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Citation: Spoelstra, Martin Edward. “The Use of Appreciative Inquiry to Help a Congregation
Through a Crisis Towards a More Positive Outlook: Reemphasizing Discipleship and
Leadership Development.” D. Min., Tyndale University, 2020.

***** Begin Content ******



Tyndale University

The Use of Appreciative Inquiry to Help a Congregation Through a Crisis
Towards a More Positive Outlook: Reemphasizing Discipleship and Leadership
Development

A Research Portfolio
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Ministry
Tyndale University

By

Martin Edward Spoelstra

Toronto, Canada

March 2020




Copyright © 2020 by Martin Edward Spoelstra
All rights reserved.

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ABSTRACT

	This portfolio was originally intended to research Discovery Church’s
journey to multisite. Over a four-month period just prior to launch of the second
site, the church dealt with a leadership and financial crisis brought on by a drop in
attendance. These changes necessitated putting multisite on hold and refocusing
energies on discipleship and mission.

	The original research question proposed the use of an Appreciative Inquiry
model intended to help the congregation deal with the emotional and social shifts
to become one church with two locations. Facing new circumstances, the
Appreciative Inquiry model was modified to help the church deal with the
emotional and social concerns they had around the dramatic change in their
attendance and vision for multisite. This exercise gave an opportunity for the
Church to recall why they started as a church plant, some of the great things that
God had already done, the courage to risk once more, and step into a new future.

	Out of the Appreciative Inquiry, Discovery Church embarked on the
rebuilding process that focused on clarifying their existing vision, developing
disciples making disciples, and a missional leadership development process,
eventually leading them back to the potential for multiplication.

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DEDICATION

To Jesus my Lord and Saviour, I commit myself into Your hands again for
service. All the glory goes to You.

To my wife, AJ; my children: Joshua, Kara & Kevin, Jana & Adam, Aaron &
Esther and my three grandchildren; Emmarie, Arya and one more girl on the way.

AJ you have been my biggest encourager and motivator. I love you.

All of you have given me such joy and peace. Your devotion to Jesus and to our
family is inspiring. Thank you for your patience in this journey.

To my Discovery Church family: thank you for all the hours of understanding as I
tried to balance family, ministry, and study.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables .... xi
List of Figures .... xii
Glossary of Terms .... xiii

Chapter I: Introduction .... 1
Chapter II: Context: Personal Narrative and organizational Description .... 6
Ministry Context .... 12
Vision at Discovery Church .... 12
	To DISCOVER God and all that he has for you! .... 13
	To GROW disciples on the journey with Jesus .... 14
	To abundantly BLESS our family, church, and community .... 15
Community Context .... 18
The Christian Reformed Church and Church Multiplication Movements .... 21
The Structure of a Movement .... 25
Chapter III: Philosophy of Leadership .... 29
Leadership Theory .... 31
	Servant Leadership .... 31
	Transformational leadership .... 35
Humility Authority and Submission .... 37
The Character of a Leader .... 41
	Humility is one of the foundational character qualities of leadership .... 41
	Leadership Is the Crucible of Character .... 43
	Character .... 44
	Competence .... 45
	Chemistry .... 48
Leadership .... 49
	Disciple .... 50
	Rhythms .... 53
	Biblical Disciples and Kingdom Capacity .... 55
	Vision and Mission .... 59
Narratives and Teachings in The Bible .... 62
	Servant Leadership in the life of Jesus .... 63
	Leading Change-Nehemiah’s Leadership .... 65

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	Paul’s Discipleship and Leadership Journey .... 69

Leader Development .... 79
	Leaders Give Up the Right to Be Offended .... 80
	Leaders Are Learners .... 81
	Disciples Make Disciples, Leaders Produce Leaders .... 81
	Leaders of Tens, Fifties, Hundreds, and Thousands .... 85
	Identifying Potential New Leaders .... 86
	The Role of Teams .... 88
	Strategy Trumps Vision Every Time .... 92
	If You Are Going to Be A Leader You Are Going to Make Decisions .... 93
Personal Values .... 94
Personal Mission Statement .... 96
Personal Vision Statements .... 97
Ministry Strengths .... 99
Ministry Weaknesses .... 100
Ministry Opportunities .... 102
Chapter IV: Field Ministry Project .... 107
Framing the Research Question .... 108
Appreciative Inquiry and Methodology .... 114
	Five Core Processes of Appreciative Inquiry and the 4 - I Model .... 116
	Documents, Records, and Reports .... 120
	Discovery Church Survey One .... 121
	Changing the Conversation .... 126
	One-On-One Interviews .... 128
	Workshop .... 130
	Discovery Church Survey Two .... 134
Phases and Timetable .... 135
	Phase 1 .... 135
	Phase 2 .... 136
	Phase 3 .... 136
Ethics in Ministry-Based Research .... 137
Gathering Data .... 140
Reflection and Analysis .... 142
	Survey Questions .... 143
	The Interviews .... 149
	The Workshop .... 152
Conclusions .... 157
	Heliotropic Change Towards the Positive .... 158
	Willingness to Risk, Discipleship, and a Recommitment Outreach .... 159
	General Conclusions .... 160

Chapter V: Conclusion .... 161
Discipleship and Multiplication .... 162
Outcomes .... 163

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Appendicies .... 167
Appendix I - Nondisclosure & Data Management Confidentiality Agreement .... 168
Appendix II - Consent Form: Interviews .... 170
Appendix III - Appreciative Inquiry Timetable .... 172
Appendix IV - Data Collection .... 174
Appendix V - Interview Questions Consolidated .... 179
Appendix VI - Survey Questions .... 190
Appendix VII - Workshop Outline .... 191
References .... 193

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Church to Population Ratio Growth Prediction 2016 - 2021 .... 19
Table 2 Question 1 (Sept. 2017) -How long have you been attending Discovery
	Church? .... 122
Table 3 Question 2 (Sept. 2017) -Which of the following words would you use to
	describe how you feel about Discovery Church? Select all that apply .... 123
Table 4 Question 3 (Sept. 2017) -How likely is it that you would recommend
	Discovery Church to a friend or colleague? .... 124
Table 5. Question 4 (Sept. 2017) -Overall, how satisfied, or dissatisfied are you
	with the direction of Discovery Church towards multisite? .... 125
Table 6. Question 5 (Sept. 2017) -Considering our desire to multisite, how
	excited are you about Discovery Church's future? .... 125
Table 7. Question 6 (Sept 2017) -How responsive has the design team of
	Discovery Church been to your concerns about multisite? .... 125
Table 8 Question 7 (Sept. 2017) -Are you currently in favour of Discovery
	Church's kingdom expansion plan (to become one church with two sites)? .... 126
Table 9 Comparison between surveys one and two. Question: which of the
	following words would you use to describe how you feel about Discovery
	Church? Select all that apply .... 143
Table 10. Comparison between surveys one and two. Question: considering our
	desire to multisite, how excited are you about Discovery Church's future? .... 144
Table 11 Comparison between surveys one and two. Question: are you currently
	in favour of Discovery Church's kingdom expansion plan (to become one
	church with two sites)? .... 146
Table 12. Question 8 (Jan. 2018) -What are you most excited about, multisite or
	starting a second service? Please rank each answer, (1-most excited, 2-
	somewhat excited, 3-least excited) .... 148

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Cultural Christians or biblical disciples. From Wilson, Todd, Dave
	Ferguson, Alan Hirsch, and Ed Stetzer. 2015. Becoming a Level Five
	Multiplying Church: Field Guide. p. 56. Used with permission .... 56

Figure 2. The leadership square. From Breen, Mike. 2011. Building a Discipling
	Culture: How to release a missional movement by discipling people like
	Jesus did. Used with permission .... 83
Figure 3. Problem solving vs. Appreciative Inquiry. From Branson, Mark A.
	2016. Memories, Hopes, and Conversations. Lanham, MD: Rowman and
	Littlefield. P. 24 .... 115

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Multisite church - A multisite church is one church meeting in multiple locations
such as different rooms on the same campus; different locations in the same
region; or in some instances, different cities, states, or nations. A multisite church
shares a common vision, budget, leadership, and board.

Appreciative Inquiry - It is a process for facilitating positive change in any
human systems such as churches, organizations, groups, and communities. It
assumes that every human system has something that works right-things that give
it life when it is vital, effective, and successful. AI begins by identifying this
positive core and connecting to it in ways that heighten energy, sharpen vision,
and inspire action for change.

Disciple - The word disciple in Greek is mathetes, which means ‘a learner’. A
learner is one who follows and imitates someone else’s teaching. Therefore, a
disciple is not only a learner who follows but also one who imitates (Vine, Unger,
and White 1985, 171). A Disciple submits to a teacher who teaches him or her to
follow Jesus. This is an act of humility and vulnerability. By submitting to a
teacher voluntarily, because one trusts them, one allows oneself through humility
and vulnerability to learn and be willing to apply what one is learning about Jesus.
Through this process a disciple learns Jesus’ words, Jesus’ way of ministry, and
imitates Jesus’ life and character. This comes full circle when the disciple finds
and teaches other disciples for Jesus (Hull 2004 36)

Disciple Maker-A disciple maker is a Christian who is invited into relationships
with people to help them trust and follow Jesus. They teach and mentor a disciple
to follow Jesus’ words, Jesus’ way of ministry, and to imitate Jesus’ life and
character. They also disciple in such a way that the disciple can become a disciple
maker.

Servant Leadership - Servant leadership puts the leader in the role of servant,
who utilizes “caring principles” to focus on followers needs to help these
followers become more autonomous, knowledgeable, and like servants
themselves (Northouse 2016, 5). “This kind of leadership puts the good of the
followers over their own self interests and emphasizes follower development by
demonstrating strong moral behaviour towards followers, the organization, and
stakeholders (Northouse 2016, 226).”

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Transformational Leadership - is a process that changes and transforms people.
It is concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals. It
includes assessing followers’ motives, satisfying their needs, and treating them as
full human beings. Transformational leadership involves an exceptional form of
influence that moves followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected
of them. It is a process that often incorporates charismatic and visionary
leadership (Northouse 2016, 161).

Provocative Proposal - This is an imaginative statement about the future, crafted
as if it were already experienced as part of the system. These are not strategic
plans or vision statements. Provocative Proposals engage in dreaming and
envisioning to invite an organization to go beyond what they thought was
possible. A Provocative Proposal pushes the creative edges of possibility to
wonder about the organization’s greatest potential (Branson 2016, 95).

Design Team-A strategic planning team intent on leading the congregation
through the two-year change process of the multisite project. The design team was
made up of six individuals who had extensive planning experience and were
integral to the life of Discovery Church. The design team helped to guide the
creation of the survey for the one-on-one interviews, participated in the interview
process, and were themselves interviewers, helped with the implementation of
strategic plans for the growth of Discovery Church once the research phase was
completed and provided the Elder Board of Discovery Church with updates
regarding the status of the various projects and our readiness to implement the
provocative proposals and experiments.

Values Theme - A value is the importance each participant attribute to
Discovery Church, another person, thing, or Multisite. They are the principles,
moral codes, and situational norms people live by (Daiute, 2014, p. 69).

Attitudes Theme- An attitude is the way the participant thinks and feels about
Discovery Church, another person, thing, or Multisite. Attitudes are part of “a
relatively enduring system of evaluative, affective reactions based upon and
reflecting the evaluative concepts or beliefs, which have been learned” (Shaw &
Wright, 1967, p. 3).

Beliefs Theme- A belief is part of a system that includes our values and attitudes,
plus our personal knowledge, experiences, opinions, prejudices, morals, and other
interpretive perceptions of our Christian Faith and social world. “Beliefs are
embedded in the values attached to them” (Wolcott, 1999, p. 97) and can be
considered “rules for action” (Stern & Porr, 2011, p. 28).

SMART Goal-A SMART goal is used to help guide goal setting. SMART is an
acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.

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CHAPTER I:

INTRODUCTION

	David Beelan is the pastor of Madison Square CRC in Grand Rapids, MI,
a church that has two multisites. A multisite church is one church that meets in
multiple locations. In a discussion with him I heard him use an example that had
helped his church understand the multisite journey. He used the example of an
apple tree. He said that the natural life span of an apple tree is about eighty to one
hundred years, but the years of best apple production is usually from years five to
thirty. After that, the production of apples decreases. Most people believe that the
purpose of an apple tree is to produce apples. While it is true that apples are
produced, an apple tree produces apples so that it can produce more apple trees.
So, the purpose of an apple tree is to produce more trees. If the apples did not
produce more apple trees there would eventually be no apple trees, or apples for
that matter.

	If the church is like an apple tree, then disciples are like the apples.
George Bullard suggests that a church has a life cycle of about eighty years
(Bullard 2005). After its first thirty years, the evangelistic effectiveness of a
church diminishes, and it begins to produce fewer disciples. If the church does not
reproduce it will continue to decline and die. The end goal of disciple making is to
make more disciples and the end goal of the church is to produce more churches.

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	To do that, the church nurtures and provides a place for disciples to grow
and mature. It is a place to nurture and develop a disciple until they are ready to
make more disciples. While one of the purposes of the church is to produce and
mature disciples another key purpose of the church is to produce or reproduce and
plant more churches. An emphasis on discipleship at Discovery Church led to the
growth of our church and then to a discussion about multiplying. For many
churches’ multiplication is not part of the discussion of disciple making.
Discovery Church had decided to pursue multiplication and try to find a location
for a multisite. Our journey to multisite is a natural part of the plan for churches.
Many who attend church believe that the purpose of the church is to produce
disciples. This portfolio endeavours to outline the journey to multisite and to chart
the course of organizational change that was intended to move us from being a
church that makes disciples to a church that plants churches who make disciples.

	When the church was planted there was an expectation that the church
would reproduce and start another church. After 11 years Discovery Church had
not planted another church or engaged in any other multiplication process at an
organizational level. After a year long discernment journey with eight members of
the congregation and the elders, a consensus was reached that we would pursue
multisite as a multiplication option over church planting or developing a network
of missional communities. The congregation was included in this discernment
journey by participating in congregation wide prayer meetings regarding the
decision to multiply as an organization. Here again, the consensus from the prayer
meetings was to pursue multiplication.

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	For Discovery Church the idea to multisite seemed to be the next stage of
our growth and development as a church. Our church of 140 members and regular
attendees had seen eleven years of growth; it seemed reasonable to assume that
the two years it would require to launch a multisite would also see two years of
growth. We did not anticipate that the church would decline in size in a very short
period of time. This unfortunately coincided with the scheduled launch of the
second site. The resulting uncertainty and turmoil in the congregation required a
difficult leadership decision: we needed to decide whether or not to proceed with
multisite. The decline also required the leadership to focus on the short-term
financial, spiritual, and emotional needs of the congregation. It required us to
question whether or not we could still pursue multisite and, in the end, we shelved
the idea in order to focus on the needs at hand.

	To continue with the David Beelan’s apple tree metaphor, it seemed as
though lightning had struck one of the main branches of our apple tree and the
production of apples as well as the health of the tree were in jeopardy. There were
pastoral care issues at hand as well as a financial crisis due to the loss of so many
members in such a short period of time. With a wound that deep within the
spiritual, emotional, and social consciousness of our congregation there needed to
be a time of healing and renewed reproduction. This also required an investment
in discipleship in order to reestablish a strong spiritual connection between the
congregation and the God who heals and restores. This reproduction would have
to focus on disciple making rather than multisite.

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	The research (chapter four) in this portfolio was originally intended to
help the congregation move from a church of one site to a church of multiple
sites. Instead, what we encountered was important enough that Appreciative
Inquiry, as it was designed, could also provide a process through which the
congregation could address the emotional and social shifts necessary to re-form
our commitment to discipleship and express their spiritual and emotional
concerns.

	In chapter two I will outline the growth and development of a new church
but you will also hear of the growth and development of its pastor. There will be a
focus on the development of disciples as well as a growing desire as a church to
multiply. As I have grown, I have become more and more convinced that
discipleship is the key to multiplication. The development of disciples creates
mature believers who are able to make disciples and as those disciples, growing in
maturity, build the capacity of the church allowing it to carry out its mission. We
will also note the desire of Discovery Church to become a multiplying Church but
as often happens, unforeseen circumstances lead us to use the tools available to us
and help us navigate a road back to discipleship. In chapter three I will outline my
personal leadership philosophy which highlights discipleship, multiplication and
leadership development. In chapter four, the use of Appreciative Inquiry helped
our congregation to process the changing context of the church due to the loss of
so many members in such a short period of time. Appreciative Inquiry was used
by the leadership to not only turn the hearts and minds of the congregation

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towards the positive but also to chart a course for the development of discipleship
systems, leadership development and spiritual disciplines.

5




CHAPTER II:

CONTEXT: PERSONAL NARRATIVE AND
ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION

	When I began planting Discovery Church, I was assigned a coach in
church planting who led me through a process of self-examination and leadership
development. During the first four years of being coached I felt that God shaped
and change me in the most meaningful way. I began to wrestle with my own
personal ministry philosophy and began to understand my giftings. It was during
this time that I put the pieces together to identify one of my primary spiritual
giftings as apostleship. I use the word apostle in its simplest form as it is found in
scripture: being sent.

	Apostles are tasked with the overall vigour, as well as extension of
	Christianity as a whole, primarily through direct mission and church
	planting. As the name itself suggests, it is the quintessentially missional
	ministry, as ‘sentness’ (Latin missio) is written into it (apostello = sent
	one) (Hirsch and Catchim 2012, 8).

Looking back over the course of my life up to this point I could see how God used
me to develop new ministries and was using me to develop this new church. My
first church as a youth pastor was an opportunity to develop some discipleship
systems for the growth and the development of high school students. Even though
the students were equally divided between attending a Christian school or a public
school there were significant gaps in the discipleship development systems that

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include parents, Christian school, public school, and church. Restarting the youth
program with a discipleship emphasis shaped my perspective on the role that
discipling has in the church. The second youth pastor position I worked in allow
me to experiment and explore with multiplying existing groups using interest
based small group discipleship. In the training and development of the leaders we
were able to multiply the impact of our youth ministry by starting five different
interest-based discipleship groups. Not only was this an experience in
multiplication but it was also an experience in leadership development. It was
here that I was able to identify my entrepreneurial and apostolic spirit.

	Further clarity about my ministry gifts came through a terribly negative
experience. As Discovery Church began to grow, the need for pastoral care also
began to grow. I became aware that my abilities in pastoral care were limited
when compared with other pastors. As much as I realized that I am an apostolic
pastor I also realize that I needed help around pastoral care. I say with some
clarity now, that I am not a “shepherd pastor.” Unfortunately, what led to this
realization was a period of burn out. I was able to resolve this partially by hiring a
pastoral care director and learning to grow in my pastoral care skills.

	The struggle with my pastoral care skills caused me to wrestle with the
idea of moving-on to another church. I remember going to prayer and asking for
insight from God and other mentors about whether or not this was the right time
to move on. Over the course of my ministry life I had made significant changes
through a four-year cycle. I was once again at that four-year stage. Should I move
on or should I stay? I remember receiving confirmation from God that I must do

7




something different but that I’m supposed to stay at Discovery Church. A new
cycle of ministry was in front of me; however, I was not to move to a new place
but rather into a new stage.

	Shortly after, we began solidifying the church’s governance model and
began focusing on discipleship. I attended a church planters’ conference in 2011
called Exponential and in that time felt God leading me to spend large amounts of
time in discipleship development and using my Apostolic gifting for
multiplication.

	This led to some conflicts with my Worship Director who had been with
the church since 2006. She and a young man that I was mentoring believed that
we were heading in the wrong direction and resigned in 2013. This was a difficult
conflict resolution scenario and was one of my most significant faith challenges.
Up until this point, this was the most relational learning experience I had had. I
learned more about conflict resolution, relationship dynamics, and heartache in
ministry here than I had at any other time in my ministry. During this time of
heartache and disappointment I redoubled my efforts along discipleship and
leadership development. It was during this time that I realized that we needed to
reproduce more leaders so that we can make more disciples.

	God does not stop in the formation of a leader’s character. The next stage
focuses on the development of my leadership and relationship to God. The
qualities of love, compassion, empathy, submission, and discernment are
deepened. God uses a cluster of items to develop character and maturity. Robert

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Clinton points out that these three are typically; isolation, conflict, and crisis
(Clinton 1988, 155).

	Going into this stage of maturing I began to realize that discipleship was
the next area to develop. This began a three-year journey of emphasizing disciple
making. I began a year-long mentoring and leadership development group with
eight potential leaders from Discovery Church. This leadership development and
mentoring group covered topics such as: Bible reading, prayer, personal spiritual
disciplines, spiritual gifts identification, character, leadership skill development,
evangelism training, and identifying a passion for ministry, all the while
deploying them each time with specific actions they were required to accomplish
before the next meeting. This was an action-reflection model of leadership
development and mentoring. Action-reflection learning is a practice which helps
the participants to become a better learner through reflection, assumption testing,
and question asking by practising and participating in new learning experiences. It
is generally done in a small group with a team approach where members equally
contribute and learn/teach each other.

	At the beginning of each new session we would go over the assignments
from the previous meeting and do some mutual coaching and encouragement.
This produced four leaders who identified a personal mission within Discovery
Church. Two participants started a young adult’s ministry, one started a mom and
tots’ group, and the other started a lady’s exercise group. Not only did these
groups make disciples but they also were evangelistic feeders for our church. Two
of the other participants decided to attend Bible college and the remainder became

9

	


ministry leaders within existing programs. These discipleship groups and the
leadership development pipeline continues to bear fruit today.

	I also became involved in external activities outside of Discovery Church
in the area of multiplication. I started an organization called Mission Activators
that was designed to start ministries and new church expressions without the
encumbrances of denominational structures or systems. This resulted in several
new initiatives and a church plant in North Oshawa. This was a very fruitful time
of exploring and developing my apostolic gifts. I took a part-time job with our
denomination as a church-planting catalyst, which I ended up leaving after six
months because I wanted to focus more time and energy internally at Discovery
Church.

	After those three years of successful ministry I once again began asking
the question, “Why am I still at Discovery Church?” Part of my discernment
process included a sabbatical during the summer of 2014. One of my primary
reflections during this time was asking the question, “Lord, how do you want me
to use my apostolic gifts at Discovery Church?” I went to our church board after
my sabbatical and shared with them that I wanted to explore the use of these gifts
within Discovery Church rather than externally in our denomination. This led to
another 1-year journey of discernment regarding which model of multiplication
we would use at Discovery Church.

	In October 2014 I received permission from the elders to pursue
multiplication as an option for Discovery Church. Between November 2014 and
May 2015, I put together a discernment group to discuss the multiplication

10




opportunities for Discovery Church and hosted two congregation wide prayer
meetings. We circulated information to the congregation on what we were doing.
We spent six months working out whether we should pursue church planting,
multisite or a network of missional communities as a multiplication strategy. This
discernment group recommended to the Elders that we pursue a multisite model
with a two-year timeline for launch.

	Alongside this time of fruitful ministry was an exploration of my teaching
gifts. I began speaking regularly to encourage church planting and taught a
seminary course on the topic at Briercrest in 2015. I became a church planting
coach and became involved in two initiatives to plant a church in North Oshawa
and Scarborough/Pickering.

	As we began planning for the multisite at Discovery Church, I realized
that I needed another training phase in my life and ministry; therefore, I enrolled
in the Doctoral program at Tyndale. This time has been extraordinarily fruitful in
the development of my own greater walk with God. I have learned to trust in him
and have my ministry flowing from who I am rather than from my skill set. The
purpose of the Doctoral project was to help move our congregation through a
difficult two-year start-up phase for multisite. What we did instead was to help us
navigate the difficult circumstances around the loss of so many members and
leaders and chart a course into the future that focused on discipleship and
leadership development.

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Ministry Context

	Discovery Church began as a church plant in September 2006. It began
with 75 people, including children, grew to approximately 140 in attendance in
2014, and has declined to 110 in 2017. The original makeup of the church came
mostly from the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). We started with eight
families that attended Rehoboth CRC and Maranatha CRC and had twelve adults
join our launch team who had become Christians through Alpha. Over the first
eleven years of our existence we saw eight to ten people make first time
commitments of faith and be baptized per year. This has given our church a high
number of new believers. Our desire when we started Discovery Church was to
create a church that would be welcoming and inviting for those who stopped
going to church or had never been to church before. We believe that our first
connection with the community would most likely be through an act of service or
random act of kindness. It was my belief that the church had received a “black-
eye” in the last several decades and by doing random acts of kindness that led to
conversations about Jesus, we would be able to reconnect or connect people to our
church.

Vision at Discovery Church

	Over the years I have modified the vision of Discovery Church down to
the three statements listed below. It reflects my leadership philosophy and will be
reinforced by the outcome of the research. I believe that everyone is on a journey
of spiritual discovery no matter where they are on the journey of faith.

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To DISCOVER God and all that he has for you!

	There is a longing that God has placed in all our hearts for a relationship
with the divine. This is a journey of spiritual discovery. Prior to becoming a
follower of Jesus, there are often many points of intersection where someone who
knows of Jesus gets an opportunity to share their faith journey, they may have
invited someone to church, they were able to point out the fingerprints of God on
their life and tell them more about Jesus.

	One of the first things we do if they are still wondering about who Jesus is
and want to DISCOVER more, is to recommend that they take The Alpha Course.
Having a conversation about life, faith, and Jesus is hard. Alpha is about creating
a welcoming, friendly place where people can come and ask questions to explore
the Christian faith.

	The Bible tells us that God loved us enough to send his one and only son
and if they believe that and are willing to trust in him, we are promised eternal life
(John 3:16). That is more than just a promise, it’s about living every day on the
journey with Jesus. Through repentance of sin and trust in him as saviour each
person can have a relationship with our eternal heavenly Father because of what
Jesus has done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

	The next steps in the journey is to get baptized, do profession of faith, or
become a member of Discovery Church, and to sign up for our DISCOVER
Group. Once they commit themselves to Jesus Christ the Bible teaches us that we
are called to commit ourselves to each other, “First they gave themselves to the
Lord; and then, by God’s will, they gave themselves to us as well.” (2 Corinthians
8:5).

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To GROW disciples on the journey with Jesus.

