Year after year, pastors have given sermons on Sundays, Bible studies on Wednesdays, and have promoted small groups on Fridays only to find their congregation in perpetual stagnation. What more should a pastor do? How do we break through to a vibrant and flourishing ministry? What will make a real difference in our church body? It must be simple, doable and Biblical. Answer: We replicate!
On Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at Shadow Mountain Community Church, our three sister Associations: San Diego Southern Baptist Association, Orange County Southern Baptist Association and Inland Empire Baptist Association heeded the call for action.
We welcomed Dr. Robby Gallaty, Kandi Gallaty and Gus Hernandez from Replicate Ministries to teach us how to do discipleship effectively for real and perpetual growth. Replicate Ministries exists to equip local churches to make disciple-makers who make disciple-makers. All that is needed is a Bible and a commitment to a weekly discipleship group.
The movement of the Spirit was obvious as over 400 people registered from Sacramento, California to Tijuana, Mexico to attend this Biblical teaching.
Pastor Richard Moore, from Trinity Baptist Church in Holtville, CA had tasted its first fruits having been through the disciple-making process. He was so impassioned that he traveled over 100 miles with 50 of his congregants, to be witnesses and proof of God’s work through this teaching, as well as to learn, among his new disciple-makers.
After the sessions were over, there was excitement and great hope for what is to come! Pastor Bogdan of Irvine said, “..discipleship is ultimately what’s going to grow the church of Jesus Christ. This has been a revolutionary experience. We can’t wait to get back to our church plants and to implement everything.”
Worship leader Ben also stated, “I’ve been writing literally every single thing down today in the journals. Every single thing that has come out of their mouths I’ve been writing down and I’m going to implement. I’m very excited to go back and put into practice what we learned today.”
We are hearing about the spurring of the Spirit already as God’s people are taking the next steps. Juvenal Gonzalez, Pastor of Iglesia Bautista LaCalle in Tijuana also attended the training workshop with a small group of leaders from Mexico. Like most attendees that day, his excitement and what he learned has transferred onto more leaders. On April 13, 2019, a group of 25 Pastors from Tijuana, Mexicali, Ensenada and Tecate will be meeting at First Baptist Tijuana. They will gather for a Vacation Bible School training, but now, more importantly, they will also go over the Discipleship Blueprint by Replicate Ministries! All we need are those willing to gather for D-group and a Bible. God provided those too. Pastor Juvenal Gonzalez was blessed with over 500 Bibles just in time for His replicating work. Praise God!
On Tuesday, February 19th 59 pastors of San Diego met to continue the momentum, discussing the PLAN and PROCESS of discipleship.
Stay tuned, there will surely be much more to come.
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