So it has been a long time since I have posted here.  A part of me wishes that I had written something soon after the Exponential West Coast Conference, because some really wonderful things happened there.

Maybe I should just hit the highlights.  Maybe that will jog my memory a bit.

Exponential is a church planting conference.  Church planting is kind of like the space program of the church; it pushes the envelope and develops new strategies for evangelism and discipleship.  So even if you are not interested in planting a church, you can still learn a lot.

There were really great speakers, too many to mention.  Max Lucado was definitely a highlight, but so were Joby Martin, Derwin Gray, and Oscar Muriu.   I think, though, two speakers really stood out.  JD Greear has been beating the drum of multiplication and releasing leaders and resources to start new churches.  Ying Kai is a church planter in China whose organization has baptized 1.7 million (yes, you read that correctly) people in 20 years.  And he freely gives away what he has learned.  As I write this, I realize that I will spend some time blogging about this in the future.

What I want to say now… God does some amazing things.  I just keep finding that he puts so many people in our path.  I don’t know where to start so maybe with the first crazy thing.  In the first breakout session, the guy presenting talks a bit to me and says, “Hey, you’re from Kentucky, go meet Jamey!” So I meet Jamey, who planted a church in Louisville, but is now planting a church in Phoenix.  Where are his parents from, and where did he spend most of his summers as a kid? Menifee County!  We hope to have a conversation with him to reach out to some of his family who still live there!

Some of you know how much I agonize for places that don’t have the Gospel preached, and how much I am distressed that California, my home state, the state with the most population in the U.S. has so few Methodists.  My great-great grandmother was a Methodist from Bitterwater.  I can’t imagine what a middle-of-nowhere that place was 140 years ago… and still a Methodist circuit rider went out there, because even though homesteads were few and far between, there were souls there to save!

Anyway, one day at Exponential, I was in the bookstore of the church that was hosting the Conference.  They have their own Lifeway bookstore…which is another story.  I see a guy whose name tag says he is from my dad’s hometown.  He and his wife are planting there. She left and was never going back, but she said they were visiting and saw so much pain and brokenness and they wanted to plant a “life-giving church for God’s people.” God was working on me, because I woke up the next morning weeping with the joy of the Lord! The Holy Spirit had started working me over before I woke up!  I was so blown away that this couple was there!  God spoke plainly. “Don’t worry about California.  I’ve got that.  What I don’t have is Eastern Kentucky.”

I had to laugh, because as I look back on my intense prayer time last year where God told me I could ask Him for anything I wanted, and after weeks of Him pushing me to ask for something real, for something only He could do and only He could get any credit for, I finally blurted out, “Give me a disciple-making movement that wins Eastern Kentucky to Christ!” He worked me around to where my heart broke for what breaks His; He led me to follow where He was going.  I am so thankful! Otherwise I would be roping the wind.

This Conference was in many ways a dream.  I took Jessie, Mike (our planter in Frenchburg) and Jacob, who I hope will be able to come on board at our church to lead worship in a third service.  I keep wanting to take more and more people, to let them have a taste of the deep desire so many have for evangelism and discipleship.

New Hope Discipleship Movement.

Next Sunday, I will be heading to the Exponential West Conference in Orange County, CA.  There is a pre-conference event called The National Discipleship Forum, which is hands down the best event I have been to anywhere, anytime.  Exponential is the largest gathering of church planters in the world.  The one in Orlando in the spring has about 5,000 in attendance.  I think West has about 2,000.  I love going because of the energy and optimism.  It's thousands of people who believe everyone is going to be baptized... tomorrow!  The worship is some of the best I know of and the teaching is from the best practitioners.  Even though it is church planting-specific, church planting is kind of like the space program of the church-- it develops great evangelism and discipleship tools.

Jessie, Mike Adams (our former youth pastor who is planting our church in Frenchburg, KY) and Jacob Wilson are going with me.  I hope to keep taking more people each year. The Discipleship Forum by itself is worth the time and effort to get to.  If you have a holy discontent about the church, about your own discipleship, let's talk.  New Hope Discipleship Movement (a non-profit Mike, Wes, and I set up to start new churches in Appalachia) will be taking a crew to Orlando in April. Hit me up if you want to go.

Pray for us-- for safe travel, for great fellowship, for deep learning.  Last year I went with Mike and Jacob.  Jesus wrecked our lives.  I daresay we are still figuring out what happened, still dealing with the fallout, still putting things into place to be better at making disciples. Pray that we get wrecked again, hearts broken for the neglected mission of making disciples.  Pray that we come back with a spirit of humility, because we are going to be on the cutting edge of the Church.

