tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366621735995057721.post1812817079037689621..comments2024-03-17T09:17:01.454+00:00Comments on Vic the Vicar!: Seeking to bring one person to faith - A Church growth model to be ...Vic Van Den Berghhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09581156515370131898noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366621735995057721.post-13876768949262627872015-09-05T21:42:26.699+01:002015-09-05T21:42:26.699+01:00Making disciples, thank you for mentioning this mo...Making disciples, thank you for mentioning this most important necessity. For more on early Methodism and its leaders, I would like to invite you to the website for the book series, The Asbury Triptych Series. The trilogy based on the life of Francis Asbury, the young protégé of John Wesley and George Whitefield, opens with the book, Black Country. The opening novel in this three-book series details the amazing movement of Wesley and Whitefield in England and Ireland as well as its life-changing effect on a Great Britain sadly in need of transformation. Black Country also details the Wesleyan movement's effect on the future leader of Christianity in the American colonies, Francis Asbury. The website for the book series is www.francisasburytriptych.com. Please enjoy the numerous articles on the website. Again, thank you, for the post.Freebornghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07917567381835495780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366621735995057721.post-22809785104496224162015-09-05T17:19:26.314+01:002015-09-05T17:19:26.314+01:00No,sorry, not properly thought through, certainly ...No,sorry, not properly thought through, certainly not beyond year 1! A single-person model is unlikely to work, and setting your organisation up to fail is not a great idea. Even if, as you note, it is in places failing routinely already.<br /><br />A flow-type process for small cohorts could work - Wesley's small class model, in effect - but only if the system is designed as a whole and at a sensible scale. Any effective examples come to mind, beyond the Billy Graham machine?<br /><br />Vobiscum ;-))dgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366621735995057721.post-33453167974805112292015-09-04T23:33:07.809+01:002015-09-04T23:33:07.809+01:00Everyone bringing someone in would be a disaster b...Everyone bringing someone in would be a disaster because you'd be unable to disciple them all properly and so I think that 4,000 by the end of twelve months and then repeated, and perhaps doubled, would mean stability and then growth from year three - addresses the skills gap and makes a bit of sound thinking in the missional and growth area of church of any flavour.<br /><br />Can do nothing but applaud the highly acheivable gauntlet laid down from this end of the wire.<br /><br />PaxVic Van Den Berghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09581156515370131898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366621735995057721.post-42943672516226785402015-09-04T21:17:34.289+01:002015-09-04T21:17:34.289+01:00Correction - Wild did address everyone as evangeli...Correction - Wild did address everyone as evangelists, but his challenge was indeed one per church - in effect about 4000 per year or 2% growth. Methodism is losing around 10000 members per year currently.dgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366621735995057721.post-11580077499599054462015-09-04T20:59:45.525+01:002015-09-04T20:59:45.525+01:00OK, so if everyone brings a friend (as Wild sugges...OK, so if everyone brings a friend (as Wild suggested) we'd double in size this year. Process first described by the Persian poet Ferdowsi around 1000AD http://bit.ly/1JU8DiZ and it would convert the world in a few years.<br /><br />Wild has the skill to do this personally, but the individual who told us about the idea noted that he personally could recall only one successful outcome in some 15 years of professional effort. If it was as easy as Wild suggests, why would we be struggling today with rapidly diminishing numbers?<br /><br />This tale does neatly show the gap between a good idea and good leadership. Bring a friend is an easy idea. Creating the situation where that is likely to happen and be successful nationally is a lot more difficult. A Method for the 21st century perhaps. Starting with something like this....http://bit.ly/1NSGkbV might help. The trite "Conference bright idea" won't. <br /><br />If Wild had backed his words with sensible action he might be doing something useful. I'm not convinced. He's a media expert and well-able to craft a meaningless soundbite.<br /><br />As to the value of the "one at a time" process - well that is significantly better than the zero that most of us deliver, and every sparrow counts. The real issue is talking to enough people to spot that one prospect - even Wesley needed to connect meaningfully with several hundred people "per single member secured".<br /><br />[Wild isn't actually the 'man at the top' - he presides over Conference which is something of an annual bottom, if you've ever watched it in action! Now there is a meeting to savour]<br /><br /><br />dgnoreply@blogger.com