Matt Smay

One of the biggest challenges facing our culture is the massive amount of debt stifling the freedom of many.

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Taken from Proverbs 22:7 (NIV), I’ve found discipleship contexts have become center-place discussions for personal finance and debt. If you’re trapped in debt and don’t know where to start or just want to get free of the lender – here’s a great resource…

A Dept Payoff Plan That Works By Liz Pulliam Weston

Almost everyone I know is talking about the 18% drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average last week, which includes concerns about the safety of bank deposits, possible job losses, and diminishing retirement accounts. One of my hobbies is to track financial markets, which is why I thought I’d share a good article by Liz Pulliam Weston called, “How to survive the next depression.” The article does not speculate on whether or not we’re heading for another depression, but it does provide some practical advice on preparing financially for whatever happens to the economy. It also gives some perspective on the differences between our current market downturn (and likely recession) and the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

Here are some key statistics related to The Great Depression:

• It lasted 12 years – from 1929 to the beginning of WWII.
• Led to a 25% unemployment rate (we’re currently around 6%)
• Saw the Dow Jones lose 89% of its value between the peak of September 1929 and the bottom in July 1932.

Obviously, it’s a good time to re-evaluate our financial goals and get informed, but keep in mind that our faith can be tested in times like these.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

At Adullam we’re building on the theme for the year – discipleship, but not in the typical manner.  Rather than focus on some of the common pathways to discipleship, we’re focusing on the aspects of discipleship that involve transformation and an active bias towards spiritual development. I’d describe the distinction as adding an exercise regiment to an already good diet. Afterall, most of us diet by restricting the things we eat, cutting calories by reducing all those good tasting – carb loaded foods. While this may have a short term affect, it will likely not create a sustainable change. By adding exercise to our routine we are able to actually change our metabolic rate, burning more calories and transforming our bodies (hopefully reducing fat & adding muscle).  

You’ve probably already guessed that I’ve joined a gym recently…but I think this analogy is extremely relevant to our discipleship discussion. As with diets, we often take a short-term viewpoint when it comes to discipleship. For example, we add a daily devotional, scripture reading, and prayer expecting these changes done in solitude will produce a disciple. When I look in scripture for discipleship, it most frequently occurs in the context of a community. How can a person work out issues of forgiveness, repentance, anger, fear, holiness, stewardship, integrity, gossip, generosity, mercy, and faith without other people involved in the process? Especially when our most problematic discipleship issues tend to involve the real challenges of loving others. So, why does our discipleship process tend to focus all of our energy on learning to love God more without any tangible application? I doubt this view of discipleship can produce true life transformation – it may cut back on some of our bad spiritual habits, but lacks a long term commitment to change.   

I’ve been intrigued lately by the scripture that we typically quote, “go and make disciples…” But as a leader, the question that immediately comes to mind is how? We often assume that there is a linear process that can be created, but when we look at Jesus and his disciples as a model, there appears to be a random set of learning experiences that are highlighted after they occur, and thus discipleship happened. The challenge with this model of discipleship is that it takes a great deal of time and a huge commitment to maintaining relationships with those we’re discipling. For example,  In Mark 9:33-35 Jesus confronts the disciples with some practical application,

When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ^?But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.

So, what if the discipleship process included the development of spiritually oriented life skills that were consistent with some of the most relevant challenges we face everyday?

What if…

• our discipleship helped us become good stewards of our money? 
• we actively practiced repentence and forgiveness in our communities?
• we confronted the issues of gossip, fear, and anger in our lives?
• we worked out our faith by giving more, blessing more, and serving others more than we did last year?
• discipleship happened, thus transforming our churches, families, and neighborhoods?

As a facilitator of the MCAP, I coach pastors and church leaders that are either trying to start new churches or establish missional/incarnational communities within existing churches. In both contexts, the challenges are numerous but success is possible. But after training hundreds of leaders, we’ve found there are some common pitfalls that can undermine even the most gifted leaders. Here are five that I find to be the most common:

• Starting new initiatives with false expectations of funding sources and timing, which results in financial instability.
• Inadequate understanding or communication of missional/incarnational ministry philosophy with people looking for something tangible.
• Inability to establish or recruit an initial missional community.
• Failing to adjust from the typical work schedule (9-5) to a flexible relational lifestyle that leaves room for intentionality and spontaneity.
• Reverting back to programs and structures that are familiar, which tends to minimize relationships with people in culture.