About this time last year, I went to take one of my 15 minute afternoon naps.  But I could not.  God had me raise my arms in prayer and I knew I just had to keep them there in praise.  After a while, He spoke.  "Ask me for anything you want."  I made a few feeble stabs, ashamed that I was not ready!  Everything I asked for, He said "I already do  that. Ask me for something that only I can do."  I would pray at other times for the next few months, but still was not asking for enough.  I shared this with a small group  of friends, some prayer warriors.  Finally, one day I just cried out in desperation for the mission, "Lord, give me a disciple-making movement that takes back Eastern Kentucky for Christ!" And then there was absolute peace and assurance.  Thus New Hope Discipleship Movement was born.

Pumped Up

I want to share some stuff that's been going on that has been really encouraging.

First, our Children's Ministry.  My wife Jessie is the Children' s Pastor in our church, and she is knocking it out.  As in they have outgrown their second space, and need to look for a new place. The kids have a great two hour bloc on Sundays of Sunday school and children's worship.  They do catechism and they know more about worship than the adults!

Second, our Youth Ministry.  Adam Foster and a crew of volunteers worked really hard to put on a great Youth Kickoff with a lot of energy and games and fun and an awesome fireside devotion.  It's great to be in Morehead where you can have a big gym to romp in and then go outside under the trees and hear crickets chirping. 40 kids, most of whom we just met last night, came.

On the church planting front, Mike Adams, our church planter in Menifee County, KY, is also working as a boys basketball coach for the high school.  It has given him and his new church a lot of visibility in the community, as well as providing them with a mission.  His main focus is on discipleship.  He, Wes, Holland and I have formed a non=profit called New Hope Discipleship Movement with the purpose of raising up and training evangelists and disciple-makers who start new works of God in the rural areas of Eastern Kentucky.

When I was in Lexington, I met a couple, Chad and Meredith Brooks.  They have the dubious honor of inventing the Methodist Mimosa-- orange juice and Ale-8.  Anyway they came to our church in the fall of 2006, and informed me not long after they started coming that they were leaving because of something I said.  It's not what you're thinking.  I was challenging people to live incarnationally where they worship. So Chad and Meredith said it was crazy for them to drive from Nicholasville when there was a church right next door that needed their help.  But, he said, he would be back to do his supervised ministry with me.  Sure enough, 2010 he came back.  We had some epic times talking Q, doing evangelism visits on the crazy streets of Northside, and fellowshipping.  My boys adored Chad and Meredith.

Fast forward. Chad went home to Louisiana.  He is planting a church called Foundry in Stirlington, outside of Monroe.  I stay in touch with him because we're buds and also because one of my spiritual gifts is talking church planters out of quitting when they get hit with the ridiculous obstacles and barriers that get thrown at them.  They had their launch service last weekend.  I have been preaching for years you need to launch Fast and Loud.  As many people as you can get.  Because after 6 weeks you will only have 1/2 of the number who come to launch.  Chad launched with 354.  Basically, he is day one sustainable.

Chad was worried he might break the rule about 1/2 the people after 6 weeks, as in he was worried they have been a misfit church, not fitting any paradigms, so maybe they will have less.  I doubt it.  I think he will grow even bigger.  Chad works hard and smart.  Pray him up and check him out at revchadbrooks.com

Awesome Evangelism Visit(s)

So, we divided up into two teams.  Justine took Adam, our youth pastor.  I took Jacob Wilson, pastor of Barterville UMC and general idea-generator.  We hit a neighborhood I had been to about a year ago.  MOst folks weren't home, as it was middle of the day.  And that's ok-- sometimes it's good to get a lot of cards out!  But we had three people we got to talk to.

First was a fellow who said he "just has not felt the need to go to church."  Now, normally, I would have talked about what he thinks his "need" would be, and then describe the Bible's definition of his need.  But for a number of reasons, I knew it was not the time. The Gospel would not have gotten a hearing, and as I was sensing that he will one day respond to communication at a later time, I moved on.  I hate that, because a part of me thinks, no you have to tell him now. I hope I was right.

