A 3-D Update

I have talked about his group before.  It’s called 3DM – a discipleship ministry led by a group of Christians from England.  They have the predictable British accent, the jovial attitude that seems to always go with the accent, and something more important to me anyway…….a humble spirit. 

I have been doing this Pastor Mike thing for a couple of years now (27 to be exact) and you should see my shelves.  They are full of huge binders representing seminars led by Sunday School experts, bus ministry gurus, cell group aficionados, church planting incubators, and coaching consultants.  I have met leaders who describe themselves as seeker sensitive, others who could care less about how you feel, emergent, traditional, and a group busy growing a healthy church.  Their materials explain steps, phases, levels, zones, and ……….uhhhh, ……..I forget, but you get the idea.  So when I was first invited to attend a 3DM seminar I was somewhat skeptical.  I had read 3DM’s book Building a Discipling Culture.   I read it because someone who speaks into my life occasionally steered me in this direction because I had expressed some concern about the 20 somethings in my life.  

 

So we (the staff and one leader) climb in an RV as I described in an earlier post, and off we went.  I guess this is sort of an update.   As of this post, I am in a huddle, as they call it, a group of 4 others who are processing the above mentioned book and doing some simple homework each week.  We are just getting started. 

I also purchased a copy of the book for each member of the leadership board.  I have been quite encouraged about how quickly the leaders have connected with the material.  In my experience, it’s not usually absorbed this quickly.  Beyond absorbing, they are also already thinking about what this means for us, already thinking about how different ministry would be if we started to live this out.  A good sign I would say.

This week the books arrived for each staff member.  They are the ones who also responded to the invitation to attend the 3DM seminar with me.  Having the book will provide another opportunity to digest the material and decide if we want to take on the challenge of making disciples. 

Help me.  Over the summer pick up a copy of the book Building a Discipling Culture.  Read it.  Think about it.  Pray over the challenge that flows out of the book.  Examine the Scriptures as Mike Breen explains them.  Go to www.weare3DM.com.  Mike Breen, the author and leader, has also just released another book along the same line called Multiplying Missional Leaders.  I haven’t purchased this one it yet.  There is nothing new here, but it’s put together in a way that connects with almost everyone, including some people who are important to me personally.

What’s the worst that can happen?  You add a good book on discipling to your already large collection of binders and you contribute to Mike Breen’s boat fund......

You could spend your money in worse ways.  Time will tell if this is just another passing seminar or something else.

   

On the Bluewater Frontier,

Pastor Mike Cadrette