A Hope Broker is an agent of hope for others, coaching and mentoring Christian leaders how to use God’s Word to start gospel movements through the power of the Holy Spirit. These movements bring the hope of Christ to those who are unreached.
Much has been written about the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20) and how to make disciples. Gospel movements, also known as Disciple-Making Movements (DMMs), are focused on multiplication and obedience. A gospel movement is defined as (a) 100 new discovery groups(b) at least one of these groups has reproduced into four or more generations (levels) of new churches.
How do these movements get started?
Disciple Making Movements are initiated and sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit. These steps are based on scripture, universal in nature (not tied to a particular culture or time period), and iterative/recursive (repeat and adjusted as needed).
Although there is no “formula” to how gospel movements happen (remember, this is a work of the Holy Spirit), but there is a common pattern that may be summarized as : send, serve, search, study and share, and sustain.
- Send – Churches send out Disciple Makers who are trained and equipped to fulfill the Great Commission. These ambassadors prayerfully go to unreached people groups, praying for wisdom and open hearts.
- Serve – Disciple Makers serve the community in culturally relevant ways, showing the love of Jesus.
- Search – Disciple Makers search for a Person of Peace (a cultural insider) and develop a trust relationship with them.
- Study & Share– A Person of Peace invites Disciple Makers into their circle and family/friends discover God’s truth together using an inductive method, called Discovery Bible Study, and the participants are encouraged to share with others what they have discovered in the selected passage. A commonly used set of Bible Passages is known as the Creation to Christ (or Discovering God) series.
- Sustain – Discovery Groups grow and multiply, eventually developing into a body of believers that are focused on multiplication, training and equipping a new generation of Disciple Makers.
It should be noted that although gospel movements will result in new believers, new churches, and new leaders, the primary goal is to make disciples who are focused on obedience and multiplication.
Also, these steps will not typically depend on a centralized organization or authorized curriculum/tools. It will be a “grassroots” movement of followers that help others to discover God’s truth directly from the Bible and are willing to share these truths with others.
Contact Tony today to learn more about the Gospel Movement Cycle and how you can get involved in what God is doing.