Next house, a woman opens the door with a maybe a three year old on her hip.  We told her who we are, asked if she had a church.  Long story short, she visited the church about 3 years ago, I visited the house they were living in after they came to the church, but they moved.  She remembered the church and we had a great time reconnecting.  Then while we were still talking, her husband showed up and we were able to really talk to them about all the ministries of the church.  So let's hope they come!

I asked Jacob what he thought about that visit.  He was pumped, of course, but he had a great suggestion about getting contact information.  To see it, you'll have to watch the periscope video.  Get the periscope app on your smartphone or tablet and follow aaronjmansfield  Maybe I will post it to youtube.

Anyway, we hit another house and it was another family who came sometime back but had not been since.  It was cool to reconnect there, too.  We had a chance to invite them and remind them of the love of God.

Jacob was excited that we made a contact that will probably come to church.  He said, "What would happen if every month you had a family of four join the church?"

Right! Your church will grow!  The tough thing is... getting more people out and getting the time to do the visits.  I guess I would say, many many days I wish it was all I did!

Mentors

You need a mentor for the significant areas of your life.  I have been privileged to have good mentors right when I needed them.  As far as ministry is concerned, I was lucky to learn from Howard Willen, my pastor at First United Methodist in Lexington, KY from 1995-2000.  He took me to school in things like prayer; bible study; visiting in hospitals, nursing homes, jails, and homes; how to do a funeral; and preeminently in evangelism... making contacts with people, looking for the open door to share Christ, and asking them to put their faith in Him.  If I had not seen that done, I would have a hard time imagining what it looks like or how to do it!

We were doing some planning for an upcoming evangelism training, and I guess I mentioned Howard a number of times, to the point where it was suggested that we make WWWD bracelets for evangelism training... What Would Willen Do?

Visiting House to House

Visiting from house to house is the most controversial evangelism strategy I use.  If I stood on a street corner with a sandwich board and a microphone, perhaps that would be the most controversial.  What I mean by controversial, is that it spawns a lot of negative reactions in ministerial colleagues.  It’s the one I take the most grief for, and have to defend the most.  But, I also get a lot of encouragement. So people are divided on this one.  Two interesting tid-bits: the most encouragement I get is from people whose doors I knock on!  They are glad someone took the time to come by and is out doing the work!  I also get a lot of people telling me it doesn’t work, and yet those same people have never tried it, much less done it consistently.

We took a vow as a United Methodist elder to “visit from house to house.”  We love to dodge this.  Cynically, I have had a number of UM leaders tell me those are “historic” questions that don’t really fit who we are today.  Others confine it to visiting people who are members of your church.  Nope.  It’s the shepherd roaming the hills to gather the harassed and scattered flock. So you go from door-to-door.  And it works.

But you have to do it consistently, over the long haul.  In my first church, when I started this, I had a number of people say, “we tried that and it didn’t work.”  I asked them what they did.  They went out one time, two by two (because that’s what the Bible says), with some fresh baked bread that had a card that said, “The Bread of Life.”  “And no one came,” they told me.

I had to break the tough news to them.  You never engaged with our neighbors about Jesus beofre, you went out one time with fresh bread (which is a great idea) but there was no follow up.  The folks they visited literally had no clue what it was about!

What you have to do in visitation is be consistent.  Go back again.  If the people you talk to are remotely receptive, keep going back, with an invitation to services, to a special event, to a cookout at your house…

I will probably be talking about this forever and telling this same story, so bear with me.  When I was appointed to my first church, I had no clue about anything!  Larry Baker me a map of Clark County, one of those really detailed road maps.  One day driving back out into the country from town, I heard the Lord speak, “Every house to the county line is mine.”  I kind of went a little farther, into Estill and Powell counties, but I reasoned those places belonged to the Lord, too!  I got to the house, made a bookmark on card stock that had basic info about our church.

Then I started systematically visiting every church in a large swath of the county I had decided was my church’s area.  I went to every house at least once, most houses more than that, and the houses where someone was receptive to me and the invitation to church, I went to those houses many, many times.

The reasons visitation works is that you find people you don’t even know exist. You talk to people you would never get to.  Is it time consuming?  Yes.  It proves its worth when someone comes because you took the time to come to them, talk to them, pray with them, they know you love them enough to break down barriers!  And they tell their friends and family who also come!

Remember to take church members with you and teach them how to do this.  If you get some help, oh man can you cover some ground.  You can hit hundreds of houses in a few hours with 3 or 4 people.  Remember… to go back.  People who had not yet come to church would call  me their pastor.  I would get called to hospitals of jails on behalf of people I did not know well, but had stopped by their house.  I was the only pastor they knew.  We had 7 people come to our church because I visited their family members in jail. I was called to do funerals and got to minister to even more people in a family because they called the pastor who would visit them.

