Lessons from a Church Planter

The latest HPMHC Newsletter from Dr. Bob Vajko, TEAM International Church Planting Consultant, is so pertinent and on-point with what we are doing in our community that I am reposting it here.

HPMHC is the abbreviation for "Help in Planting and Multiplying Healthy Churches", a monthly newsletter.   I have made very minor structural adjustments to the newsletter so that it fits this blogpost.   The original newsletter article was published on 2/8/16 entitled "If We Were to Plant Another Church!"   You will find Dr. Bob Vajko's contact details at the bottom of the article.  The article follows, quoting Dr. Bob Vajko:

At one point in our ministry in France, I interviewed a number of church planters asking them the following question: “If you were to start all over and plant another church, what would you do differently?”  It was fascinating to hear the varied replies and to share them with others.  Now in this article I want to ask myself the same question.  Along with my wife Noreen we had the joy of starting daughter churches out of a church planted by another missionary, planting a new church in France in the new city of St. Quentin, along with two daughter churches and then planting a new church in Australia while teaching at the Adelaide College of Ministries in South Australia.  Then for the last twelve years I have been serving as a church plant consultant teaching in various parts of the world where I have then learned some other valuable help.

So ...  I want to ask myself the question, “What would I do differently if I were to plant another church?”  As we look back we see that there were some key things that we did rightly such as planting the church in prayer and leaning hard upon Christ’s promise, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18).  We also made planting daughter churches a vital part of a new church.  I have a study that I have used with church planters entitled, “Twelve Mistakes Church Planters Make” (available by electronic copy, just e-mail me at bobvajko@gmail.com and request a copy). Nevertheless, were we to plant another church, here are some aspects of church planting that we would either do differently or emphasize more.

Here is some of what I see as of importance now:

1.     First, I would lay an even greater emphasis on faith and prayer than we had done in previous church planting experiences.

a.     We learned about the importance of prayer in the church plant that started in the New City of St. Quentin, France, and put great emphasis upon prayer and had prayer partners with whom we communicated each step of the church planting cycle.

b.    But we have learned even more the importance of other aspects of prayer in church planting from what has happened in what are called “church planting movements” where seven aspects of prayer are enumerated.

                                  i.    Prayer for the missionaries.
                                 ii.    Prayer for the lost people group.
                                iii.    Prayer modeled by the missionaries and church planters.
                                iv.    Prayer for the new believers.
                                 v.    Prayer by the new believers.
                                vi.    Prayer between partners.
                               vii.    Prayer for more workers. (Garrison 2004, 173-177).

We did emphasize nos. i, iii, Iv, and v, but would lay greater weight on every one of these aspects of prayer.

2.     Second, I would spend more time in discipleship right from the beginning and make this a key part of the church plant at all times. This would include the following elements:

a.     Clearly defining what a disciple is and does. Here is a helpful description from Bill Hull (1984,11-12):

                                  i.    One who “remains in Christ, consistently walking with him.”
                                 ii.    “The second major characteristic of a disciple is obedience.”
                                iii.    “The third basic characteristic of a disciple is that he bears spiritual fruit.”
                                iv.    “The fourth primary badge of a true disciple is that he glorifies God.”

b.    Having a basic approach to the phases of discipleship without developing a program that is not flexible. These would include the following stages: (Hull & Gilliam 1995, 27-29).

                                  i.    “Come and See.”
                                 ii.    “Follow Me”
                                iii.    “Be with Me”
                                iv.    “Remain in Me”

This does not mean that we would necessarily follow a linear approach but we would seek to have people move in discipleship as God works in their lives. What this also means is there is no such thing as a person having arrived at what we call “discipleship.”  There is always growing and moving ahead and the local church provides that possibility of movement.  Leon Morris states, “discipleship is not static, but a growing and developing way of life.  Always the true disciple is becoming more fully a disciple” (Morris 1971, 673).

c.     Developing discipleship so that it becomes a clear step to the needed leadership in the newly-planted church.

d.    It would also be important to have personal discipleship in a mentoring situation with key people that would help them develop as disciples.  Robertson McQuilkin talks about “Personal is ‘in’” in discipleship and further clarifies:  "Whatever the approach, clearly the concept of having someone gifted and called to the role of personally instructing believers and holding them accountable could indeed be a major source of spiritual development, of becoming ever more like Jesus, of having the lost image restored, of living our life in the presence and power of the Spirit.  In short, of becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ" (McQuilkin 2007, 54).

