The promotions flood my email inbox daily; probably yours too. Attend this conference, sign up for that webinar, learn more here, purchase this resource, video tutorials and on and on.
The sheer volume of information available today is beyond anyone’s capability of ever reviewing it all.
And the speed at which new resources are continually being produced could lead us to feel comfortable researching, thinking about and talking about the work we need to be doing but not actually doing it.
While we need fresh takes from time to time and we benefit from experts sharing about discoveries in their fields, how many more versions of the same story do we really need?
For the believer, the distraction of seeking out and constantly requesting new iterations of how to live out our faith means more minutes spent isolated from an ever-expanding world of people who need us.
Challenge: Getting people engaged
Kevin Ezell, who leads Baptists’ largest provider of free resources — the North American Mission Board — shared a similar concern recently.
Speaking to editors of state Baptist publications in February, he said, “We have more tools than people already use. The challenge is to disciple people to share their faith … trying to get people to hone in and engage.
“The challenge is trying to figure out how to get them off the pew and engaged,” Ezell said.
Plenty of options available
The resources are readily available, and lots of time and energy are spent attempting to motivate people to use them.
If you expand your search in the Baptist world to the International Mission Board, national Woman’s Missionary Union, Send Relief, your specific state convention’s set of entities and your local association, then any training or help needed should be thoroughly covered.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission along with the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty both provide expert research on social issues, cultural topics and pending legislation. GuideStone can help with retirement planning, insurance-related questions and finding help for those retired ministers who may need some assistance.
And, of course, Lifeway Christian Resources maintains an endless catalog of Bible study and Christian literature items for individuals and churches.
As far as books on disciple-making go, an internet search can show you the vast number of books available. We plan to share several options in upcoming editions of The Baptist Paper. You’ll find the first one featured here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — If you have a disciple-making/discipleship resource you would like considered in an upcoming feature presentation, send your request to me at jrash@thebaptistpaper.org.