The how to:

Make some kind of card, not on printer paper.  You need something that can stand up to being placed in a door, or held between a screen door and the main door.  I have used bookmarks on card stock.  With just basic information about the church—contact info, directions to get there, service times, etc.  Lately I have been using a tract from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the classic “bridge” illustration.  Then I use an address label to put the church info on. They get our info and a really good basic intro to believing in Jesus.

Rehearse what you are going to say when someone opens the door.  “Hi, my name is Aaron.  I am the pastor at Morehead United Methodist Church.  I am just going out in the community, getting to know people, inviting them to church.  Do you have a church that you go to?”  That’s it.  Their answer might lead to some more conversation.  If they seem interested, I make a note of it in a notebook I keep for the purpose.  Then I write them a note, thanking them for their time and again inviting them.  And then I know that that is a place I will go back to.

That’s it.  If you will do visitation regularly, and consistently (meaning all your life), you will see church growth and conversion.

I will tell some other stories later that help show how it’s done and the fruit that comes from it!

Was It Really a Fish Story?

Or was it about trying new things to see what will work?  What will be fruitful?  Doing whatever it takes to get the job done?

I will do anything short of sin to win someone to Christ.

Because Everyone Loves a Fish Story

Last Saturday, a bunch of us were out at Wes and Justine Holland’s, hanging out and digging into what it will mean to live the lives we are already living with Gospel intentionality.

But we were also fishing.  For once, I was catching more fish than Mike.  Actually he had not caught any.  I just thought I needed to make that REAL clear.  After every fish I caught I would say, “it’s all that good, clean Christian living.”  I could feel him glaring at me from the other side of the pond.

Because the Holland girls feed the fish hotdog buns, there is a trained bass who will follow you all over the pond.  Doesn’t matter what side you are on, he’s there.  Won’t bite a white grub or a rooster tail.  Nothing.  But he will try to eat any bluegill you hook.  Finally Lily Holland says, “just put some bread on your hook.”  Bread? On a rooster tail? (because I am too lazy to change hooks).  I give Mike a piece and tell him to try.  He just throws it in “to see if the bass will even go for it.”  He does.  By that time I have the bread on my hook and immediately catch him.  Mike lost his mind.  You snooze you lose.

So I start fishing out into the deeper part of the pond.  I catch 3 more bluegill.  All that good, clean Christian living!

So there’s this carp that lives in the pond.  About 30 inches long.  A monster in that small space.  All of a sudden, my bobber disappears.  Not a little jerk or a slight dip.  Gone.  I pull back and start hollering.  At first all I can see is its head, and I think I have caught some giant catfish lurking at the bottom.  Looks like you could drive a car thru its mouth.  Then he turns and I can see that carp diamond pattern.  “I’ve got Bruno!” Yeah, he has a name… because in years no one has caught him.  He’s a legend.  I get him to the bank and we are all freaking out.  Mike is crying because if I say “good clean Christian living one more time” he’s going to have to kill me… we are trying to get him to shore and then he pushes off against the bank and snaps my line like it’s nothing.  Mike is quick to say “it don’t count if you can’t get him out!”

Then 5 minutes later, Mike hooks him!  He likes hot dog buns, I guess.  Mike says, “He looked right at me and broke my line!”

I walked back up to the house to get an Ale-8 I had put in the freezer (always looking ahead…) then I hear whooping and hollering.  McKinley has hooked Bruno!  That fish is hungry… and dumb!  Never in my life had I seen what I saw… an epic battle with a fish in a farm pond.  McKinley let him take out line and Bruno fled to the deeps.  I thought we were going to have strap McKinley in to a seat to pull this monster in.  For about 10 minutes, McKinley zigged and zagged, walking around the pond.

Bruno is tiring out, coming to the surface.  What a magnificent fish!  Mike has his shoes and shirt off, keeping it country, about to jump in and grab Bruno.  Then another tremendous twist and jerk and he breaks the line again!

I thought the most redneck thing I have ever done is put bread and a bobber on a spinner bait… and caught fish that way.  Turns out there’s more… the most redneck thing I will ever do is take my marine rod to a farm pond.  With a bobber.  And hot dog buns for bait.  Bruno will be mine.  Oh yes, he will be mine.

