Tools for Making DisciplesFRUITFUL MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP

Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus said: “Make disciples, going to all

nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and

teaching them to obey everything I have

commanded you. And surely I am with

you always, to the very end of the age.”

Thresholds of Discipleship

(RCIA)

1 – Pre-Evangelisation

2 – Evangelisation

3 – Catechesis

4 – Mystagogia

Evidence

based!

Let’s look at

150 active

converts!

Where do

disciples

come from?

Applicable!

Thresholds of Discipleship

(Weddell)

1 – The Ability to Trust

2 – Curiosity about Christ or His Church (Passive)

3 – Openness to the Possibility of Change

4 – Seeking God Actively (Catechesis)

5 – Intentional Discipleship – Choosing to Follow

6 – Ministry (Using Your Charisms)

7 – Vocation (State of Life)

To evangeliseis to nudge!

Thresholds of Discipleship

1 – The Ability to TrustChrist

The Church

A Believer

Something identifiably Christian

Buzz for

examples!

Thresholds of Discipleship

1 – The Ability to Trust

2 – Curiosity about Christ or His Church

Share naturally how you live your faith!

Listen first, then speak

Share the Gospel Message

What’s it like to pray?

The Great Story of Jesus

1. God loves us, our lives are Good and full of meaning.

2. Jesus is the face of God’s presence among us.

3. Jesus did divine things – he healed and forgave sins!

4. Jesus embraced the Cross out of love for us.

5. Jesus overcame death, and is now alive forever.

6. We are invited to follow Jesus.

7. Our sins also can be forgiven.

8. We can accept God’s Holy Spirit, through baptism, or through repentance of past sins – this requires us to set out on a way of life that leaves something old behind.

9. Many Christians now walk the path of being disciples.

Thresholds of Discipleship

1 – The Ability to Trust

2 – Curiosity about Christ or His Church

3 – Openness to the Possibility of Change Be honest about your own struggles

Ask deep questions, “Where is God in this?”

Note God at work in your friend’s life

Pray for them and with them

Introduce them to Eucharistic Adoration

“Ananias Training”

now available!

“Follow a Mission with groups for

deeper catechesis, not ministries.”

Thresholds of Discipleship

1 – The Ability to Trust

2 – Curiosity about Christ or His Church

3 – Openness to the Possibility of Change

4 – Actively Seeking God Answer their questions

Teach them to pray

Help them relate to Parish & the Pope

Thresholds of Discipleship

1 – The Ability to Trust

2 – Curiosity about Christ or His Church

3 – Openness to the Possibility of Change

4 – Actively Seeking God

5 – Choosing to Follow Christ

Pop the question!

Tell me about God…

Not Church, GOD!

Atheist: doesn’t exist.

Agnostic: don’t know, or can’t say.

Impersonal: divine ‘force’ exists.

Alienated: God’s a person, we don’t connect.

Relational: God’s a person, we do connect.

… the story continues …

Get the STORY, not the LABEL.

Listen out for these:

What do you believe about God and the possibility of a relationship with God?

Are you affiliated to a religion?

What bridges of trust do you have to Christ/ians?

What threshold are you at?

“If you could ask God one question which He would promise to answer

right now, what would it be?”

Workshop Exercise

In 2s or 3s – what happened when you

shared the Gospel Message? (5 mins)

• 1 – The Ability to Trust

• 2 – Curiosity about Christ or His Church

• 3 – Openness to the Possibility of Change

• 4 – Actively Seeking God

• 5 – Choosing to Follow Christ

INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP

Dynamic Catholic

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https://christlife.org/christlife-series/discovering-christ

Tools for Making DisciplersFRUITFUL MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP

All the baptised

are called to go

and share God's

love. We are all

called to be

“missionary

disciples”.

Thresholds of Discipleship

(Weddell)

1 – The Ability to Trust

2 – Curiosity about Christ or His Church (Passive)

3 – Openness to the Possibility of Change

4 – Seeking God Actively (Catechesis)

5 – Intentional Discipleship – Choosing to Follow

6 – Ministry (Using Your Charisms)

7 – Vocation (State of Life)

GIFTS, CHARISMS & STRENGTHS

7 34

CALLED & GIFTED

Sherry Weddell was running “Called & Gifted” long before writing FID!

