DOG TRAINING, FLY FISHING, and SHARING CHRIST IN THE 21st CENTURY

DOG TRAINING, FLY FISHING, and SHARING CHRIST IN THE 21st CENTURY
Sub Heading- Empowering Your Church to Build Community Through Shared Interests. (c)2002 Thomas Nelson, Nashville. pp211 price 32.95.
Ted Haggard- senior pastor, New Life Church, Colorado Springs.

Introduction.
Two key ideas of the book are, "Spiritual authority is important."p.ix, "Authority is given in order to serve others."p.xi
Chapter One. Purposeful Relationships.
Greatness is not the result of studying and imitating the greats. Biblical principles and practices need to happen in relationships. It is not wrong for people to want a healthy church family. We need to realize that opportunities for ministry exist where we are with people of affinity.
Chapter Two. Dog Training and Bad Church Services; Rethinking Discipleship.
Discipleship can happen around common interests. e.g.dogtraining. It happens in intentional and directional relationships that are a part of ordinary, average days. The author talks about the "Engel Scale"p.23 that identifies twelve steps in the journey to God where the ninth step is conversion. We need to have good relationships with people who are in the first eight steps. People must be moved one step at a time. This is what small groups are all about.
Chapter Three. I Love the Idea of Small Groups but I Don’t Want to Attend One.
The key question surrounding this topic is, "What would it take for me to go to a small group?"p.34. It has to be made up of people I like,(affinity). What is studied needs to be relevant. Groups need exit points. Groups should not be arbitrarily divided.
Chapter Four. What Do Culture, Economics, and Personality Have to do With Small Groups?
The needs of people in small groups are basic if not generic. The expectations of people vary greatly depending on culture, economics, etc. The author discusses personality types (DISC) briefly. He comes up with a "free market small groups"p.56, system.
Chapter Five. Intentional Discipleship.
Any system that does not have the flexibility that will work with variables represented by ordinary people will not be successful. Discipleship needs to "fit our personalities, our culture, and our interests."p.61. Ministry needs to be "people-driven not program-driven". George Barna. "Discipleship = relationship + intentionality."p.63. (a fundamental theorem)
Chapter Six. Why Free Markets Serve People.
Control is a huge thing in interpersonal relationships. Like most organizations, the church is not exempt from this challenge. Methods of control include "secrets, information, moral superiority, divine authority, chain of command, and brute force".p.73-78. In the development of governments the concept of service was strong in democracies. e.g. Government officials were and are referred to as public servants. Basic to democratic philosophy is the "free market economy".p.80. On the widest scale we call this globilization. The concept of free market must be a priority in church polity. "Free market small groups make those who want to do ministry more fruitful and cause the correct amount of ministry to be available to the church without a shortage or surplus."p.83.
Chapter Seven. Building a Culture of Opportunity.
A free market small group environment requires a permission granting church culture. The entrance into ministry must be made easy for potential leaders while at the same time maintaining a high level of theology and commitment. "Prohibitive hurdles’"p.94, are to be avoided. Our churches need to develop a culture that strikes a balance between the needs of the community and its individuals. Equality and freedom need to be balanced. Small groups in a church have the potential for people to minister according to their giftedness and in so doing people’s needs are met.
Chapter Eight. Capitalizing on the Force of Freedom.
Freedom shapes our lives. It needs to be encouraged in every area of our lives, churches not excluded. There is great value in innovation but it is not without risk. Freedom that seeks to benefit people has to be tempered by responsibility. There should be a healthy tension between these two. Establishing a culture of freedom involves an understanding of "absolutes, interpretations, deductions, and personal/cultural differences".p.108.
When people are given freedom in the church and are taught how to use it the results are positively exciting
Chapter Nine. Functional Discipleship.
"There is a role for just about everyone in the body of Christ."p.116. The author comments briefly on nine elements of discipleship identified by George Barna; passion, depth, maturity, practice, process, interaction, multifaceted, lifelong, and Christlikeness.
Chapter Ten. Embracing Individuality.
Seven motivational gifts that are mentioned in Rom. 12:6-8, are discussed. i.e. prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and mercy. There are also gifts of services and manifestations.
Chapter Eleven. Love and Friendship; The Wellspring of Good Ministry.
John 13:35. "Love is the one and only key to genuine ministry."p.143. There are specific elements in defining love. God demonstrates his love through people who love. This love is not so much about a feeling but about a decision. Our guidelines for such love are found in I Cor. 13.
Chapter Twelve. Decent and in Order: The Structure of Free-Market Small Groups.
The free-market small groups structure is really a yes driven system with proper checks and balances. Leaders are held accountable. Christian group discipleship happens in four ways; facility based program churches, cell churches, house churches, and small groups. In a small church (150-200) small groups are formed around church ministries. e.g. choir, ushers, etc.
Chapter Thirteen. Are Free-Market Small Groups Right for You?
There are other models for small groups. Churches have to choose a system that works for them.
Chapter Fourteen. Nuts and Bolts.
This chapter deals with many ‘how to’ details of doing small groups. Here are ideas for equipping, preparing, and empowering people who have wonderful ministry ideas.
Chapter Fifteen. A Special Word for Pastors and Church Leaders.
The author identifies ten things that pastors and church leaders don’t have to do because of the ministries of free-market small groups. This last chapter is a very strong endorsement of free-market small groups.
Comment. hd.
Ted Haggard has given us a practical manual about what free-market small groups are all about and how they work. They have certainly made a difference in his church which has become a large church in a relatively short time. This model of small groups is worthy of any church’s consideration. It seems that this would be a very good environment for gift-based ministry. A good concept presented in a compelling format.