3.     Third, I would seek to develop leaders before the church started and continue training leaders as the church plant developed.

a.     This would mean a proactive approach to developing leaders rather than a passive waiting to see leaders arise.

b.    This would also involve developing leaders for planting new churches out of a mother church in order to see multiplication take place.

4.     Fourth, I would emphasize not only Sunday worship but what was happening in the lives of believers during the week.

a.     In some cases, instead of a vision of making disciples, the emphasis is upon starting up another church service.   Diet Schindler, an experienced church planter in Germany states that churches do not thrive because of a wrong vision of “Planting worship services instead of churches. In many instances church planters are not planting a new church; they are planting a new worship service. Worship becomes the dominant driving force; sucking in most of the time, energy, and finances of the core group.  I believe this is a grave error that we need to overcome.“  As Schindler sees it, you will end up with a group of people attending a service rather than true disciples having a vision of making disciples in accord with Christ’s command in the Great Commission. He further explains this simply as a church plant having, “No intentional way of making disciples that make disciples” (Schindler quoted in Vajko 2012).

b.    J. D. Greear explains, “Churches that want to penetrate their world with the gospel think less about Sunday morning bang and more about equipping their members to blast a hole in the mountain of lostness” (2015, 29). Then again he states, “We see our weekend gathering of the church like a huddle, where instructions are given for how the players can run the ‘mission’ play throughout the week” (85).

c.     Effective small groups that function well in the following areas would be emphasized:

                                  i.    Praying together.
                                 ii.    Discipling together
                                iii.    Applying the Word of God together.
                                iv.    Serving together.
                                 v.    Evangelizing together.

5.     Fifth, I would seek to develop a strategy for multiplication that would continue to more than four generations. This means also that I would do everything I could to train church planters from within the church plant to plant other churches without developing sterile churches that do not reproduce.

6.     Sixth, I would emphasize the balance between quality and quantity in church planting.

a.     We would seek to see definite quantity growth without playing the numbers game.
b.    We would determine what are the basic qualities of a healthy church.
c.     We would seek to also put in place what might be called “organic” or “structural growth.”
d.    Above all, we would seek to develop the following ten qualities of a healthy church:

                                  i.        The Priority of the Word of God in General and of the Gospel in Particular.
                                 ii.        True Discipleship.
                                iii.        Leadership Development.
                                iv.        Spiritual Gifting Valued.
                                 v.        Biblically Balanced Personal and Corporate Worship.
                                vi.        Effective Small Groups.
                               vii.        Effective Evangelism.
                              viii.        Loving Care for One Another.
                                ix.        Reproduction by Church Planting.
                                 x.        World Missions Vision.  (Vajko 2011)

7.     Seventh, I would implement a plan for teaching the Word of God in a systematic way.

a.     This would involve what Paul said about the church plant in Ephesus, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house” (Acts 20:20).

b.    This plan for teaching all the Word is seen in what Paul stated in 1 Tim. 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God might be competent, equipped for every good work.”

c.     It has become more and more evident that people need a true biblical theology –to see the Bible as a whole and not just some sections of Scripture.

8.     Eighth, I would emphasize even more that a true church must have a vision for the Great Commission to make disciples in all the world according to Matt. 28:18-20.

a.     This would mean a vision for making sure that the church understand that the making of disciples in every nation is the responsibility of every believer. J. E. Greear explains, “In every sermon I preach, I ask myself, ‘Have I connected this text to God’s global mission?” (Geear 1975, 157).  This keeps world missions in the center of the local church.

b.    This would mean doing everything possible to mobilize the church to send out key people in mission to all nations.

c.     This would also mean having a major part of the giving going to support missionaries throughout the world.