	Once they begin a relationship with Jesus one of the best ways to grow in
faith is to become part of a GROW group. GROW groups exist as a way for
people to engage in biblical community that helps them become more like Jesus
in every area of their lives. It is our version of a small group. John
Ortberg writes: "God uses people to form people. That is why what happens
between you and another person is never merely human-to-human interaction—
the Spirit longs to be powerfully at work in every encounter. (Ortberg, 2017)"

	The path to being a disciple is a journey not a destination. It begins when
we find someone we trust; a GROW group leader, mentor, or mature Christian
and voluntarily submit to their leadership and guidance. Being humble like this
opens them up to allowing God to use them to speak and to teach.

	Being a disciple that learns Jesus words, learns Jesus’ way of ministry, and
imitates Jesus’ life and character is the goal of a growing disciple in the journey
with Jesus. We do that by journeying with a group of people that are being led in
becoming more like Jesus. GROW groups at Discovery Church are designed to
give a deeper understanding of the Bible, help to know Jesus better and provide a
safe environment to ask thoughtful and even hard questions.

	Learning and growing in faith is exciting. Sharing how someone is
growing is an important step in discipleship. You do not need to wait 5, 10 or 15
years to teach someone else how to follow Jesus. Sharing what you learned with
your spouse, children, volunteering in Discovery Kids, learning how to serve with
others, using your gifts and talents are ways that you can be discipling someone
else.

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	One of the greatest joys is to be able to help others GROW in their
relationship with Jesus. We want everyone to have enough skills and insight into
the Christian faith to be able to share with others who Jesus is and to help them in
their journey of faith. This requires the growing leader to be humble and authentic
in the role of mentor.

To abundantly BLESS our family, church, and community.

	To BLESS someone means to care for them, to provide for them in a way
that helps them or to protect them (Gen12:2; Numbers 6:24-26). Being a blessing
in our family, church and community is a natural outworking of what God is
doing within us. One of the ways we know that God is at work is when we have
the desire to give back. We are called to BLESS others because we have been
blessed so much.

	As you get to know Jesus on the journey of faith there comes a point when
you feel the desire to be a blessing to others. That most often happens within our
own family, neighbours, and coworkers. Praying for them, inviting them to come
to an Alpha course, inviting them to church are ways that can be a blessing. They
can also volunteer in our community, participate in the churchwide events where
we get together as a church family and try to BLESS our community.

	In the first few years, we focused very heavily on conducting prayer
walks, Take It to the Streets Sundays (where on a Sunday morning the whole
church would participate in random acts of kindness), servant evangelism, and
Alpha courses. We hired a Worship Director and an Office Administrator that
brought an emphasis and focus on worship and small groups. We were involved

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in many of the community events such as MapleFest and AppleFest, where we
helped set up and take down. We were also instrumental in starting up a city-wide
worship gathering for the churches in the Bowmanville ministerial.

	As Discovery Church has grown, we have tried to add programs ministries
and structures to address the 10 to 15 percent growth we saw during the first eight
years of ministry. This was a fascinating and exciting time of seeing new people
come to know Jesus, as well as the impact that we were having in our community.
By the time we reached the eight-year mark, our Sunday morning attendance was
bumping around 150 and we were asking questions regarding the future of
Discovery Church. The answer to that question was to multiply. After a one-year
discernment journey the Elders board agreed to multisite as a multiplication
option. This would allow us to continue to grow and make disciples while
remaining small enough to retain a small church feel.

	The multisite church is one church meeting in multiple locations. Our
intention was to develop a second site in Newcastle, ON which is located twenty
km from our main location. The multisite church shares a common vision, budget,
leadership, and board across all its locations. Essentially, we would become one
church in two locations. This would involve a worship service in two locations
with live preaching. The new site would have a similar worship style, provide its
own nursery and children’s ministry, as well as set up and takedown, hospitality,
ushers, and greeters. Each site would share common ministries such as youth
ministry, Celebrate Recovery, and small groups.

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	For Discovery Church to move towards multiplication we needed to create
a sense of urgency. We had to focus on two things. Our call to make disciples as a
church, and our desire to be a small, family-oriented (under 150) worshiping
community. As we grew and bumped up against the 150 mark, we began asking
the questions, “Are we too big for this space?”, “Do we want to be a big church?”,
and “What do we do about it?” The Great Commission drives our motives, not
our strategy for growth, therefore, we embraced the multisite approach. The goal
is not to grow as a church, but rather to be as effective as we can with the Great
Commission.

	One of the values at Discovery Church is the relational intimacy within
our congregation. As we have grown, we have seen that our ability to maintain
those relationships begins to break-down because of our size. Worshiping in two
locations would allow us to continue to develop that relational intimacy once
again at each site.

	However, during the summer of 2017, of the six staff members who are
part-time at Discovery Church, I had to replace four of them. One resigned, one
got a new job, one moved back to the United States and the fourth left for health
reasons. The multisite research project upon which my Doctorate was being based
was shelved with no foreseeable future implementation at hand. It was a
significant period of crisis. We saw approximately thirty people leave Discovery
Church in the four months from May 2017 to Sept 2017. The Elders took the time
to interview these families and found that six families left because of job changes
and two families left because of the vision for multisite. For a church of 140, that

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is a lot of people. The people leaving were not just fringe members, but staff and
core members of our team. Donations to our church dropped dramatically and
there were weeks when we were not able to pay staff salaries from the offerings
being given.

	In September, all these conditions came to a head and as a result I called
an emergency Elder’s meeting to address the issue. We decided that for the time
being the journey to multisite would have to be shelved. To regroup and to grow
we would need to remove multisite as an option for the future growth of
Discovery Church. I was clear with the Elders that this would not be permanent.
Part of the Doctoral research project was to conduct an Appreciative Inquiry. This
still seemed like the best way to address the emotional and social concerns in the
congregation despite the dramatic changes to the church’s immediate vision. For
the Appreciative Inquiry to have a positive effect multisite could not be a
predetermined future.

Community Context

	Discovery Church is in the municipality of Clarington. During the 11
years of growth we as a church have benefited from the fact that the municipality
of Clarington is going through a growth-spurt. All indications are that the
municipality will continue to grow and provide an ever-growing mission field for
our church. The region and the municipality have continued to grow at
extraordinary rates over the past five years. The expansion of the 407 freeway
past Bowmanville, the north-south interchange of the 418, and the extension of
the GO Transit system by 2023 has already placed Clarington in a position to

18

		


accommodate rapid growth in residential and commercial properties. Clarington
will be the recipient of a new outlet mall and a redesign of the two 401
interchanges with the potential for a third in addition to the new police station,
incinerator, and the refurbishment of the Darlington nuclear plants over the next
thirty years. The municipality recently announced that Toyota Canada will be
building a parts distribution centre in Bowmanville (Municipality of Clarington
2017).

	In 2016, Clarington showed higher new housing development starts than
anywhere else in all of Durham region. Over 990 new residential building permits
were issued in Clarington compared to 900 in Oshawa which is a city that’s three
times the size of Clarington (Municipality of Clarington 2016). Clarington’s
population growth has continued to rise, and predictions see the population
passing 100,000 by the end of 2018.

The table 1 shows the density of churches by population as of 2017. This
also shows the church density by population in 2021 if no new churches are
opened in the next 5 years.

Table 1 Church to Population Ratio Growth Prediction 2016 - 2021
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 1 details. ]

Source: adapted from Municipality of Clarington. 2016. Official City Plan Review.

Missiologists use a church to population ratio of 1:1000 in urban areas and 1:1500
in rural areas. There is nothing biblical about this ratio, rather, it is based on the

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diffusion of innovation theory. While there are many factors that go into the
diffusion of innovation one aspect of this theory argues that whenever 10 to 20
percent of a population accepts a concept the society reaches a “tipping point”
that will result in the diffusion of the concept across the people (Payne 2011).
Other than the fact that we need more churches in Clarington one can draw the
conclusion that there will be a greater need for new churches in Newcastle by
2021 than there will be in Bowmanville or Courtice (Municipality of Clarington
2016).

	In an interview with Mayor Adrian Foster and Councillor Steven Cooke, I
found that there was a need within the municipality for charities to play a role in
community engagement (Mayor Foster 2017). The gap between the growing
population’s needs and the municipality’s ability to accommodate them
financially, administratively, and through its infrastructure is widening. At this
point, the municipality does not have the funds to step into those gap-spaces.
They are willing to help facilitate organizations who can and there is a desire to
see social needs met. It was clear to me from my conversation that both Mayor
Foster and counsellor Cooke desire more for their community but are unable to
meet that need (Mayor Foster 2017).

	As our church struggled with the desire to multiply and the inability to do
so, our community continues to grow rapidly. There is a growing mission field
and it was our desire to multiply this there, but our church infrastructure is also
unable to handle multiplying. All the while churches in our community and in our
denomination are by and large declining and our church was no longer growing.

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The Christian Reformed Church and Church
Multiplication Movements

	Our denomination, like many others, is going through a season of decline.
In 2017, twenty-nine churches in the Christian Reformed Church were disbanded
(Christian Reformed Church 2017, 136). In the Christian Reformed Church and
specifically in our Classis (regional grouping of churches). Sunday morning
attendance for Classis Quinte in the 2018 yearbook states that 3542 people are
present on Sunday morning but, only twenty-nine people were received through
profession of faith or baptism by evangelism (Christian Reformed Church 2018,
40). That means that the denomination’s evangelism ratio is 122 to 1.

	Many church planting studies suggest that the conversion ratio in a church
plant is twelve to one (Rainer, 2013). The main reason for that is that all its
members are on the evangelism team, the idea of evangelism has a high priority
and the pastor is likely one of the chief cheerleaders and practitioners of
evangelism. Thom Rainer, in a blog post, suggests that ratio in an article he titles,
Ten Rules of Thumb for Healthy Churches. In the blog he states a healthy rule of
thumb for evangelistic effectiveness:

	Twelve conversions per year for every one hundred in average attendance.
	Different congregations used different terminology: conversions,
	baptisms, professions of faith, salvations, etc. In this metric, the number
	refers to those in the past year who became Christians and became active
	in that specific congregation (Rainer 2013).

As a church plant we were seeing a ratio of conversions at about thirteen to one
for the first eight years of Discovery Church’s existence. The intention of going to
multisite was to maximize the evangelistic output of our church and yet remain

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small. As we continued to grow as a church, we also started to see our conversion
ratio climb.

	I remember Adrian VanGiessen, the Eastern Canada Regional Director for
CRC Home Missions, laying out the situation of the Christian Reformed Church. I
remember the holy discontent that it gave me, and I think it was the beginning of
my desire for multiplication.

	As the twentieth century closed, there were signs of challenge and change
	for the CRC. Twenty years of doctrinal squabbles sapped the energy of
	many of our churches. Churches largely dependent on internal growth
	began to plateau, with too many congregations showing little or no real
	evangelism growth. The immigration and baby boom that in large part
	fueled our growth during much of the twentieth century slowed to a
	trickle. Many churches began to report concern about a younger
	generation that seemed to be quietly slipping away and the average age of
	our membership increased.

	For example, during the twenty-five years from 1985 to 2010, while the
	general population of Canada grew by over 20 percent, the CRC
	membership in Canada shrunk by 15 percent. To be fair, this was not a
	struggle unique to the CRC. Many Christian denominations faced the
	same challenges and the same opportunities.

	This raised important questions for us. Do we continue a slow but steady
	path of decline of size and influence or will we seize the day and see what
	is happening around us as a unique opportunity placed before us by God to
	do ministry in a new way? (Van Giessen and Contant 2011).

I remember Adrian, at one-point, sharing with us that the denomination had done
a study and found that: 5 percent of CRC churches might close in the next ten to
fifteen years; 55 percent were declining; 25 percent were plateaued; and 15
percent were growing. The question I want to ask is, how many of the 15 percent
are multiplying? Much of this information came to my attention before I went on
sabbatical. During my sabbatical it became a point of holy discontent and I

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wanted to move Discovery Church toward multiplication. I began asking myself
why Discovery Church had not multiplied in the ten previous years? The plain
truth was the we had not planned for it.

	The national averages across all denominations throughout North America
show similar Statistics: 80 percent of churches are plateaued or declining and they
function with a scarcity mindset; 16 percent are growing where their growth is
attributed to addition; 4 percent are multiplying; and 0.001 percent would be
considered a movement (Hirsch 2010).

	I began to see that there was a discipleship problem in our CRC churches
that is connected to a multiplication problem. They are not two different things.
They are connected. When there is a lack of disciple making there are not enough
mature disciples to lead a ministry or church. Some will take the responsibility on
themselves and find a way to be discipled, but I do not believe that will produce
enough mature disciples who can make more disciples. That leaves pastors to do
much of the disciple-making. Mature disciples that are given an opportunity to
develop leadership skills in the mission field will contribute to the infrastructure
of the church. These structures create the ability for the church to expand and
influence more people. Once that infrastructure grows, if it is focused on disciple-
making, the ministry grows. When disciple-making and leadership development
function well together then the church is more likely to multiply. A movement
begins with disciple making, which leads to disciples who make disciples, which
leads to structures that build for growth, which leads to kingdom vision beyond

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our institution. When all these things are combined you have a multiplication
movement.

	These thoughts and this new information that I reflected on during my
sabbatical set the stage for my desire to take Discovery Church on the journey
towards multisite. One of the benefits of multi-siting is that the new site behaves
like a new church in its evangelistic effectiveness. In a recent study done in the
United States by Warren Bird, new churches and multisites will see their greatest
growth in the first five years of life. They typically grow 170 percent faster than
the average of all subsequent years (Bird 2017). They also meet the needs of new
people in a new area, in that a second site can have a slightly different character,
evangelize to a new group of people, or meet different needs because of the area it
is located in.

	The use of a multisite approach most often re-energizes the evangelistic
ministry of each location therefore creating two evangelistic engines functioning
for the same organization. This is an example of multiplication rather than
addition. Addition is the making of individual disciples, multiplication is the
multiplying of churches that make disciples. Churches or multisite campuses
started in the last five years are 52 percent more likely to invite friends and family
to consider faith in Jesus Christ than at any other time in the life of the church
(Bird 2017). By multiplying we were hoping to see a much higher rate of
evangelistic effectiveness. Our goal was not to grow bigger or to put together a
growth strategy but rather to accomplish the Great Commission in the most
effective way possible. We began the journey to multisite with these expectations

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and set benchmarks for the launch of the second site that included continued
growth, raising financial resources and leadership development

The Structure of a Movement

	According to Ed Stetzer, there are at least five statements that define the
structure of church multiplication movements: you need leaders who share the
vision to build momentum; success stories need to be found and trumpeted;
remember that what you celebrate, you become; nothing can splash cold water on
a tiny spark of a movement quite like someone dismissing or undermining the
church planting work; we need to trust and follow the Spirit (Stetzer 2014).
Although, there is probably more to structuring a movement than these five, this
is a good start at understanding how church multiplication movements work.

	First, you need leaders who share the vision to build momentum. Without
a clear and compelling vision for a future that is different than the situation you
are dissatisfied with, there is no movement. Finding a team that grabs hold of the
vision and mobilizes a group of people is the first step in structuring a movement.
The next chapter will outline how we gathered passionate, visionary people from
our congregation to champion the development of multisite. Pastors,
denominational leaders, and network leaders cannot make a movement, but they
can shape the culture of a movement by empowering and encouraging the right
leaders. Having persuasive, passionate leaders at the forefront calling others to
join them is a great place to start.

	Second, success stories need to be found and trumpeted. Stories grant the
information an emotional connection, which is why the Gospel is the greatest

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story ever told. To encourage this momentum, we organized a trip to Madison
Square CRC in Grand Rapids Michigan where we interviewed the staff and
experienced a Sunday multisite church. This allowed our design team to hear the
stories and to see the application of what it meant to be a multisite church.

	To help a movement pick up steam we needed to find and tell stories of
the impact that church plants have had on communities and individuals. We had
to tell the story of how church plants changed a context (e.g. relationships, social
issues, and culture). We had to tell the story of how a church planted a church.
We must tell the story of sending. The stories had to be told so that we can inspire
multiplication. We must tell these stories in our churches, at classis, and at
denominational gatherings. When the team returned from Madison Square CRC,
they were able to tell those stories to our congregation and they were very excited
to be part of the journey.

	Third, remember that what you celebrate, you become. If we wanted to
encourage the journey to multisite and inspire the people of our congregations, we
needed to celebrate other multiplication efforts in our denomination. We invited a
local church planter to preach several times to help celebrate what we wanted to
become. Without celebration we lose momentum. I would even suggest we create
a scoreboard of success that includes people ready to plant, churches willing to
plant churches, and fundraising that meets or exceeds expectations.

	Fourth, nothing can splash cold water on a tiny spark of a movement quite
like someone dismissing or undermining the church planting work. There was a
key leader in our church who was outwardly in favour of moving forward towards

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multisite but who behind-the-scenes was sowing seeds of discontent and doubt.
There needs to be buy-in across the people of God if a church plant is to succeed.
This includes both from the denomination and the seminary. Without training and
denominational support, the enormous task of developing a movement would be
hindered. I believe that the CRC has several problems related to the buy-in of
believers to church plants:

	1	- There is an expectation that a church planter must have six to seven years
		of education and training. Within the CRC there is an expectation that
		every Minister of the Word have a Master of Divinity.

	2	- Church planters have expertise that others do not have. If we believe that
		church planters are the only ones that can plant churches we will miss out
		on the development of movements because that requires trained and
	approved clergy in our denomination.

	3	- Our Christology forms our ecclesiology which forms our missiology,
		instead it should be Christology-missiology-ecclesiology. In the CRC we
		have addressed mission as an extension of the existing church structure.
		The most effective movements are developed by gathering people from
		the mission field, discipling them and then forming structures that meet
		the needs of these specific groups of people.

	4	- We fight against the idea that the apostolic mission happens through the
		people of God. Every believer is an agent for the King and in the apostolic
		mission everyone gets to play. If everyone gets to play that we must have
		structures that allow each believer to participate in the apostolic mission.
		Once we form structures that require a long period of time or a certain
		amount of expertise and we limit a movements ability to grow.

Movements are stopped because, institutionally, we have set up a two-tiered
system: clergy and everybody else. When we lower the bar of control and increase
accountability it allows for the release of a movement.

	Fifth, we need to trust and follow the Spirit. He, in accordance with His
word, births a disciple-making movement that becomes an exponential movement
toward multiplication. There will be clusters of movement based upon the work of
the Spirit, the making of disciples who make disciples, and leaders who

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understand that multiplication is the target for every activity in the church. When
we see and sense the movement of the Spirit of God, we should be quick to join
what God is already doing (Stetzer 2014).

	Several things were happening at Discovery Church and I was learning
more about multiplication movements. With a growing church and a desire to
multiply I began moving the church leadership towards a structure that would
allow our church to continue to grow by multiplication and stay small by creating
a second site through the use of multisite. Disciple making, leadership
development, healthy structures and multiplication were the thoughts and
convictions that I had with our Elders and congregation. Unfortunately, we went
through the decline in membership which placed the whole idea of multiplication
on hold. With eleven years of healthy growth, strong discipleship, and leadership
development, it seemed to be the right next move. The next chapter will explore
my thoughts and my convictions regarding these topics.

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CHAPTER III:
PHILOSOPHY OF LEADERSHIP

	Jesus’ leadership style was to call disciples into a life of imitation and
transformation. As I think about my journey as a leader I look back at the
influence of godly men and women who have imitated Jesus. They modelled to
me what it means to be a disciple and how to be a humble leader. They taught me
how to think critically and to go deep so that the Holy Spirit might do the
transforming work necessary to deal with my character defects. I am grateful for
these men and women. I think specifically of my catechism teacher, my
professors at Bible College and seminary, my coach in church planting, and
especially my wife. Without these people pushing, evaluating, encouraging, and
inspiring me I would not be the leader that I am today.

	As leaders, our first calling is to become disciples of Jesus. A disciple
reflects and imitates the words, ways, and ministry of Jesus then they are called to
disciple others in the way that Jesus discipled (Hull 2004, 36). When we make
disciples, we are leading. Leadership is about moving a group of disciples toward
a vision. Discipleship implies taking someone to a destination. The job of the
leader is to create a vision and strategy for moving that existing group of potential
leaders and disciples toward a foreseeable future.

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	Over the years, I have become convinced that my role as a leader is to
develop leaders in a context where spiritual formation, character transformation,
and skill development are the primary actions. My belief is that character
transformation happens best in community. It is in community that the nature of
our relationship with God is explored in a setting that allows for discussion and
accountability (Breen 2011, 68-69). Skill development is also best done by
leaders who have themselves led. Leading by example and from experience is the
first step in skill development, the second step is debriefing the actions of a
disciple in skill development so that it can be practiced and refined. Once the skill
is mastered then the disciple can innovate based on their preferences and skills. It
is the role of the leader to provide information that leads to imitation and
eventually to innovation (Breen 2011, 48-49). Leaders are servants that give away
more than they keep. The model of servant leadership forms the basis for my
leadership approach. A biblical theology of leadership is rooted within a highly
relational community. It’s not a solo journey but an activity that is engaged in
with a community, not standing outside or over a community. Servant leadership
is shared. It’s not a hierarchical position that separates leaders from others. We
are each leader and follower interchangeably. Servant leadership promotes vision
but not the vision of one person. It is shared within community. Vision is not what
one person gives to another. It is a gift of God to a community. The
communication of God’s will happen within our relationships and flows out of a
highly relational community (Bell 2014, 355). I hold in tension the model of
transformational leadership because it fits my personality: I desire to motivate and

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inspire people to go deeper in their discipleship, provide charismatic and
visionary leadership, carry out the mission of the church, and disciple others.
Transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms people. It is
concerned with emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals.
Transformational Leadership includes assessing followers’ motives, satisfying
their needs, and treating them as full human beings. Transformational leadership
involves an exceptional form of influence that moves followers to accomplish
more than what is usually expected. It is a process that often incorporates
charismatic and visionary leadership

	My personal definition of leadership is: To be led by God to create a vision for a
future and lead a group of disciples towards this future while discipling existing
and potential leaders.

Leadership Theory

	As I have been exposed to various leadership theories, I have come to the
conclusion that I share the traits of two leadership theories that are most like my
personality and temperament. I also feel that the Lord has shaped my capacity and
leadership ability through the development of submission and humility. The two
leadership theories that I most identify with are servant leadership and
transformational leadership.

Servant Leadership

	Servant leadership is a model of leadership and the method that is most
prominent in the life of Jesus. Jesus set the tone for servant leadership when He
described His mission in Mark 10:45: Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came
not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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The characterization of Jesus as the “suffering servant” from Isaiah 53 and His
own descriptions of Himself as being sent by His Father to do His will (John
17:20) are indications that Jesus believed His mission to be that of a servant.

	I believe that Jesus is our ultimate example and the example that I must
base my leadership on. The idea of servant leadership is spread throughout the
scriptures. Jesus’ servant leadership style can be seen in His treatment of
marginalized individuals during His time on Earth. He spent time with people that
others would consider untouchable or unclean. Only a servant mentality could
explain why Jesus spent the time He did with social and religious outcasts. Some
examples include healing the lepers, valuing women (John 4), and casting out
demons from a Gentile woman’s daughter (Mark 7:24-30). He also took a
servant’s posture when He washed the disciple’s feet (John 13:1-12).

	One of the characteristics of servant leadership is the willingness to submit
to a higher moral authority. Although some current philosophies may claim that
there is no moral authority and there is no standard upon which to base the moral
requirements for leadership (Burns, Shupe, and Simmons 2014, 115), servant
leadership assumes there is a moral authority. This is the basis for all
transformation. If we are to serve others in leadership one of the key components
of that task is to move people toward Christ’s likeness. This requires an
understanding of ethics and morality as they relate to our Christian theology. A
moral authority is the standard upon which we base transformation, whether we
are in the church or not. As a Christian, we understand this to be a submission to
Christ and His leadership. Jesus Himself submitted to His heavenly Father on

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several occasions, in doing so He modelled the idea of submission in servant
leadership. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father to
“let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done,
not mine” (Matthew 26:39).

	I believe that Jesus modelled servant leadership and it is in the last forty
years that there has been a desire to reclaim servant leadership as a leadership
model. Robert Greenleaf (1904-1990) in his seminal work The Servant as
Leader, first published in 1970, gives us the beginnings of a definition on servant
leadership:

	The Servant-Leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that
	one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to
	aspire to lead... The best test, and difficult to administer is this: Do those
	served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier,
	wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves to become
	servants? And what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will
	they benefit, or at least not further be harmed? (Greenleaf 1977, 7)

The practice of servant leadership should always address whether people are
growing in their faith and being empowered for faithful service. This is the
discipleship journey. In his survey of servant leadership theory and research,
Dierendonck suggests that there are six characteristics of servant leaders that can
be extrapolated from the various theories and models on servant leadership,
“Servant-leaders empower and develop people; they show humility, are authentic,
accept people for who they are, provide direction, and are stewards who work for
the good of the whole” (Dierendonck 2011, 1232).

	This approach to leadership challenges our traditional beliefs about
leadership and influence. Servant leadership emphasizes that leaders should be

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attentive to the needs of followers, empower them, and help them develop their
full human capacities. The servant leader makes the conscious choice to serve
first-to place the good of the follower over the leader’s self-interest. The goal of
the servant leader is to give up control rather than seek it. Servant leaders do not
dominate, direct, or control. Instead, they share control and influence. This is
accomplished by building strong relationships that are empathetic and ethical and
serve the greater good of the organization.

	Peter Northouse, after reviewing Greenleaf’s servant leadership writings
lists ten major characteristics of servant leadership: listening, empathy, healing,
awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to
the growth of people, and building community (Northouse 2016, 227, 253). In
some situations, leaders need to direct, create vision, and must have a concern for
the direction of an organization, including goalsetting. Servant leadership tends to
diminish the role of the leader in these categories because of the emphasis on
putting others first (Northouse 2016, 240). According to Northouse there are
seven behaviours of the servant leader:

	1	- Conceptualizing - understanding the organization and its purposes,
		complexities, and mission.

	2	- Emotional healing - being sensitive to the personal concerns and well-
		being of others.

