Al Hirsch tried to make a comment on this post, but it didn’t come thru. He has sent it thru so I’ll set it up here as a separate post. The power of multiplication

Movement Math

February 8th, 2006

All movements have their own special arithmetic. Movements, for example, always prefer multiplication over addition. They just love geometric progressions. So, to build movements everywhere, we need to understand how movement math works.

Let me give you one example: In the chart below, compare the results of evangelism by addition with evangelism by multiplication.

In the left column, you help win and disciple one person to Christ per day for the next sixteen years. In the right column, you win and disciple one person per year but disciple that person so that he or she reproduces himself/herself. This multiplication process then continues for sixteen years. Compare the results of movement math at the year sixteen.

You can see why movements always prefer multiplication.

The reach of any movement is directly proportional to the breadth of its leadership base. Only to the extent that movements grow “self-initiating, reproducing, fully devoted disciples (i.e. multiplying true believers)” can they hope to reach the multitudes.

As Eugene Peterson humorously put it for us in the States,

“Jesus, it must be remembered, restricted nine-tenths of his ministry to twelve Jews because it was the only way to redeem all Americans.”

For our purposes, we need to keep movement math always in mind. Multiplication- the continued expansion and reproduction of disciples who are producing other disciples-is the heart of any Biblical movement.

Movement math tells us that we cannot build movements without the multiplication of leaders, without reproducing disciple- makers. Christian ministries and programs typically depend upon a single leader or group of leaders. Once those leaders pass on, the ministry or program dies.

In a Biblical movement, there is the continued replenishment of leaders to carry its cause forward. We can’t reach the military – expand the kingdom – unless we multiply the laborers.

Commit to movement math. Force yourself to always think multiplication and geometric progressions.

Jesus’ concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men the multitudes would follow. – Robert Coleman, MasterPlan of Evangelism

Pasted from http ://onmovements.com/

More on the question of mega or mini here download donkey punch dvd .

Its a good article and has some great questions, like ‘is the house church movement a reaction to the megachurch or is it a logical outcome of it?’download dracula free

I was out getting a Bible for a friend who is interested in knowing more about Jesus and I picked up one called Beginning the Journey’ – only $2.95 at Koorong.

In it the author has chosen the 5 books he considers most critical for a person on a spiritual search to interact with.

So here’s the challenge…

Name all 5 (without going to Amazon!)

This year I have responsibility to oversee a Spiritual Formation group for .acom and this morning was our first meeting.

We spent from 7.30am -11.30am in conversation and reflection on what was going on in our lives as we seek to be disciples of Jesus. I always love meeting with people who take their discipleship seriously, so I think these gatherings will be very productive and useful for all of us. When people are motivated its amazing how easy it is generate discussion. We threw some great topics around and really dug into some stuff of life.

One of the themes that emerged over the day as I met with a number of different people was the question of ‘how do we really live under Jesus’ lordship?’ Do we kid ourselves that we are disciples when all we are is religious people?

I am increasingly coming to believe that if we don’t live lives totally oriented around Jesus and his agenda for us then we are pissing our life away on the stuff that doesn’t satisfy (See Isaiah 55). Lots of money, nice cars, big houses etc are all held in high regard not just in middle class dom but also in the church. If Jesus calls us to be his followers first then maybe we will have some of this stuff, but maybe not. Maybe we will be called to let all that stuff go so that we can devote time to what he calls us to.

Do we ever genuinely consider downsizing our house so we can have a smaller mortgage and work less, so we can be free to do what God calls us to? (One family in our Upstream have made this decision recently, much to the consternation of their wider family who don’t hold Jesus like values)

Do we ever consider working the minimum we need to rather than doing full time? I was chatting with Keith Farmer today – an older man now who has made that choice – because he wants to free time up for God stuff. He and his wife live frugally on 3 days a week salary. Why? Because they can…

Can we routinely reject the ad campaigns that call us to buy more stuff and upgrade, even though what we have is perfectly good? I wonder if we should ditch all junk mail before it hits the house. At least that way we will be uninformed about what we don’t have.

I am increasingly disturbed by the extent to which we buy into the economic system of this society and then become slaves to it. I don’t think Jesus intends this for us and I don’t think we pay it enough attention as an issue.

Was the sermon on the mount a nice idea or a way of life?

Do we swim upstream or is actually downstream with an illusion of upstream?

Do we care enough to make a radical re-orientation – to ‘repent’ and live more Jesus like lives.