
The sent ones blog
Principles and stories written by Sent Ones, for The Body of Christ
Key Insights for Strategy Coordinators
As ambassadors of Christ's Great Commission, we are called to be strategic and intentional in our efforts to reach the unreached with the life-transforming message of the Gospel. In this pursuit, the role of a Strategy Coordinator emerges as a vital catalyst, igniting and sustaining spiritual movements that empower local believers to take ownership of the core apostolic task.
The Benefits of Being Decentralized
Any movement of new disciples and multiplying churches is a work of God. But we can and should seek both best and biblical practices as we pursue those movements.
The main focus of “The Starfish and the Spider” is decentralization versus centralization.
The Tipping Point Applied to Movements
Malcolm Gladwell's seminal work, The Tipping Point, offers profound insights into how small changes can lead to significant shifts, a concept that aligns seamlessly with our core missionary objective. This article will discuss how the principles outlined in the book can be directly applied to our core missionary task, emphasizing the importance of context, stickiness, and the roles of connectors, mavens, and salespeople in achieving our goals.
The Metric Black Hole
Simply put, the Metric Black Hole is the idea that there are many things that we do for which we do not have an accurate measurement of how they contribute to the bottom line.
The Biblical Minimum of Church
During one of my rants, a friend asked a simple question that stopped me in my tracks: “What should the church look like?” I didn’t have an answer. How could I be so confident about the problems without knowing a positive alternative?
Empowering the Priesthood
“Pastor?” I usually begin my correction after a long day of training. Generally, in Asia, this is meant as a term of respect for their guest who just spent all day equipping them and challenging them from the Word to obey, follow, and love Jesus more. But I will not let that slide, because I have a crucial point to make about who they are.
On the Road in South Asia
We’d been on the road in South Asia for three weeks. We’d covered thousands of kilometers and met hundreds of people. The purpose was to hear their stories and experience the life of a movement of God.
Being a Kingdom Connector
The modern term we have given to someone who is gifted at meeting people, building relationships, and making connections is a “networker.” Usually, the focus is on building up one’s own career as the desired result of being an effective networker. As a follower of Jesus, our focus should be on building His Kingdom.
Obeying Jesus; Duty, Delight, or Both?
In the early days of my disciple-making journey, I went door-to-door on a weekly basis with others in Austin, TX. We prayed and shared the Gospel with those who would open their doors. Candidly, I didn’t like it.
What Did Jesus Do?
Especially if you had a WWJD bracelet on your wrist. WWJD stands for “What Would Jesus Do?” This phrase was lifted from the text of a book called “In His Steps” by Charles Sheldon. The bracelets were a reminder to ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” if He were facing your situation. It became sort of a mini-movement within evangelical Christianity, mostly typified by teenagers wearing a WWJD bracelet.