	3	- Putting followers first - this is the defining characteristic of servant
		leadership.

	4	- Helping followers grow and succeed - making followers’ career-
		development a priority, including mentoring and coaching.

	5	- Behaving ethically - doing the right thing in the right way.

	6	- Empowering - sharing power with followers by allowing them to have
		control.

	7	- Creating value for the community - consciously and intentionally
		giving back to the community (Northouse 2016, 233-236).

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	My understanding and comprehension of servant leadership over the past
three years has grown from the study done during this doctoral process. As I
reflect on my previous leadership experience, there have been many years where I
have been more of a servant leader than I had imagined. I was engaged in
delegating responsibilities, serving the needs of others, creating a shared vision
with the leadership rather than relying on the singular vision that was proposed
when the church was planted. I have come to realize that servant leaders think
more about the kingdom of God than about myself or even Discovery Church. We
should be reluctant to advance the kingdom of God or accomplish Jesus mission if
we do not apply principles of servant leadership. Every true movement of Jesus’
mission would begin with where the leader’s heart is. I had to take the spotlight
off myself. As I have begun to shine that light on others, equipping others,
empowering them to be leaders and sharing the development of vision I have
begun to model servant leadership.

Transformational leadership

	Transformational leadership is defined as a “leadership style with explicit
attention to the development of followers through individualized consideration,
intellectual stimulation, and supportive behavior” (Dierendonck 2011, 1235).
When a leader is respected and trusted enough to be imitated that leader then has
the ability to motivate others. In doing so, a transformational leader will invite
innovation and encourage creativity. They will also pay attention to each
individual’s need for achievement and growth by acting as a coach or mentor
(Ledbetter, Banks, and Greenhalgh 2016, 8). This definition of transformational

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leadership is comparable to that of servant leadership. There is one aspect of
transformational leadership, the charismatic side of idealized influence, which
raises the question: for whom or for what do followers grow? This is where
servant leadership and transformational leadership differ. The focus of
transformational leaders is the organization. The personal growth of followers is
seen within the context of what is good for the organization and a desire to
perform better. There is an obvious risk of manipulation to achieve organizational
goals or to meet the leader’s personal goals. Transformational leadership leads to
the problem of narcissism when a narrow focus on the short-term goals of the
leader may lead ultimately to long-term disastrous consequences for the follower
(Dierendonck 2011, 1235).

	The largest difference, according to Dierendonck, between servant
leadership and transformational leadership theories is that servant leadership
focuses on humility, authenticity, and interpersonal acceptance and
transformational leaders use inspiration to focus on the objectives of the
organization. Servant leaders focus more on concern for their followers by
creating conditions that enhance their followers’ wellbeing and facilitate a shared
vision. Servant leaders must trust the followers to do what is necessary for the
organization. “Servant-leaders are perceived as focusing more on the needs of the
individual; their allegiance lies more with the individual than with the
organization, while the opposite indeed holds for transformational leaders”
(Dierendonck 2011, 1235).

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	As I reflect on the journey towards multisite prior to the crisis in 2017, I
would say that I was functioning more as a transformational leader. I was more
focused on the needs of the organization and using my ability to inspire others to
continue to move towards multiplication. After accepting that the multisite
journey would have to be shelved due to the leadership and financial crisis, I
would say that I began functioning more within the scope of the servant leader.
There were pastoral issues, personality conflicts, and a large group of people who
were hurt or disillusioned by the circumstance we found ourselves in. This
required us to focus a substantial amount of time and energy on pastoral care in
discipleship. There was a time when I had to realize that there was nothing more
that I could do and that I needed to trust in the willingness of the individuals to
move towards a new future.

Humility, Authority and Submission

	My personal leadership journey can be described as one of submitting to
Jesus. I had believed in Jesus as my Saviour, but it wasn’t until much later that I
submitted my life to His leadership. My leadership journey also required that I
submit myself voluntarily to the oversight and accountability of someone that I
trusted. Before going further, I think it would be wise to address the concept of
authority, submission, and humility. I use these words regularly and without some
clarity around my use of these words there will be some misunderstanding.

	In any organization a leader must have authority in order to carry out goals
and vision. What I mean by authority is the structural powers to lead an

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organization: the power to hire and fire, set directions, approve budgets, and
overrule colleagues when there is a disagreement. In a church context, this is the
delegated authority that comes from Jesus: our ability to influence others to
follow Jesus Christ and to cast vision and set strategy for the growth of the church
and the expansion of the kingdom of God. This is one of the trickiest aspects of
leadership as it can very quickly become about power if not approached with the
proper character. Jesus only use in relationship to power was to give power away.
Jesus consistently modelled a community leader capable of sharing rather than
grasping at power. Jesus mentored the disciples in that very same way.
Communities of faith will thrive on shared and decentralized power. “This idea of
power-sharing includes mentoring, delegating authority, sharing decision-making,
preparing successors, and fostering independence about members rather than
either dependence of, or dependence upon, a dominant leader (Bell 2014, 348).”
A proper use of authority comes by examining the relationship between God the
Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. God the Father is described as our King; He has
authority and power. The Bible speaks of Him ruling with splendor and majesty
(1 Timothy 6:15-16, Psalm 93:1-2). God the Father delegates this authority to
Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ own words, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus then sends us, as one who has received
delegated authority, to carry out the work that Christians are called to accomplish
(Mark 16:15, John 20:21). The unique characteristic of this authority is seen in the
way in which Jesus accepts authority from His heavenly Father.

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	Jesus accepts this authority from God the Father by submitting to God’s
will, humbling Himself, and being willing to carry out God’s plan (Matthew
26:39, Philippians 2). This act of submission was not one of coercion but was
characterized by humility and a willingness to voluntarily bring one’s will under
the direction and supervision of another. It is the willingness to hold power in
service of others that characterizes this type of authority. This is a description of
servant leadership at its finest. In his book, Servants & Friends Skip Bell
describes servant leadership as it relates to humility:

	Over and over, Jesus sought to drive home the truth that leadership is
about servanthood by using two terms-diakonos and doulos-and their derivatives.
The first term captures and conveys the idea of serving, as in serving tables, and
connotes humility and attitudes associated with service. The second conveys
service grounded in obedience rendered because one has given up certain rights,
willingly or otherwise (Bell 2014, 279).

	Servant leadership and discipleship require this kind of submission and
humility. I suggest that we submit to a disciple-maker or leader, but as an act of
humility done voluntarily. Appropriate and informed humility is the act of
someone voluntarily and willingly placing themselves under the leadership of
another. Healthy servant leadership requires the followers to trust the leader while
still having the choice to remove themselves from under that person’s leadership
if necessary or desired. This act of submission facilitates a posture of learning and
willingness to set aside a personal agenda or way of thinking so that discipleship
or leadership development can take place. I believe this models Jesus’ humility

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when He voluntarily submitted Himself to the will of His heavenly Father for the
good of others.

	The apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians chapter 5 describes spirit guided
relationships as “submit(ing) to one another out of reverence for Christ”
(Ephesians 5:21). The word submit, hypotasso, in Greek means “arrange under.”
Submission is a crucial ingredient in Christian living, especially in the leader. In
the church of Corinth, Christians were asked to submit themselves to workers
who had made themselves servants to the church-they were asked to submit to
servants. Likewise, prophets were to submit to other prophets (1 Corinthians
14:32; 16:16). The apostle Paul appointed leaders and overseers wherever he
went, and this idea of submission is included in the role of leader and overseer.
Submission is a very important theme for the writers of the New Testament
because it describes the “self-giving love, humility, and willingness to die that are
demanded of all Christians.” (Snodgrass 1996, 292).

	I will use the word submit and submission many times and I want to be
clear that the word is not being used in relation to giving up power or when
someone submits, they lose the ability to choose or remove themselves from the
authority of a leader. The leader is called to submit to the disciple and the disciple
is called to submit to the leader knowing that each person is making a conscious
choice to set aside their agenda for the other, giving themselves to be discipled or
lead. It’s my position that mutual submission, done voluntarily with a humble
posture, provides the best context for life transformation and leadership growth.
From many of the one-on-one interviews conducted for the Appreciative Inquiry

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there were comments about mentoring, discipleship, and coaching provided by the
pastoral staff that had transformed the lives of the individuals being interviewed.
These were indications of some of the best and most transformative things that
Discovery Church had offered to them in their lives. A disciple who submits
themselves to a disciple-maker voluntarily with a humble posture is much more
likely to be transformed by the words of Jesus then than if they had not thought
through the process of submission. Inasmuch as a disciple submits to a disciple or
leader the leader must also submit to the disciple. This is mutual submission
(Ephesians 5:21). I believe that many leaders don’t voluntarily submit because it
leaves them open to critique, criticism, and feedback.

The Character of a Leader

	As I have grown in my own leadership ability, I recognize that there have
been times and spaces when God has had to work out some of my character
defects. As I relate to this subject, I recognize that because I have been willing to
do the hard work of reflection, I have seen God grow my leadership ability.
During my reflection I have identified and come to understand my emotions,
addressed my past mistakes, forgiven and received forgiveness, and become
aware of the Gospel of grace in my brokenness. I believe there is a direct
relationship between the transformation of character and the ability to lead well.
Great leaders have taken the time to address their character defects.

Humility is one of the foundational character qualities of leadership

	When identifying potential leaders and performing the tasks of leadership,
humility is an essential character quality. Without humility, power can be used

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and abused for the sake of the leader or the institution rather than for the benefit
of people in their journey of discipleship. “Humility is the noble choice to forgo
your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others
before yourself. More simply, you could say the humble person is marked by a
willingness to hold power in service of others” (Dickson 2009, 24). When
combined with other leadership aspects I believe that humility enhances the
ordinary and makes the great even greater. If leadership is influence, then
humility is the way that influence is best communicated.

	I have had several occasions when a skilled leader shows up at our church
wanting to step into a place of leadership. My first concern is not their skills but
rather their character, and the best indicator of good character is humility and
teachability. I will often ask this skilled leader to serve in an area that requires
humility such as usher, greeter, hospitality, or set up. Their willingness to do these
things even though they are more skilled and qualified for other leadership
positions tells me that they are humble enough to be used in whatever capacity is
needed. If a leader is not willing to humble themselves to serve others this is an
indication that humility is not a part of their character. The apostle Paul describes
the selfless actions of Jesus as an example of humility. He counsels people to be
humble and think of others first, to look out for the interests of others not just
themselves, and to have the same attitude as Jesus did when “he gave up his
divine privileges; taking on the humble position of a slave and was born as a
human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in

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obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8
NLT).

	Without humility, a person with a great amount of skill is a problem
waiting to happen, being unable to manage their character defects and are usually
toxic to an organization. A person without humility, being toxic in nature, will
come on too strong when they first meet you and will be overly positive. They
will try to give you advice during your first contact or meeting. When someone
leads off with a lot of advice when you first meet them, it may be an indication
that they are not humble. When you do not know a person well and they want to
tell you how to do things or how things should be done, it may also be an
indication of a lack of humility. This is not to say that making changes or doing
things well isn’t important, yet doing these things within the context of a
relationship is different than being offered advice without relationship. Toxic
people are often trying to be the centre of attention and they will tell you what
they think about their amazing track record and accomplishments in order to get
your attention (Sampson 2012, 79-91). This is the opposite of humility. They tend
to be very vocal when you first meet them and try to be far too influential in the
first month of your relationship. They also likely have a track-record of moving
around from church to church because of a “problem” they’ve had at another
church (Nieuwhof 2013).

Leadership Is the Crucible of Character

	I still remember when I read the book Courageous Leadership by Bill
Hybels for the first time (I have since read it three or four more times as I go

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through it with leaders I’m mentoring). The first lesson that I learned reading this
book was about the three Cs of team selection. The first C is character, the second
C is competence, and the third C is chemistry. Hybels states that you should
always put character above competence. The occasional lapse in competence can
be accepted, however, lapses in character create problems with far-reaching
implications. He describes character as being confident in a person’s walk with
Jesus Christ, their commitment to spiritual disciplines, and evidence of honesty,
teachability, humility, reliability, healthy work ethic, and a willingness to be
entreated (Hybels 2002, 81). It is unfortunate that these words of Hybels about
character now stand in contrast in light of the scandal that surrounds some
questions of his honesty and humility.

Character

	One of the leadership qualities Bill Hybels talks about is character. He
suggests that a commitment to spiritual disciplines is an indicator of a healthy
leader. It is in our time with God that we understand how to imitate our Saviour
which shapes our character (Hybels 2002, 81).

	In his book Building Leaders, Aubrey Malphurs outlines some
qualifications for a potential leader:

	1	- They are a Christian.

	2	- They are a person of good character. The character qualifications need to
		be determined based upon each leadership level.

	3	- They are a person of good reputation in the community.

	4	- They are teachable. If the person thinks they know it all this is usually a
		sign of some deeper emotional issue.

	5	- They are committed. People show their commitment through church
		membership and ministry involvement.

	6	- They can agree with the ministry’s statements of core value, mission,
		vision, strategy, and doctrine.

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	7	- They are a person with good personal habits and background (Malphurs
		and Mancini 2004, 136-137).

	In his book, The Emotionally Healthy Leader, Peter Scazzero describes an
unhealthy leader as “someone who operates in a continuous state of emotional and
spiritual deficit, lacking emotional maturity and a ‘being with God’ insufficient to
sustain their ‘doing for God’” (Scazzero 2015, 25). The ability of leaders to lead
larger and larger groups of people is directly proportionate to the willingness of a
leader to go deep with God and tackle issues of emotional maturity and spiritual
deficit. For the apostle Paul, character was one of the fundamental aspects of
choosing overseers in the church (1 Timothy 3:2-3).

Competence

	Hybels describes competence as the second area that will allow a leader to
lead at different leadership capacities. Some people have natural skills that they
were born with and others need training, mentoring, and education in order to
learn the skills that are required to lead larger and larger groups of people (Hybels
2002, 83). Malphurs and Mancini outline four core competencies for any leader:
character, knowledge, skills, and emotions. They would include character in the
competencies that are required of a leader (Malphurs and Mancini 2004, 147-
150). Some of the necessary character qualities that we should look to are found
in 2 Timothy 2:2 such as trustworthiness and teachability. We also look to
passages such as 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 which provide the
characteristics for Elders.

	The second core competency is the leader’s intellect or their ability to
acquire and process content or information. This competency is really based upon

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knowing what to do. It is reasonable to assume that there would be different
knowledge competency levels for different ministries or leadership capacities.
Some general competencies would include knowing themselves and their gifting,
knowing people and how they function, knowing how to study the Bible and how
to pray, having a degree of organization and strategy, and agreeing with their
organization’s core statements.

	The third core competency is skill. Leaders have to be able to put into
practice what they learn. At some point a leader has to act and if they are going to
be a leader must be able to lead. Some of those skills include how to cast vision,
pray, discover and develop core ministry values, develop a ministry mission
statement and strategy, and teach and preach the Bible or a Sunday school lesson.
Some relational skills would include knowing how to listen, encourage, mentor or
coach, resolve conflicts, network, counsel, motivate, take risks, problem solve,
and build trust. In my opinion, if leaders are going to lead groups of 10-50 people,
they should exhibit most of these skills in order to lead well.

	The fourth competency is emotions. Leaders emotions reflect what they
feel. It will affect his or her mood. A leader’s mood is very contagious and
spreads very quickly throughout a ministry. A good mood characterized by
optimism and inspiration affects people positively. It is also important to create a
climate for ministry leaders that exemplify the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21;
Malphurs and Mancini 2004, 147-151).

	Competence is based upon the nature of the skills necessary for that
leadership position. It requires an awareness of temperament, natural abilities, and

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spiritual gifts. Competence is also often equal to a person’s work ethic. If
someone is not able or willing to work hard, they will not grow the skills
necessary to become competent. It requires a willingness to risk and a willingness
to learn new skills. The apostle Paul also highlights competency when he suggests
that that an overseer should not be a new believer and that an overseer should be
“tested”. He goes on to suggest that people outside the church should speak well
of that person’s character (1 Timothy 3:6-8).

	I think there is an additional reason that character is important. When we
are “pressed” under the stresses and burdens of leadership, what comes out
because of the pressure is character. If there are character flaws they will be
amplified under pressure. If there are good character qualities, they too will be
amplified under pressure. Every leader must go through a journey of personal
transformation by coming face-to-face with their character.

	At three years old, one of our children got into the habit of plopping down
on the floor, screaming and crying, when they didn’t get their way. As parents, we
knew that we had to refuse to respond to this negative behaviour. One of my
mantras during that time was, “Will crying getting you what you want?” When
the inevitable answer came, “No!” we would often answer by asking, “Then why
do you keep doing it?” Too often leaders keep doing the same things and when
they do not succeed, they try harder, thinking that it will produce different results.
The problem many leaders have is that they haven’t taken the time to reflect on
their own behaviour. An action reflection model of discipleship and mentoring
will help potential leaders go through the process of reflecting on their actions to

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see their character defects. This kind of discipleship and mentoring can provide
spaces for action reflection so that a leader can learn the process for further
character development. Our behaviour is based on our character and any flaws in
our character only amplify poor behaviour. Character transformation happens best
as we look inside at our willingness to obey Christ (Harrington, Creech, and
Taylor 2003, 7). Our capacity to lead will be in direct proportion to our
character’s reflection of Jesus Christ.

	Character, not competency, determines your capacity. Character matters
because you bring who you are into everything you do. Your character determines
the kind of leader you will be, but also the kind of husband you will be, parent
you will be, and even friend you will be (Nieuwhof 2016). Even the most skilled
person on the planet will not have any followers if the people following you don’t
trust you, like you, or want to imitate you. I believe that the depth of your
character will determine the capacity of your leadership. Without character
transformation your capacity to lead will suffer and stagnate.

Chemistry

	The third “C” is Chemistry. Chemistry is the intangible nature of relational
fit with the leaders and the team (Hybels 2002, 84-85). One of the things I now
ask myself is, “Do I have an immediate positive reaction to this person and how
they interact with the team?” Much of my time will be spent with a few people
engaging in kingdom causes that I need to know that I am going to enjoy the
relationship and that connection helps me rely on and motivate a team.

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Leadership

	Where do leaders come from? Are leaders born or are they made? The
Trait Perspective of leadership (Northouse 2016, 7) suggests that some people are
just born to be leaders; they have characteristics and qualities that separate them
from others. They may be extroverted, intelligent, or have unique physical
characteristics, like height, that predispose them to be leaders. Conversely, there
is the process view of leadership where leadership can be observed in the
behaviours of a leader and it can be learned (Northouse 2016, 7). Yet there still is
the idea that God gives a unique and special gift of leadership through the power
of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:8). Some leaders in the church lean toward
leadership models that are not grounded in the scriptures, likewise, there are
leaders in the church that are so focused on biblical models that they are unable to
see the benefits that leadership outside of the church have to offer.

	Leadership must always start with discipleship. I believe that too many
leaders in the church have not paid enough attention to the discipleship process.
When we do that, we neglect our purpose. The role of a leader, the purpose of a
leader, and the actions of a leader are to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-
20). Without discipleship we will not have a process to develop more leaders. One
of the mistakes I made early in my ministry was to neglect discipleship. This led
to me using the existing leaders to lead the organization without providing a
means to develop new leaders as the organization grew. As the organization grew,
the original leaders became overburdened and many stepped out of leadership. It
was then left to me to fill the gap. It was not long after that that I experienced
burn-out as a leader.

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Disciple

	A philosophy of leadership must begin with what it means to be a disciple.
Very simply, a disciple is a learner who is to become like his or her teacher (Luke
6:40). The word disciple in Greek is mathetes, which means a learner. A learner
is one who follows and imitates someone else’s teaching. Therefore, a disciple is
not only a learner who follows but also one who imitates (Vine, Unger, and White
1985, 171). The journey of becoming a disciple starts with submitting to a teacher
who teaches him or her to follow Jesus. This is an act of humility and
vulnerability. By submitting to a teacher voluntarily, because one trusts them, one
allows oneself through humility and vulnerability to learn and be willing to apply
what one is learning about Jesus.

	Through this process a disciple learns Jesus’ words, Jesus’ way of
ministry, and imitates Jesus’ life and character. This comes full circle when the
disciple finds and teaches other disciples for Jesus (Hull 2004, 36). The purpose
of discipleship is to go deeper with God and to be shaped into the image of Christ,
because character is developed in community. Making disciples is a leadership
development process. When someone hears the call of Jesus to “Come, follow
me” (Mark 1:17) they begin the journey of transformation that takes men and
women under the leadership of Jesus. This transforms them into effective spiritual
leaders who contribute to the mission of God’s kingdom.

	Disciple making is the process of teaching this new convert to be obedient
to the teachings of Jesus. While leadership is always a part of the process of
disciple making at this point leadership plays a significant role in making sure that
a disciple is looking to Jesus as the ultimate leader and example. As a result of

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Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, love, mercy, and justice we teach the new convert
to obey so that they can forgive someone, love someone, show mercy, or stand up
against injustice.

There are five aspects to disciple making that are crucially important.

	1	- Voluntarily submit to the teaching of a disciple-maker/mentor who teaches
		them to follow Jesus. Character is developed in the community and that
		development begins with mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21). Paul taught
		that submission is for everyone and it was the evidence of being filled
		with the Spirit. When we have a trusted disciple-maker who was willing to
		submit, we have a setting of mutual submission and humility that allows
		things that have been hidden in the darkness to come to light.

	2	- Learn Jesus’ ways of ministry.

	3	- Learn Jesus’ words.

	4	- Model Jesus’ life and character.

	5 	- Find and teach other disciples, become a disciple-maker (Hull 2004, 36).

Discipleship is the context through which leadership functions. Leadership in the
church, at its basic level, is leading one person into a fuller understanding and
knowledge of what it means to be a disciple, and at its most complicated level, is
leading a group of people in an organization or church into a fuller understanding
and knowledge of what it means to be a disciple. Without disciples there is no one
to lead.

	Unfortunately, discipleship in the church has typically only focused on
learning Jesus’ words, way of ministry, and imitating His life and character. In my
experience it rarely includes submitting to a teacher who teaches them to follow
Jesus or finding and teaching other disciples of Jesus. It was my experience and
the experience of many of my peers in ministry that we were left to our own
devices in figuring out how to be a disciple of Jesus. Is it any wonder that we have
a lack of leadership in the church? Without submitting to a teacher or being

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willing to find and teach others, we cannot continue to grow the body of Christ. I
have often said that the role of a leader is to produce more leaders. Otherwise, I
will always be the one standing in front of a group of people teaching them Jesus’
ways, words, and how to imitate Him. By developing leaders, I can move from an
inadequate model of leadership that is based upon my capacity to disciple to a
leadership model of reproduction in which new leaders are developed and have
the capacity to lead because they have submitted to a leader who has shown them
what it means to be a disciple; a leader who required them to lead others.

	It’s more likely in these changing times that we see #1 and #5, from the
list above, included in the discipleship process or system but too often we only
see disciple-making systems that focus on 2-4, learning Jesus’ way, learning
Jesus’ words and modelling Jesus’ life and character. While I believe that these
are the crucial parts of making a disciple, they do not include reproduction.
Unless you are willing to submit yourself to the teaching of a disciple-maker who
teaches them to follow Jesus and then be willing to do the same for others, we risk
losing the ability to reproduce ourselves as followers of Jesus. I believe that these
five aspects of disciple-making provide a template for a multiplying movement -
disciples who learn to become disciples who make disciples.

	The results of this kind of disciple-making takes the people of the church
who have been discipled and provide them with the capacity and the capability to
disciple others with simple rhythms that can be reproduced easily. This will add
numerically to the growth of the church and provide a healthy growing maturing

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congregation as disciples remain in groups to be discipled. This is effective
multiplication.

Rhythms

	What are the rhythms that are appropriate for these five aspects of
disciplemaking? There are many different theories and systems that could be
applied to this question. The CRC through Faith formation has provided
appropriate information, many other disciple-making movements have identified
specific systems. But what I am most interested in are the rhythms that flow from
the process of disciplemaking.

	Action reflection is a model of mentoring that is used successfully to
develop specific skills within a group of people without dangerously creating a
hierarchy between disciple and disciplemaker.

	The model was developed during a time when mentors were facing
	criticism for taking too much control over the student teachers’ practicum.
	It was assumed that the student teachers had to follow the mentor’s
	wishes, since the final certification of teacher candidates was ultimately
	the mentor’s decision. As a result, some were of the opinion that the
	teacher education primarily produced dependent teachers (Skagen
	2004:31). The action-reflection model was hence developed as a
	counterbalance to a hierarchical tradition of apprenticeship, which was
	central in the Norwegian teacher education through to until the late 1980s
	(Baltzersen. CC BY 4.0)

	We must be careful that we don’t reinforce the clergy-parishioner model
in our mentoring. That the pastor has a higher, more spiritual position in the
mentoring relationship. I believe that a more accurate reflection of disciple-
making is that of servant leadership, where the leader is looking out for the needs
of the follower and they become more important than the needs of the leader.

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Servant leaders provide vision and accountability as well as looking out for the
spiritual well-being of their followers (Northouse 2016, 238).

The main idea of the action-reflection model is to provide information
during a structured environment where new information is introduced and

explained in a leadership
cohort. This becomes the
foundation for each of the
cohorts. The leaders then
explain how this
information was modelled
by Jesus and has worked out
in their life. This is the act of imitation, in the life of Jesus and the leader. Next
comes competency using that information. This is facilitated by providing action
steps to be taken between cohorts that will then be reflected upon at the next
cohort. This provides accountability and the ability to innovate based upon the
information provided at the previous cohort.

	Any system for making disciples that you use will have aspects of the five
listed above. Any system you choose can be adapted and developed and they will
at some point address each of these main discipleship formation ideas. Once the
church decides on a system (e.g. life shapes, radical mentoring, discipleship
huddles, small groups) then the reproducing of disciples can begin. It’s been my
experience that when you take a group of eight disciples through this process, that
2-3 people in the group would become active disciple-makers. The rest would

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become occasional disciple-makers. This rhythm of information-imitation-action-
reflection can be used with any material around disciple-making.

