Home alone

While I've been eating curries in India, the lovely Michelle has been dining out on hamburgers in North Carolina.

She's away hanging out with Jeff and Angie Sundell and the many workers Jeff has trained to multiply disciples, groups and churches.

Last time I called she was off to a discipleship group meeting in a Tattoo parlor. She's been out in the community with Jeff's parents. She's sat on groups reaching out through English classes for international students. Then there's the church that meet in the trailer park.

It sounds like she's off to a different group every day or two. All the groups are making disciples.

I'm learning two things as the stories filter back via Skype and email.

1. Do, train, and multiply

Jeff is a good practitioner, but he's a master trainer. He's training and mobilising anyone who wants to learn and implement.

The more people out connecting and sharing, the more likely people will come to know Christ and discipling groups and churches will be formed.

So Jeff's out a lot, training people in the basics. He's also training trainers.

2. When it comes to church models, It's "both-and."

Some of the new groups meet as simple churches in the community. Some of the new groups become part of an existing church that they also attend.

The focus is on getting the gospel out, making disciples, forming groups and churches and multiplying—not on one model of church.

That also means you can drop the scary "church planting" tag. Just go out and share the gospel and make disciples. If a new church forms, great.

UPDATE: Michelle just arrived home. I think the real reason she went to the States is that she got to ride a Harley-Davidson. Don't tell her I said that.