Don't Get Dressed First

Here is an example of the principle of life transference, which was the key to the Methodist Class meeting, the key to life change.

I bring it up to show that the work of evangelism is not about adding more stuff to a busy to-do list.  It’s not adding more meetings or another Bible study.  Church is not an event you come to on Sunday, it is lived out in daily life with your family, friends and co-workers.  Seeing church as a set of events or meetings to go to is why we aren’t disciples making disciples, but I need to stop there or I won’t get on with the point of this!

So…it’s not another class or another meeting, it’s doing what you already do with Gospel intentions.  It’s what Peter said, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask to give the reason for the hope you have” (1 Peter 3:15).  Anyone can do this because every believer has many stories to tell about how God worked in them.

So, how can I live my life on mission?  How can do what I am already doing and put some Gospel purpose into it?

I like to fish.  I am not good at it.  There is a difference.  But it is one of many things I like to do.  So one of the best things I can do is take someone who doesn’t know Jesus.  Think of the many things you already do with other people.  Ok, now take someone with you who doesn’t know Jesus.  And sit back and be amazed at the doors God opens.

So, fishing with a friend, we get to talking about stuff.  Nothing too heavy, just things like being frustrated with our kids.  It’s hard work, raising kids.  So I told him the story of something amazing Jesus did in my life as a dad.

Soon after John and Joe’s mom, Melissa, died, we moved into a house in Lexington.  Getting ready for school was awful.  9 days out of 10, one or both of the boys were melting down, crying.  It was just awful.  I hated it.  I hate it when days start off bad.  I didn’t want them going thru all that, I didn’t like that I was yelling and impatient with them.  I knew what was up… We moved into a new place and it was painfully obvious at every moment that Melissa was not with us, never would be again.  It was grief, and we were wrecks.

I hit my knees in prayer, “God, help me!  Fix our mornings,” I cried out.

And Jesus spoke.  Plain as day: “Don’t get dressed first.”

That was it!  I had had it!  Seriously, God? I am on my knees, ruined, and all you’ve got is don’t get dressed first?  What does that even mean?

But I knew it was from God so it was more than worth a try… I had to do it.

In 2 or 3 days I figured it out.  I knew exactly why Jesus had said what He said.  When I am dressed and ready, I think everybody should be dressed and ready.  I get impatient to say the least.  And add that to the thick grief in the air… man.  Not good.

When I stayed in my pjs, got the boys moving, got breakfast ready, things went smoothly.  No more meltdowns… probably because I had the time and the mindset to care for them rather than hustle them out the door.  The boys got to chill for 10 minutes or so while I got dressed.

I told this story to my friend, knowing he is not a believer, but also knowing he would get a clear picture of what Jesus can do in our lives.  I told him, “Jesus fired me from being the boss of the family and made me the chief servant.”  And because there is more to say, I added, “and He’s done the same in my marriage.  My goal is to outdo Jessie in showing her honor.”

You have plenty of ways that Jesus has done something awesome in your life.  And you will have plenty of opportunities to tell people if you are willing to do so when they ask.  My friend brought up stuff with raising kids because we are friends.  Your friends will have issues they want to talk about, and if Jesus has worked on you about something, just tell them!

How Did We Get Here

I.
"I feel it.  The blood of ancestors rests in my chest.  The power is so great" --Propaganda, "How Did We Get Here?"
Jean-Jacques Arnal came to America from France in 1910, 20 years old.  Then came World War I and France called all her sons back to fight.  He survived some amazing events--another story.  He met 4 brothers in his unit, and after getting to know him decided he was an ok guy and they told him about their sister, Maria.  It was a bit strange-- they were fighting in Northern France, and Jean had been living in America, but Maria's town in the far south of France, Mauleon-Licharre, was not 40 miles away from his little village, Laruns.  He travelled halfway around the world twice and fought a war to meet a woman who lived forty miles away!  He was French, she was Basque; I suppose the language and cultural differences were ridiculously huge compared to 40 miles...  They married and Jean made it back to San Francisco in 1920.  He was my mother's grandfather, and I loved him dearly.  He died when I was 10.  Meme died when I was 4, and I still remember a lot about her... like how she was so small she had to sit on the Los Angeles phonebook to drive.  And how I could do no wrong when she was around!

