Helping disciples make disciples. Equipping the local church for God's global mission.

Additional menu

Nathan Creitz

I help disciples make disciples.

Blog

4 Qualities Small Groups Must Have for Healthy Reproduction

By Leave a Comment

There are tons of theories out there on how to structure small groups, the ideal number of members, and what sorts of content the members should engage in. However, something that is often overlooked in these discussions is what it will take to reproduce in a healthy way. If the goal is to reproduce disciples, small groups, and ultimately churches, then what is it going to take to move 8 to 10 people from mere acquaintances to spiritual warriors on a mission together? What will it take for one group of warriors to become two groups?

There are at least four qualities that these small groups must possess if they are going to reproduce in a healthy way.

1. Healthy Small Groups Establish Trust

Trust must be established early on in the life of the group. Some churches throw random people together in a group. Others let groups form on their own. Others have a sort of speed dating type event to get people connected into groups. Some methods are more effective than others and this post isn’t about the pros and cons of each.

[Read more…] about 4 Qualities Small Groups Must Have for Healthy Reproduction

I will be speaking at Hartselle Camp Meeting in Alabama on the topic of Making Disciples in NYC

By Leave a Comment

If you are in Alabama and want to connect (or reconnect) I’d love to see you at this event. I’ll be discussing our vision to make disciples and multiply churches in Queens.

Date: June 20, 2012

Time: 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Event: Hartselle Camp Meeting

Topic: Making Disciples in NYC – The Challenge and the Mission

Location: Click here for directions.

More Info: Contact Rob Cain 205.556.0291

Click here for more information about having me speak at your event.

Culture Watch Wednesday: Gendercide | DOMA | Prop 8 | NYC Soda Ban

By Leave a Comment

Culture Watch Wednesday is a weekly roundup of stories that shape or represent our culture. I’ll offer minimal commentary but hope to engage in conversation with you about these issues in the comment section.

Gendercide

An undercover video from pro-life activists Live Action exposed Planned Parenthood’s acceptance of gendercide or sex-selective abortions. Meanwhile, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2012 proposed by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) sought to prohibit discrimination against the unborn on the basis of sex or race, and for other purposes. The bill failed because opponents believed the measure was “another attempt to restrict abortions and force women to justify their reasons for wanting the procedure”. It makes you wonder if Americans really are becoming more pro-life.

[Read more…] about Culture Watch Wednesday: Gendercide | DOMA | Prop 8 | NYC Soda Ban

5 Responses to the Anti-authoritarian Mood Against Preaching

By 4 Comments

Some wisdom from the late John Stott (27 April 1921 – 27 July 2011) on responding to the anti-authoritarian mood against preaching:

The prophets of doom in today’s Church are confidently predicting that the day of preaching is over. It is a dying art, they say, an outmoded form of communication, ‘an echo from an abandoned past’. Not only have modern media superseded it, but it is incompatible with the modern mood.

What is the anti-authoritarian mood against preaching?

Seldom if ever in its long history has the world witnessed such a self-conscious revolt against authority. Not that the phenomenon of protest and rebellion is new.

What seems new today, however, is both the world-wide scale of the revolt and the philosophical arguments with which it is sometimes buttressed…All the accepted authorities (family, school, university, State, Church, Bible, Pope, God) are being challenged.

Stott gives 5 responses to the anti-authority mood against preaching:

[Read more…] about 5 Responses to the Anti-authoritarian Mood Against Preaching

First Friday Freebies: Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden

By 7 Comments

On the first Friday of the month, I’d like to give you an opportunity to win a great disciple making resource. This month I’m giving away the Discipleship Essentials library from Greg Ogden. Read through to the end to find out how you can win.

This three book set includes Discipleship Essentials, Leadership Essentials, and The Essential Commandment. These resources are great guides for one-on-one or small group disciple making.

About Greg Ogden

Greg Ogden (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is a writer, speaker and discipleship teacher living in Monterey, California. He was formerly executive pastor of discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Illinois. Previously he was academic director of the doctor of ministry program and associate professor of lay equipping and discipleship at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. For twenty-three years he served as a pastor with the Presbyterian Church, USA.
[Read more…] about First Friday Freebies: Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden

How To Take Back Your Faith In 5 Radical Steps

By Leave a Comment

I have a short-list of books that I use in disciple making and mentoring. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by my friend David Platt is at the top of the list.

In fact, Radical is one of those books that needs to be read by every American or Western Christian, whether Protestant or Catholic, evangelical or liberal.

First, some back story: I first met David Platt when he was a doctoral candidate at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He was the teaching assistant for Dr. Jim Shaddix at the time so he presented a couple of lectures if Dr. Shaddix was absent. We didn’t really know each other then but I remember thinking that he was a gifted teacher.

[Read more…] about How To Take Back Your Faith In 5 Radical Steps