J. T. English
"The majority of Christians today are being discipled by popular media, flashy events, and folk theology because churches have neglected their responsibility to make disciples. But the church is not a secondary platform in the mission of God; it is the primary platform God uses to grow people into the image of Jesus. [This book] equips churches to reclaim the responsibility of discipling people at any point on their journey."
I got slowed down a lot in my efforts to get this book read:
1. Had to study my lines for the Dakota Chautauqua at the Dakota County Fair (August 9-15).
2. The author says the same thing, over and over, not only in every chapter but in almost every paragraph. It tended to make the reading a tedious exercise in "Well, Brad bought this book for me, so I am going to read it."
Don't misunderstand. What the author had to say was worthy of being read and discussed and implemented in one form or another, it's just that it seems he took what could have been an insightful and in-depth magazine article and somehow squeezed it into 213 pages.
True confession: Each chapter ended with a section called "Main Ideas," and for the final three chapters, all I did was read those three or four main ideas and skim the chapter itself.
First line: On Memorial Day weekend 2018 my wife and I were driving to see an orthopedic surgeon in Dallas.
Page 56/ Sentence 5: Pastors and ministers are called by God to shepherd the flock of God in front of them, not on their Twitter feed.
Last line: Questions that hopefully will not just lead to a better philosophy of ministry, but to transformed lives that are growing deeper into fellowship with the Triune God.