Reference List

All Scripture quoted is from the English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Garrison, David. 2004. Church Planting Movements: How God is Redeeming a Lost World. Midlothian, VA: WIGTake Resources.
Greear, J. D. 2015. Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Hull, Bill. 1984. Jesus Christ Disciple Maker. Old Tappan, NJ: Revell.
________. 1990. The Disciple Making Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell.
Hull, Bill and Bob Gilliam. 1995 “Biblical Foundations of Disciplemaking.” Syllabus of Course at Trinity International University, July 1995.
McQuilkin, Robertson. 2007. The Five Smooth Stones: Essential Principles for Biblical Ministry. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing.
Morris, Leon. 1971. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans
Schindler, Dietrich.  Personal e-mail in response to a question about church planting.
Vajko, Robert. 2011. “Church Planting Seminar on Church Health– Budapest, Hungary, March 20, 2009, revised May 2011.”
________. 2012. “Church Plants that Survive and Thrive.”  Study for training Church Planters.

This newsletter is edited by Dr. Bob Vajko, International Church Planting Consultant, and is sent out by TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission). Remember our goal is that “no church planter might stand alone” and “we have a dream—a world where there are no lonely church planters.” If you would like to reply to this issue or any part of this HPMHC newsletter, simply send an e-mail to either me at bobvajko@gmail.com or my wife at nvajko@gmail.com.  Thank  you.

PUBLISHING AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION . HELP IN PLANTING AND MULTIPLYING HEALTHY CHURCHES (HPMHC) is put together in collaboration with TEAM by Bob and Noreen Vajko, TEAM International Church Planting Consultants. There are now more than 450 people receiving this newsletter in 36 ministry areas of the world.  Also, if you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, simply have them e-mail us and request a free subscription. You are free to use, photocopy, and send any part of this newsletter to others who might be helped.  Just cite the source as you use this material and then encourage them to sign up to receive this free newsletter.  Send requests for new subscriptions, changes of address and cancellations to the Vajkos.

Tactical Options

Not everyone is gifted and called as an evangelist, but every believer is certainly called to evangelise (Matt. 28:19-20, Acts 1:8).

Predominately a police and military term, “tactical options” is a good term for all Christians to consider, but what does it mean?   Simply put, tactical options are the options you have available for your response to a situation.

In the context of this post, “what’s in your evangelism toolbox?”  Of course there’s the bible.  The bible is the basis for all evangelism, but how do you present the truth that is found in the bible when speaking to the lost?  As you share the good news of Jesus with others, you will find a whole range of personalities, characters, beliefs and arguments.  So how do you deal with this range of situations?   Answer:  You should know exactly what tactical options are in your figurative toolbox, saddlebag, waist-belt or backpack and select appropriately.

It’s probably not appropriate in every situation to stand on your soapbox and preach “fire and brimstone” sermons on the street corner, or to do cold-introduction street evangelism (but I do know a committed believer who was saved by this method!).   Frank Jenner was an incredibly effective street evangelist in and around George Street, Sydney – if you haven’t read his story, I’d recommend that you look him up…

I have a friend who teaches with story boards and know another whose artwork tells the gospel story.   However, more often in our culture, we reach the lost through relationships with family, friends and associates.

Although your testimony is great, personal and relevant, it’s not always the same conversation that leads to a gospel bridge.   Do you have enough relational credit with your friends, relatives and associates to share your testimony?  Steve Smith in T4T (see previous post) says that his teams aim to identify as Jesus-followers within the first 5 minutes of a conversation with a lost person.   They refer to this as the “five-minute rule”.

It is helpful to think through scenarios in advance, practice developing conversational bridges, and your testimony.   Know common responses to the gospel and anticipate these.  

There’s another method that I have found particularly helpful in some situations, and I have it in my toolbox:  It’s the “Good Person” test and cartoon, originally developed by Way of the Master and is available as a free download here:  http://www.freecartoontract.com/

I find the good person test is handy for people who claim that, “God is good, so He won’t send me to hell”, or “I’ve been a good person so I’m sure I’ll go to heaven”, both of which are wildly unbiblical statements, forgetting the truth of Romans 3:23 and 6:23.   It’s also a good conversation for people who have some knowledge of the bible.

 

 

The Good Person Test appeals to the unbeliever to do a test based on the Ten Commandments to see if they are truly good.   The cartoon leaflet is helpful to show the person the progress of the test and uses the colorful cartoon figure of Mr. Nice Guy.   The point of the test is to get the person to recognise their lostness and need for salvation, which you can do in less than a minute.

