Forward to Stay the Course
I am excited about this eBook by Brandon Guindon. Several years ago, Brandon and the rest of our team came to the conclusion that we needed a very specific process to follow that would make sure we stayed on the road to being a disciple making church. We found that it was easy to have the right ideas but drift in our application to those ideas. So we went to scripture and outlined together what concepts we could constantly measure in our church that would make sure ideas led to action. We knew that only as we remained in Christ would we have the heart and power to do ministry, so abiding in Christ had to be first. We then walked through our understanding of the “Share, Connect, Ministry, and Disciple” process that Jesus modeled. In other words, Jesus shared who he was, and then for those who accepted him, he connected with them in relationship where he taught them the truth. From there he began to train his disciples for ministry, and finally sent them out to reproduce what they had seen him do with them (disciple).
So the guardrails ask this question of every staff member and ministry in our church: Are we reaching the lost? Are we connecting those who say yes to Jesus in relational environments for discipleship? We ask the question—Are there any who have been connected in the past that are beginning to stray? Are we noticing and chasing them? Are we helping people mature in their spiritual growth? How? Are we identifying those with leadership giftings, helping them develop, and then releasing them to reproduce what has been done with them? Finally, are we working as a united team and as a church body—are we aligned? Jesus made it clear that a house divided can’t stand.
The guardrails that Brandon Guindon shares in this eBook keep us straight and force us to answer tough questions every year as we plan and implement those plans. They give us the ability to measure our success and celebrate when we win. They help us make adjustments when we get off course.
Brandon has been one of my best friends for years and has helped us create these guardrails and live them out as a church. He has done an excellent job as a culture creator, so he has great credibility to write on this subject.
– Jim Putman