	It’s my contention that once we figure out a disciple-making system that’s
reproducible it can then be modelled for a leadership development process that
leads to multiplication. It’s also important to continue to use the information-
imitation-action-reflection-innovation rhythm for the development of leaders. As
we will see the research in chapter IV will show that Discovery highly values
discipleship and the mentoring that they received over the years. This is also part
of my values that I will expand on below.

Biblical Disciples and Kingdom Capacity

	Those who follow principles of biblical leadership must make a major
philosophical distinction in their disciple-making journey. It is my belief that
without a philosophy that focuses on disciples who make disciples one will have
great difficulty moving a congregation or group of people toward multiplication
and the development of kingdom capacity. Without an emphasis, from the
beginning, on the philosophy of discipleship that includes disciples who makes
disciples we will end up with cultural Christians who are more interested in what
they receive from the congregation than what they can give. Discipleship has
many phases. In the early phases of disciple making there is character formation,
spiritual formation, and the development of spiritual disciplines. Without the
added emphasis on developing disciples who can then go and make other
disciples, we will end up with a group of Christians who are dependent upon the
leadership of others to facilitate greater spiritual growth and transformation.

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Figure 1 Cultural Christians or biblical disciples. From Wilson, Todd, Dave Ferguson, Alan
Hirsch, and Ed Stetzer. 2015. Becoming a Level Five Multiplying Church: Field Guide. p. 56.
Used with permission.
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 1 details. ]

	Will we make disciples that are cultural consumers that become part of our church
in order to be fed? This kind of Christian always needs someone else to provide
them with spiritual sustenance, they rarely commit to sharing their faith with
others, and if they do, they do so out of a conversion rather than training. Or will
we make disciples who are capable of making disciples? The difference in our
approach will set the DNA for multiplication. Our responsibility is to bring them
into a relationship with Jesus, that is characterized by obedience, in such a way
that they could bring someone else through the same journey all on their own.

	Prior to the two-year launch of the multisite strategy we as a church had
gone through a leadership development process. Out of that leadership
development four new ministries were started at Discovery Church. This is one of
the reasons why we saw such an increase in our attendance over the three years
prior to going into a multisite strategy. After losing all of those individuals in the
Summer of 2017 we found ourselves having to focus and dig deep into
discipleship once again. We had lost many leaders, therefore, we also needed to

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move those disciples through several stages of their discipleship journey so that
they may begin, and have a desire, to make disciples themselves. The
Appreciative Inquiry highlighted the need for a time of healing and a time of
discipleship.

	Instead of creating cultural Christians, what would it look like to create
new Christians who grew in their faith? What would it look like in our church,
and the world at large, if we were producing modern-day disciples-those who
were so devoted to Jesus that they left their ordinary lives to follow him and
eventually died for spreading the Gospel (Wilson, Ferguson, Hirsch, and Stetzer
2015, 67)? Multiplication requires disciple-making to be its primary engine. It is
at this stage when multiplication becomes part of the DNA of discipleship.

	How you do disciple-making will determine whether or not you will have
a group of people that naturally move toward developing your kingdom capacity.
Multiplication happens when disciples believe that their journey through growth
and maturity is to disciple other people into spiritual growth and maturity. As
disciples become more like Jesus with His fullness in them, they carry that
fullness to others and help bring new spiritual infants into the family. The process
repeats and fuels itself. Biblical disciples reproduce while cultural Christians
consume, and thus we see the importance of prioritizing the production of biblical
disciples.

	The relationship between discipleship and multiplication lies in the way in
which we understand and develop leaders. The same rhythms for disciple-making
would then be applied to the leadership development process. In addition, if we

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use the same format for disciple-making that was listed above, we can see that the
general aspects to developing leaders follow a similar pattern.

	1	- Leaders reproduce leaders. Unless a leader is willing to submit themselves
		to another leader for leadership development and there is a mutual
		submission amongst the group of leaders, then character formation and
	learning may not identify true growth areas.

	2	- Leaders learn Jesus' way of ministry and apply it in the leadership context.

	3	- Leaders learn Jesus’ words.

	4	- Leaders model Jesus’ life and character. This helps to identify passion and
		calling.

	5	- A maturing leader who exhibits humility and teachability should be
		willing to find and mentor new leaders not for organizational gain but
		for kingdom multiplication.

	Assuming that the leaders in this process listed above were discipled in the
process described earlier, they would have the rhythm of learning from a disciple-
maker and being challenged to go and disciple others. It would be a hallmark of
their leadership ability if they were able to show that they had been discipling
others whether individually or one-on-one. This multiplication mentality would
then become part of the leadership development pipeline in any organization. The
expectation already set in disciple-making would become the expectations in
leadership development.

	Mentoring leaders would challenge new leaders to grow, become more
like Jesus, look deeply at their character so that they could identify their character
defects. It would also help them identify their ministry passions and calling. The
emphasis will be placed on multiplying and kingdom growth. Leaders need to be
challenged in their leadership development to focus not just on the institutional
capacity building but on kingdom multiplication. If the result of disciple-making
is just to make one church bigger and better through the development of leaders

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then we have missed the call of the great commission. We’ve also missed the
opportunity to build kingdom capacity. We can do more when we multiply than
when we add individually.

	Healthy growth also involves reproduction. Capacity must be reproduced.
Locally, we grow our capacity by reproducing internally. This expanding capacity
supports the discipleship efforts. As a church we have seen growth by
reproducing our local capacity. We can then start new autonomous churches and
send or deploy biblical disciples. These new churches then repeat the process.
Multiplication is suppressed when we focus most of our effort on local capacity
(macro-addition) (Wilson, Ferguson, Hirsch, and Stetzer 2015, 66). As a church,
we had developed reproducing leaders who were also disciple makers. There were
four ministries that were very effective in bringing new people to the church,
seeing new conversions, and integrating dis-affiliated Christians back into a
church community. This led us to a place where we had sufficient leadership
capacity to move to kingdom growth capacity and the idea for multisite was
developed. In the Summer of 2017, we lost thirty adults and some very proficient
disciple makers and leaders. This led to our decision to focus and on making
disciples and eventually on developing new leaders. The results from the
Appreciative Inquiry workshop showed us that the participants were mostly
interested in the discipleship process rather than the multiplication process.

Vision and Mission

	Leaders are called to lead the congregation into a deeper, more vital
spirituality, to teach them how to listen for God’s call, and support them to sustain

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the interior silence out of which God speaks. It is when the corporate vision of a
church and the individual vision fit together that you actually have energy and
synergy towards a common vision. It is the role of the leaders in the church along
with the input of the congregation to identify a vision that is unique to the church
and her future.

	Vision is one of the indispensable qualities of a leader. The Bible tells us
that without vision people are “destined to run wild” (Proverbs 29:18). “Vision is
foresight with insight that is based on hindsight” (Barna 1992, 28). Vision is the
product of God working in us. God creates the vision, and we receive it—it
becomes a rallying point, a goal toward which we move as God’s people. The role
of leader in the visioning process is to develop a willingness to see what cannot
yet be seen with an ear towards what God is saying to the church. God speaks
softly and uses Kairos moments (a moment in time where God gets our attention)
that move us toward a desire that He placed within His church. “Vision for
ministry is a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God to his
chosen servants and is based upon an accurate understanding of God, self and
circumstances” (Barna 1992, 28).

	The skill that distinguishes visionary leaders from other leaders is “their
profound ability with language, often in symbolic form, as metaphor. It is not just
that they see things from a new perspective, but they get others to see them.”
(Shawchuck and Heuser 1998, 148). Leaders function in this environment by
helping to clarify the metaphor and giving the person responsible for

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communicating the vision feedback to ensure the message is not dull, flat, or
boring.

	The primary spiritual vision for the church is that of reconciliation (2
Corinthians 5:20). The church has a spiritual purpose that is invisible to the world.
The church exists to bring that message and example of reconciliation to the
world. We have chosen to focus that vision into a vision and mission statement so
that we can align all of our staff, ministries, and programs with clarity. These
ministries are all part of the vision statements of Discover Grow and Bless. In a
leaders meeting, the vision of the church is heard, shaped, synergized, and
empowered. Once the vision is heard it then begins to take shape. Synergy
develops as various components of the vision begin to emerge; then direction can
be established. The leaders are then entrusted with empowering others so that the
vision can be accomplished. This involves finance, personnel, and so on
(Fairbanks, Ii, and Couchenour 2012, 12).

	As a leader, it is our responsibility, to know the mission of our
organization with clarity. Leaders are the guardians of the mission and it is our
responsibility to safeguard the organization’s identity. An effective mission
statement states the results the organization intends to achieve, states who the
results are to be achieved for, and it states what the cost will be to achieve the
desired results for this group (Fairbanks, Ii, and Couchenour 2012, 22).

	Not only was it important to cast a clear and compelling vision for
multisite but it was also important to cast a clear and compelling vision for the
Appreciative Inquiry process. During the Appreciative Inquiry process I used the

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metaphor of plants that turn toward the sun no matter where they are located in
front of a window. Branson believes that organizations are heliotropic.
Heliotropism is a botanical term used to describe a plant’s orientation. Plants lean
toward the sun. He suggests that organizations also lean toward their source of
energy, especially if there is a hopeful, imaginative future (Branson 2016, 35).
Watkins, Mohr, and Kelly describe the reason this helps to cast vision for
Appreciative Inquiry:

	A fundamental precondition for all organization change work... (is) to
	shift the flow of issue framing dialogues in the direction of health rather
	than pathology. This, then, shifts the flow of dialogues that result from the
	inquiries from an analysis of moments of malfunction to a holistic
	understanding of moments of optimal performance (Watkins, Mohr, and
	Kelly 2011, 49).

The metaphor of a flower turning towards the sun gives a visual context of the
nature of Appreciative Inquiry; it focuses on the positive assets within the
congregation moving towards a positive future. When we focus on the positive it
is an intentional framing of the narrative (Branson 2016, 26).

Narratives and Teachings in The Bible

	We should take our cue for Christian leadership from Jesus himself. The
qualities of leadership Jesus modelled should be reflected in leaders today:
mission, service, humility, developing leaders, integrity, and vision (Bell 2014,
278-288). The following is a reflection on Jesus’ leadership inspired by Skip
Bell’s book, Servants and Friends. I will then look at the leadership ability of
Nehemiah as he led change to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Lastly, I will

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examine the life of the apostle Paul with regards to how he was discipled,
mentored, and grew in his leadership capacity.

Servant Leadership in the life of Jesus

	Jesus understood leadership to be grounded in His mission. His mission
shaped all that He did. It was His sense of mission that fuelled His passionate
pursuit of goals and objectives. “For I have come down from heaven to do the will
of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I
should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them
up at the last day” (John 6:38). After Jesus’ resurrection He gave us the same
mission that He received, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (John
20:21). Jesus then turned to His disciples before His ascension and told us our
mission, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to
obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you
always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

	Skip Bell’s book, Servants and Friends, lists five characteristics of servant
leadership that Jesus exhibited. He describes the five characteristics as servants,
humility, developing leaders, integrity, and vision.

	Servants - Jesus embodied what we know today as servant leadership.
Christ never overwhelmed people with His power and authority, instead He said,
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a
ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus drove home the theme that leadership is
servanthood.

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	Humility-The call to servant leadership is a call to humility. God calls the
humble, not the proud and self-important, into leadership (Luke 14:8-11). From
this passage Bell points out what it means to be humble:

	1	- To be free from selfish ambition and drive

	2	- To serve in whatever context God places us

	3	- To believe that God has called us not only to serve, but to lead

	4	- To take on the responsibility of advancing the mission of Jesus

	5 - To take joy in the success of others (Bell 2014, 281)

	Developing Leaders-Instead of holding onto power and authority Jesus
shared it with us. Jesus empowered others and entrusted them with leadership and
even allowed them to stumble and fail without condemning them. He even was
able to share whatever He had with those He led. Jesus developed leadership
abilities in every disciple. Even though He didn’t need it He built a leadership
team because effective leadership is not a solo venture. Because we are not
capable of fully imitating Jesus’ leadership capacity, He modelled leadership to a
multiplicity of leaders to carry out the mission. Jesus spent enormous amounts of
time mentoring His disciples: instructing, qualifying, and encouraging them for
service (Matthew 13; Mark 4:35-41; 10:32-34: Luke 14:26; 17:7-10; John 14)

	Integrity-Character is the most important element of Christian leadership.
History is littered with the human wreckage of leaders who lacked character and
derailed their leadership while hurting others around them. Jesus’ life was
characterized by transparency, authenticity, and honesty. He practised prayer,
which is the leader’s most effective tool in leading the church.

	Vision-Jesus was a master visionary especially when He was speaking of
a time when life would be radically different. He spoke about the kingdom of

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heaven and the kingdom of God helping us envision what heaven might be like.
Jesus came to earth to complete the mission that His heavenly father sent Him on
(Bell 2014, 278-288).

	These characteristics as outlined are the basis for servant leadership. I
have been growing into these characteristics or the most challenging
characteristics is to together a servant heart with vision casting. In serving a group
of people I am one member amongst many who share the Spirit of God and listen
to his voice. God’s vision for an organization must be considered through a
servant heart.

Leading Change-Nehemiah’s Leadership

	There is nothing from the book of Nehemiah that suggests that he was
anything other than an ordinary man that was highly motivated. Nevertheless,
Nehemiah emerges as one of the greatest leaders in the Old Testament because he
was highly motivated to do a job for God that had many difficult circumstances
surrounding it. What I learned most from the book of Nehemiah was his ability to
bring about change in an incredibly difficult situation. Nehemiah, as a
transformational leader, was able to inspire the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the
city’s walls. He motivates them and inspires them by getting involved himself in
casting an incredible vision of a protected and secured city. Nehemiah sets about
reforming the nation, and his actions lead to a revival in the people’s relationship
with God. Transformational leaders are willing to risk and learn from their
successes and failures. Nehemiah shows us his incredible ability to take a risk and
institute change.

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	One of the lessons we can learn from Nehemiah as a servant leader is his
reliance on prayer. He prayed for four months in preparation for the moment
when the King would ask the right question and allow him to cast vision for the
rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Many of these steps to change that we see in
the book of Nehemiah are talked about in John Kotter’s book, Leading Change.
The leadership principles for instituting large-scale change can be seen in the
efforts Nehemiah put into the call upon his life to rebuild the walls. He is able to
develop vision and implement a strategy by taking the time necessary to
understand the situation once he arrives in Jerusalem. In order to create a vision
for the rebuilding of the walls, Nehemiah needed to understand the problem by
surveying the city walls himself. On his return he casts a vision for the rebuilding
of the walls so that the city of Jerusalem will not be in disgrace (Nehemiah 2:17-
18).

	Nehemiah enlists the help of a guiding coalition to begin the work of
rebuilding the wall (Kotter 2012, 53). This coalition consists of officials, nobles,
priests, and Levites. One of the role models for the people of Jerusalem would
have been the High Priest. The first group to begin building the wall is done under
the supervision of the High Priest (Nehemiah 3:3). He then puts the priests
(Nehemiah 3:28) and the Levites (Nehemiah 4:17) to work as role models of the
behaviour that he expects.

	In order to continue to carry out the vision Nehemiah must remove some
obstacles (Kotter 2012, 106). He encountered opposition even before he arrived in
Jerusalem. When Nehemiah stays committed to the vision the sarcasm and threats

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of Sanballat and Tobiah become opposition that he must address. He first
experiences resistance from the people of Jerusalem because of the threat posed
by Sanballat, Tobiah the Ammonite, the Arabs and, the people of Ashdod
(Nehemiah 4:7-9). When he hears of the plot to come and fight against Jerusalem
and stir up trouble, Nehemiah prays to the Lord for wisdom and then posts a
guard at all the exposed places to protect the people while they worked on the
wall. He also developed a strategy of defense so that the people felt safer as they
rebuilt the wall (Nehemiah 4:15-23).

	Some of the obstacles that we dealt with as a church regarding the journey
to multisite was surrounding the development of new leaders. Many people were
skeptical about a medium size church becoming two churches when we already
had a challenge getting people to volunteer. When we explained that there would
be many shared ministries and that we would enter into a leadership development
process much, but not all, of the skepticism was removed.

	A second obstacle Nehemiah faced involved an issue of injustice that was
keeping the people from being committed to the vision. There was poverty,
excessive lending, and borrowing practices that are making it difficult for the
people to feed their families. He addresses this issue by confronting the officials
and nobles of Jerusalem about their practices and insisting on changes (Nehemiah
5:1-12).

	One of Nehemiah’s genius ideas was to create short-term wins so that the
people could see the evidence of the changes being instituted (Kotter 2012, 126).
By beginning the rebuilding of the walls and focusing on the various gates

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throughout the city, Nehemiah creates short-term wins that everyone can see and
get excited about (Nehemiah 3:1, 3, 6, 13). He also assigns the construction of
each section of the wall to people who live close by that section, thereby creating
a sense of excitement and short-term victory in the rebuilding process (Nehemiah
3:10, 28, 29, 30).

	Nehemiah and the people approach Ezra the priest to read the Book of the
Law of Moses at a citywide gathering (Nehemiah 8:1-2). He is able to anchor this
new vision of rebuilding the walls within the provisions of the Old Testament
promise of restoration after captivity (Deuteronomy 30:1-6). God promised to
bring back His people from captivity and bless them if they obeyed the law. After
the reading of The Book of the Law of Moses (Nehemiah 8:1) the people were
reminded that God would take care of His people and keep His promises
(Nehemiah 8:1-12).

	One of the hallmarks of servant leadership in Nehemiah is the willingness
to openly share credit with the other priests and nobles. Through listening and
challenging the community to openness and negotiation he was able to galvanize
a group of people around a God-given shared vision. Creating that shared vision
with the members of Discovery Church was a process of preaching,
communication from the design team and regular updates at members meetings.
Nehemiah gives a great example of how one can live in the role of servant leader
so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. “That means bringing
together multiple talents and building on them, a process that happens more

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readily when those who lead know they are part of a community with shared
mission, values, and ideas” (Bell 2014, 251).

	In preparing for the multisite journey I recognize that I was going to need
to find inspiration and direction for leading change. In preparation for the
multisite journey I enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program for help and
direction. This example of leading change from Nehemiah help me to understand
more clearly some of the steps in moving an organization to a new future.

Paul’s Discipleship and Leadership Journey

	Paul’s discipleship journey and the development of his leadership capacity
is descriptive of the journey that most leaders will have to go through. While his
discipleship and leadership journey cannot be prescriptive it does give us insights
into the stages of development of a leader. I will be drawing out some illustrations
from the life and journey of the apostle Paul as he grew in his discipleship and
leadership capacity. Paul’s life shows us that when we are thinking about planting
churches there are some preconditions for planting that are evident in the life of
Paul. The same conditions are required for successful church planters today.
Discipleship lessons and skill development are crucial in sending out equipped
church planters.

	It could be implied that Paul learned most of these things through his
mentoring from Barnabas. While nowhere in the scriptures does Paul give
recognition to Barnabas for his instruction in this area, Barnabas’ relationship
with Paul was important in preparing him for the mission field and planting
churches all throughout Asia and Europe. When Paul goes on his own missionary

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journeys, he learns many lessons about leadership development that every leader
must go through. These stages are not unique to Paul but are common among
everyone who grows in their leadership capacity.

Pre-Conversion discipleship

	Being born into a religiously observant Jewish family in Tarsus, Paul
could trace his ancestry from the tribe of Benjamin and was given the name Saul.
He was born in a Greek centre of culture. Nevertheless, he was brought up in
Jerusalem and trained in the school of Gamaliel “according to the strict
interpretation of our ancestral laws” (Acts 22:3). This kind of upbringing would
have given him a solid foundation in the Old Testament, provided extensive
theological education, and his family connections put him on a fast-track towards
rabbinic leadership.

	According to his own words, Paul was an active persecutor of the church
before he became a Christian. We could say without much of a doubt that Paul
believed that Yahweh was the God of Israel and that he saw himself as an
instrument in God’s hands to destroy this uprising. He tried to destroy this little
church with violence, and it was his zeal for the law and the traditions of Israel
that inflamed his zeal for persecution.

	The leadership development process in a church follows a similar path but
scaled down. One of the requirements for leadership development in the church
would be a commitment to Jesus Christ and some basics around personal spiritual
disciplines. We’re also looking for people who have had small experiences of
leading others whether that’s just in social situations or in ministry situations. The

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most common characteristic for a potential leader is character. Like Paul, we all
have to address our character defects and a willingness to be humble and
teachable are two of the primary characteristics of potential leaders.

Conversion and discipleship

	When Paul is confronted by Jesus on the Damascus road and his personal
encounter with Christ changes the course of his life, he becomes intent upon
proclaiming the Gospel. He responds to the call of the Gospel by travelling to the
nearby territory of the Nepean Arabs where he is confronted with his past. He is
in need of an advocate back in Jerusalem. Paul finds an advocate in Barnabas.
After two weeks he returns to his native Tarsus then spends almost three years
proclaiming the Gospel (Galatians 1:21-24). He is then invited by Barnabas to
join him in directing the new forward movement which had recently been
launched in Antioch. In essence, he is called to disciple the new converts (Acts
11:19-26). The role that Barnabas plays in the life of Paul cannot be overstated.
Barnabas, who was part of the early church already, quickly becomes a respected
leader among the new converts to Christianity (Acts 4:36). It is Barnabas that
introduces Paul to the Jerusalem leaders and, with the help of Barnabas, Paul is
invited into the centre of church life. It is interesting to note that the leaders in
Jerusalem sent Barnabas to pastor the fellowship in Antioch (Acts 11:22) and
under his guidance the church grew even more. By this point Paul had already
spent close to three years in Tarsus sharing the Gospel and seeing converts among
the Gentiles. Since Tarsus was nearby and Paul had become well known in the

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region for his evangelistic work, Barnabas invites him to join the work in
Antioch. Paul and Barnabas co-pastor the church there for one year (Acts 11:26).

	Paul is recognized as being someone who is able to disciple and submit to
the leadership of an existing organization. I imagine that during this time he
would have had to learn the lessons of being teachable and humble in order to
earn the trust of the church leadership after such a dramatic conversion. Paul
could not produce the credentials of the twelve disciples but was still an apostle
because of his Damascus road conversion experience, where he was confronted
by Jesus himself. It is only after he proves himself in leadership that the Jerusalem
church acknowledges his leadership and call of apostleship to the Gentiles
(Galatians 2:7-8).

	Paul’s ministry in the church of Antioch was mainly a Gentile audience
where he discipled and trained new converts. When the church in Antioch sent a
monetary gift to the church in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were appointed to
convey the gift (Acts 11:27-30). During this occasion Paul and Barnabas were
received by the leaders of the Jerusalem church, James, Peter and John and it was
agreed that Barnabas and Paul should continue to concentrate on the Gentile
mission.

Potential for mission

	When we look at Paul’s discipleship journey in preparation for the
missionary journeys that he undertook, we can recognize some principles that are
standard in the recruitment for church planters. When looking for potential church
planters we need to see evidence that someone has a conversion story, a

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discipleship journey that produces the capacity to make disciples, and the
affirmation of the local church in their leadership abilities. In order for Paul to
have ministry experience in the Gentile church of Antioch and have an
understanding of what the structure of the church might look like, Paul was given
a co-pastor role with Barnabas. This provided him with leadership experience in a
church setting under the guidance of Barnabas so that he could grow in his ability
to disciple Gentile converts who need discipling.

	We can see from Paul’s experience and his spiritual journey that he was
potentially ready for planting new churches. He had an authentic conversion
experience, he had some theological training, he was given opportunities to grow
in his relationship with God under the mentoring of Barnabas, he was given a
chance to develop the skill of evangelism, and he was provided a leadership
opportunity where he could prove that he was humble and teachable. In all of this
there had to have been evidence of the fruit of the Spirit of God preparing Paul to
meet the leaders in Jerusalem before being commissioned as apostles to plant
churches.

Paul’s relationship with John Mark

	While mentoring and discipling Paul, Barnabas was also mentoring and
discipling John Mark. On their first missionary journey Barnabas and Paul take
along another protege: John Mark. John Mark was already known in the Antioch
church and it seems that Barnabas had once again taken on another apprentice
(Acts 12:25, 13:5). He continued to train up leaders for the mission field. It
appears from the text that Paul was much further along in the mentoring process

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and this excursion with Barnabas may have been John Marks first exposure to
leadership development in the field. Barnabas went along on the first missionary
tour, but when Barnabas and Paul arrived in Pamphylia and climbed the
mountains towards Antioch of Pythia John Mark turned back. On the second
missionary journey Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark along again but Paul
refused (Acts 15:36-41). Luke records that there was a sharp disagreement
between them so that they separated from each other (Acts 15:39). Barnabas stood
his ground and defended John Mark and they eventually returned together to
Cypress while Paul went out on his own.

	This was not the end of their relationship with John Mark. Both Paul and
Barnabas seemed to have made amends and Paul spoke highly of Barnabas’
abilities as a preacher. It seems clear that Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark had a
longer working relationship than the book of Acts implies, because in the books
of 2 Corinthians and Philemon and 2 Timothy both Barnabas and John Mark had
reconciled with Paul.

	Paul, through his leadership journey from first missionary journey to
fourth missionary journey, not only learned through leadership development but
also learned how to mentor and, consequently, grew in his understanding of the
need to raise-up new leaders. We can see the connection between Barnabas’s
leadership development and mentoring strategy and that of Paul’s. Barnabas
provided Paul with discipleship training, ministry experience in Antioch, crisis
management and support during the Jerusalem Council, modelled for Paul the
necessity of raising up other leaders, and supported him on his first and second

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missionary journeys. When Barnabas defended John Mark in what seems to have
been a difficult separation, Barnabas stuck with John Mark and continued to
mentor him. It is not until Paul returned from his second missionary journey that
he began to raise-up leaders in a manner consistent with Barnabas’ actions. It is
likely that Barnabas was a cousin to John Mark (Colossians 4:10) and may have
been related to the Virgin Mary as well. It is believed that John Mark went on to
write the second Gospel. The influence of Barnabas cannot be overstated.

