Growing SMALLer
Illustrating slowing down and raising up the next generation of leaders with two of such in Winnipeg, MB
Growth is not just about getting big; sometimes we need to ‘GROW SMALLER.’ This gripping story Reese & Loane share in their classic book Deep Mentoring illustrates the point well:
“Kent and Mike represent a tag-team pastoral effort in a church that has gone through some remarkable transformation over the past twenty years. By using a seeker-sensitive strategy they grew the church to over sixteen hundred people. Then they encountered Dallas Willard, who asked them a series of simple yet pointed questions: “What kind of people are you developing?” “Are they more loving kind, joyful?” “What kind of life are you inviting people to?”
“Their honest response of no sent them on quite a trajectory–growing the church from over 1,600 to around 750. Willard has been mentoring them in a fuller understanding of the Great Commission, especially the “teaching them to obey everything I’ve taught you” part. Their depth, however, is in much better proportion to their width.” (Reese & Loane 2012, 18-19)