II.
"I get a feeling I can't describe,
I see this place when I close my eyes,
Wake me up if we ever arrive
Tell me, how did we get here?"
  --Andy Mineo, "How Did We Get Here"

Eva Zoellin was born in 1880 in Bitterwater, California.  Middle of nowhere.  Used to be the right in the main range of the California condor.  She was my dad's great-grandmother, and she died when I was 4.  I remember her, too.  She was an old pioneer woman, raising cattle on huge tracts of scrubby California hillsides.  As a child, she remembers making tamales for a gang of bandidos who "protected" her family's cattle.
She went to the Baptist church in King City, CA.  When my dad was a boy he asked her why she was a Baptist (he and his family were Episcopalians).  She said quite emphatically, "I'm not a Baptist.  I'm a Methodist."  But there was no Methodist church in King City.
And yet, there was some kind of Methodist work way out in Bitterwater when she was a girl.  All I can figure is some circuit-rider headed out into the middle of nowhere, because he heard there were some people living out there.  Whoever it was, I am glad he took the effort to go where few would be interested in going!  I have her Bible, and I try to get a sense of her spiritual life--her son Ken was in the Navy in World War I, and World War II.  Her daughter, Joy, was a nurse in World War II.  She died in Belgium in 1945.  There had to be years of worry and grief, and some of the notes or scraps of paper in her Bible, I can't help but think they were related to her prayers in those times.

III.
"How did we get here? In a dream-school, now when I swim here, God planned it, I'm one of the fish here" --JGivens,  "How Did We Get Here?"

Last night, I woke up thinking that even where things seem improbable and accidental--like, how did I get here?-- God has a purpose.  Everyone I meet is someone God wants to save--perhaps He already has, but it is good to check and see!  No matter how many twists and turns there were in all your generations meeting so that you might be here, "God does not want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9), and "God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4).

There is also great freedom in this!  It does not depend on me, but on God!  We are not called to save anyone.  God does that!  We introduce people to Jesus.  We wait, pray, and trust that His Holy Spirit has prepared the ground, and when the time is right, His action in Jesus Christ will save them, the same way He saved us.

Let these thoughts motivate and encourage you!  You can step out and tell a friend about what you have found in Jesus.  You will eat 21 meals this week.  Tithe them! eat two of them with someone who does not know Christ.  You will talk about things important to you-- your kids and grandkids and favorite football team.  They won't shut you down (unless you're a Tennessee fan...).  They may see that Jesus is as precious--even moreso-- to you than your children.  If you are in a church that reliably preaches the Gospel, invite a friend so they can hear the message.  If you are not in a church that reliably preaches the Gospel, well, go somewhere else.

ALSO: go to jdpayne.org and subscribe to this email Missiologically Thinking.  He keeps focus on the main thing in our gospel work.  He will challenge you to look around at what you see, and get into mission!

How God Breaks Through in Discipleship Groups

I wanted to tell you about our Wednesday night service. We have been working on switching it to a class meeting, or as we call them, Discipleship Groups. We do that, as Jessie says, to remind us that the purpose is discipleship, and also to make sure we don't foster the idea that the groups are necessarily “small.” We definitely try to avoid calling them “small groups.” Some are pretty small. Wednesday night is not. We had 27 there tonight.

So after praying and having some basic Bible study, we launch into The Four Questions:

How are you doing spiritually?

Where are you struggling with sin?

Have you taken advantage of the opportunities God has given you to do good?

Have you used the means of grace?

Tonight was awesome. It was the second question where it blew up. That strikes me as odd, because it is the one question we are least comfortable answering. But tonight, someone lit it off by admitting there was some real disappointment about two things that were in conflict in his life. He was dealing with some resentment. I asked if anyone had any ideas about how to deal with resentment.

That's when it opened up, and the purpose of the discipleship group was happening. It was not my issue, but resentment is an issue I face, and I know I came away with some really handy ways to deal with my next bout of resentment. I know a lot of people did. Iron sharpened iron tonight. We were sharing Scripture and encouragement.

The other amazing thing is, this is not just for people in our church. I know that so many people outside the church are dealing with all kinds of stuff, Life feels out of control. Some folks are makng the same mistakes over and over again. They need a place to get the junk out and be encouraged to seek peace with God through Jesus. And they need a group of people who will have their back.

Invite them to Wednesday night, to any of the other discipleship groups. Start some new ones.

Totally not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.

The Discipleship Handoff

Before I get to the Discipleship Handoff, I need to say a few more words about not cancelling church for Sunday services.  You have to ask yourself: what will you cancel, and what will you NOT cancel?