The Good Person Test is lighthearted and will usually get a couple of laughs, especially as the testee labels him/herself a lying thief and realises their dire mistake.   It quickly gets serious when you come to the truth about judgment.

I believe that the appropriate method of evangelism is flexible, dynamic and Spirit-led.   Pray and go where the Spirit leads.

Eldership responsibility

Are you a Pastor, Elder or Overseer?  

If you are a Pastor, Elder or Overseer, you have great responsibility.  Elder and overseer may be read synonymously, as according to Titus 1:5-7, the appointment of elders (v.5) is directly linked to the qualifications of overseer (v.7) by the conjunction "namely" (v.6).   (ESV and NASB render this best).

James says that "greater judgement we shall receive" as teachers (Jam. 3:1), and for this reason, not many should become teachers, but Paul says that God Himself calls pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:1), and one of the qualifications of an elder is the ability to exhort and refute (in sound doctrine) (Tit. 1:9) and to teach (1 Tim. 3:1).  So if you are called as an elder, you are (a) called by God; and (b) called to teach.

Called by God

When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36) and used this as an illustration to His disciples for the need for workers to harvest the plentiful crop, and to plead with God to send the workers.   As an Elder/overseer, you are a response to that prayer, and have been called.

The band Casting Crowns sings,

"...I could hold on to who I am and never let You
Change me from the inside
And I could be safe
... here in Your arms and never leave home
Never let these walls down

But You have called me higher
You have called me deeper..."


Has God called you as a believer, a Christ-follower?   Has he further called you to leadership as an Elder, Overseer or Pastor?   Will you sincerely obey and pray the last line of the song, "And I'll go where You will lead me Lord"?   When you pray this, don't do it lightly or complacently, because as we seek to be like Christ, remember that The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10).

Shepherding is challenging:   A shepherd's primary tools are the rod and the staff (Psalm 23).  The Psalmist says "Your rod and your staff comfort me."   As a sheep is to the shepherd, so we are to Jesus, the Great Shepherd.   As the rod offers protection, so does the Holy Spirit protect us.   As the shepherd's staff is a guide to the sheep, so does the Holy Spirit guide us.  But there's another angle to this:   the rod is also a measure of discipline.  In his classic book, "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23", W. Phillip Keller says, "If a shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch." (p.83)   Nobody likes being disciplined, and nobody likes implementing it.   Maybe that is why we are not good at it, and often let disciplinary issues slide, to the detriment of the sheep.

Beware the wolves:  "Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.  I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Even from among your own group men will arise, teaching perversions of the truth to draw the disciples away after them". (Act 20:28-30 NET)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16 ESV).   In The Lost Art of Lingering, Forman says that admonition is "one of the least popular and least employed" biblical commands used by Christ-followers because we like to keep the peace.  One of the reasons he offers for this reluctance to admonish is that we have become conformed to this world.   Pray to God that this is not true!   He also says that "admonition demands that we turn disobedient christians around" which requires backbone and a strong relational bridge.   Strive to get relational credit in the bank of leadership so that when it is required, you can make a withdrawal!   Your courage comes from the Holy Spirit; your relationship is solidly founded in Jesus.

Called to teach

Ours is not to lord it over them as some in worldy authority would do (Mt. 20:25, Mk. 10:42, Lk 22:25) but in gentleness guide and teach the flock.   In Acts 6, we have the account of the disciples being tempted to neglect the teaching in order to serve at the tables.   They recognised the importance and responsibility to teach the Word of God and ensured that it remained a priority.   Other distractions and temptations were dealt with promptly.

Pray for opportunities to teach corporately and privately; in small groups and individually.   Jesus spent time with the crowds, the 12 disciples, the 3 disciples, and individuals.   Paul spent time teaching the church, and devoted time to Timothy.   Seek and respond to teaching opportunities.

Some resources:

Afshin Ziafat's message on Eldership

http://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/southeastern-baptist-theological-seminary-audio-podcast/episodes/afshin-ziafat-what-elders-are-called-to-be-and-do-acts-20-28

(As an aside, a comment related to Afshin's message but not directly on-point with this blog post:  In his sermon, Afshin makes reference to the book, "I Would Die for You" by authors Brent & Deanna Higgins.  This is a hard-hitting story about BJ Higgins' love for Jesus and his willingness to obey to the point of death.  I have read the book and recommend it.)