	There are many books outlining the journey of leadership development. In
The Making of a Leader Robert Clinton outlines six stages that a leader goes
through in their development process (Clinton 1988, 44). This book has been
extraordinarily helpful for me in charting-out my own leadership journey and
understanding the stages, challenges, and development that it would require.
Randy Reese and Robert Lohan, in their book, Deep Mentoring: Guiding Others
on Their Leadership Journey build on Robert Clinton’s material and outline four
phases of the leadership journey (Reese and Loane 2012, 232). These two books
have help me in the journey of mapping my own leadership journey and I’m very
grateful for the insight that they provided on the various different aspects and
incidents during my leadership journey. However, Neil Cole in his book, Journey
to Significance identifies four leadership stages in the life of the apostle Paul as he
makes his way through the four missionary journeys outlined in the book of Acts
(Cole 2001). Cole uses the missionary journeys of Paul as boundary markers for
the leadership development phases that are characterized in Clinton and Reese’s
book.

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	The apostle Paul, in his leadership journey, went through four different
phases of development in his leadership capacity and ability to develop leaders.
Neil Cole outlines the different phases of leadership development that Paul went
through in his life as a church planter and missionary as they correspond to his
four missionary journeys. In the first phase of his leadership development, on his
first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas traveled throughout Asia minor
planting churches and making disciples (Acts 13:1-14:28). Unfortunately, they
neglected to train up leaders healthy enough to manage these churches. Upon their
return, Paul and Barnabas had to travel back and appoint leaders. There was a
leadership vacuum in these new church plants and Paul needed to write letters to
these churches in order to deal with unhealthy and domineering leadership. It is in
this stage of leadership that the leader begins to flex their own leadership muscles
and learns the necessary lessons that can be passed on to other leaders. Much of
the leadership development of Paul surrounded skill development. A leader must
go through this step-in order to become a second-phase leader.

	The second phase of Paul’s leadership journey can be seen in his second
missionary tour (Acts 15:36-18:22) to Macedonia and Achaia. During this second
journey, God forced Paul to shift to a multiplying church planting strategy and
planted him in one of the darkest cities in the world at this time-Corinth. On this
missionary journey, he recruited some leaders to go with him; Luke, Timothy, and
Silas. As he traveled throughout Macedonia, he left these leaders behind to lead
churches. By the time he reached Corinth, Paul was alone again and did not have
enough leaders. While there “the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him,

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‘Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will
attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me’” (Acts 18:9-10).
As a result, Paul remained in Corinth for a year making disciples and developing
leaders. Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos became leaders that went on to plant
churches. This was part of Paul’s leadership development journey.

	This marked a truly dramatic shift in the apostle's methodology. In
essence, the Lord challenged Paul to raise up a team from out of the harvest itself.
It was here at Corinth that Paul first learned the strategy of multiplying church
planters in a single church ministry, who can then be sent out to start new works
by making disciples (Cole 1998, 3).

	During this phase of ministry, Paul learned the skills of developing
leadership in others and the need to remain long enough in one location in order
to apprentice new leaders. In this phase of leadership development, the leader
must learn through pain, loneliness, conflict, and fear that they are not the ones in
control and that their ideas may not be God’s ideas.

	The third phase in Paul’s leadership journey began after he settled in
Ephesus (Acts 18:23-21:16). For this third trip, Paul's emphasis seems to have
shifted from that of making disciples to raising up leaders out of disciples. The
results of this shift have been demonstrated above, but it is during this time in
Ephesus that we actually find the valuable principles that Paul applied by doing
this. By remaining in one location, Paul began a system of reproducing leaders
that would eventually impact all of Asia. From this place, Paul visited many of the
locations that he went to previously (Acts 19:21-22, 20:1-3) encouraging the

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believers. It is during this time in Ephesus, as Paul visited groups of believers,
that he recruited and trained leaders from the harvest field. His method was to
disciple and then to train leaders to be released to do ministry. He became a
multiplier of leaders using a teaching and mentoring strategy. Many leaders don’t
reach this stage because they have not dealt with their need to control or process
their fear or pain from previous experiences. It is at this point in their leadership
journey that the leader begins focusing on fewer things because of their ability to
multiply leaders.

	During the fourth phase, Paul was in a Roman prison where he had his
most effective leadership influence. Paul himself considered his imprisonment as
an event that increased effectiveness in the global expansion of the Gospel
(Philemon 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:16). During this time, he mentored the following
leaders; Epaphroditus, Timothy, Luke, Mark, Demas, Aristarchus, Jesus (called
Justus), Epaphras, Tychicus, and Onesimus. Paul’s trial itself became an
evangelistic tool to spread the Gospel. He also had access to members of the
palace guard in Rome, he had an audience with Caesar, and Paul had the time to
write letters that would later become the books of Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, and Philemon. Cole suggests that most Christian leaders will never
get to the fourth journey; they usually plateau or die on a previous journey (Cole
1998, 15). The leader's reputation increases even in the eyes of secular leaders and
they have greater expansive influence beyond what expectations or circumstances
would dictate. For Paul, he is able to expand his written influence so that

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countless others are benefited by his experience and maturity and the books that
Paul wrote on this journey are longer-lasting works (Cole 1998, 16).

	Paul’s journey of leadership development describes the stages of not only
his growth as a leader but also the different stages of the leader and follower
relationship. Inasmuch as Paul grows as a leader during this time it is also a
description of how leadership can be applied situationally. Each stage that Paul
went through is crucial in the development of leaders and every leader must take
their followers through a process of empowering and developing that is similar to
the learning process that Paul went through in becoming a more effective leader.

	In my journey as a leader, in trying understanding the leadership lessons
and stages of leadership development, I have come to realize that God develops a
leader over a lifetime. Paul’s journey helps me see that there are stages of
development that every leader must go through. His journey helps me see that
God uses me in spite of my mistakes and continues to transform me when I have
learned the leadership lessons through each of the stages.

Leader Development

	In this next section I would like to share some of my leadership
philosophy around the development of leaders and the actions of a leader. Much
of what I’m going to share I have learned the hard way. There was a time when I
would cherry pick leaders who were already leading in other areas without
thinking through the need for a leadership development pipeline. I have also
learned that each person going into leadership will need to spend time at
examining the costs associated with leadership. Getting involved in church

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ministry is not for the faint of heart. I believe it takes courage to take action in the
midst of crisis and be willing and humble to take criticism.

Leaders Give Up the Right to Be Offended

	This axiom has rolled around in my head ever since I read it for the first
time in Leading in Disorienting Times by Nelson and Dickens (Nelson and
Dickens 2015, 137). They described this as a role that a leader takes whereby the
leader relinquishes their right to take offence. Many people will be hurtful and
criticize but choosing not to give those words power allows one to distance
oneself from their personal nature. Much of what we do and say on Sunday
mornings is open for criticism. As a leader, we are called to make decisions and
take action, and these too are open for criticism. Criticism can be good and bad.
By developing a posture of “I’m not easily offended" I can be more open to
criticism and less defensive when it comes my way.

	During the one-on-one interviews and the workshop that accompanied the
Appreciative Inquiry there were many times where people being interviewed
would make negative comments about decisions that I had made or about things
that they felt I had done that had contributed to the situation we found ourselves
in. Over time, I began to understand that many of those comments were coming
from people who were struggling with their feelings regarding the crisis we were
in. Furthermore, there may actually have been things that I did do to contribute to
the situation we found ourselves in. Giving up the right to be offended did not
come easily, but it did allow me some time to reflect on what those poor choices
were. I believe that one of the poor choices was a shift away from relational

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evangelism as a corporate strategy in favour of multiplication as an evangelistic
strategy. I felt that by multiplying we would naturally engage in evangelistic work
because of our excitement for the development of two sites. While this most likely
would have been true it also took the emphasis off of relational evangelism for too
long of a period.

Leaders Are Learners

	John Maxwell teaches that the moment we stop learning we stop leading;
therefore, it is essential that we become life-long effective learners if we desire to
be life-long effective leaders. Maxwell says, “successful leaders are learners. And
the learning process is ongoing, a result of self-discipline and perseverance. The
goal each day must be to get a little better, to build on the previous day’s
progress” (Maxwell 2007, 26). One of the challenges of being in the same
ministry position for more than ten years is that I need to grow and develop as a
leader in order to meet the needs of a growing, and increasingly complex,
ministry structure. One of the main reasons for enrolling in the Doctor of Ministry
program at Tyndale Seminary of Tyndale University was to provide learning
opportunities that I could apply to our journey towards multisite.

Disciples Make Disciples, Leaders Produce Leaders

	The process of making disciples and reproducing leaders has to be one of
the core functions of any leader for the one simple reason: the Gospel is always
one generation from extinction. In the Great Commission, we see Jesus’ priority
to make disciples when He says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all
nations... ” (Matthew 28:19). It is a disciple that makes disciples. The ministry of

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Jesus is an example of disciple making when He recruited the twelve. As His
ministry grew over time His followers multiplied, and yet, He focused primarily
on the twelve. He attracted large numbers of people, but Jesus gave Himself to
His disciples, not the crowd. Jesus equipped His twelve disciples and, even
among the twelve, He spent more time with Peter, James, and John. These three
men became, what Paul describes as, “pillars of the church" (Galatians 2:9).
From the people that followed Jesus, He began to identify and equip emerging
leaders.

	John Maxwell is famous for saying, “Everything rises and falls on
leadership” (Maxwell, 2013). All ministry endeavours will require leadership. In
order for a ministry to grow it will require a leadership development process.
Inasmuch as we need a discipleship development process, we also need a
leadership development process. I was privileged to attend the 2011 Exponential
church planters conference where the author Neil Cole (Exponential 2011)
pointed out a principle of leadership development. He spoke about 2 Timothy 2:2
where the apostle Paul writes to his apprentice Timothy, “You have heard me
teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach
these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to
others.” Disciple making and leadership development like this reaches into the
fourth generation. Those teachings that were passed on to Paul, were passed on to
Timothy who is encouraged by Paul to pass them on to people that he knew
would be able to pass them on to others. What Paul passed on to Timothy were
principles and ideas that he could not forget. They had to be profound and yet

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simple enough that Timothy could turn around and pass them on to others. In this
passage, we see four generations of reproducing leaders so the mission could be
carried out into future generations.

	Within the context of transformational leadership, I have found that the
work of Hershey and Blanchard in situational leadership provides a way to
understand how leaders need to adapt to the needs of the followers (Ledbetter,
Banks, and Greenhalgh 2016, 12). They suggest that the continuum of needs be
addressed in different ways by the leader. One of the best ways I have found to
develop new leaders is to use the leadership square outlined by Mike Breen in his
book, Building a Discipleship Culture. Dave and John Ferguson add an additional
step and make it five steps instead of four (Ferguson and Ferguson 2010, 64). I
will begin with Mike Breen’s four step square then add the fifth step from
Ferguson and Ferguson (2010).

Figure 2. The leadership square. From Breen, Mike. 2011. Building a Discipling Culture: How
to release a missional movement by discipling people like Jesus did. Used with permission.
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 2 details. ]

	The leadership square comes from Breen’s book, Building a Discipleship
Culture (Breen 2011, 132) and is an example of situational leadership. The

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leadership square is a simple tool that outlines the leadership development
process. It is intended to be reproducible and easy to teach. It is based upon Jesus’
style of leadership. The first step, L1 “I do, you watch,” comes from Mark 1:15-
20 and describes Jesus’ encounter with the first disciples. Jesus simply offers
them a relationship with Himself and a vision to follow. A student of mine
described the L1 leadership of Jesus as “the follow me” step. Leadership at this
level is high in directive and low in explanation, requiring the leader to be
modelling the kind of behaviour or skills required. The second step, L2 “I do, you
help,” comes from Luke 12:32-34 when Jesus tells the disciples to not be afraid.
At this level of leadership, the followers are often disoriented and full of doubt.
The leadership style here is to be a visionary and coach. This leadership style is
characterized by high direction, high discussion, high example, and high
accessibility. It is the leader’s job here to offer God’s grace and encouragement.
The third step, L3 “You do, I help,” comes from John 15:12-17. It is at this point
that the leader transitions to friendship with the followers, a group of people that
have a common objective and aim. The leadership style at this level is more
pastoral and consensus driven and is characterized by low direction, higher
consensus, high discussion, and high accessibility. The fourth step, L4 “You do, I
watch,” comes from Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus gives his disciples
the Great Commission and then reminds them that He is “with them always, to the
very end of the age.” Jesus is preparing His disciples to spend less time with Him.
This leadership style is characterized by delegation. The characteristics of this
style are low direction, high consensus, low example, and high explanation (Breen

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2011, 99-112). After explaining this to a student of mine, they described the four
steps using Jesus words as follows; I thought that they had described it well:

	L1 - Come follow me.
	L2 - Do not be afraid.
	L3 - You are my friends.
	L4 - I am with you always.

This feels to me like a simple explanation that is easy to remember.

	The fifth step that Ferguson and Ferguson use in their book Exponential is
“You do. Someone else watches” (Ferguson and Ferguson 2010, 64). In essence,
the fifth step is about reproducing the first four steps all over again. This ensures
that the leadership square continues.

Leaders of Tens, Fifties, Hundreds, and Thousands

	Leadership development as defined by Aubrey Malphurs is “the
intentional process of helping established and emerging leaders at every level of
ministry to assess and develop their Christian character and to acquire, reinforce,
and refine their ministry knowledge and skills” (Malphurs and Mancini 2004, 23).
I believe it takes leaders to develop more leaders. It is when we train leaders that a
ministry becomes self-sustaining. Leadership is absolutely crucial in any
organization.

	When Moses realized the burden of leadership that he was under, he
consulted his father-in-law Jethro. The advice he received not only saved Moses
from burnout but also helped him understand that there are several leadership
capacity levels (Exodus 18:25). Some leaders have the capacity to lead groups of
ten, others have the ability to lead groups of fifty or one hundred, and still fewer
are able to lead thousands. There are three indicators that determine one’s ability

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to lead larger groups of people. These three were outlined earlier in the section,
“Leadership Is the Crucible of Character.” They are character, competency, and
capacity.

Identifying Potential New Leaders

	Identifying potential leaders in each of these categories and helping them
transition to other levels of leadership is extremely important requirements for
multiplying and reproducing leaders. What are the characteristics of a potential
leader in each of these capacity levels? John Maxwell identifies qualities to look
for in a leader (Maxwell 1995, 47).

	The first thing to look for in any kind of leader or potential leader is
strength of character. I agree with Bill Hybels; character is the first and
fundamental characteristic of a leader (Hybels 2002, 81). Some of the qualities
that make up good character are honesty, integrity, self-discipline, teachability,
dependability, perseverance, conscientiousness, and a strong work ethic. Maxwell
goes on to describe some warning signs regarding a leader’s character which
include a failure to take responsibility for one’s actions, leaving promises or
obligations unfulfilled, and a failure to meet deadlines (Maxwell 1995, 48).

	Maxwell suggests that the second quality of a potential leader is influence.
Not only is this a characteristic for the potential leader but also an indicator for
measuring the quality of the followers. As I look for potential leaders I try to
notice if they are having influence over a group of people. When a potential
leader is standing in a group of people, I am asking the question, “Who has
influence in this group and who is following them?” This can be seen at an early

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stage by identifying people who organize social events, get groups excited or
motivated to do something, and set the tone for a group’s character based on their
character. Every leader needs to know where they are going and be able to
influence a group of people to follow. The ability to lead larger and larger groups
of people is a measure of influence. As a leader transitions into leadership roles
with more and more people their ability to influence must also continue to grow.
Does their ability to influence rest solely on the position they hold or does their
relationship with followers motivate them into producing results? Do they then
move on to the process of developing other leaders? Leadership is influence.

	Once character and influence are established, a positive attitude and
excellent people skills give a leader potential and can cause a group of people to
want to follow them. A potential leader with a positive attitude can go places that
others cannot and, when combined with excellent people skills, sets the tone for
excellent leadership. A leader at this level of character development and influence
will function well as a leader of a team consisting of ten to thirty people.

	As a leader begins leading with groups of fifties and hundreds there should
be some evidence of giftedness in their area of leadership as well as a proven
track record with the people, they are leading. The leader must be willing to learn
and implement that learning successfully in order to lead larger groups of people.
It has been my experience that as a leader moves into leading groups of fifties and
hundreds, they will need self-discipline and the ability to learn from their
mistakes. This will set the direction for future success. Some leaders are most
successful with smaller groups of people. They have no desire to move to larger

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and larger groups. Many leaders stall at this level because they are unable or
unwilling to deal with character defects that impact not only their organization or
institution but also their followers.

	There are some major shifts regarding leadership that are happening
within the Christian Reformed Church. In a gathering of two dozen Christian
Reformed Church pastors we had a conversation regarding the changing
expectations in pastoral leadership. From our conversation it was clear that all of
the pastors in the room were frustrated because they went to seminary to learn
how to preach and pastor, not how to lead, and yet their people expect strong,
visionary leadership in addition to practical, challenging, and life-changing
teaching. An increasing number of senior pastors are shifting from the role of
preacher-counsellor to that of leader-trainer because of the shift towards visionary
leadership as one of their primary, essential roles. In my own ministry I have been
very clear to our congregation that I do not do counselling. My role as senior
leader, outside of preaching and management responsibilities, is that of visionary,
motivator, and mobilizer.

The Role of Teams

	Sharing leadership within the congregation through teams and leadership
development from the volunteers is one of the most effective ways to run a small
church. Relying too heavily on staff is problematic in smaller churches and yet the
demand of congregants to provide an experience of high quality and relevance
from their church requires a higher level of emphasis on excellence in ministry
rather than inclusion (Nieuwhof 2018They choose inclusion in order to deal with

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the hurt that might come from saying no to someone who is not gifted. Putting
someone in a place of ministry for the sake of inclusion is theologically incorrect.
Romans 6:6 tells us, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing
certain things well.” Putting people in positions for which they are not gifted
denies the diversity and giftedness of the body of Christ. Choosing to do things
well in a small organization requires finding the right people for the right
positions and choosing the best that you have available from your congregation
for these positions.

	Instead of the uncomfortable task of denying someone in an area where
they are not gifted, lead them to an area where they are gifted. This, of course,
means that you should take the time to help them understand their talents and
spiritual gifts. Long term, they will be more fulfilled and will lead from their
strengths, the way God designed them. The disciples recognized this when none
of them had the complete package of gifts, abilities, and insights necessary to
facilitate the growth of the Christian church. Each one, however, had a significant
and defined role to play in that revolutionary undertaking (Barna 2001, 22).

	Developing teams in a small church context usually requires the inclusion
of both part-time and lay-leadership. I have come to understand that although I
might want a certain level of expertise from the part-time staff, it is often
unattainable because of the nature of the ministry and the amount of time that
someone has to put into it. Smart leaders focus on what they can control and not
on what they cannot. In order to do that, one should start with where they are and
move to where they want to be. Training, coaching, mentoring, and education can

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all increase the effectiveness of existing leaders. An example of this would be
hiring a part-time youth pastor from the congregation who does not have college-
level theological education. While they may be able to relate well with high
school students, the senior leader can provide teaching, conferences and webinars
that will increase their theological insight. The senior leader should consult with
the part-time youth pastor on the skills or knowledge that they wish to develop.

	There sometimes comes the unfortunate task of forcing someone to
address their leadership inability. John Maxwell states that, “leadership ability is
the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s
ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential. The higher the individual’s
ability to lead, the higher the lid on his potential” (Maxwell 2013, 1). Without
leadership ability the success and effectiveness of a volunteer or part-time staff is
limited. Whatever that person wants to accomplish is limited by their leadership
ability. The next step in the process is often the most difficult. Often, there are
well-meaning, passionate people who have bought-into the vision and mission
and who, by all accounts, are more committed than others to doing the work that
they believe God has called them to do in their area of giftedness; however, their
leadership ability limits the potential of the ministry because they are unable to
take the organization through the process of growth, reorganization, training, or
casting vision. It may become necessary to remove a committed volunteer or staff
such as this in favour of finding someone who has the leadership ability that they
lack.

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	In putting together a leadership team, the tendency of existing leaders is to
find people who are like themselves and think the way that they think. This might
make for great conversation and camaraderie, yet it makes for a poor leadership
team. Teams should be developed using a diversity of giftings and skills so that
the senior leader, who is not good at everything, has a gifted group of people
working through the ministry functions of the church (Ephesians 4:12).

	Great teams are made up of people who love and care for one another:
“teams that don’t bond can’t build” (Maxwell 1995, 137). When a team gets
together outside of their ministry context and spends time together they usually
take time to look out for and care for each other. Knowing what is important to
the team is crucial in the ability to keep a team achieving the goals of the
organization. Strong communication allows a team to have an atmosphere of
positive relationships and a workplace where they feel is safe to offer suggestions
or criticism without feeling threatened. One of the important aspects of a team is
its chemistry, when team members get along with each other, are loyal to each
other and work towards the same goal. Without good chemistry there is a difficult
problem to overcome; a group with bad chemistry can be adversarial and
unproductive. Chemistry affects communication and the feeling of safety required
to offer suggestions and care to one another. One must work with, converse with,
and challenge other people every day. It helps if one likes being with the other
people in the room.

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Strategy Trumps Vision Every Time.

	One of the primary tasks of a leader is to cast vision. Without vision there
is no direction for the ministry. We hear a lot about vision and about the leader’s
role in creating vision. However, vision unrealized is simply an intention. For too
many, vision is the beginning and the end of their leadership. To bring a vision to
life you need a strategy and that strategy is often about changing behaviours. It
requires getting people to do something different. If you want to accomplish
vision, there will have to be a way to execute a behaviour-changing strategy. In
the words of Carry Nieuwhof, “a B plus strategy, well-executed, trumps an A plus
vision every time” (Nieuwhof 2016).

	I have had extensive experience in coaching other leaders and when I hear
something along the lines of, “I am a visionary” or “I am an ideas-person” I get
nervous. What this typically means is that the person is only good at casting
vision and not at executing it. I coached a pastor over four one-hour sessions,
where, at the end of each session he would agree to work on two or three
strategies. At the beginning of each session he tried to explain how he could not
complete them. Needless to say, we ended our coaching sessions pretty soon after
that. I regularly heard stories from this pastor about how frustrated he was that
nothing seemed to change. Without an effective strategy and the willingness to
work at executing it change will never happen.

	The development of strategy and execution systems are going to be the
way that vision and mission are accomplished. Leadership without strategy and
execution disciplines leads to wishful thinking and dreaming.

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If You Are Going to Be A Leader You Are Going to Make Decisions

	In my opinion, one of the ultimate tests of leadership comes when you are
travelling down a road; when you look behind you if people are following you are
successfully leading. If they are not following you are not leading. When the fear
of being stuck grows it often paralyzes the leader making it hard for them to make
a decision. Typically, one of three things will happen. First, the leader makes no
decision. When this happens, a leader is more afraid of the criticism than the call
to a clear and compelling vision. The second thing a leader does in a situation like
this is to try and make everyone happy. By pandering to everyone’s needs the
leader will adopt, cut, and modify until the lowest common denominator is
reached and, in the end, no one is pleased with the outcome. I understand the
frustration of Hybels when he says, “why a person would sit when he could soar,
spectate when he could play, or atrophy when he could develop is beyond me”
(Hybels 2008, 134). The third choice is to make a decision. The leader may
consult other sources, run ideas past wise individuals, pray, and educate
themselves on the issue but eventually they must make a decision. I will always
lean in favour of action-oriented decision making rather than inaction. An action
orientation will get the work done.

	I have witnessed the cycle over the course of my ministry and have seen it
in action in my own life. These three choices may not fully describe what leaders
do when they’re stuck or paralyzed with fear, but it describes my experience and
my observations when leaders need to make decisions.

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Personal Values

	As I reflect on my journey of leadership over the course of my life and on
the leadership lessons that I have learned I want to take a moment to summarize
some of my personal values. These values are based upon reflections in servant
leadership and transformational leadership, disciple making, leadership
development, and multiplication

	Integrity - A person’s integrity sets the course of their life. Your
character is your outward behaviour, and it is consistent between your private life
and in front of the people you lead. Your values, your beliefs, and your attitude
are consistent in your dealings with your family, your spouse, and the people that
look to you for leadership. My integrity is most often seen in my willingness to
care for others, wanting the best for the church I serve, and acting in an ethical
and responsible manner.

	Servant leadership - at the heart of servant leadership is what can be
described as a servant’s heart. This comes when power and leadership combine
with integrity and humility in leading others. Servant leadership begins with
humility and integrity. Leadership based on power and authority has, at its root,
pride and self-centeredness. A servant leader’s nature is characterized by service
to God and others, possessing a servant heart, and desire to give of oneself to the
betterment of others. Servant leadership is ultimately done because we are trying
to model Jesus’ example of being a servant king.

	Transformational leadership - transformational leadership is my gift. I
believe that I can initiate, develop, and carry out significant changes in an
organization. I want to be a strong role model with a high set of moral values and

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a determined sense of identity so that others might listen and trust that I have
ideas and values that they can stand behind. I thrive when creating vision and
want to work with people. Transformational leaders put a strong emphasis on the
needs, values, and morals of the people they want to influence.

	Disciple-making - the primary mission of the church and my primary
mission is to make disciples. I don’t want to be good at getting people together
once a week, I do not want to be good at leading gatherings of hundreds or even
thousands. I don’t want people who just show up to our stuff, give money
occasionally, and maybe feed the poor. Jesus did not call me to build His church,
in fact, He said that He was the only one that could do that job (Matthew 16:18).
My job is to make disciples. I make disciples in such a way that they can make
disciples of others.

	Leadership Development - as a leader I want to provide opportunities for
people to develop leadership skills and abilities. I see myself as being adaptable to
the needs of those people who desire to grow as leaders whether it is coaching,
mentoring, delegating, or encouraging new and innovative ways of dealing with
organizational issues. Leadership development is a key component of my
personality and gifting. I want others to succeed, I want to give away power and
influence so that others might be able to accomplish more than I could myself.

	Multiplication - I am more focused on multiplying the church than the
attendance in a church. I am less concerned with growing the church to 200, 300,
or more than I am with planting two, three, or even five churches. I do not believe
that only church planters should have a passion and calling to multiply the church,

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but rather all disciples. A disciple can make disciples and leaders can develop
leaders that are focused on multiplication not addition. This is the only way that
the kingdom of God can advance beyond its current level of decline.

