Reinventing Church Podcast Episode 24

How to Make the Shift from Church Programs to Relational Discipleship, Christian Woodstock, Multiplying Churches, and the READY Tool

Episode Summary

In this episode, Derek and Danielle revisit Christian music festivals of the past, talk church multiplication and disciple-making with Dave Rhodes and Shane Stacey, unpack what it means to shift from programs to relational discipleship, and explore a new strategic planning tool that may help your church navigate change.

SHOW NOTES

MEGACHURCH MEMORIES

Christian Woodstock: Alive Festival, Creation, Kingdom Bound, Urbana, and more.
Camping, rain, mud, spiritual highs… but lasting ministry impact? Questionable.
Danielle’s first leadership opportunity came from one of these festivals!

TRAINING NOTES

What Is a Level 5 Church?

Level 1: Churches in decline – “Please stay.”
Level 2–3: Churches that grow by addition – “Please come.”
Level 4: Reproducing churches – focused on leadership and group reproduction.
Level 5: Multiplying churches – “Please go.”
Only 0.04% of churches are truly multiplying — but they do exist.

Most pastors dream of making disciples. But somewhere along the way, many got talked into simply running programs. Level 3 churches can be fragile — especially in a world discipled by politics and social media. Multiplication is not just a model, it’s a necessity.

REINVENTING CHURCH TOPIC

From Programs to Relational Discipleship

Guests: Dave Rhodes and Shane Stacey, co-founders of Clarity House, disciple-making culture experts and long-time church leadership coaches.
Functional Great Commission vs. a “program-first” approach to ministry.
Churches are often built on crowds and content, but we’re rediscovering the power of relational disciple-making.
We all have a “ministry mountain” and a “crowd cloud.” Churches must equip people to move from attendees to disciple-makers.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

A Fresh Strategic Planning Tool: R.E.A.D.Y.

- Danielle reflects on takeaways from the Leading Smart Gathering in Dallas, TX (hosted by Tim Stevens).
- Introduces the “READY” framework for evaluating your team’s preparedness for change. (Simple Tool for Yearly Strategic Planning by Holly Tate, The Ready Network)
- R – Reality Check
  - Bring data together
  - be honest about where you are today
  - get everyone on the same page
  E – Evaluation
  - What’s working | not working | missing | confusing
  - Find patterns
  A – Action Plan
  - Choose 3-5 priority areas to focus on
  - Decide how to set and measure goals (many tools out there)
  D – Delegate
  - Assign an owner and decide deadlines for each priority area
  Y – Yes Barometer
  - Run new ideas back through the action plan before committing. Make sure it serves one of the priority areas

LINKS & RESOURCES

Shane is the Co-Founder of Clarity House and has served in and alongside local churches as a pastor, coach and consultant for the past 25 years. Before joining Clarity House, Shane served as the Executive Director of Denominee, where he helped over 40 denominational and network teams lead with greater clarity and synergy. Shane also had the honor of serving as part of the national team for the Evangelical Free Church of America where he consulted and coached church teams in building a disciple-making culture that flows from a disciple-making way of life. Shane lives in Minneapolis, MN with his wife Heather.

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