Missouri directors of missions recently gathered at the Baptist Building in Jefferson City to learn how to more effectively help their association churches implement discipleship strategies. The main speaker was Brent Longenecker, who is a member of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Making Disciples Team.
Longenecker spoke to the DOMs during the March 21–22 event about the pathway of disciple making.
He asked, “Why does making disciples seems so hard?” He followed up with the thought that there needs to be a change in the culture. He believes leaders need to get out among their “sheep.”
Realigning hearts
He continued, “The pathway is to realign hearts to Christ and our lives to someone else.” He took the DOMs through a four-step journey to help churches implement disciple making pathways and a strategy to see their communities, congregations and members transformed.
Longenecker summarized his team’s strategy to include the associations in the plan with this thought: “Our directors of missions are in a key place to lead in (this) work. Our aim throughout the conference is to focus on the picture and pathway of disciple-making, in order that we might align our lives according to what a disciple is and does.”
One of the DOMs, Alan Earls, responded in a devotion to the group, saying, “Sometimes when we accuse people or churches of being lazy, they are actually just not motivated. They need godly leadership to provide encouragement and direction.” Earls is the DOM for Concord Association, located in Jefferson City.
There were several other speakers at the event, including John Vernon, DOM of Cape Girardeau Baptist Association and president of the Missouri DOM Fellowship. He encouraged the DOMs to utilize the disciple-making strategy among the member churches in the associations represented.
There are 57 Baptist associations in Missouri and currently there are 50 directors of missions serving these associations.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was edited for length, brevity and written by Richard Nations. It was originally published by the Pathway.