Charisms are given us for ministry to others

Became much rarer between AD 348 and AD 386

All have the right and duty to exercise charisms (Iuvenescit Ecclesia 2016)

They often manifest 1-2 years after deep personal conversion

Often prompted by an opportunity to bless someone

Can’t be used for evil but can be self-serving and muddled

Most people have 2-5 charisms – where your ministry “flows” effortlessly

There are founding, group and individual charisms

Seven Kinds of Individual Charisms

Pastoral (encouragement, hospitality, mercy)

Communications (evangelism, prophecy, teaching)

Organizational (administration, leadership, service)

Lifestyle (celibacy, missionary calling, voluntary poverty)

Healing (healing ministry, intercessory prayer)

Understanding (knowledge, wisdom)

Creative (music, writing, crafts)

CALLED & GIFTED PROCESS

Introductory Workshop

Spiritual Gifts Inventory – indicative, not definitive!

“Quick and dirty” indication of a starting point

One-on-one interview & discernment

Listen to your experience, look for signs of charisms

How does this “charism” interact with your relationship with God?

Experimentation & small group discernment

Experiment 2 hours per week for 2 months!

Meet others and reflect!

Where have you blessed others? Who sought your ministry?

“Pastors with a passion for evangelization

almost always felt isolated among their

brother priests and were considered to

be mavericks in their diocese.”

… and laity in their parishes!

Word on Fire Movement

Christ at the Centre

Evangelizing the Culture

Using New Media

Connected to Saints & Heroes

Gospel as “Yes” to Life and Love

Beauty as a key Path to God

Priests and Lay Collaborate

Podcasts to encourage disciple(r)s

Courses to make disciplers

3 courses

7, 7 & 6

sessions

ChristLife.org

Courses to make disciplers

1 course

Spread over 6,

9 or 18 sessions

RelitTraining.com

SeekersTeams.com

NewEvangelization.ca

Tools for Missionary Parishes:

Divine Renovation (Engage!)FRUITFUL MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP

St Benedict’s, Nova Scotia, CanadaThree years after implementing

an engagement-based strategy

at Saint Benedict, the number

of adults in programs of

evangelization and faith

formation has tripled.

The number of parishioners in

ministry has doubled, and the

weekly collection has doubled -

the overall number of

parishioners in the pews has not

grown, though there has been

significant turnover.

The St Benedict Story

May 2010 – St Benedict’s opens – 3 amalgamating parishes closed

August 2010 – Mallon becomes Parish Priest of 2000 worshippers

160 parishioners (8%) immediately sign up for Alpha

Spring 2013 – parish agrees “Vision Statement”

Saint Benedict Parish is a healthy and growing faith community that brings people to

Christ, forms disciples and sends them out to transform the world. Every member is

committed to worship, to grow, to serve, to connect and to give.

September 2014 – Divine Renovation published. 40% of parishioners

“engaged”

October 2017 – First “Divine Renovation UK” conference

Divine Renovation Books

10 Principles

Sunday Mass must be the best possible experience

Excellent hospitality – clean venue, greeters, unhurried, explain for guests

Excellent music – including praise & worship; use of visual technology

Excellent preaching – some humour, clear pithy message; in series!

Build community – Massgoers connect by praying for one another.

State expectations – what does it mean to be a member of this parish?

Let volunteers minister according to their strengths

“Connect Groups” fortnightly – 25-30 people who are Alpha graduates

Dependence upon the power and presence of the Holy Spirit

A culture of inviting people to “come and see”!

The Game Plan

50% new leaders

every course!

No one leads

Alpha for more

than 2 years!

Connect Group leaders

are pastored by the core

team and spot talent for

ministries.

Temporary and topical.

Everyone should take

part in one each year!

Divine Renovation Resources

The Leadership Team

“Bring your team”

Priest Plus One can be enough

Dynamic Catholic Resources

Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic (2012) by Matthew Kelly

Typically in the USA, 7% of Catholics do 80% of the giving and volunteering.

Dynamic Catholics pray (Kelly offers 7 starter tips)

Dynamic Catholics study their faith – free book programme!

Dynamic Catholics give generously (challenges towards tithing)

Dynamic Catholics gently promote the Catholic Faith

– deflecting criticism, invite friends to church, sharing books & CDs.

What is the one step that would make a real difference right now?

