The Vine Project

Point: Making and maturing disciples is not something that a church does, it is something a disciple does. Here is a workbook on how to pursue disciple making in all of church life.Path: The authors lay out five phases to work through, making sure that everyone understands that this is not as much of a how-to-manual, but rather a workbook. They lay a biblical foundation, explain logical truths, and give practical examples. This isn’t a book to just read, but to work through with others.Sources: Based on their previous book and the interactions they have had since then, the authors do a great job at walking the reader through both biblical truth and everyday experience.Agreement: Top shelf book. I am so thankful how they presented these truths not as a “five steps to your best church now” but “take time to think through these principles with others and you will change”.Personal App: Am I seeing every relationship as an opportunity to encourage the other individual to take one step toward Christ?Favorite Quote: Engaging unbelievers on Sunday is ”like taking in a guest at your house for Christmas dinner. This often happens in our part of the world. If there’s someone at church who doesn’t have any family to share Christmas with, then you invite them to join your family for Christmas lunch. Now in doing so, you don’t change who you are or what your family does in any significant way at all. But you make very sure that your guest is looked after. You warmly welcome them, and introduce them around. You explain what is going on at different points— why Uncle Fred always has to sit in that chair, what the background is to your funny family games or rituals, how to play, and so on. You put yourself out to make your guest feel at home and part of the family, even though it’s not their home or their family. Likewise in church— outsiders are not part of our church family. We don’t stop being who we are, or pursuing God’s purposes, just because we have guests present. But we do welcome our guests, who, like the ‘outsiders’ in 1 Corinthians 14, turn up and (God-willing) come to know and worship the living God in our midst.” (Kindle loc. 2967).It would be worth another read and I would recommend it to someone who:is planting a churchis leading a churchis serving in a churchOther books along this theme would be:Anyabwile, Thabiti M. What Is a Healthy Church Member? 9Marks. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.Dever, Mark. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Expanded. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2004.Marshall, Colin, Tony Payne, and Matthias Media. The Trellis and the Vine : The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything. Kingsford, N.S.W.: Matthias Media, 2009.Rainer, Thom S., and Eric Geiger. Simple Church. B&H Publishing Group, 2010.

You know the church transformation buzz words like "your church needs a transfusion" or to be more "organic" or "relational".You know the popular remedies offered ... "you need small groups"... "you need ______", etc.By the time it's over you feel like you need to give up or start a new church because you know all these things have little connection to your church. At best they're an overlay, a bandage, another slogan or another yet-to-fail "program".One church transformation book that didn't was, of course, the previous work of these authors,  The Trellis and the Vine . The only problem was the millions of people who read it and wondered "how do I do THIS?"In answer to those inquiries, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne produced this work.As a result, the Vine Project is different ... it actually works in real churches, skinny jeans and fog machines not required.It works because it is about transforming attitudes and fairly simple actions.... it doesn't tell Churches with a pipe organ to get a praise band and Hawaiian shirts. It does tell them what will turn their Sundays from dead formality to an occasion for encouraging the saints to build one another up.Unlike many "church fix it" books this one doesn't start by despising everything you have and everything you already do in order to "sell" their particular solution. Start where you are without spooking the sheep.It's a long process. You start with a team in the church of 4 to 10 members and enter into what I consider "intentional pastoral formation". You stop trusting programs and chance to help people grow as Christ's disciples, and you enter into relationships over a course of years as a team to nurture Christ's sheep. Of course some of this may involve "programs" but you'll see them as a tool not a magical fix.If you go this route you'll really be a pastor to people - a shepherd of souls. Are you up to that?I found I was leaving too much to chance... letting too many things fall between the cracks. Too many sheep - even in the church - were being left without a shepherd.There's many free online resources and a community of practitioners worldwide to help. Expect that to only increase.These simple resources, spread sheets, illustrations, checklists, etc. will help you MAXIMIZE what you're doing so that it meets your intended goal of seeing God's Word transform a congregation.It reminded me to stop confusing PROGRAMS with "discipleship". The presence of the first does not guarantee the second as an outcome, but a church culture of discipleship can include programs. You'll understand once Marshall and Payne have helped you see what they have seen in working with many churches undoubtedly like yours and mine.It took me a while to warm up to it. It seemed oddly too hard and too incremental. So buy it now so you can ease into it ... it can be winning you over as the quick fixes disprove themselves to you.

Further discussion from The Trellis & the Vine which deals carefully with practical issues as a church face the week to week problems over the nature of discipleship or being Christian.The authors have been in the front line of discipleship ministry for a few decade, well understood the real difficulties of Christian practitioners and deepen analyzing the issues. They never fail to work on the central points of discipleship theologically before suggesting practical solutions.I myself am reading the book and will implement sooner than later what it says with our congregation.I am exited to have my hands dirty with ground works and see how God will help us to participate in joy of harvesting in His time.

I really enjoyed this book. It stimulated my thinking, sharpened and strengthened convictions, and encouraged me to get to work. I appreciate how it began with addressing the guiding principles or convictions for leadership but then provided a clear—yet adaptable—map for implementation. It appears really well thought out and I look forward to introducing others on our ministry team to it.Other related books that would be worth reading with this one:Ministry-Related: Trellis and the Vine, Discipling (Dever), Wisdom in Leadership (Hamilton), and Growth Groups (Marshall)General Leadership: Leading Change (Kotter)

well worth reading

Plenty of food for thought for the Christian who wants to be a follower of Jesus. Enjoyed reading it and hopefully will be implementing the aspects of discipleship criteria into practice soon