Personal Mission Statement

	Recently I read Matthew chapter 20 and came across a question that had
lingered with me for many months. The question is posed by Jesus in response to
a plea from the two blind men when they cry out to God, “Lord, son of David,
have mercy on us!” The question that Jesus asked has been rattling around in my
brain for a long time. He stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for
you? (Matthew 20:32)”

	In my journal, conversations, and thoughts I have been asking the
question, “Do I know what I want Jesus to do for me?” I spent much time
thinking about an answer to that question. In reflecting on my leadership journey,
one of the things that I want more than anything else, one thing that I want Jesus
to do for me, is to let me have a meaningful impact for the kingdom of God. Not
for my sake, not for my wife, not for the sake of my church or my family but
rather for the kingdom and for God’s glory. It is my deepest desire to be used by
God, for Him to allow me to use the gifts that He has given me so that His
kingdom might come, and His will be done. I understand that a right relationship
with Christ, full of humility and integrity, is about giving Him glory and seeing
His kingdom come. When I get that right, I think I get close to an answer to Jesus’
question, “What do you want me to do for you?”

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Personal Vision Statements

	I was able to attend the Exponential 2017 church planters conference and
listen to Louis Giglio talk about big dreams. One thing he said that has stuck with
me was, “I’m determined not to die with small vision... If I die with little dreams,
that’s on me. I’m committed to not going out breathing my last breath with small
vision” (Giglio 2017). He then encouraged us to take some time to put down on
paper what we believed God’s vision for the future will hold. He encouraged us to
draw a diagram that would outline the next five years. It was a way of remapping
my mind so that I would understand the destination that I believe God wants me
to arrive at.

	I believe that God is calling me to a vision of the future in the next five
years where He uses me to be a multiplier, not only of Discovery Church, but also
of leaders. The road to be a multiplier is the development of disciple who make
disciples, leadership development that follows the same rhythms as disciple
making and encouraging new leaders to engage in new ministry initiatives. I
believe that God is calling me to:

	1 - Double the size of Discovery Church’s existing congregation by 2021.

	2	- Finish my Doctor of Ministry in order to teach a course at my
		denominational seminary on church planting.

	3	- Continue to grow and emphasis the disciple making and leadership
		development practices that I have learned.

	4	- Increase the work and effectiveness of a regional church planting
		multiplication initiative and play a role in its development and
		administration

	5	- Multiply Discovery Church so that there are three additional sites by 2025
		and raise-up ten leaders that develop their own ministries or become
	reproducing leaders themselves.

	As I reflect on these goals, I can see some of my personal values and the
convictions that I have outlined in this portfolio. I see the passion in myself to be

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a disciple maker who is able to teach and to train disciples; to make disciples. I
am a learner at heart. I have consistently gone back to school for higher levels of
education because I believe that there are stages of learning that I need in order to
continue to develop significantly for the kingdom of God. I can see the desire that
I have for multiplication as it relates to Discovery Church’s journey towards a
multisite ministry. I am more interested in the multiplication of the church than in
the addition in the church and maybe there is a learning for me. I have to be just
as passionate about disciple making as I am about leadership development and
multiplication

	The journey out of the crisis scenario we found ourselves in is a journey
that is focused on discipleship and leadership development. Those two things are
foundational to the eventual multiplication and re-engagement of Discovery
Church in the journey to multisite. The Appreciative Inquiry has shown that the
congregation is still willing to take risks and that they want to see our church
grow. But there is also a desire to focus on disciple-making because I believe that
there was both emotional and spiritual harm that took place in our congregation. It
is almost as if our self-confidence was shaken. I certainly felt like mine was. The
Appreciative Inquiry really helped our congregation remember all the incredible
things that God had done and how they were transformed as disciples. It also
made them hungry for a close relationship with God and additional experiences
that would push them outside of their comfort zone. Many of them recounted
incidents of being outside of their comfort zone and challenged during a
mentoring or coaching or discipleship scenario.

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Ministry Strengths

	Strength 1 - Commitment to the unchurched. We saw eight to ten
people a year over the first eleven years make a first-time commitment to Jesus
Christ. With that commitment comes a strong desire to communicate to a non-
church audience, allowing them access to theological principles and a relationship
with Jesus. We are taking steps to ensure that, when we communicate, we are
doing so in a way that visitors and long-time members can engage the scripture in
a way that is helpful and compelling. This way everybody in the audience is glad
to have attended and drives away with every intention to return the following
weekend (Stanley 2012, 234).

	Strength 2-Preaching and pastoral care. As Discovery Church began to
grow its need for pastoral care also began to grow. In addition to the needs of new
Christians, we started a Celebrate Recovery ministry. I became aware that my
abilities around pastoral care was less effective when compared with other
pastors. I say with some clarity now that I am not a “shepherd pastor”. As much
as I realized that I am an entrepreneurial and apostolic pastor I also realized that I
needed help around pastoral care. Unfortunately, what led to this realization was a
period of burn out. In 2010, I took six weeks of stress leave, went for counselling
and, through a period of discernment, hired a pastoral care staff person to help
alleviate the stresses of pastoral care in a growing church-plant.

	This pastoral care Director has done an outstanding job of organizing and
managing a pastoral care team, hospitality team, and a fund created for
benevolence and to pay for Christian counselling. Consistently, in reviews with
the congregation, our pastoral care ministry shows up as a blessing to our

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members. Later, in the chapter four, we will see that pastoral care is one of the
core themes that appear in the workshop and one-on-one interviews during the
Appreciative Inquiry. Without trying to sound overly vain, there have also been a
number of positive comments in a recent review regarding preaching.

	Strength 3-Helping people discover their ministry strengths and gifts.
I have always had a strong desire to see people identify and be deployed in their
ministry giftedness. We have used many different tools over the years: spiritual
gift inventories, the Network Course, and Strengths Finders. It has been part of
our discipleship process to encourage people to take the Network Course, which
would allow them to identify the way that God has designed them and find
meaningful places of service both within the church and in the community.

Ministry Weaknesses

	Weakness 1-Looking and feeling old and tired. Doing portable church
every Sunday for the last eleven years has taken its toll. Finding volunteers every
Sunday for set up and take down as well as keeping the equipment in good
working order has taken most of our attention when it comes to our Sunday
morning experience. We went from a twenty-year-old soundboard that was
donated to us when we first started, to buying a five-year-old soundboard, to
upgrading to a brand-new system two years ago. The seating arrangement in the
gym where we rent was aligned towards the stage at the narrow end of the space.
This meant that the distance between the worship team and preacher and the
person sitting in the back row was approximately seventy feet.

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	Weakness 2-Creating a Clear Path. We have had an eclectic approach
to small group ministries over the years. I have been a proponent of sermon-based
small groups, but I have also been encouraging discipleship huddles, long-term
Bible studies, and age-specific groups. Consequently, we have not clearly laid out
a path for discipleship. According to lifeway research, over half of pastors have
no visible strategy for their small group ministry (Stetzer and Im 2016, 260).
There have been seasons at Discovery Church where small groups have been
extraordinarily well attended. Just two years ago we saw about 60 percent of our
adults in a small group during that year. There have been other seasons, when we
do not have someone coordinating small groups, when that number drops
dramatically. In the near future we need to make a clear distinction between the
purpose of the weekend worship teaching and the discipleship strategy. For
instance, I think that we may need to clearly define that our discipleship strategy
accomplishes a very different purpose than our Sunday morning teaching. My
personal style is to use a topical approach to preaching that gives us the
opportunity to connect with visitors and the unchurched in a meaningful way.
This does not mean that there is no application or insight for those who have
attended church most of their life. It does mean, though, that our small groups and
discipleship need to carry the burden of disciple formation and Bible study.

	In the same vein there is also the need for leadership development and
discipleship groups. There are people who are looking for something deeper and
more responsibility for discipling others, a clear path for developing disciple
makers and leaders will also need to be explored.

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	Weakness 3-Diluted Vision. To structure for growth there is a need to be
clear with vision. Otherwise, a church tends to wander in whatever easiest path
presents itself. I heard Will Mancini, the coauthor of God Dreams (Mancini and
Bird 2016), repeat a quote from Robert Brault at the 2017 Exponential Church
Planters Conference that I found helpful. Brault said, “We are kept from our goal
not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” Mancini went on to say that
we settle for a lesser goal, a generic version of a big dream, or vision (Mancini
and Bird 2016, 673). It is not that Discovery Church lacks vision, but rather, we
have embraced a lesser vision without realizing it. There have been times,
especially in the last three years, when casting a bold vision has created anxiety,
worry, and disunity. There has been a lack of clarity when it comes to our vision,
this may have contributed to our unwillingness to enter into a multisite journey, it
may also have contributed to some of the decline in attendance we have
experienced over the last eighteen months. It is time that we put every ministry of
the church under the microscope and discern whether it needs a facelift, an
overhaul, or a funeral-a necessary pruning exercise to make room for future
growth.

Ministry Opportunities

	Opportunity 1-Refresh. In September, we instituted a new children’s
ministry curriculum and also began the process of implementing a new
component of Planning Centre (a church management software that addresses safe
church components for nursery check-in and Sunday school attendance). Both of
these things corresponded with the hiring of a Family Ministries Director who

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began asking questions regarding the implementation of a structured children’s
ministry program that spanned nursery through teenagers. The development of
this family ministries emphasis prompted us to ask the question, what are we
doing and how are we presenting ourselves on Sunday mornings? The family
ministries renewal led us to ask questions around the signs we use to direct
people, the systems we use in order to track visitors, and the way in which we
communicate hospitality through the systems that we have currently. These and
many more questions led us to look at all of our Sunday morning systems and
completely refresh them.

	This refresh corresponded with the use of new logo that we developed in
the spring of 2017, which required all of our existing documentation as well as
our signs be redeveloped. Once we decided on the new look, we also decided that
there needed to be a new series of signs produced. We paid attention to details
surrounding our service set up and created a hospitality team that focused on three
components for a new ministry philosophy:

	1 - Welcome to Our Place-The opportunity for us to commit and train
		volunteers in the art of greeting, hosting, and welcoming new people

	2	- Love and Care-An attitude that says to someone new and returning that
		we love and care for them as best as we can during the time that they are
		there with us. We want newcomers and visitors to walk away from our
		services eager to come back the next week.

	3	- An emphasis on Attracting Millennials-Although we are not a church
		for millennials, with an emphasis on the style of worship and presentation
		that is attractive to millennials, we believe that we will be able to continue
		to grow a younger demographic that has diminished in the last three years.

It seemed appropriate that we should try to implement all these things around one
date rather than one at a time. One of the areas that we decided to take a fresh
look at was our sanctuary configuration. We decided that the configuration of our

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sanctuary space in the gym needed adjustment so that those up front would have
better connection with the congregation. This arrangement was temporary but
seemed to be the most feasible option for us at the time. It became obvious that
we needed to do this sooner, rather than later. Therefore, as a ministry team we
decided that we would do a Sunday morning refresh by February 11, 2018; I
started to write this section in October 2017. The staff have been assigned duties
and implementation is going smoothly.

	Opportunity 2-Simple Church. After reading the book “Simple Church"
by Thomas Rainer and Eric Geiger I was struck by the recognition that Discovery
Church has implemented and developed many things over the eleven years of its
existence without being as clear and as streamlined as it should have been. There
were many options for small groups, there were many ways that we blessed the
community, and there were many opportunities that we tried when implementing
evangelistic strategies. There are remnants of each that remain in each of these
areas and there is no clear process for the development of unbelievers, disciples,
or organized activities in the community.

	Rainer and Geiger point out that Jesus managed to summarize the 613
laws, that represented the 613 letters in the Ten Commandments, into the two
commands found in Matthew 22:34. The Great Commandment is in Jesus’ words
the “greatest command” but more importantly it encapsulates “all the law and the
prophets” (Matthew 22:40). In one very quick sentence he was able to simplify all
the 613 commands into two (Rainer and Geiger 2006, 16-17). Simplicity does not
mean simple. When things are too complex, or when the path is unclear, people

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are not prepared to venture very far in their understanding of a system that they
feel is too difficult to comprehend.

	Opportunity 3-Clarify Vision. I have taken some time to go over the
vision with the staff and Elders. This will allow us to clarify the existing vision
and work toward clarifying and defining what we mean by these words. It needs
to be a straightforward and strategic process that move people through the stages
of spiritual growth. It must have clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. I
believe that the church has gone though a time of challenge. We have dropped in
our attendance and correspondingly so has our donations. This has “raised the
heat” in our church insomuch that we are ready for change. Ronald Heifetz and
Marty Linsky, in their book, Leadership on the Line, state:

	If you try to stimulate deep change within an organization, you have to
	control the temperature. There are really two tasks here. The first is to
	raise the heat enough that people sit up, pay attention, and deal with the
	real threats and challenges facing them. Without stress, there is less
	stimulus for people to tolerate difficult change. The second is to lower the
	temperature when necessary to reduce a counterproductive level of
	tension. Any community can take only so much pressure before it
	becomes either immobilized or spins out of control. The heat must stay
	within a tolerable range—not so high that people demand it be turned off
	completely, and not so low that they are lulled into inaction. We call this
	span the productive range of stress. (Heifitz, Grashow and, Linsky 2009,
	107-108)

The temperature was too high for multisite, but the temperature is still high
enough to look at our vision using the Appreciative Inquiry information collected
and chart out some strategic plans. This vision and plan will clearly define the
process and examine how things are structured to move people to spiritual
growth.

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I have already begun these tasks with our staff team. The next stage is to
plan sequential steps in the process that is going to move people toward greater
areas of commitment. This is movement. After outlining the sequential steps, we
have to align all of our ministries and staff around a much simpler process, and let
go of things that fall outside the simple ministry process (Rainer and Geiger 2006,
71-77).

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CHAPTER IV:
FIELD MINISTRY PROJECT

	This action research report is intended to provide information on the data
collection, participant observations, research observations, and reflection and
analysis for the research question proposed for the completion of the Doctor of
Ministry final portfolio. It grows out of the context described in chapter two and
is affected by my leadership philosophy in chapter three. Leading up to the
research portion there were changes at Discovery Church that changed the
research question which was described in chapter two. The use of Appreciative
Inquiry during that time of crisis and change provided an opportunity for our
congregation to talk about what they loved about Discovery Church and to dream
of a new future. Multiplication is part of my leadership philosophy, which places
a high value on dreaming about the future and going to places and spaces where
the Gospel needs to be proclaimed.

	The general focus of the research question was originally the shift that
Discovery Church needed to make from being a church of one location to being a
church of multiple locations. The research question changed when a drop in
attendance necessitated a change in the goal to multisite. The congregation went
through a crisis that involved both financial and emotional stress. The original
intention was to chart the emotional and social responses of the congregation with

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the change to multisite and it seemed appropriate to remain focused on the
emotional and social responses as an objective of this research project. Through
use of Appreciative Inquiry there was an opportunity to help the congregation
look to the future and not just focus on the challenges at hand.

	Using Appreciative Inquiry, the congregation was able to focus on
preparing for the next chapter of our church given the context that we found
ourselves in. It helped us focus on the positive, engage in the process of risk
taking to secure growth, and to reimagine our shared stories into a potential new
future. We were going to need to spend some time healing by focusing on
discipleship and from that we must engage our evangelistic mission and
leadership development.

Framing the Research Question

	In September 2017, I began conducting research for my doctoral portfolio
on The Journey to Multisite. What follows is the opportunity to be examined from
my original research proposal:

	The opportunity to be examined is the shift that Discovery Church is going
	to make from being a church of one location to being a church of multiple
	locations. More specifically, the problem to be addressed lies with the
	emotional and social shifts that the members of Discovery Church are
	struggling to make as we move towards this goal of being a church with
	multiple locations. (Spoelstra 2017 C)

	Discovery Church was actively growing from 2006 to 2016 and at the
commencement of the research term there were approximately 140 people in the
congregation on Sunday mornings. Between May and September 2017, about
thirty people, including four staff, left our church, most of which were core
members. The Elders of Discovery Church interviewed each one of the adults

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who had left during the research term (September 2017-January 2018); two-thirds
of them moved to a new city due to challenges in their lives which were beyond
their control, while one-third left the church due to the change of direction to
multisite. In most cases it seemed, from their conversations with the Elders, that
these individuals would have moved regardless of Discovery Church’s plan to
become a multisite church. This created a leadership challenge as well as a
financial challenge in completing the three-year journey toward multisite. The
congregation could not emotionally sustain the journey to multisite in the middle
of this crisis nor could we sustain it financially. In October 2017 I stood before
the congregation and announced a day of fasting and prayer and said that we were
going to put multisite on the shelf.

	I decided to use Appreciative Inquiry, given the new reality, as a
methodology for research so that Discovery Church could address the emotional
and social shifts necessary so that they could move through this time of crisis
towards a future that re-captures our vision for discipleship, leadership
development and multiplication. It is my belief that this is what originally brought
growth to our church and it was now needed again for new growth. Before we
could move through to that growth phase again, we needed a time and place to
process our feelings of grief and loss over the events of the summer of 2017.
Since the Original research project was going to now need a revision, I had to
redevelop the research question. The following represents the new research
question given the new realities that we were facing as a church:

	The opportunity to be examined through the use of Appreciative Inquiry
	would be to give the congregation a process to address emotional and

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	social shifts that the members of Discovery Church are struggling to make
	as we move through this time of crisis and a place to dream about a future
	that re-captures our vision for discipleship, leadership development and
	multiplication.

	The methodology included one-on-one interviews and a two-day
workshop. I also planned to conduct a survey to gauge the engagement of our
congregation both before and after the Appreciative Inquiry process. With the
assistance of some trained volunteers, I was able to conduct one-on-one
interviews with a team at Discovery with thirty-three adults and a workshop that
was attended by thirty-five adults.

	One of the challenges in carrying out this research opportunity was to deal
with a growing sense of disunity and grumbling from the church. We instituted 30
days of prayer and fasting so that the Lord could sort this out for us. The Lord
answered both prayers within thirty days. A founding member of our
congregation was primarily responsible for the disunity. They shared with me that
they had been meeting with various members of our congregation and sowing the
seeds of discontent. This had been going on for almost two years. They left my
office unrepentant and, after several pastoral visits and Elder visits, left our
church in December 2017. After this event, the Appreciative Inquiry was
responsible for shifting the congregation toward unity through its dynamic of
appreciation and dreaming about the future. The Lord also provided an answer to
our financial situation in the form of a monetary gift in the month of November.

	These events shifted the focus of the research project. Since multisite was
no longer an option we decided to risk the hiring of an associate pastor based
upon the results of the one-on-one interviews and the workshop. The one-on-one

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interviews and the workshop suggested that the congregation was still thinking
positively about our church and part of the underlying enthusiasm for Discovery
Church was our willingness to be outwardly focused and willing to try new
things. In November and December 2017, I approached the Elders with a plan to
step back our journey toward multisite by proposing that we hire an associate
pastor to develop a second service and test the waters to see if multisite was still
an option. The second survey, that I conducted after the Appreciative Inquiry,
included questions to gauge the interest of our members in developing a second
service. This associate pastor’s position was partly paid for from existing budget
funds and the remainder through denominational grants. We hired the associate
pastor in January 2018. While this may seem like a setback from the original plan
of multisite, this second service could have led to a point in the future where
multisite became an option again.

	Unfortunately, this plan to start a second service also did not succeed as
hoped. What ended up happening was that we needed to spend time setting the
groundwork for a new ministry development plan and a new vision focus. The
fact that the church was willing to try a second service after the Appreciative
Inquiry and second survey was an indication to me that they were willing to risk
and follow a process of re-engagement rather than disengagement. The
provocative proposals (see glossary) that were formed during the Appreciative
Inquiry helped to develop a strategic plan for the redevelopment and engagement
in mission and vision for a rebuilding process.

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	This was probably one of the most difficult times in my ministry career
and I would say that it was also one of the most formative. During those dark and
difficult days, I began to question whether or not I was supposed to remain at
Discovery Church and whether or not I was able to serve any longer for the
kingdom of God in the current context. I recognized that, in a crisis, I would not
be comfortable finding an escape by leaving and going to another church but
would rather persevere and develop the tools and skills necessary to help the
congregation through this journey.

	Without the use of the surveys, interviews, and Appreciative Inquiry I
don’t believe that we, as a church, would have been on as good a footing as we
ended up following those experiences. The Appreciative Inquiry gave us the
opportunity to do some reflection as a church on what was most important, what
we believed would be most important, and to dream about the future again. It
allowed the congregation to remember, through shared stories, why we started
Discovery Church. The interviews and the workshop helped bring back memories
from some of the original members that were then shared as to why they started or
came to Discovery Church to begin with and also allowed them to dream again
about what the future could hold. The Appreciative Inquiry process was specific
enough to address the ways in which individuals’ contributions were connected to
how they were blessed by the church. This was an interesting process to observe
as a researcher but also as a participant. There were many days when I would
have to stop and reflect on my own emotional journey through this material as
other participants would through the process. This was the place where I grew as

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a leader and some of the greatest blessings I have ever received in ministry have
come from my time at Discovery Church. It was heartbreaking to go through this
difficult time as there had been so many years of blessing and growth.

	The intention all along was to bring the congregation through the
emotional and social shifts necessary for multisite and then the plan shifted to
potentially starting a second service. What it did for the individual congregants,
and for me as a researcher, was to bring each person along in that journey by
allowing us time to reflect on what God had done, how we had participated, how
we had contributed, and what dreams we still had for the future.

	My previously stated purpose for participating in a Doctor of Ministry
program was to help our church move from a “one church model” to “a multisite
church model”. I thought that a research project would help our members reflect
on their past, present, and future hopes for our church-that it would move them
emotionally and socially toward a favourable position with regards to the
multisite approach that we were taking. Because of the change in our situation the
research question had to change slightly, yet the primary purpose of the research
question was still to help move the congregation emotionally and socially towards
a different reality. The original idea was to move the congregation towards
multisite but what happened was a movement of the congregation towards a new
reality that reflected our smaller numbers and decreased budget and towards a
new reality focusing again on disciple making, leadership development and
multiplication. My desire in using the Appreciative Inquiry process was to
provide an experience that would excite and motivate people about a new reality

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and in the end it did just that. One of the core values in my leadership philosophy
is that of multiplication and kingdom growth. What I recognized at this point,
using the Appreciative Inquiry, was that there needed to be a time of discipleship
and leadership development. These two things are crucial for any multiplication
movement. I was once again, as a leader, at the point where a new emphasis on
discipleship and leadership development needed to take place. The Appreciative
Inquiry helped us dream about a future that would encapsulate those ideas.

Appreciative Inquiry and Methodology

	Most organizational change begins with problem-solving. Churches try to
identify a need or problem that needs fixing or needs to be changed. Typically, we
think that by fixing the problem we should be able to create a new, reenergized
way into the future. “Problem-solving dominates most discussions in what is
called a deficit model” (Branson 2016, 23). According to Branson, the more
common approaches to strategies and problem-solving have not served the church
as well. Many organizations assume that the job of leaders is to find the problems
and fix them. When a problem-solving approach is taken then the focus is on
problems and inadequacies. This is called a deficit model. Appreciative Inquiry
assumes that all organizations have life forces. The life forces are available in the
stories and in the imagination of the members of the organization. When an
organization has a chance to reflect on these stories and a collective imagination,
they can enter into planning that can be implemented by discovering the best and
most valuable stories and qualities of the organization. The participants construct

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a new way of thinking that links it to the past but most importantly focuses on a
new future with shared images (McChesney, Covey, and Huling 2012, 21).

	Some basic assumptions of Appreciative Inquiry surround the idea that
what we focus on becomes our reality. The reality of an organization is defined by
whatever participants think about, talk about, work on, dream about, or plan.
Cooperrider and Whitney describe this as the positive core:

	Human systems grow in the direction of what they persistently ask
	questions about, and this propensity is strongest and most sustainable
	when the means and ends of inquiry are positively correlated. The single
	most important action a group can take to liberate the human spirit and
	consciously construct a better future is to make the positive core the
	common and explicit property of all (Cooperrider and Whitney 2005).

Simply focusing attention, giving energy, and priority to positive narratives
reshapes the future. That future is shaped by language and questions. By asking
questions we can recall the memories, perceptions, thoughts, and visions of a

Figure 3. Problem solving vs. Appreciative Inquiry. From Branson, Mark A. 2016.
Memories, Hopes, and Conversations. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. P. 24.
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Figure 3 details. ]

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motivated and dynamic reality. Our words shape how we dream, converse, and
act (Branson 2016, 9).

	Branson points out that organizations are heliotropic. This is a botanical
term describing a plant’s orientation; most plants lean toward the sun. Similarly,
churches and organizations lean toward the source of energy, especially if there is
a hopeful, imaginative future (Branson 2016, 35). We have experienced in our
own organizations that people have more confidence in the journey toward a
future when they carry forward parts of the past; however, those should be what is
best about the past. Appreciative Inquiry is a way to focus on the positive
experiences of the people and gifts of God.

Five Core Processes of Appreciative Inquiry and the 4 - I Model

	Appreciative Inquiry consists of five basic processes. These processes
focus on the positive experiences of the people and the gifts of God. These are the
generic processes that clarify the required movements of Appreciative Inquiry.
These core processes and the phases of the 4 -1 model come from Mark
Branson’s book “Memories, Hopes, and Conversations; Appreciative Inquiry,
Missional engagement, and Congregational Change.”

	The essential five generic processes for Appreciative Inquiry are ways to
separate the actual steps of Appreciative Inquiry. The generic processes of the
Appreciative Inquiry by Branson are as follows:

	1	- Choose the positive as the focus of inquiry

	2	- Inquiry into stories of life-giving forces

	3	- Locate themes that appear in the stories and select topics for further
		inquiry

	4	- Create shared images for a preferred future

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	5 - Find innovative ways to create that future (Branson 2016, 25)

	The next part of the process is to provide four phases to prepare leaders
and build structures for carrying out the research. These four phases are: Initiate,
Inquire, Imagine, and Innovate. As described by Branson, Initiate is the process of
introducing the leaders to the theory and practice of discovering the
organization’s best. Inquire is the process of asking the congregation about the
best practices, narratives, and imagination for the future. Imagine is the process of
interpreting the interviews and taking a risk towards building a consensus of what
should be. Innovation is the process of discussing, equipping, and participating in
the innovation (Branson 2016, 27). The Elders, design team, and staff used this
book as a template for carrying out the Appreciative Inquiry (Branson 2016, 25-
27). Using the outline found in Branson we believed that Appreciative Inquiry
would move us to the new reality we needed.

