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21 " Churches don’t make disciples; disciples make disciples (Matt 28:19-20). "
― Colin Marshall , The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything
22 " The heart of training is not to impart a skill, but to impart sound doctrine. "
23 " I choose men to meet with me weekly from 6.30-7.30 am. "
24 " We are not attempting to create clones or a cult of personality, but following our Master’s example in persevering in the face of trials and persecution. "
25 " However, if we keep the gospel first and central, then learning to do particular activities more effectively can simply be a godly part of our service of Christ and other people. "
26 " We will be arguing that structures don’t grow ministry any more than trellises grow vines, and that most churches need to make a conscious shift—away from erecting and maintaining structures, and towards growing people who are disciple-making disciples of Christ. "
27 " The danger of having such willing volunteers is that we use them, exploit them and forget to train them. Then they burn out, their ministry is curtailed, and we find that we have failed to develop their Christian life and ministry potential. Instead of using our volunteers, we should consider how we can encourage them and help them grow in the knowledge and love of Christ, because service flows from Christian growth and not growth from service. "
28 " But it’s interesting how little the New Testament talks about church growth, and how often it talks about ‘gospel growth’ or the increase of the ‘word’. "
29 " But the emphasis is not on the growth of the congregation as a structure—in numbers, finances and success—but on the growth of the gospel, as it is spoken and re-spoken under the power of the Spirit. "
30 " The second implication is that the growth God is looking for in our world is growth in people. "
31 " The third momentous implication is that this people-growth happens only through the power of God’s Spirit as he applies his word to people’s hearts. "
32 " The relational nature of training means that the best training will often occur by osmosis rather than formal instruction. "
33 " Are you committed to church growth or to gospel growth? Do you want more numbers in the pew now, or more labourers for the harvest over the next 50 years? "
34 " The marvellous thing about generosity is that God loves it, and blesses it. In our experience, those churches that don’t try to hold on to their people, but continually train them and generously export them off into further training and ministry elsewhere, are the churches that God showers with more and more new people to train. "
35 " Esta [a luta dos crentes em Filipos, sem medo, experimentando o mesmo sofrimento e engajamento de Paulo] é a razão por que unidade é tão importante na congregação e por que reclamar, murmurar e discordar é totalmente inapropriado.” (pp. 73) "
36 " O próprio evangelho exige que fiquemos com nossos líderes e pregadores em profunda unidade, cooperação e solidariedade – não por causa dos seus dons... mas por causa de nossa parceria comum no evangelho de Jesus Cristo.” (pp. 75) "
37 " Não há duas classes de cristãos – os cooperadores e os espectadores. Uma igreja... expressa isto por não ter ‘membresia’ na congregação, e sim ‘parceria’.” (pp. 75) "
38 " No Noto Testamento, treinamento é muito mais a respeito do pensar e do viver cristão do que a respeito de habilidades e competências específicas.” (pp. 78) "
39 " O foco [do treinamento]... é o ensino e o exemplo, que levam a um caráter específico e não a uma competência ou habilidade específica.” (pp. 79) "
40 " O âmago do treinamento não é transmitir uma capacidade, e sim transmitir sã doutrina.” (pp. 80) "