Tag Archives: discipleship

Case Study: Meet the People

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Don Merritt

Welcome back to our case study of FCC. Today we get to know a little more about the congregation… Out of the 60 members of FCC, roughly 35% are young adults ranging from 18 to 35 years of age, roughly … Continue reading →

Posted in christian | Tagged Christian, church, church growth, discipleship, encouragement, hope, Jesus, life, perspective | 2 Comments

The One Who First Loved Us

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Don Merritt

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life | Tagged attitude, Bible, Christian, Devotional, discipleship, encouragement, hope, Jesus, life, love, perspective, photos | 14 Comments

Case Study: Initial Recommendations

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Don Merritt

Well, here we are again sitting around the conference table, getting ready to make a couple of recommendations to our brothers at Franklin Christian Church. FIRST: The Leadership Team needs to get together and craft a Biblical Vision Statement for … Continue reading →

Posted in christian | Tagged Bible, Christian, church, church growth, discipleship, encouragement, hope, Jesus, life, love, perspective | 12 Comments

Case Study: Leadership Basics

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Don Merritt

Welcome back to the conference room for today’s discussion about leadership basics.These basic ideas pertain not only to our case study of Franklin Christian Church, but to any leader anywhere, and if this was a book rather than a series … Continue reading →

Posted in christian | Tagged attitude, Christian, church, church growth, discipleship, encouragement, Jesus, leadership, perspective | 6 Comments

Case Study: Meeting the Leadership

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Don Merritt

Today we’ve moved into the next step in our case study of Franklin Christian Church (FCC) in Franklin, Illinois, and as promised yesterday, we will meet the leadership in this episode. If you haven’t seen the first few posts in … Continue reading →

Posted in christian | Tagged Applied Theology, Bible, Christian, church, church growth, discipleship, hope, Jesus, life, perspective | 10 Comments

What… me change?

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Don Merritt

At the end of yesterday’s post “Something Special” I mentioned that the challenge for FCC and other churches like it is whether or not enough people there would be willing to make changes to grow, both spiritually as a congregation and numerically … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life | Tagged attitude, Christian, Christmas, church, church growth, discipleship, perspective | 15 Comments

“Reverent Fear”

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Don Merritt

Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life | Tagged attitude, Bible, Christian, discipleship, encouragement, hope, inspiration, Jesus, life, love, perspective, photos | 4 Comments

Something Special

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Don Merritt

The other day, I told you about the town I visited last week, Franklin, Illinois. In that post, I promised much more about Franklin, and so today I’ll begin telling you some interesting things about the church I visited with, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life | Tagged Christian, church, church growth, discipleship, encouragement, inspiration, Jesus, life, perspective, photos | 10 Comments

Who do we reach out to?

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Don Merritt

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Life | Tagged attitude, Bible, Christian, discipleship, encouragement, hope, Jesus, life, love, perspective, photos | 13 Comments

Some Things Never Change

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Don Merritt

John’s last letter. So short, so telling. John is writing to his friend and brother Gaius. He seems to have been a leader in the church, and even though there are other mentions of men with this name in Scripture, … Continue reading →