	We began by choosing the positive as the focus of inquiry. The financial
and emotional challenge of losing thirty of Discovery Church’s core members and
financial stability could have kept us focused on the deficits. We instinctively
want to focus on deficits but instead we need to be specific about positive
narratives and images. It does not mean that we will not critique some things,
however, the whole project must be framed in a positive way. We wanted to
communicate that gratitude is the foundation for all that we do in the Appreciative
Inquiry process. The design team was involved in creating a set of positively
focused questions called changing the conversation (see Appendix 5).

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	We then began to inquire into the stories of life-giving forces. We based
this on an assumption that Discovery Church has, in its history, generated stories
that have a positive focus. By asking questions that surfaced these narratives,
Appreciative Inquiry brings life-giving resources into the conversation. These
life-giving stories were identified through one-on-one interviews using the
Changing the Conversation questions.

	Branson then recommended that we locate themes that appear in the
stories and select topics for further inquiry. When themes begin to arise from the
stories, biblical and theological reflection could be used to focus the imagination
and then begin to imagine a new future for Discovery Church. To identify these
themes, the design team and I then summarized and categorized the one-on-one
interviews to be used during a one-day workshop. Participants in the workshop
clarified these themes and begin to connect them to a possible future.

	We created shared images for a preferred future by identifying the themes,
with special attention to the wishes that were generated in the interviews and
continuing to use biblical and theological reflection, lead to what are called
Provocative Proposals (see Glossary). These are focused, imaginative scenarios
that encapsulate and then stretch Discovery’s greatest strengths and describe these
images as potential futures. The one-day workshop was used to identify these
provocative proposals.

	And finally, we were to find innovative ways to create that future. The old
structure of Discovery Church can easily mal-form the new images, Discovery
needed to create an interplay between new imagination (provocative proposals),

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and experiments. This is a phase for forming new partnerships, testing direction,
and engaging the Holy Spirit’s life-giving presence. In cooperation with the
design team, participants in the one-day workshop were asked to volunteer to help
implement these experiments (Branson 2016, 26)

	The Appreciative Inquiry took place in four phases using the 4 -1 model
outlined by Branson and working through the five processes above with these four
phases: Initiate, Inquire, Imagine, and Innovate. This was especially useful as we
trained leaders to carry out the research. This is how we interpreted each of the
four phases of this model.

	Initiate-the Elders and the design team were introduced to the process of
Appreciative Inquiry by Branson. The initial stage finalized the one-on-one
interview questions, developed an interview protocol, and assigned and prepared
interviewers to conduct the interviews.

	Inquire-using a set of questions that were approved by the design team
and the Elders we conducted interviews with the congregation to inquire about
our narratives, practices, and imagination for the future. Once the interviews were
complete the data was collated and summarized by the design team and me for
common themes.

	Imagine-a workshop was planned to provide the context for the imagine
phase. An introduction of the theory and practice of Appreciative Inquiry through
a series of micro-lectures was presented to the participants. A summary of the
collated data was provided to the participants at the workshop. The design team
and staff who wanted to participate in the workshop were trained on Friday

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evening as table group leaders for the important task of leading and listening to
conversations during the Saturday session. The Saturday session included anyone
from Discovery Church, eighteen years of age and older. There were thirty-five
participants. During the Saturday sessions participants moved from the themes
collected in the interview questions to presenting provocative proposals and
possible experiments. Collection of this data took place during the Workshop.
Participants were informed that there would be recorders (scribes) at each of the
tables assigned to record discussion and insights. During the Workshop
introduction the participants were informed that the group sessions would be

	Innovate-members of the design team and myself assembled the
provocative proposals and experiments into a document that was presented to the
Elder Board and eventually the entire congregation. Participants from the
workshop were recruited to plan and implement the experiments. With the
supervision of the design team, a strategic plan was presented to the Elder Board
along with a report outlining the potential missional engagement as identified
during the Appreciative Inquiry process.

Documents, Records, and Reports

	There were several reports that were used to provide some context and
summaries during the research term. All three of these reports were written by me
the senior pastor and researcher. Here is a list with descriptions of the documents
that were used for this research project:

	The Journey to Launch: Preparing for Organizational Change as We Plan
	for Multisite-This paper outlined the organizational change that Discovery

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	Church was to undergo during the period of November 2016 to September
	2017. In May of 2015, the Elder board of Discovery Church agreed to develop
	a second site in the town of Newcastle. As a medium size church, this is a
	unique undertaking.

	Appreciative Inquiry Update November 2017-This document was written to
	the Elders of Discovery Church as an update on the Appreciative Inquiry
	workshops and one-on-one interviews. This report outlined some of the
	conclusions made by the participants of the workshop on November 4, 2017.

	Pastor’s Report June 20, 2018-Part of this monthly pastor’s report to the
	Elders of Discovery Church outlined a potential way forward with the
	information gathered from the two surveys, the one-on-one interviews, and the
	workshop. This report was intended to provide a roadmap for implementing
	provocative proposals and giving insights to the strategic planning and vision
	for Discovery Church.

	Additionally, four spiral-bound loose-leaf notebooks that were
handwritten by participants on the day of the workshop were collected. I asked the
participants to gather themselves into three groups and elect a scribe from among
themselves to take handwritten notes of their conversation. They were asked to
review the questions in the one-on-one interview and organize them into
categories and then narrow down those categories into smaller groups. A fourth
spiral-bound notebook was used in the afternoon session as the entire group
worked together to put together provocative proposals based upon the categories
identified during the morning session. These documents were also coded using the
evaluation coding outlined in the one-on-one interviews.

Discovery Church Survey One

	To provide an online source for people to participate in the survey, I used
the online resource SurveyMonkey. This survey was promoted through our
Facebook page, church bulletin, E-bulletin, and verbally on Sunday morning
during worship services. As a result of this promotion there were sixty-two

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respondents to the survey from a potential 239 people that includes active and
non-active members, regular attenders, and visitors. What follows is a general
summary of the responses to the seven questions; this data will be examined in
more detail in the analysis section of this paper.

	The survey began with a question to discover how long the respondents
had been attending Discovery Church.

Table 2 Question 1 (Sept. 2017) -How long have you been attending Discovery Church?
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 2 details. ]	

The demographic information chosen did not include gender, age, or marital
status. This information did not seem to be pertinent to the purpose of the survey
which was to address the emotional and social shifts that were taking place. The
only demographic information that was included was the time that each
respondent had been attending Discovery Church.

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Table 3 Question 2 (Sept. 2017) -Which of the following words would you use to describe
how you feel about Discovery Church? Select all that apply.

Answer Choices	Responses	
Excited		30.65%	19
Encouraged	54.84%	34
Confident	25.81%	16
Satisfied	37.10%	23
Positive	62.90%	39
Optimistic	45.16%	28
Thankful	66.13%	41
Blessed		66.13%	41
Distrustful	3.23%	2
Powerless	1.61%	1
Concerned	32.26%	20
Anxious		1.61%	1
Fearful		1.61%	1
Skeptical	3.23%	2
Pessimistic	0.00%	0
Worried		14.52%	9
Answered  	62
Skipped 	0

	The words that were used in this question were derived from an online
resource for students and professionals in the psychology department of the
Chicago school of professional psychology (Noilan 2017). This list was created to
provide counselling students with words that describe positive and negative
feelings. I chose eight from the positive feelings and eight from the negative
feelings that I felt were applicable to the current situation at Discovery Church.
When analysed, each word will be categorized into the percentage of respondents
that choose each word. Over 62 percent responded that they felt blessed, thankful,
and positive. One of the aspects of the survey was to find out from the
congregation if there was an actual problem to be addressed. Leadership often

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will assume that there is a problem. Clearly, from the respondents in this survey
question, there is evidence of an emotional and social problem for evaluation and
reflection. I observed that 32 percent of the respondents chose concerned and 14
percent chose worried as feeling words to describe Discovery Church. Another
observation to me was that only 25 percent of the congregation felt confident and
only 30 percent felt excited about Discovery Church. This was an indication to me
that the emotional and social condition of the congregation, although positive and
thankful and feeling blessed, was concerned and there were enough people
worried to temper the excitement for the future.

Table 4 Question 3 (Sept. 2017) -How likely is it that you would recommend Discovery
Church to a friend or colleague?

Answer Choices	Responses	
Very likely	91.94%	57
Not very likely	8.06%	5
Comments		16
Answered		62
Skipped			0

	Even though the congregation was going through a difficult period, 91
percent of the congregation felt that they would still recommend Discovery
Church to a friend or colleague. From Table three we see that 32 percent were
concerned and 14 percent were worried yet in table four they are still ‘very likely’
to recommend Discovery Church.

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Table 5. Question 4 (Sept. 2017) -Overall, how satisfied, or dissatisfied are you with the
direction of Discovery Church towards multisite?

Answer Choices				Responses	
Very satisfied				25.81%	16
Somewhat satisfied			20.97%	13
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	29.03%	18
Somewhat dissatisfied			16.13%	10
Very dissatisfied			8.06%	5
Comments					20
Answered					62
Skipped						0

Table 6. Question 5 (Sept. 2017) -Considering our desire to multisite, how excited are you
about Discovery Church's future?

Answer Choices		Responses	
Extremely excited	16.13%	10
Very excited		17.74%	11
Somewhat excited	43.55%	27
Not so excited		14.52%	9
Not at all excited	8.06%	5
Comments			19
Answered			62
Skipped				0

Table 7. Question 6 (Sept 2017) -How responsive has the design team of Discovery Church
been to your concerns about multisite?

Answer Choices		Responses	
Extremely responsive	6.56%	4
Very responsive	24.59%	15
Somewhat responsive	9.84%	6
Not so responsive	0.00%	0
Not at all responsive	3.28%	2
Not applicable		55.74%	34
Answered			61
Skipped				1

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Table 8 Question 7 (Sept. 2017) -Are you currently in favour of Discovery Church's kingdom
expansion plan (to become one church with two sites)?

Answer Choices	Responses
Yes		67.86%	38
No		32.14%	18
Comments		23
Answered		56
Skipped			6

	All of these questions have generated many comments, but I will reserve
some of my comments until later when I compare the two surveys in the
Reflection and Analysis section. There are some reflections that I have observed
that are important here. Given the context of the situation in September 2017; the
loss of thirty members, a financial budget crisis, and drastic staff cutbacks, it is
surprising to see that so many were still in favour of the kingdom expansion plan.
My initial expectations were that the responses to the kingdom expansion plan
would be substantially lower. Going into the Appreciative Inquiry this became a
rallying cry for the participants and the congregation around taking a risk and
being adventurous enough to expand the kingdom of God. When it came time to
suggest an alternate course of action that was different then multisite this
percentage was used to help the members consider moving towards hiring an
associate pastor for the task of starting a second service.

Changing the Conversation

	In October 2017, following the initial survey, we, as a congregation, had
to step away from the original intention of multisite and focus on dealing with the
crisis at hand. It would have been easy to focus on the deficits: the financial crisis,
the loss of thirty members, and the drastic cutbacks in staff and salaries. In order

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to inquire into the stories of life-giving forces at Discovery Church we began by
developing a series of questions that would help to change the conversation. The
subject matter of the initial questions was to dig into the life-giving stories of
Discovery Church so that we could turn our focus to the positive. Most questions
that are asked of a congregation tend to be deficit questions. They focus on fixing
problems. Even neutral research tends to gather helpful information but is only
truly positive if the congregation is hopeful and healthy. Appreciative Inquiry
works with a different set of assumptions and expectations. Appreciative Inquiry
chooses the positive as the focus of inquiry. Nevertheless, we did not ignore the
negative during the interviews; we did not turn away from or ignore the financial
situation, the decline in attendance, or the challenges brought on by this time of
crisis. We did, however, approach the questions with a very particular framework.
The questions were designed to seek information about the life-giving forces of
the congregation.

	Using the 4 - 1 model from Branson the Changing the Conversation
questions are part of the inquire process. This was our way of determining the
best of the organization’s narratives, practices, and imaginations. The design team
used standard questions included in Branson’s book (Branson 2016, 76) and
adapted them to my research question. We entitled the interview questions,
Changing the Conversation. These are the questions that were used for the one-
on-one interviews:

	1 - Remembering your entire experience with Discovery Church, when were
	    you most alive, most motivated, and excited about your involvement in
	    Discovery Church?

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	2 - What are the most valuable ways you have contributed to Discovery
	    Church?

	3 - What are the most important things (spiritual or personal) our church has
	    contributed to your life?

	4 - Make three wishes for the future shape of Discovery Church. (Branson
	    2016).

One-On-One Interviews

	The interviews were conducted in October of 2017 but on September 14,
2017, I scheduled an interviewer training evening so that I could enlist the help of
the design team, Elders, and staff to conduct the thirty-three one-on-one
interviews. To initiate the Appreciative Inquiry, process the design team and I
needed to conduct one-on-one interviews with as many of the key stakeholders at
Discovery Church as we could manage. I recruited six interviewers to help with
the process of interviewing these stakeholders and used the Appreciative Inquiry
process to focus on the positive and appreciating strengths versus identifying
where our problems were. Through a one-on-one interview process, we were able
to engage thirty-three stakeholders in a collaborative process that I believed
would shape the participation and engagement of our community in awareness,
reflection, knowledge, imagination, and innovation.

	The training was conducted so that the interviewers would understand the
process of taking summary notes, recording the conversation, and provide them
with information regarding nondisclosure and confidentiality. During the
interviewer training they interviewed each other to provide a context for
conducting an interview. Each of the interviewers were then brought back
together for a debriefing and question-and-answer session.

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	Once the interviews were complete, the interviewers submitted a summary
of each interview providing details of the conversation based upon the questions.
The summary included quotations that they thought should be remembered,
summarized key topics, and made personal observations about the interviewee.
These interviews were audio recorded and reviewed by the researcher. All this
information was coded using evaluation coding as the method that most applies to
Appreciative Inquiry.

	Evaluation coding is appropriate for policy, critical, action, organizational,
	and (of course) evaluation studies, particularly across multiple sites and
	extended periods of time. Appreciative Inquiry may also benefit from the
	utility of evaluation coding. Evaluation codes emerges from the evaluative
	perspective of the researcher or from the qualitative commentary provided
	by participants. Selected coding methods profiled in this manual can be
	applied to or supplement evaluation coding (e.g. magnitude coding,
	descriptive coding, values coding, and grounded theory coding methods),
	but evaluation coding is also customized for specific studies since ‘the
	coding system must also reflect the questions that initiated and structured
	the evaluation in the first place.’ (Saldana 2016, 141)

	These interviews became extraordinarily helpful in reimagining the future
for Discovery Church by going back and identifying some of the shared stories
from those who had started Discovery Church and from when people began
attending Discovery Church. One interviewee said, “Everything was new and
shiny. Everything touched me personally and seem specific to my life. It was like
every sermon was specific to me; like God put the words that Pastor Martin spoke
in his mouth for me and my wife” (Spoelstra 2017A).

	These interviews were used a month later during the workshop to orient
the participants around the sentiments expressed in the questions. The interviews
not only expressed some of the desires for the future but also reflected on what

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was best from Discovery Church. The interviews were crucial in orienting the
workshop participants toward putting together provocative proposals and
experiments.

Workshop

	In addition to the one-on-one interviews I conducted a two-day
Appreciative Inquiry workshop on Nov 4, 2017 with the intended purpose of
gathering as many members of the congregation as possible for a time of
imagining a future for Discovery Church. Using the 4 -1 model from Branson the
workshops were intended to encompass the third and fourth phase to carry out the
research. Here again is a summary of these phases: imagining what might be by
interpreting the interviews; taking the risk of imagination; and building towards
consensus concerning what should be; and innovation what will be through
discourse, commitment, and equipping, with the largest possible level of
participation (Branson 2016, 27). The information from the interviews was
collected and summarized into a packet that was distributed to the participants.
The morning session was spent reviewing the answers to the four questions in the
one-on-one interviews. This information was then discussed in smaller groups
looking for key themes and deciding on which themes to focus on. The workshop
participants located themes that appeared in the stories that were collected during
the one-on-one interviews and together they created shared images for a preferred
future. This workshop was supposed to provide clarity on themes that needed to
be focused on for future development of Discovery Church. The afternoon session

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was spent developing provocative proposals and experiments concerning possible
futures (Branson 2016, 85-86).

	The afternoon session helped to identify themes from all the questions and
to put together provocative proposals that would build on the themes and provide
a corporate imagination that would go beyond what was possible. There were
seven overarching categories that grabbed the attention of the thirty-five
participants at the workshop:

	1 - Loving and glorifying God
	2 - Love one another
	3 - Bible reading
	    Be a praying church
	4 - Serve inwardly and outwardly
	5 - Spiritual growth
	6 - Family (Spoelstra 2018)

These categories were then narrowed down into some themes by asking the
participants of the workshop to place them into three categories for discussion in
the afternoon session:

	1 - Loving God and glorifying God.
	2 - Loving one another, spiritual growth, and serving one another in the
	    church and outside of the church keeping our family atmosphere.
	3 - Relying on the Holy Spirit to maintain us, be a Bible reading and praying
	    church (Participant 2017).

The last part of the workshop was to take these categories and create provocative
proposals that would encapsulate the categories from the interviews and the
conversations during the day. The proposals put forward are rough drafts of what
a proposal might look like, yet they do have the structure of our conversations and
are entirely the input of the thirty-five individuals who participated in the
workshop.

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	According to Branson, a provocative proposal is an imaginative statement
about the future crafted as if it were already experiential and generative.
Provocative proposals build on the data and engage our corporate imagination
(Branson 2016, 95). It was a time to be creative and to look at what our
organization’s greatest potential might be. The descriptions of provocative
proposals that were presented during the workshop were intended to gather
thematic statements and create lengthy statements regarding the future of
Discovery Church. These could be included in strategic plans or vision
statements. Provocative proposals are built on the data and engage the
imagination of the entire group. To engage the dreaming and visioning is to invite
organizational stakeholders to go beyond what they thought was possible. It is a
time for them to push the creative edges of possibility and wonder about their
organization’s greatest potential (Watkins, McGruder, Mohr, and Kelly 2011,
215-218). Here are the proposals that were written out in the afternoon session of
the workshop by the participants:

	Proposal 1-Loving God, by growing in faith, to become a more
	compassionate church. To exhibiting a maturing faith, to be more Christ
	like through reading and growing in the Word. Therefore, we would be
	growing in love, and maturing more and more in keeping God’s
	commandments. We would love God through the reliance on the Holy
	Spirit to guide and direct us as we reach out to each other and to a needy
	broken world. All the while becoming mature believers who never cease
	praying. All to the glory of God. And of course, we cannot emphasize
	enough the need to have the Word of God as a living, ever increasing,
	intimate part of our lives. (Duet 6:5, Matt 22:3, James 2:14-26, Eph 3:20)

	Proposal 2-We are a family that chooses to love with words and actions.
	We foster a culture where individuals are comfortable communicating
	their needs. We have a system to communicate and fulfill needs, from the
	inside and outside the church, to the whole body. (John 15:13)

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	Proposal 3-As we are being transformed by the Holy Spirit personally
	and as a community. We worship God, study the Bible, and pray. We see a
	time where each person studies the Word and prays regularly, applies the
	Word of God through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. There is regular
	teaching about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and about learning to listen and
	discern God’s voice. We experience sharing and prayer times where the
	Spirit moves. We do the hard things the Holy Spirit calls us to do; confess
	our sins, practice forgiveness, practice freedom, practice love (Romans
	12:1-3; Ephesians 1:13-14) (Participant 2017).

	Information collected during the workshop was used to provide the Elders
of Discovery Church with guidance and direction for the formation of strategies
and clarity to help our congregation move out of the crisis that it found itself in
during this period. The workshop provided the congregation with an opportunity
to remember the blessings of being part of Discovery Church, their contributions
towards those blessings and to dream together about a possible future.
Collectively this allowed this group of people to continue investing in the future
of Discovery Church when our finances and leadership were struggling.

	These three proposals were intended to be starting points for further
discussion and implementation. From each of these proposals we developed
experiments that will prioritize learning some new things and discerning God’s
direction. These experiments will not cost us a lot of time, money, or changes in
structure, they are not going to be complicated and the results are not going to be
predetermined. One of the characteristics of experiments is that failure is an
acceptable outcome and should create conversations of further dialogue about
how to move towards this provocative proposal (Spoelstra 2017 b).

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Discovery Church Survey Two

	This second survey was initiated in January 2018 following the
completion of the workshop on November 4, 2017. The second set of questions
were designed to see if there was a desire to potentially turn our young adult
ministry, The Hub, into a second service with the potential to move it toward a
multisite in the future. The questions were designed to also gauge the shift in the
emotional and social condition of the congregation after conducting the
Appreciative Inquiry process. One question was omitted from the original survey
regarding the work of the design team. I received enough information from the
first survey to gauge the successful communication process and thought that the
second survey did not require a similar question. Two additional questions were
added to the second survey regarding the potential development of a second
service.

	1 - In your own words tell us about how you feel towards starting a second
	    service?

	2 - What are you most excited about, multisite or starting a second service?
	    Please rank each answer, (1-most excited, 2-somewhat excited, 3 being
	    leased excited).

	3 - Overall, how satisfied, or dissatisfied are you with the direction of
	    Discovery Church to start a second service?

There were five questions that respondents could comment on.

	1 - How likely is it that you would recommend Discovery Church to a friend
	    or colleague? Please comment.

	2 - Overall, how satisfied, or dissatisfied are you with the direction of
	    Discovery Church towards multisite? Comments?

	3 - Considering our desire to multisite, how excited are you about Discovery
	    Church’s future? Please explain.

	4 - Are you currently in favour of Discovery Church’s kingdom expansion
	    plan (to become one church with two sites)? Please comment.

	5 - In your own words tell us about how you feel towards starting a second
	    service?

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	This survey was advertised to the congregation in an identical manner to
the first survey so that we could get as many participants as possible through
email, Facebook, and Sunday morning announcements. Both the first and the
second survey were sent to identical groups based upon our membership and
regular attenders. Each survey was sent to 180 email addresses in our database.
What follows is a summary of the respondents’ answers to the survey questions.
As a general observation on the participation in the second survey, there were six
individuals that opened the survey but did not complete any responses. In the
summary of each question there is an indicator of how many people skipped the
question and the reader should understand that for every question there are six
people who were considered having skipped the question but, never completed the
survey. Their comments and my observations will follow in the section on data
analysis.

Phases and Timetable

	In order to combine the use of the two surveys with the two Appreciative
Inquiry stages, I created the following phases to outline the research process. A
timetable of the phases and activities can be found in Appendix III.

Phase 1

	Phase 1 was the introductory process for the research project. During this
phase I conducted mini-lectures, presentations, and information sessions on
Appreciative Inquiry. I also sent out the initial survey through SurveyMonkey and
trained staff and the design team to do the “changing the conversation”

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interviews. This phase was completed except for some of the interviews by the
end of September 2017.

Phase 2

	During phase 2 the emphasis was placed upon completing the “changing
the conversation” interviews and running an Appreciative Inquiry workshop. Prior
to the workshop I took some time to summarize and categorize the interview
questions for use during the two-day Appreciative Inquiry workshop. These
summaries were used for the morning session so that the participants of the
workshop could have time to reflect on the answers from the one-on-one
interviews. The Saturday session was recorded and there were scribes present at
each table to collect data. These scribes helped summarize the conversations so
that provocative proposals and experiments could be clearly articulated. During
the workshop I invited attendees to consider participating in teams that will
implement their suggestions for provocative proposals and experiments. The
conversations, content, and data collected from the interviews and the workshop
was analysed by the design team and myself and then I prepared a report outlining
the provocative proposals and experiments for the Elders.

Phase 3

	Phase 3 began by presenting a report at the November members meeting
outlining the provocative proposals and experiments that were imagined during
the two-day workshop. This report gave a summary of the first survey completed
in September. The survey was analysed looking for areas of comparison and

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contrast that indicated a shift in people’s concerns, fears, and anxiety toward
multisite and their overall feelings regarding the future of Discovery Church.

Ethics in Ministry-Based Research

	As a minister of Discovery Church and now also student at Tyndale
Seminary of Tyndale University there were some ethical considerations to be
mindful of during this research. I examined the behaviours and reasons behind
certain activities, and it is incumbent upon a minister to hold things in confidence.
As a researcher, however, some of this information needs to be included in the
research project. Tim Sensing in his book Qualitative Research points out that,

	as a researcher, you have an ethical obligation to your congregants and
	participants. You are examining and leading change in the social-religious
	lives of people. Your role as a minister is a sacred trust. Violations of this
	trust sometimes happen, and once the damage is done, it may take months
	or years to repair. (Sensing 2011, 31)

	In order to safeguard the sacred trust of minister and to conduct research I
gave every opportunity for individuals to decline to participate and ensure that
confidentiality was paramount. Each participant was informed of the scope and
purpose of the interviews. I chose to collect all the survey data anonymously
unless the participant specifically requests to be identified. For the workshop,
participants were asked to sign consent forms to be recorded during the two-day
workshop and all data, conversations, and anecdotes during the workshop were
collected (see Appendix I, II,III & IV). The conversations during the two-day
workshop were not anonymous but individuals were given consent forms asking
for permission to use conversation from the workshops. There was one participant
during the workshop that chose not to participate when asked to sign a consent

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form. The participant was given the opportunity to continue to participate during
the workshop, but they chose to leave instead.

