Why Teaching Deep Theology Matters to Your Church
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“We often shy away from teaching new believers deep theology. But the church is called to disciple believers into theological depths.” - Lifeway
As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“We often shy away from teaching new believers deep theology. But the church is called to disciple believers into theological depths.” - Lifeway
“I’ve met church members who are hard on themselves. Like radar that mistakes birds for bombers, their consciences hold them in a state of emergency. They live under the threat of God’s judgment. They apologize a lot. Some are hard on others, too. Like air traffic controllers with defective equipment, they cry danger when there is none. They accuse a lot.” - 9 Marks
“Children don’t remain credulous forever. Beliefs mature. When they do, they usually abandon beliefs in Santa, but they are far more likely to keep believing in Jesus. Our calling is to guide them from childlike credulity to mature conviction, helping them discard what’s false while rooting them deeply in the truth.” - CPPL
“How can we lead our churches to find success in following Bible reading plans that help them spend time in God’s Word in a meaningful way?” - Lifeway
“A pastor isn’t responsible only to teach Scripture but also to help his people learn how to read the Bible for themselves. Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan share how pastors can encourage their congregations to engage deeply with God’s Word, meditate on how the Lord has revealed himself, and approach Scripture with obedience and joy.” - TGC
This article is the second in a series of articles on Church-Planting and Disciple-Making Movements. In our first article, we explored the history and core characteristics of these multiplying movements (MMs for shore). In today’s article, I’d like to overview and analyze the first main strategy that movement leaders emphasize.
“There is no new thing under the sun,” the Preacher tersely stated (Ecclesiastes 1:9). However, between 1997-1998, missionaries David Garrison and David Watson began to speak of “something new” God was doing in the world through a ministry paradigm shift that would eventually become known as a Church Planting Movement. According to Jerry Trousdale, “Over the last 50 years, and especially since the turn of the 21st century, the Spirit of God has been birthing a new concept in the earth. Instead of addition, the Spirit of God is calling forth multiplication.
“No two churches are the same, but people are the same everywhere. If you are a man seeking to grow in faith, character, and purpose, seek out ways to join with others in your church to grow spiritually, whether through a group ministry like Band of Brothers or in one-on-one discipleship.” - P&D
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