The Lost Art of Lingering

https://www.amazon.com.au/Lost-Art-Lingering-Mentoring-Transformation-ebook/dp/B00DUWC0PS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469248291&sr=8-1&keywords=lost+art+of+lingering

Coaching Life Changing Small Group Leaders; an EXCELLENT resource.   SG Leaders - not really relevant for your role.   I’ve spent a lot of time in this book, and it really is geared for coaching.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Coaching-Life-Changing-Small-Group-Leaders-ebook/dp/B0058CVWGG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469246649&sr=8-2&keywords=coaching+life+changing

Leading Life Changing Small Groups:   This one IS for SG Leaders!

https://www.amazon.com.au/Leading-Life-Changing-Small-Groups-Copies-ebook/dp/B006BEVXIC/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1469246755&sr=1-5

References:

Casting Crowns, Called Me Higher, 2016, https://www.castingcrowns.com/called-me-higher-lyrics/ (accessed 23/7/16)
Casting Crowns photo from www.castingcrowns.com (23/7/16)
Forman, R., The Lost Art of Lingering, 2013 Kindle Edition, Confia, Amazon.com.au
Keller, W. Phillip, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, 1970, 2007, Zondervan, Grand Rapids
Wolf photo from http://americaoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/WolfSheep.jpg (23/7/16)

Some free and heavily discounted e-books

Today will be a double-posting:  the regular posting, plus this e-book listing.  I wanted to post this before the prices change, which they do on a daily basis!

Greek in a Nutshell:  a simple introduction to biblical Greek by a reputable author.   Public domain, but not bad for free!

https://www.amazon.com.au/Greek-Nutshell-James-Strong-ebook/dp/B008493TW0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468835480&sr=8-1&keywords=greek+in+a+nutshell

Be Available (Judges):  From the "Be" series by Warren Wiersbe.   99 cents, usually $17.25   Keep an eye on this series because the prices are jumping around each day.   If you haven't ever read Wiersbe, he's worth trying as he is a great bible commentator.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Be-Available-Judges-Accepting-Challenge-ebook/dp/B005NHTQH8/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468976521&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=wiersbe+leader

I Just Saw Jesus:  An easy but captivating read of testimonials about the Jesus Film.   Inspiring and Free!

https://www.amazon.com.au/Just-Saw-Jesus-Reality-Unimaginable-ebook/dp/B01EGY7RLK/ref=sr_1_264?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1468977343&sr=1-264&keywords=christian+books

What I'm Reading: T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution

T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution by Steve Smith with Ying Kai has been an interesting read and a refreshing look at grass-roots, practical and productive discipleship.   It is a well-titled book but you will have to read on to find out why it's called T4T...

In this book, Steve Smith tells the story of Ying Kai and his church-building experience in the closed countries of Asia and how God grew a church planting movement through discipleship.   Discipleship is not new, in fact Steve Smith calls it a "forgotten precedent".

Smith presents the material in 3 sections:   Foundations, Process, and Application.  Together, they share Ying Kai's successes (and failures) over his years of church planting.   He talks about building a movement "through the 20%".  This is not the 20/80 leadership rule that you might be familiar with, not the 20% who leads people to faith, and not the 20% who starts new groups.  It is the 20% who leads people to faith, starts new groups and trains believers to disciple others.

Although there are 21 chapters, a big focus of the book is on vision casting and passing on the discipleship process as the DNA of any new groups that form, witnessing through bridge-building, and reproducing leaders.

One of my favourite chapters is T4T for the Churched and Post-churched in which Steve Smith addresses the success of church planting movements through discipleship in "churched cultures" like USA, New Zealand, Australia and Europe and counters arguments from sceptics who say it can only happen in Asia, India and Africa.

A challenging and unique component of the T4T process involves a three-thirds approach to discipleship training meetings:   Looking Back, Looking Up, and Looking Ahead.   I won't spoil the book for you by giving any more detail about this three-thirds process except to say that it makes a lot of sense.   You might already use this structure informally or incidentally, but Smith shows why it works when it is intentionally incorporated into the DNA of a new church.   As a friend of mine says:  "people don't become disciples of Jesus by osmosis"; it is a result of intentional mission.

