(literally, estimated between 6,000 and 8,000 pounds) of food and home goods that were made available to families in need in the Englewood community on the south side of Chicago. Our church is continuing to seek ways to love our neighbors in need during this time. Please pray with us that we would all make the most of this time by impacting the culture around us with the gospel.
As recommended in The Vine Project, our next major action was to evaluate how well we as a church are growing as disciples and how well we are impacting others for Jesus, by making disciples. It may seem straightforward, but we spent several months brainstorming, writing and rewriting questions, reviewing similar surveys, enlisting members of the congregation to critique our questions and delivery process. We received constructive feedback, made updates and finally rolled out the survey to the church on March 1.
This evaluation and survey phase has been somewhat challenging. Not because of how much time it took to come up with effective Jeff Oslund questions, but because I had to think through Discipleship Committee Chair and answer every proposed question for myself. Sure, I felt encouraged by some Just a year old, the Discipleship Committee questions, but I also saw areas of weakness became official on April 7, 2019, when its where I needed to grow in my own discipleship formation was approved at a congregational and make some changes to have a greater meeting. The inaugural impact for Jesus. I am thankful committee consisted of Faith “There is so much to that more than 600 of you filled Bair, Dave Setran, Jeff Oslund out the survey, and I hope you, be thankful for in the too, were encouraged and (chair), Josh Stringer (pastor of discipleship), Mike Solis and preliminary survey challenged as you thought Erick Solomon (both pastoral results—so many in through the survey questions. residents). Our primary our church family We are now starting the responsibility has been to assist process of analyzing and Pastor Josh Stringer in planning, regularly reading learning from the survey implementing and growing the God’s Word.” responses. Not unexpectedly, adult discipleship ministries of there is much to be thankful the church. for in the preliminary survey To help us think through big picture topics such results—so many in our church family regularly as philosophy of discipleship, how to evaluate reading God’s Word, praying and joining in our discipleship culture and the various disworship. The summary of our responses also cipleship “pathways” we wanted to develop, points to opportunities for growth. we began by reading and discussing The Vine Our next step is to take what we’ve learned Project by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, and from the survey, pull in help from others in our Discipling, How to Help Others Follow Jesus by church family and start to identify ways we as a Mark Dever. Springing from the book discuschurch can grow in our discipleship and disciple sion was a review and update to the Philosophy making to have an even greater impact for of Discipleship document including a diagram Christ and his kingdom. We are excited by this showing personal discipleship pathways at goal! College Church.
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