Holiness is “becoming the best person I can be” (given Godly goodness!)

Fruit: “Let’s give away world-class Catholic resources for parishes to use!”

10 Principles

Sunday Mass must be the best possible experience

Excellent hospitality – clean venue, greeters, unhurried, explain for guests

Excellent music – including praise & worship; use of visual technology

Excellent preaching – some humour, clear pithy message; in series!

Build community – Massgoers connect by praying for one another.

State expectations – what does it mean to be a member of this parish?

Let volunteers minister according to their strengths

“Connect Groups” fortnightly – 25-30 people who are Alpha graduates

Dependence upon the power and presence of the Holy Spirit

A culture of inviting people to “come and see”!

Gallup Tools

What are you good at?

What do you love to do?

What do you dream of

doing for God, given

unlimited resources?

The St Gerard Majella Story

46% Actively Engaged

12% Actively Disengaged

$2,000,000 surplus

34% Actively Engaged

22% Actively Disengaged

$500,000 debt

Give 1% more financially

Volunteer to your strengths

The St Philip Evans Story

Oct/Nov 2016 – Sion Parish Mission. 40-50 of 300 regular worshippers attend

Jan 2017 – Launch Connect (25) and Alpha. About 30 people start –

10 team from outside parish, 10 team/curious within parish, 10 seekers

Spring 2017 – preach about the six expectations –worship, volunteer, connect, explore, invite, invest

April 2017 – two people clearly touched by Holy Spirit Day;

key parishioners feel they can’t run Alpha again without outside help

September 2017 – form a Parish Leadership Team;

one member attends DR18 in Twickenham with me

April 2018 – Alpha running again, 12 total including Glenwood Church

St Philip Evans Parish – our expectations

Gallup Tools

What are you good at?

What do you love to do?

What do you dream of

doing for God, given

unlimited resources?

Tools for Missionary Parishes:

Rebuilt & 244 OthersFRUITFUL MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP

Nativity, Timonium MD

At the start: 1,500 worshippers

Mission statement:

Welcome the lost

and grow disciples.

Implemented.

Result: 4,000 worshippers

The Rebuilt Story

Both arrived in affluent Timonium in the late 90s and spent 5 years “meeting demands”…

The church continued to decline. 1600 worshippers.

Crisis! (triggered by free food complaint)

2003: “What can Protestant megachurches teach us?”

Lent 2004: only 1/3 of 600 regulars accept “Purpose Driven” message

Advent 2004: Declaration of aim to be a healthy, growing, church for others

2005: first attempt at Small Groups

2008: Small Groups take off

2013: At time of publication, 4000 worshippers.

Why Rebuilt?

Everything re-tooled with a view to welcoming the lost…

40-something middle class Dads

What needs adjusting?

Parking

Childcare

Preaching

Music style

Expect hostility and resistance to change. Growth by attrition!

10 Principles

Sunday Mass must be the best possible experience – seeker friendly

Excellent hospitality – greeters, child-friendly

Excellent music – including praise & worship; use of visual technology

Excellent preaching – humour, clear message; in series; for life-change!

Build community – Massgoers connect by praying for one another.

State expectations – outward-looking vision statement

Volunteers well-managed and affirmed

Small Groups of 6-10

Dependence upon the power and presence of the Holy Spirit

A culture of inviting people to “come and see”!

Tithing (by steps – raise givers)

Restoration (global aid)

Purpose Driven

Worship

Fellowship

Discipleship

Ministry

Mission

Worship

Connect

Grow

Serve

Invitational

Give

Hymns

Hospitality

Disciple!

Volunteers

The lost!

Worship

Connect

Explore

Volunteer

Invite

Invest

Intentional

InteractionsSmall (6-10)

or Connect

(~25) Groups

Superb

SundaysHospitality

Hymns

Homily

Evident

ExpectationsOn outreach?

Engagement?

Listening,

Learning

LeadersPastor &

Team

Vibrant

VolunteersAffirmed

Farmed

Using Strengths

I’m not the Parish Priest! What can I do?

Share the good news of parish growth with your Parish Priest

Ask what his vision for the parish is

Offer to help him start a “leadership team”

Non-Threatening: Listen, then speak!

If you can’t help your current parish, is it where God wants you?

Take the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment

Do a few things well!