We had serious leaks at church because of ice dams on the roof.  But we worked hard Saturday-- thanks to Steve Vice, Rick Bradley, Johnnie Fryman, Dan Markwell, Jessie Mansfield and Junior Wilson for making sure the doors would be open and the church dry!

Did UK cancel the basketball game?  Nuff said.

Or not.  Sue Wells came into my office on Sunday and said how happy she was that we did not cancel church.  She said in all her time as an elementary student at Breck, as a student at MSU, and as faculty at MSU she only recalled 3 days missed for snow!  She said one Sunday there was a terrible snow and ice.  Randy said, "surely the weather is too bad for church..."  Sue said, "I asked him, 'do you think there will be work tomorrow?'  And he just went to the shower and got ready!"

Mike Adams did not cancel New Hope, our church plant in Menifee County last Sunday, and they had it worse than us.  He had to get a tractor to drag his car down to the road so he could get to church.  There was a small crowd, but a visitor came!  The new guy is in.  He was blown away they were open and that Mike would preach to 6 like he would to 1,000!

Donner had church at Headquarters.  His youth and children's ministry leaders were pumped because all the kids were there and they remembered what they learned the week before when all the other churches were closed.

BOOM!

The Discipleship Handoff.  This is too cool.  Johnny Bajusz was the first guy I baptized here, I think.  Mike Adams was instrumental in winning him to Christ.  Then Mike left to plant New Hope and Johnny had a new youth pastor, Adam Foster.  It would be easy for a kid to feel lost after the youth pastor who took him in goes.  But no, Adam fit right in.  Then Johnny goes to the Methodist Student Center at MSU, and Drew is there to pick up.  And Drew has disciple some dudes, Donner and Jacob Wilson, who helped Johnny navigate that first year.  Now Johnny is working as a youth associate at the church Donner pastors.

Those who know me well know I am no way near organized to set up a system like this.  I sure want to build on it, but the Holy Spirit is doing His work, the way only He can do!  In fact, I am starting to see it at work all over the place.  I am really going to rejoice when a kid Jessie has in children's ministry gets turned over to Adam, then to Drew, then to a call to ministry!  Discipleship is submitting every part of life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Even, especially, our kids!

You know what I really, really want?  I am praying hard for a disciple-making movement that wins (takes back!) Eastern Kentucky for Christ!  And I also want to see this church send out evangelizing and disciple-making teams all over the world.  Just going APE planting churches and winning people to Christ.  We are on the edge... we need a push over it.  We need to not fear.  And we need to make sure we never say we've done enough and it's time to stop and focus on ourselves...

Another Church That Did Not Close

So... Mike Adams didn't cancel church at New Hope, our church plant in Menifee County, even with their more significant snow.  He had 6, I think.  But they were jazzed, one family saying they thought it was the only church in Menifee County that did not close.  What if Methodist churches became known for not closing?  I have to give a shout out to Ashley Petersen, who drove from Fleming County to lead worship.  From Fleming County, when everyone else was staying home.

The Day I Canceled Church

It was the first heavy snow of my first year at my first church, a little church in the hills outside of Winchester. I had a few church leaders call me and say that normally under such conditions, they canceled service. What did I know? So we canceled, and someone knew to let the tv stations know.

No church and there was our name on the tv screen. I guess any publicity is better than no publicity.

Later in the evening, another Methodist pastor called me. It was Eric Patterson, a guy who has become one of my favorite pastors for his gentle and honest insight. It seems I often run into Eric at hospitals-- he is just that kind of guy, taking the basic work of the ministry very seriously. Let's just say I have benefited from his advice over the years and have paid for it when I did not listen to him.

“I see you guys canceled church. How did that feel?”

I had not really thought about it, but as he asked me, I had to admit that it did not feel good.

“Can I give you some advice? Don't ever cancel Sunday Service.” He went on to lay out some reasons why I should not cancel services. I lived right next door to the church, so there was no reason for me to cancel. And even if I lived some distance away, leave early and drive slow to get there. If it is really bad, then you stay the night before with someone who is close by. He went on to say that you should tell your folks if they don't feel safe, by all means do not come, but church is open. And they probably should not be at Wal-Mart or the Mexican restaurant if it is too bad to get to church. You might find that some people whose church canceled, or who may feel they actually can't get to the church they normally attend, will visit your church that day. Not for you to steal them away, but to worship.

