We were looking at the “Attractional” versus the “Apostolic” model of planting the Gospel and building the Church. Last article we set out the basic difference and looked at the “flow” or the steps that each system would be taking to reach the objective of a healthy, reproducing church.

Let’s look again at the “Missionary Flow” or what I call the ‘Apostolic Model.’ The diagram looks like this:

As you look at the “Missionary Flow” or ‘Apostolic Model,’ you will see a systematically different picture from the way we regularly think when spreading the Gospel or planting a church. The most marked difference may be that this apostolic approach starts the discipleship process much sooner. Whenever I meet someone and we become relationally connected, I internally believe that I am now in a relationship where they are going to be watching my life, picking up on my values, and giving me opportunities to encourage them toward my way of life. In other words, early in the engaging culture process, discipleship and the journey towards conversion begins.

When Jesus called the first disciples and actually began his discipleship process, they were not exactly going to church as we commonly conceive it. The discipleship of Jesus was more about His walking with them in real life, talking to them about a new life, and showing them a better way to live – a more truthful truth, a nonreligious way to love God. Their process of conversion was simultaneous to their process of discipleship.

Trust me, if you engage well and make authentic friendships with people, and if those people begin to fuse into the spiritual hunger of those Christians you hang out with (your faith community that meets in your home weekly for coffee), you will end up doing outside a church context what you have been sitting around in the pews waiting to do inside a church context. You will be a witness through your life and words. You will be modeling Christlike behavior; you will be mentoring on life skills and kingdom living; you will be teaching Scripture, confronting sin, encouraging faith, and shepherding; and, in turn, disciples will be made. Most important, before someone even has to struggle with what the church is and what their responsibility is as a part of the church, they will already know what it means to be a part of the church because they will be with you in your community of faith.

Then you need to move to the third and last level or sphere of apostolic life and outreach. We will look at this next week.)