Smith uses the parable of the four soils to demonstrate the value of discipleship and gives account of Ying Kai's experience.  He says, "trainers are the 30, 60 and 100-fold people of the four soils parable", but their experience is that 30 and 60-fold growth is more unusual; it is usually 100-fold!   I love the story of the Asian farmer who was saved, then witnessed and discipled the new believers, and in the first year, started over 110 small groups.

Jesus tells us to look for people of peace, but we don't know how to identify those people without sowing the seed.   Smith says, "In the old days of sailing when no wind was blowing, ships went nowhere.   One thing sailors did in times of calm was to take every square inch of sailcloth and hang it from as many yardarms as possible.   They could not make the wind blow, but they could be ready for the wind when it did blow.   The Spirit of God is blowing throughout the world!  He waits for us to align ourselves to move with Him."   I love the story of the 14 year old who became a trainer (of disciples) and led entire villages to Jesus.  

T4T is about intentionally growing a movement through discipleship.   Why T4T?   You'll have to read the book to answer that question ...!

T4T is published by WIGTake Resources, Monument, Colorado.   I read the digital book version which I downloaded from Amazon.   At the time of publishing this article, it was on Amazon.com.au for $10.42

The Bible Project

Are you a visual learner?   Do you teach visual learners?  

The Bible Project's You Tube channel offers free videos of biblical books and theological themes, all animated.  They are not simply animated, but beautifully and graphically designed and narrated with theological explanations providing good overviews of books of the bible.  These are high-quality, professionally produced videos suitable for supplementing your teaching.

The "Read Scripture" videos run from about 5 minutes for short books to around 9 minutes for the longer books.   At time of printing this blog, The Bible Project reports that 31 of the Old Testament books, and 6 of the New Testament books have been published.   Remember that as with all bible teaching, don't just watch and listen; open the Word of God for yourself and test everything against Scripture.

The videos can be streamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/jointhebibleproject/videos and are arranged into themes:  Old Testament, New Testament, Torah, Biblical Themes, Wisdom Literature, the Gospels and Behind the Scenes.    

The Bible Project says, "We want you to read through the bible without getting lost or giving up. We provide a video for every book of the Bible that outlines its structure and design and how it fits into the entire biblical story."

One of my favourites is Job.  Here's a snapshot of the finished board, or click below to watch the video:

Operation Timothy

An excellent resource that I've used repeatedly over the years is the "Operation Timothy" material published by CBMC.   There used to be three study books in the series; First Steps, Operation Timothy 1 and Operation Timothy 2.   If you're familiar with Navigators material, you'll like Operation Timothy.   http://advance.cbmc.com/products/operation-timothy.

The concept of Operation Timothy is the biblical model of Paul (more experienced christian) leading Timothy (new or less experienced christian) through a series of discipleship studies.  See 1 Tim. 1:3, 18-20.

Well, the exciting news is that Operation Timothy has been extensively reviewed and republished by CBMC as a totally free online resource!   (You can still buy hard copies of the study books, leaders guides and other resources at http://www.operationtimothy.com/)

First Steps is now titled Book 1:  Life Questions (foundational, designed to lead a non-believer through questions about the Christian faith).

There are 6 sessions:

1. What's the purpose of life?
2. Is the bible credible?
3. Where is God?
4. Who is Jesus?
5. Why did Jesus come?
6. Can I be accepted and forgiven?


Operation Timothy 1 is now titled Book 2:  Life Foundations.   There are 7 sessions.

Operation Timothy 2 is now titled Book 3:  Life Perspectives.   Again, there are 7 sessions.

The link to the eOperation Timothy is http://advance.cbmc.com/products/operation-timothy.  You will need to create a log-in but it's a very simple process (email+password).

Each session is expected to take a week, followed up by a meeting between "Paul" and "Timothy" in which the session content is discussed.

The website flows well and allows secure log-in, recording of personal notes (that can be viewed by the user only), videos, podcasts and links for deeper studies.

In summary, eOperation Timothy is a very, very good resource for disciple-making.

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.   We implore you on Christ's behalf:  Be reconciled to God."   2 Cor. 5:20 NIV

CBMC referenced with permission.  Photo and screenshot from advance.cbmc.com