So you will know, the church was in the wildwood. On a winding, windy, hilly road, 12 miles out of town. Many of my people lived up more difficult roads.

I never canceled church again. Miss Alice, in her 80s, suffering from arthritis, would drive from town in the worst weather. And we did get some visitors who would come because we were close enough for them to feel safe coming to church. And we did not steal them away.

There were some folks who would come in week after and say they did not feel safe coming. And that is totally cool. One family, tho, got busted when one of the kids asked why they still went to Lexington... if it was so dangerous and all?

I have to confess. I do not understand the mania to cancel church. If there is snow on Thursday, it seems they're calling church off. On a day like today, it looks particularly foolish. The roads were clear. And again, if you don't feel safe, don't go. But the way we cancel church is embarrassing.  It feels like we are looking for a reason to not go to church.  I used to mess with my boss and "call in well" on a really nice summer day when I wanted to fish.  Oh, wait, we do that, too...

I try to preach this to the fellows we are sending out in ministry, to anyone I have mentored. (Except Chad Brooks, who is planting a church in Louisiana. He gets to ride his Harley to church. In winter. The bum.) Andrew Donner, a fellow who is at Headquarters UMC, a small church farther out in the country than my first church was, had folks wondering if they would cancel. No, he said. If you don't feel safe, don't come. But we are having church. It is a small church that he is leading to growth and revival. Anyway, they normally run about 17 people. 21 today, when everyone else is canceling because there's... no way to get to church...

Some Things I Need to Say

We have been working on hard on discipleship for a year or more.  We are starting to see some fruit using the pattern of the old Methodist Class Meeting.  We won't know for a while if it is truly fruitful-- only when we see people consistently involved and experiencing life transformation, being conformed to the Image of Christ.

But I also want to make sure that we don't miss that we have been doing this for some time, in other ways.

The men's prayer meeting on Wednesday mornings has functioned much like a class meeting for years.

Some Sunday school classes work very hard in terms of learning, fellowship, service, and most importantly, pastoral care of the members. This church would not function at such a high level without them.

The goal is to make discipleship a priority of the church, a commitment, not just something that happens here or there.

Pumped Up

Sunday, we had three baptisms, which was awesome.   I cannot thank the generous souls enough--you know who you are-- who gave the money to buy our baptismal pool. Adam Foster is our youth pastor, and his parents were in town.  His mom, Becky, had a great comment that his dad, Jeff, echoed.  We were standing around our baptismal pool after the crowd had thinned out a bit.  Becky said, "You must be really excited about all that the Lord is doing here... 3 baptisms, people coming forward to the altar..."  Jeff said, "That's a good day."

Amen to that.  But there's more.  The baptisms are the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.  The visible part of a move of the Spirit.

I mentioned to the congregation towards the end of the year that 20 people had left the church.  I told the church that I was happy they left.  There were some shocked faces... until I told them that the people who left are young men who have answered the call to ministry and are now serving some of our rural churches.  And they have taken wives, girlfriends and friends out to the churches with them to support them and play music...  I am really excited about people hearing a call to ministry!

We are in the process of trying to "change the scorecard;" not just counting "butts and bucks," but really paying close attention to how many people come to know Christ, how many are baptized, how many new members do we bring in.  You work towards what you celebrate, and so we are hopeful that putting evangelism front and center will help us catch fire!

Another part of the scorecard is discipleship.  We want to make sure people are becoming disciples, being disciple.  After so much prayer and a lot of people crying out to God that we want to go deeper, and show us how, Lord... we have "brought back" the old Methodist Class Meeting, the foundation of Methodism for 150 years... before we got too smart to need accountability and growth in grace.

It's another story how powerful something as simple as the old Class Meetings have been.  We set a goal that we wanted 50 people in such meetings by year-end.  We were at 42 last week, and every week brings someone new to a group or someone asking to form a group.  God is good.

So yes, I was pumped on Sunday.  But I am staying pumped up throughout the week, because I know something awesome.  We have been growing and reaching people, perhaps better than the average bear.  But it's not good enough!  It's ok.  But we have been doing it without a comprehensive discipleship plan.  Now we have that.  And we will be able to see these groups invite pre-believing friends to the rich fellowship and life-transforming power of Jesus Christ!  I think we will find it a lot easier to invite someone to our class meeting than to church.  When they come to know Jesus, when we are natural in our invitation to the Jesus-life, that is when we will see baptisms and on-going growth in grace!