The jump of faith: Abandoning spectator ChristianityMark Nysewander makes the case for disciple-making
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Food to spare; food to shareJen Waters reports on the nation-wide move to glean food for the hungry
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The promotional newsletter looked similar to others. A photograph depicted hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people responding to the evangelist. The setting was a sub-Saharan town in Africa and the headline proclaimed "Muslim City Turns to Christ." As I read it I shook my head in dismay, because I had been there. Having visited that city prior to and after the crusade, I knew that the claims in the newsletter were inflated. Subsequent surveys indicated no increase in the number of believers. I want to believe that this visiting American evangelist merely had an optimistic view of the impact of his crusade rather than a desire to deceive his readers. Yet this mailing seemed to feed a hunger-perhaps an expectation-to hear reports of success in great numbers, especially in parts of Africa and India.
George Barna reminds us that we tend to measure ministry success in terms of numbers rather than in terms of lives that are actually transformed by Jesus (see especially his latest book Growing True Disciples). Indeed, as I look at Jesus' ministry in the gospels, the focus was not on the multitude. His ministry flowed out of an increasingly widening set of concentric circles which began with his inner circle of three: Peter, James, and John. A second circle of ministry expanded to include the twelve. We also read about Jesus sending out the 70, yet a larger circle. And the outer circle was his ministry to the multitude. As the circles become larger, the amount of time spent ministering in the context of those circles becomes smaller, as do the levels of interaction, intimacy, and trust. Indeed, after Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seeds to a large crowd, it was only a smaller group that subsequently heard his vital explanation of that parable. Why? They hung around him after the crowd had left.
While we may expect stories from places such as Africa to focus on successes that are spectacular in number, there are those whose ministries are growing the way that emulate Jesus' example. Take, for example, the ministry of Claire Mozley. Visit the Mozley home in Kumasi, Ghana, on a Monday afternoon and you are likely to encounter between 80 and 90 children singing and learning about Jesus at the weekly Bible Club. Ahh, a ministry to the multitude, you might observe. Yes. But if you come earlier, you will see that a smaller group of leaders have gathered to prepare and pray, because the Bible club "multitude" is divided into 10 cell groups, each with a leader and an assistant. The circles become smaller. And, if you come a few days earlier, you will find Claire meeting with Ernestina Agyeman and George Adjei (in photograph) as they pray over and plan for the training of the leaders. Now we are in the inner circle out of which the ministry to the multitude thrives.
Recently, I read Mark Nysewander's new book No More Spectators. It so represents the principles we want our ministry family to emulate that we have sent a copy to each of our missionaries. Nysewander succinctly defines eight values that flow from Aiming for a Few to Guiding Them to Multiply-a progression that obviously depends on smaller inner circles of ministry forming the foundation of a wider impact.
Nysewander points out that a ministry focused on the multitude creates spectators who become conditioned to depend on the gifts of an anointed leader. In contrast, he says, "Disciple-makers view anointing differently. Everyone gets to do the works of Jesus. In relational Christianity the primary anointing of the Holy Spirit doesn't come through a gifted individual. The Spirit's power comes through a gifted community." (No More Spectators is published in England, but you can obtain information about ordering by sending an email to markn@wesleyanfellowship.org.)
Sometimes God uses event evangelism to impact large crowds. But a ministry characterized by the transforming presence of Jesus is best enabled when larger circles of ministry are built upon the foundation of smaller circles. Otherwise, the ministry may be one that only looks successful on paper.
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