to care for the needs of these groups. Others will manifest gifts of leadership or serving. Leadership emergence in this process is natural, relational, and highly organic. 17. As a DMM evolves, the primary role of the missionary or the outsider is to coach, mentor, and train the emerging leadership of the DMM. The ongoing momentum of such a movement is directly proportional to the effectiveness of such leadership development. In many respects, a DMM is really a demanding leadership development process. Prayer and Spiritual Dynamics 18.Where DMMs have been successful, there is universally an underlying foundation of fervent and prevailing prayer. 19. DMMs take seriously the spiritual warfare that will be inevitably waged against such a movement of God. That means taking seriously the realities of Ephesians 6; knowing how to deal with these supernatural dimensions is an essential component of launching and sustaining a DMM. 20. We know that when the reality of the supernatural is understood and exercised in a DMM, the process moves at least 50% faster. The Role of Apostolic Teams 21.The Church in its local form is not well equipped structurally to cross cultural, linguistic, socio economic, or geographical barriers to generate or facilitate DMMs. This reality highlights again the necessity of apostolic or missionary teams/communities/bands to generate this process. 22.Such missionary entities have massive historical, biblical, and missiological precedence and credibility. While not the Church in its local form, they are the Church in its missionary form and equally valid. There is nothing para about such structures. And to be effective, they should not be subservient or controlled by churches in local form. Rather, they should work interdependently. 23. Apostolic teams/communities are uniquely capable of generating and fueling DMMs.

7 7 24. If existing local churches determine to stimulate a DMM, they will be most effective when two things happen: They focus their effort on their near neighbors. They do not expect the fruit of a DMM to become part of their existing local body. A good qualifying question to ask a pastor or local church leader in this regard is: Do you want to reach your community or do you want to grow your church? 25. If a local church takes upon itself the responsibility of crossing barriers for the generation of a DMM or for any substantial ministry endeavor the church should either partner with a missionary structure dedicated to such an undertaking or create it s own structure and give it the autonomy necessary to be effective 26. When stimulating DMMs, it is essential that apostolic teams/communities maintain their distinctives and clearly delineate the difference between their structures and the local church structures that will emerge around them and as a result of their efforts. 27. Where both churches in local and missionary form work interdependently, the synergy is exceptional and the possibilities for exponential Kingdom results are extraordinary. Why This Strategy and Philosophy for CRM? We believe DMM is an essential and highly valued component of CRM s ongoing philosophy of ministry because: 1. Our calling from our very inception has been to the making of disciples and the multiplication of the Church. DMM is consistent with that calling. 2. DMM matches our values because: It is a highly relational ministry philosophy. The process is all about self discovery: no pat answers, no experts, no outside preachers or teachers. There is reliance on the Bible to speak with living power in people s lives. Throughout, the process embraces supernatural reality and the manifest work of the Holy Spirit to reveal the Triune God and move people toward wholehearted commitment to Jesus. It is extremely flexible and culturally adaptable with a minimum amount of

8 8 cultural baggage imposed from the outside. It is highly organic and not dependent on mechanics, technology, or sophistication. The process has the proven potential for exponential multiplication (i.e. movements). The social and cultural transformation on surrounding societies be they families, neighborhoods, cities, or regions is substantial. 3. A DMM process is highly complementary to an array of CRM teams around the world who are committed to incarnational living in communities of need. We have teams who have spent years enculturating, winning relationships, and establishing credibility. A DMM strategy built on the foundation of such sacrifice capitalizes on the significant ministry that has already been established. A DMM gives tracks for the Gospel to move on and powerfully conserves the fruit of such incarnational ministry. Incarnational Ministry + Effectively Executed DMM Process = Sustainability 4. DMMs need and encourage an endless variety of pre DBS cultivation activity, all of which can serve as examples and signs of the presence of the Kingdom. A DMM process capitalizes on and encourages such efforts, moving from the presence of the Kingdom to an intentional means whereby people can become committed followers of the King. 5. However these cultivation activities are most effective when they are simple, low coast or for profit, high service oriented, highly relational, people to people contact, and short term. When engaging in cultivation activities to find a person of peace and launch a DBS, it is essential that we make the main thing the main thing and keep in mind the end result. 5. Effective leadership development is essential for a DMM to thrive and maintain momentum. CRM s strengths over the decades have been just such leadership development training. Bringing our coaching, mentoring, and training skills and tools to bear is a significant asset to any DMM. When CRM s leadership expertise is harnessed alongside a DMM, there is tremendous synergy. 6. Most of the success with DMMs has historically been in China, India, and sub Saharan Africa. However, we believe that DMMs have a massive contribution to make in the secularized and post modern West. In fact, it is our conviction that DMM may be one of the most potent processes available to the people of God to influence and even re win these post Christian cultures.

9 9 For all of these reasons, CRM is committed to utilizing a DMM strategy and philosophy of ministry in numerous ministry settings around the world. As we add this to our ministry menu, we believe it provides a powerful tool for intentionally multiplying disciples and churches among all the peoples of the earth. 11/18/12 SFM The Hub/Lynx Initiatives/Disciple Making Movements/CRM Provided Resources