Neil Cole on Disciple-Making and Movement Makers

Neil Cole is the founder and executive director of Church Multiplication Associates, an organization that has helped catalyze the start of more than a thousand churches around the world. He is seen by many to be one of the key founders of what is known as the organic or simple-church movement. Cole is the author or coauthor of several books, including Organic Church, Search & Rescue, and Cultivating a Life for God. He lives in Long Beach, California.  Neil dropped by COMMUNITY's Yellow Box to talk about planting seeds, planting churches, making disciples and becoming movement makers.  The following are some of the highlights of our time with Neil Cole:

• Begin by asking "What does the Bible say about church planting?"  
• We make the mistake of trying to plant churches instead of planting "seeds".
• Don't plant churches, plant Jesus.
• If we go about making disciples then churches will be planted.
• Must reproduce disciples, leaders, churches and then a movement and it must be in that order.
• We have churches that are productive, but not reproductive.
• Every follower of Jesus has the DNA of a movement within them.
• Baptism is the first action of a Christ follower; stop baptizing and we weaken the imprint of Jesus on the new disciple. 
• The Bible commands us to be "baptizers"; if we do not baptize we can not fulfill the great commission.
• God has a mission and He is letting us join him on the mission.
• It's all about trusting "seed-planting"; it's not about a model.
• If the leadership has the need to control it will not work.
• The greatest sin of the American church is self-preservation.
• A church that is willing to risk and fail is the church that is the healthiest and most alive.
• Don't operate from positional authority; it's the weakest expression of power; always defer to relational authority.
• When it comes to leadership don't invest in potential, invest in proven-faithfulness.

Comments

[Miguel]

A Hearty "Amen" from someone who has been working on Missions in the Cloud Forest region of Ecuador and experiencing these truths.

[Pamela]

Another hearty 'Amen and Amen' from disciple-maker who has seen or experienced all of the above.

[Shelley]

Thanks so much Dave for blogging these notes. Its just another reminder from God, tugging at my heart strings. I have a million books on my to read list, and Neil Cole keeps coming up. For now, I love your bullet points.

What I find sad is that so little number of Christians believe that they have the DNA of a movement within them. Very few Christians take any ownership to the church, they maintain more of a consumerist view where they show up and get their dose of Jesus. It is what I see happening in America with most people. Jesus is just another thing you have to get.

I really want to see that change. I want to see more disciples in development. I want to see more people picking up behind themselves and parking legally at church instead of cutting people off and parking illegally so they can leave their coffee cups on the gym floor now they have had their dose of Jesus.

I know the Church is on the edge of something big, I feel it.

I am excited, and I believe that you don't have to be on a church staff to do this. Everyone who believes in Jesus can make a huge impact on the Kingdom.

I really pray that all attenders at COMMUNITY can take ownership in working for the Jesus mission.

[Darien Gabriel]

Great post, Dave. I really appreciate your leadership and your passion for doing church like we see in Scripture. You inspire and encourage me regularly (and many others, no doubt). Thanks for using your gifts to build the Church. You guys rock!