Episode 41: Stories of Everyday People in Asia Who Are Leading Disciple-Making Movements
Oct 20, 2023
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In this episode, Gina Mueller interviews Steve Bruns, leader of Agenda1, a network of missional church movements. They discuss the impact of the network on disciple-making and world-changing initiatives. Steve shares stories of empowering local leaders in Asia and challenging Western ideas. They also explore reimagining church and upcoming training opportunities for discipleship and disciple-making.
Missional churches redefine church as a collective body of believers integrating faith into everyday life.
Simple, contextualized discipleship models empower ordinary believers to make disciples in various global contexts.
Deep dives
Different paradigms and challenges
The podcast episode explores the difference between Western and global contexts in terms of church growth and discipleship. It highlights the tension between the traditional view of church as a building-based institution and the emerging movement of discipleship-focused, missional churches. The episode emphasizes the need to break down barriers and redefine church as a collective body of believers who are empowered to follow Jesus in their everyday lives. This shift requires a mindset change from compartmentalizing faith to integrating it into all aspects of life.
Gospel multiplication in diverse contexts
The episode shares inspiring stories of gospel multiplication and discipleship in various global contexts, such as Thailand, India, and Norway. These stories illustrate the power of simple, contextualized discipleship models that empower ordinary believers to make disciples in their everyday spaces. The emphasis is on living out the way of Jesus and sharing the gospel with others, leading to exponential growth and transformation. It highlights the importance of understanding and respecting different cultural contexts and adapting discipleship approaches to fit the specific needs and challenges of each region.
The impact of desperation and simplicity
The episode discusses the role of desperation and simplicity in shaping discipleship practices. It asserts that in contexts where there is persecution, discrimination, or limited resources, believers tend to rely more on prayer and actively sharing their faith. These challenging environments create a dependence on God and a sense of determination to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. The episode encourages listeners to embrace an identity rooted in following Jesus and to recognize that anyone can be used by God to make disciples, regardless of their knowledge or qualifications.
Unity, empowerment, and mission
The episode highlights the unity and collaboration among diverse groups of believers who are passionate about discipleship and mission. It emphasizes that mission has the power to unify and bring people together, transcending denominational, cultural, and theological differences. The episode celebrates the growing movement of disciples who are committed to changing the world, forging relationships, and supporting one another. It encourages believers to see themselves as agents of change, embracing the subversive nature of following Jesus and being the yeast that impacts society from the bottom up.
Gina's guest is Steve Bruns who leads a 3DM-like network of missional church movements from his home base in Norway called Agenda1. Agenda1 is a relational network of churches on a journey together to build missional churches that transform cultures by making disciples who make disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit. Sounds familiar, huh?!
Under Steve's leadership, Agenda1 currently has fourteen Learning Communities in Norway with around 130 groups representing 80 churches from many denominations. And, they've also spread their disciple-making influence to churches in Myanmar, the Philippines, Nepal, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Finland, several countries in Africa, Cuba and even the United States!
Steve is here to share some amazing stories of how God is at work raising up everyday people in Asia to be disciples who make disciples, and he has a few important words for us here in North America about the things he's learned from the explosive missional movements he's a part of worldwide.