Puritan and Pietist Missions

Alice Ott

The Puritan mission movement had both successes and failures. While the goal was to reach the Native Americans for Christ, their approach tended to be egocentric and they emphasized the natives abandoning their current cultural practices to imitate the Englishmen. That said, there were examples of missionaries who did effective evangelism, and from them we can learn. The Pietist missions were also characterized by positive and negative attributes and emphasized individual piety and faith displayed in action.

Obstacles to Missional Replication - What Holds Us Back?

Ed Stetzer

Psalms 47:2

In Paul's call to be ambassadors for Christ we find the mission of the church. In order to understand how we can live out the mission and multiply we need to understand the obstacles. There are four obstacles to keep in mind: 1) putting the world's values above God's; 2) recruiting people, rather than reconciling people; 3) not being on a kingdom mission; and 4) failing to appreciate the cross.

Grow Your Marriage - Group Leader Training (Part 1)

Doug Franck

1 Corinthians 9:22

Grow Your Marriage is a product of Search Ministries, Inc. and is designed as a workshop to help ease couples into a setting where they can learn about biblical principles that can help their marriage. This class describes the overall outline of the class, including the target audience, topics discussed, guideline for invitations, group assignments, goals, and follow up. This is presented in the hopes that other people will use the material to start their own workshops in their neighborhoods and communities.

Adorning the Gospel in Your Community

John Cleary

1 Corinthians 9:22

Christians are called to follow Jesus' example and stand out as people who represent the gospel. There are many open doors to adorn the gospel through words and deeds, and doing so glorifies God. This can be applied in neighborhoods, jobs, agencies, and even city-wide situations.

Kingdom Multiplication

Ed Stetzer

Luke 24:46-49

There are four biblical principles that should propel the church into a multiplying movement. The first is that all people are sent into the world to share the Gospel. The second is that Jesus commissioned his followers to go to all people. The third is having a true understanding of the message that should be shared; the Gospel. The fourth principle is that in all this work God is the one who empowers you with the Holy Spirit.

Multiplication - Effective Method or Biblical Principle?

Jim Leffel

Acts 2:46

The biblical principle that we see throughout scripture is church growth through organic reproduction. This model is not only successful all over the world but it is the most sustainable. Multiplication through home church planting leads to quality growth because it is reflected in personal discipleship. Jesus said: go and make disciples.

Jesus' Victorious Authority

Gary DeLashmutt

John 16:33

The normal Christian life is a life of difficulties and supernatural provisions. One supernatural provision is Jesus' victorious authority. Jesus has won the right to ultimately rule the world by dying for the sins of humanity. He has also won the authority to advance his mission through us. This results in peace and courage in the midst of tribulation for those who trust and follow him.

Loving God with All Your Mind

J.P. Moreland

Ecclesiastes 1

J.P. Moreland exposits Ecclesiastes 1, drawing out the worldview present in Solomon's writing. This Scripture reflects a worldview common in our culture today, naturalism, or the belief that there is no God or divine being. Moreland explains the discrepancies and implications in this worldview and how we can use that today as we try and share our faith with others.

Adorning the Gospel into Your Community

John Cleary

Matthew 16:18

God loves all people, and as his children we are called to go out and love those in our neighborhoods and cities, beyond those in our immediate circle. Jesus himself set an example of this and sent his believers out as lights in the world. We need to go out and help meet the needs in our community, actively bearing witness to God's love and mercy. This begins with and is maintained through prayer, both individually and corporately. We can start right where we are, adding on to existing efforts in our communities in order to maximize our aid to those in need.