	More specifically I attempted to minimize risk and power differentials
between myself and the participants by asking a group of six people to help me
conduct the one-on-one interviews. These interviews were collected, and the data
collated separately from my own. In doing so, I would be able to potentially
identify variances in the answers to questions that may relate to how I had
impacted the one-on-one interviews. In the end, after all the interviews were done,
I only conducted two one-on-one interviews. During the two-day workshop, I did
not have conversations with the small groups during their discussions. Each small
group had a trained leader so that my input would not create bias. By doing so,
this may help to eliminate undue pressure or bias in answering questions when I
am present for the discussion. It was my hope to include forty to eighty
individuals in the interviews and workshops. The reality is that out of the one
hundred or so adults attending Discovery Church on a Sunday morning, a group
of thirty-five adult participants was more realistic. The actual number of
participants for the one-on-one interviews was thirty-six and the thirty-three for
the workshop.

	This project followed the guidelines and restrictions of the Research and
Ethics Board of Tyndale Seminary of Tyndale University and the Tri-Council
Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, of the
Government of Canada. The following information was included in a consent

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form (Appendix II) sought from all participants as they engaged in the research
process:

	1 - A restatement of the purpose of the action research and a description of
	    study, tasks, and conditions for participation

	2 - An encouragement to participants to ask questions before giving consent

	3 - Information about their right to refuse to do anything they find
	    uncomfortable and their right to leave the study at any time without
	    penalty

	4 - A statement indicating that by consenting, participants do not waive any
	    legal rights

	5 - Contact information for the researcher and the Research Ethics Board of
	    Tyndale Seminary of Tyndale University (Canada 2014)

I used a survey instrument before and after the Appreciative Inquiry process
(Appendix V). Participation in the survey could also be done anonymously. I
asked staff members and design team members to participate as interviewers for
part of the research. Training for the interviews included the following:

1	- How to Conduct interviews. Interviewers will interview each other using
the questions from “changing the conversation”

2	- Instructions on how to take notes during the interview including
information on how to collect biographical data and the overall tone of the
interviewer during the interview

3	- Instructions on how to explain and collect consent forms

4	- Expectations regarding submission and of notes

	All interviewers were given the same consent forms (Appendix II) as the
participants indicating their desire to participate and allowing them to decline to
participate without penalty or bias. Anyone participating in the interviews or the
two-day workshop that was uncomfortable with comments made or being
recorded could request that they opt out of the research data collection portion.
They were informed that they could still participate in the interviews and two-day
workshop if they so choose. The board of Elders at Discovery Church has given
permission for me to conduct this project with the congregation and was kept up

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to date as to the progress. They were also included as much as possible in the
actual research.

	The potential benefits of the research project were to identify and
understand the feelings associated with moving towards a church with multiple
sites. It was also to allow groups to participate in the dreaming and imagination
for what Discovery Church might become. This inclusive participation will allow
individuals to feel and develop ownership in the future of Discovery Church
(Appendix IV).

Gathering Data

	To maximize the accuracy of this action research project there were
several different kinds of data collected and several points of view in the
reflection of the data collected. Between surveys, the workshop, and one-on-one
interviews there 3 areas of data collection. With each kind of data there was an
improvement of knowledge and clarity from the data.

	In September 2015, I formed the design team, which was a strategic
planning team intent on leading the congregation through the two-year change
process of the multisite project. The design team was made up of six individuals
who had extensive planning experience and were integral to the life of Discovery
Church. Included there was a project manager for a major transportation
company, an IT project manager for a bank who was also an Elder in our church,
a caseworker, and a retired engineer. This group of people was extremely helpful
in setting up project reports and planning flow sheets as well as change
management outlines.

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	One of the key qualities of this design team was their credibility. The
caseworker was our previous Elder board chair and a very well-respected person
in our church community. The design team helped to guide the creation of the
survey for the one-on-one interviews, participated in the interview process, and
were themselves interviewers, helped with the implementation of strategic plans
for the growth of Discovery Church once the research phase was completed and
provided the Elder Board of Discovery Church with updates regarding the status
of the various projects and our readiness to implement the provocative proposals
and experiments.

	To increase the rigour, I included several data sources and used different
methods of data collection. Data was collected through questionnaires, individual
interviews, and observations as well as the reflection from leaders and Elders in
our congregation (Melrose 2001, 166). The timetable for the research can be
found in Appendix III - Appreciative Inquiry Timetable

	To assist with the interpretation of the data and to be faithful to the stories
and observations therein, thirty-three adults participated in a workshop where they
took time to reflect on the stories from the one-on-one interviews and the initial
survey data. During the workshop, the participants also reflected on the initial
survey and the one-on-one interviews and scribes were selected to record their
observations and conclusions.

	Over a period of four months, from September 2017 to January 2018, I
collected information from five different sources: an initial survey in September,
one-on-one interviews in September and October, a two-day workshop in the

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beginning of November, and an adaptation of the original survey to include
portions of the new research question. I also gathered information from
documents prepared to communicate the journey to multisite and records such as
excerpts from my pastor’s report to the Elders and congregation.

	One of the problems in research is to identify whether there is an actual
problem. The researcher may perceive a problem that does not exist or overlook
an obvious, existing problem. Many problems are determined by people in
authority and defined in terms that either overstate or understate the central
problem (Stringer 2014, 99). Using the initial survey, I needed to establish
whether the congregation were truly emotionally and socially opposed to the
multisite project.

Reflection and Analysis

	The purpose of this section is to sift through and assess the information
and data that was collected during the research. In this section I will look at the
survey questions and compare them to see if there is a shift in the values,
attitudes, and beliefs of the participants. This will include a reflection on the
interviews and workshop to analyse the effectiveness of the Appreciative Inquiry.
This reflection includes the comparison of the two surveys and observations,
anecdotes and observations on the one-on-one interviews based upon the
Changing the Conversation questions. The development of provocative proposals
at the workshop and how they were used to develop SMART goals that were
presented to the Elders and the congregation.

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Survey Questions

	The two surveys were intended to provide a comparison for a change in
the congregation’s emotional and social values, beliefs, and attitudes toward
becoming a multisite church. There was a shift in the research question in
between the two surveys and yet there are some questions that remained the same
between surveys. In the first survey there were sixty-two respondents in the
second survey there were thirty-four respondents. In trying to understand why
there were fewer respondents in the second survey I have been unable to give an
answer. The surveys were sent to the same number of people each time and each
survey was given the same exposure through email, Facebook, and
announcements at church on Sunday.

	This question examines how people feel about Discovery Church. I was
interested in whether I could see a shift in how people felt about Discovery
Church after conducting the one-on-one interviews and the workshop.

Table 9 Comparison between surveys one and two. Question: which of the following words
would you use to describe how you feel about Discovery Church? Select all that apply.
 [Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 9 details. ]


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Table 9 Continued.
[Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 9 details. ]



	Of interest to me here is the 15 percent rise in the percentage of total
words of three of the positive feeling words: excited, confident, and optimistic.
Although I am unable to determine if the same people participated in the second
survey these three words specifically show a dramatic increase in the positive
outlook of the participants towards Discovery Church in general. Six of the
positive feeling words had increased during the second survey and six increased
in the negative words in the second survey, two in particular are; sceptical,
distrustful. Comparing these two questions allows us to see that there is a more
positive use of the feeling words in the second survey than in the first. This
represents a more positive attitude towards how people feel about Discovery
Church.

Considering our desire to multisite, how excited are you about Discovery
Church's future?

	The purpose of this question was to gauge how excited people were about
the future of Discovery Church given the uncertainties of moving toward a
multisite church.

Table 10. Comparison between surveys one and two. Question: considering our desire to
multisite, how excited are you about Discovery Church's future?
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 10 details. ]


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	In the second survey there is a higher percentage of people extremely
excited about the future of Discovery Church. This may be an indicator that the
Appreciative Inquiry provided this group of respondents with a more positive
outlook for Discovery Church’s future. There is the possibility that we had
“weeded-out” those who felt less positive because of the lower number of
respondents.

	The comments from the first survey generally fell within two theme
categories of values and attitudes. In the values theme the comments were split
evenly between concern for doing multiplication given the challenges we were
facing and belief in the values of Kingdom expansion and multiplication.

	Now that the time for multisite is here its hard to garner excitement for the
	project due to coinciding issues in our church. Decline in average
	attendance and the failure of giving to match previous years' budgetary
	increases are concerning but not so much so that we should stop the
	multisite. The most concerning issue to me is the attrition of our core
	membership, the loss of many people who were integral to the church, in
	the years leading up to the project. This is to say that I have more concern
	than excitement. (Survey 1. Discovery Church. 2017)

Are you currently in favour of Discovery Church's kingdom expansion plan
(to become one church with two sites)?

	Even after all the crises that we went through in the fall of 2017: losing
thirty people and four staff, a financial crisis, and a great deal of uncertainty there

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was still relatively the same amount of people in favour of Discovery Church’s
kingdom expansion plan.

Table 11 Comparison between surveys one and two. Question: are you currently in favour of
Discovery Church's kingdom expansion plan (to become one church with two sites)?
[Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 11 details. ]


	There were twenty-three comments in the first survey on the question
about being in favour of Discovery Church’s kingdom expansion plan. Most of
the responses were either neutral or against going forward and for the most part
had a condition on their negative response. Prior to agreeing to move forward
with multisite, the design team and the Elders provided benchmarks for the launch
of a multisite. Due to the loss of members and our financial status those
benchmarks could not be met. These responses are representative of this
sentiment in the first survey:

	When the criteria for moving ahead has been met. It may mean waiting.
	I’m undecided.

	It seems we are lacking volunteers and some support at one church so not
	sure how it will be with two. But excited to be able to expand too (Survey
	1. Discovery Church 2017).

	There were nine comments in the second survey and here again most of
the responses were neutral or against going forward and the respondents had
conditions. The following responses are representative of the sentiment:

	With conditions. We need to be in a much better financial situation first.
	And more people attending regularly.

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	I am cautiously supportive and do not want to rush the decision. I think
	healthy timelines and not rushing is a key to success. (Survey 2 Discovery
	Church 2018)

What are you most excited about, multisite, or starting a second service?

	This question was included in the second survey only because of the
change in the research question and the desire to understand from the
congregation whether there was still a willingness to develop a strategy for
kingdom expansion. In this question we outlined three options: multisite, a second
service, or both.

	Because of the shift in the research question due to shelving the multisite
option we decided to ask the respondents if turning an existing young adult
ministry into a second service would be a better option? Clearly the response was
in favour of starting a second service over continuing with the multisite strategy.
There should have been an option in this question to choose neither. This may
have created a blind spot in the data where people may have been forced to
choose between options, neither of which they liked. There may be a bias in this
data.

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Table 12. Question 8 (Jan. 2018) -What are you most excited about, multisite or starting a
second service? Please rank each answer, (1-most excited, 2-somewhat excited, 3-least
excited).
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Table 12 details. ]


In your own words tell us about how you feel towards starting a second
service?

	When asked their opinion on the development of a second site in the
second survey, “In your own words tell us about how you feel towards starting a
second service?” there were twenty-nine responses. There were only two negative
responses about starting a second service. Fourteen responses were positive and
nine were neutral. I believe that the neutral responses were due to not having any
conversation with the leadership about this option and their reaction was mostly
about not having enough information. There were also similar concerns or
conditions in the responses to the development of multisite regarding capacity,
both financial and volunteer:

	Wonderful plan-will we have enough volunteers?

	I think it is a fantastic idea. I think it will provide an opportunity for
	people with busy schedules to still be able to go to church. This way we
	can grow in our faith but have a bit more flexibility with our personal
	schedules.

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	Very excited because it will offer more every week which I believe will
	increase attendance and be more multi-generational (Survey 2. Discovery
	Church 2018).

The Interviews

	The interviews were revisited during the workshop and the basic themes
were gathered into a document that was reviewed by the participants. The
interviews became the basis under which the workshop participants were able to
put together some themes that appeared in all the stories. I followed the 4—I
model, outlined by Branson to conduct the Appreciative Inquiry (Branson 2016,
27). The Appreciative Inquiry was divided into four phases: initiate, inquire,
imagine, and innovate. The interviews were the second phase, inquire, in the 4—I
model that Branson modified. Inquire is defined by Branson as, “the best of the
organization’s narratives, practices, and imaginations” (Branson 2016, 27).

	The first question, “Remembering your entire experience with Discovery
Church, when were you most alive, most motivated, and excited about your
involvement in Discovery Church?” was intended to find what made Discovery
Church such a powerfully moving experience for the participants. Many of the
interviewees commented on the newness of the experience, starting a new church
and how Discovery Church was different than any other church that they had
participated in. One participant stated, “Everything was new and shiny.
Everything touched me personally and seemed specific to my life. It was like
every sermon was specific to me; like God put the words that Pastor Martin spoke
in his mouth for me and my wife” (Spoelstra 2017A). New churches attract new
people and provide a level of excitement and engagement that they may not have

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found in other church environments. It was our desire with the multisite to
provide the same “new and shiny environment” in a second location. Many
people commented that the church was exciting, accepting, nonjudgmental, and
inspiring.

	The purpose of the second question, “What are the most valuable ways
you have contributed to Discovery Church?” was to have interviewees reflect on
their contributions to the church and its development. The interviewees identified
the ways in which they had contributed to Discovery Church, which helped them
identify the value that they found in participating and contributing toward
Discovery Church’s growth and development. Comments like; “I love committee
work. My assessment skills are strong, and I enjoy looking at the inner working of
problem-solving and social justice and human interaction” (Spoelstra 2017a)

	The third question, “What are the most important things (either spiritual or
personal) our church has contributed to your life?” once again, was designed to
create a positive and appreciative response from the participants so that they
would be able to identify the most important core values of Discovery Church.
Specifically, this question elicited overwhelming responses around discipleship,
mentoring, leadership development, and spiritual growth. The main catalysts for
growth in the participants’ lives were preaching, teaching, caring for one another
as a church family, and mentoring. This also reflects my personal philosophy of
leadership in that disciples are the foundation and cornerstone of a multiplying
ministry. The time and energy put into disciple making, mentoring, and coaching
by our staff saw our church continue to grow for eleven straight years.

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	The last question asked the participants to make three wishes for the future
shape of Discovery Church and explores the future by generating images. Instead
of asking about “What we should do?” or “What you think we should change?”
this question, which is consistent with Appreciative Inquiry, is about creating a
future not about fixing a problem. For instance, there were thirteen occasions in
this question where people dreamt about greater community engagement and
outreach. Specifically, there were six mentions around a Sunday activity called
“Take It to the Streets” where we together as a church on a Sunday morning
collectively did several random acts of kindness in our community. One
participant said,

	At the last “Take It to the Streets” my child brought a friend and we went
to a nursing home to give out flowers. I gave this girl a pink Bible and the girl
yelled ‘This is the best day of my life.’ She went home and showed her mom.
Next time she came over to our house she asked if we were going to church and if
she could come. That girl came to Christ. (Spoelstra 2017A) Another theme from
the responses to this question was the desire for greater spiritual growth and
connection to the Holy Spirit. Comments around this theme were freedom to
worship, being led by the Holy Spirit, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

	The concept of being uniquely better, a term coined by Andy Stanley at
the 2017 Global Leadership Summit (Stanley 2017), was mentioned several times
in the responses to this question. They mentioned this in the context of an
organizational culture that recognizes that being unique is one thing but being
uniquely better than others stands alone in the landscape of what is common.

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Several of the participants talked about being forward focused and not being
stuck. We should look for new ideas and include more people. One comment
particularly encapsulates this idea, “Embrace the idea that we should be different.
Jesus was different and we should continue to be different, adapt, and grow”
(Spoelstra 2017A). Often one of the characteristics of an apostolic leader is that
they go into areas and develop ministries that are outside of the norm for an area.
It is not just that apostolic leaders go to new places, they also create new things.
Church planting is one of the new things that attracts new people in an existing
environment. This comment is also an encouragement to try new things and
develop new ideas. It gets to the heart of the risk-taking nature of apostolic
ministries.

The Workshop

	The workshop was a time of reflection and consolidation of the themes
present in the interviews. Each of the participants contributed to the identification
of themes and the development of provocative proposals. The workshop
represented the third phase of the 4 -1 model, imagine. Participants were asked to
interpret the interviews and take the risk of imagination towards building a
consensus of what should be (Branson 2016, 27). These themes and provocative
proposals were recorded by a scribe at each one of the groups. These themes were
consolidated then developed in the afternoon session into three provocative
proposals. The provocative proposals were based upon the themes but were very
general in nature.

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	All the participants were divided up into three groups. Each group elected
a scribe that was given a notebook to record elements of the discussion. These
notebooks were also included in the collated data that helped to form the
provocative proposals and experiments. The information from the thirty-three
one-on-one interviews and the information gathered from the notebooks by the
thirty-five participants of the workshop that were provided to the researcher were
coded using identifying themes and theme categories as outlined by Stringer
(Stringer 2014, 142-144). Identifying themes were comments that were made in
the one-on-one interviews and recorded in the notebooks from the workshop.
Events like “Take It to the Streets”, worship nights, and outreach projects were
talked about as being formative programs that impacted the spiritual life and
perspective of the participants and sentiments about who we are as a church that
were common across the stakeholder groups. These were identified by going over
the interviews and placing these comments into categories. They were placed into
three categories. The first category was called themes. Over the course of the
interviews and the workshop 165 identifying themes were recorded (see Appendix
- IV). Those identifying themes were divided into fourteen organizing themes and
eventually it was narrowed down into these seven global themes:

	Discipleship-personal spiritual growth, preaching and teaching, coaching,
	mentoring, pastoral care, and youth and children ministries (fifty-two
	identifying themes).

	Servant evangelism-outreach, evangelism, numerical growth, Take It to
	the Streets, faith and action, and the Great Commission (forty-three
	identifying themes).

	Relationships and church family-relationships in the congregation,
	hospitality, unity, and to feel like or be part of a church family (thirty-
	eight identifying themes).

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	Uniquely different-starting Discovery Church, taking risks, being
	different, being unique, and getting outside one’s comfort zone (twenty-
	one identifying themes).

	Glory of God-experience more of the glory of God, more of the Holy
	Spirit in worship, congregation, and prayer (thirteen identifying themes).

	Vision and mission-financial stability, tithing, leadership, management,
	operations, and agreement with mission and vision (twelve identifying
	themes).

Serving in areas of gifting (eight identifying themes).

	These themes look forward, but they do have their origin in the days when
Discovery Church felt most alive. Here you can see some of the results of the
context we found ourselves in during the crisis in the summer of 2017 and the
desires of our congregation that reach back into our past. The most often referred
to global themes were discipleship, mission, and coaching. There is also a theme
that articulates a desire for a deeper relationship with God that may be
reminiscent of a time earlier in the life of Discovery Church. One of my core
values is to disciple and develop leaders. I believe strongly in fanning into flame
the gifts that God has given each member of the congregation. In chapter 3, I
asserted my conviction that people need places to serve out of their giftings and
many of the themes that came forward had references to gift-based ministry and
the sentiment of having been a spiritual, not just financial, contributor.

	To turn these global themes and provocative proposals into actionable
experiments I presented the following recommendations in June 2018 to our
board of Elders:

	1 - Spend some time at an Elder meeting prioritizing the themes from the
	    Appreciative Inquiry.

	2 - Put together a subcommittee from the board, much like the design team, to
	    come up with provocative proposals from the prioritized themes

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	    mentioned above and turn them into experiments for recommendation to
	    the board.

	3 - This provocative proposal team would consist of myself, one board
	    member, participants from the one-day workshop and possibly other staff
	    members. I suggested using SMART goals as a process tool for the
	    experiments. A SMART goal is used to help guide goal setting. SMART is
	    an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
	    and Timely.

	4 - The provocative proposal team will present to the board a list of
	    experiments in the form of SMART goals.

	5 - The board of Elders will then select one or two experiments for
	    implementation (Spoelstra 2018).

	Between the global themes identified and provocative proposals that were
developed by the workshop participants and the collated data from the interviews
and the notebooks from the workshop, I then stepped into the fourth phase of the
Appreciative Inquiry model. It was unfortunate but shortly after January 2018 the
design team that had been together since 2015 disbanded because the original
intent and purpose of the design team was to implement a multisite strategy. This
fourth phase of the 4 - 1 model was called Innovate. The innovation comes
through the discourse we had during the one-on-one interviews and the
workshops and from it we put together practices that helped equip and engage the
largest number of participants. From this recommendation the Elder board and
staff put together a proposal in the fall of 2018 to adopt SMART goals based upon
the provocative proposals. This was presented to the congregation in November
2018 and included the input from Elders and staff.

	The first SMART goal is related to the servant evangelism global theme
from the coded data and led to the development of several community outreach
projects to connect with people who do not attend Discovery Church. From
November 2018 to June 2019 Discovery Church connected with over three times

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the number of individuals than in the previous year, in the community through a
Christmas program, an Easter egg hunt, and two events designed to bring friends
and neighbours to a nonthreatening environment.

	A second SMART goal adopted was to focus on the development of small
groups and discipleship. This second SMART goal stems from the first
provocative proposal presented by the workshop participants where they
identified their desire to “exhibit a maturing faith, to be more like Christ through
reading and growing in the Word.” It also comes from the global category
identified during the coding of the data from the interviews and the workshop
notebooks. This category included discipleship, spiritual growth, preaching, and
teaching as a common theme. This goal also stems from the third provocative
proposal suggested by the workshop participants stating, “We are being
transformed by the Holy Spirit personally and as a community. We worship God,
study the Bible, and pray. We see a time where each person studies the Word and
prays regularly and applies the Word of God through the Holy Spirit’s
empowerment.” In May 2018, a small group series on prayer was the basis for this
SMART goal beginning in September. Three additional six to eight-week small
group series were planned for September 2018, January 2019, and May 2019. In
alignment with that goal the Fall sermon series was designed to be theologically
reflective (nine weeks on the first eight chapters of the book of Romans) and the
Winter sermon series was intended to be spiritually formative (eleven weeks on
personal spiritual disciplines). By May of 2019, 70 percent of adults at Discovery

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Church had attended a small group in the previous eight months. In the prior
twelve months only 60 percent of the congregation participated in a small group.

	A third SMART goal focused on developing clarity and detail around our
vision and mission. The data analysis from the one-on-one interviews and the
workshop notebooks revealed that vision and mission were one of the common
themes identified. This was accomplished by detailing a discipleship process and
setting priorities based upon our mission statement: discover God and all that he
has for you; to grow disciples that make disciples; and to bless our family, church,
and community.

Conclusions

	Over the course of the research project the research question had to be
modified due to the changes in the context surrounding the congregation. Those
changes came with unique challenges to the overall health and strength of
Discovery Church. This research project was fortunately timed in that
Appreciative Inquiry became a remarkably effective strategy for the congregation
to process its grief and concern and focus it on the honourable, the pure, the
pleasing, and the commendable. The original research question was intended to
help identify the emotional and social shifts necessary to become one church in
two locations. What happened instead was that the Appreciative Inquiry helped
the congregation with a shift in the emotional and social concerns for a
congregation to withstand the challenges of a dramatic loss in attendance and a
financial crisis. It also turned an internal focus towards what was possible for the
future and reengaged the imagination.

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Heliotropic Change Towards the Positive

	The Appreciative Inquiry was primarily responsible for shifting the
emotional and social condition of the participants towards a more positive outlook
on the future of Discovery Church. The comparison of the words used in the two
surveys that participants use to describe Discovery Church indicate an increase in
the positive feeling words. From the second survey respondents indicated that
there was still a 90 percent likelihood that members of the congregation would
recommend Discovery Church to a friend or neighbour. The power of images to
bring change was key in the Appreciative Inquiry process. This helped
participants create images of the most desired future and one of the key functions
of Appreciative Inquiry is the belief that human systems will show heliotropic
tendency to move toward positive images. These images had a shaping power on
the participants and in our congregation’s goals, schedules, finances, and
practices. We saw individuals give generously to help meet the financial need and
an increase the respondents use of the positive words from survey 1 to survey 2,
such as confident (25% to 38%), excited (30% to 44%), optimistic (45% to 67%)
and satisfied (37% to 41%) used to describe Discovery Church. In both surveys
the respondents used worried at the same percentage (14%) but some were more
skeptical (3% to 11%) which is understandable given the difficult time the church
was going though. This was accomplished while maintaining a generally
favourable outlook on the kingdom expansion ideals outlined in the original
vision that led to this research project (66% in favour in survey 1and 67% in
favour in survey 2). As the participants reflected on their contributions, the
impact, and the imaginative future of Discovery Church, they stayed more

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positive and committed. This was seen in their willingness to hire a full-time
associate Pastor shortly after the congregation wide Appreciative Inquiry process.

Willingness to Risk, Discipleship, and a Recommitment Outreach

	As the participants reflected upon the reason why they started Discovery
Church many of them remembered their willingness to take risks. In the interview
data, a theme of stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and taking risks was
strong enough, I believe, to help the congregation reach a tipping-point and try
some new initiatives.

	With the submission of the provocative proposals put together by the
participants of the workshop I recognized that there was a hunger and a desire for
deeper spiritual connection and engagement with an awareness of the Holy Spirit
within our church context. This led to a year-long focus on discipleship and
worship.

	Repeatedly throughout the questions, the workshop, and the surveys there
was a desire from the participants to reengage with outreach in our community;
discipleship that would lead to conversion and engagement with our community.
The surveys indicated that there was still a desire for kingdom expansion even in
the face of a declining attendance and a financial crisis. The interviews, especially
in question four, outlined the participants’ desire for outreach and community
projects like “Take It to the Streets.” The Appreciative Inquiry helped us
understand the imagined future of the participants.


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General Conclusions

	The use of Appreciative Inquiry at Discovery Church, during that difficult
time from September 2017 until May 2018 became a turning point in the spiritual,
emotional, and social health of Discovery Church. It allowed our congregation to
see itself in a more positive light and to dare to risk once again in a new way. We
began to understand though, that we needed to spend the next year developing in
discipleship and spiritual formation before re-engaging in servant evangelism and
mission. This led us to develop some specific and actionable goals over the past
year that has allowed Discovery Church to begin to reengage once again in
servant evangelism and mission. As we enter 2019 there is a renewed energy and
emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit among our members. We have been
growing in our ability to study the word of God by participating more in small
groups and by developing our understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and
of the glory of God through preaching and teaching.

	Personally, I found it very difficult to step back into the thoughts and
feelings of the congregation when I was examining the interviews and workshops
almost a year later because I, along with many of the others, had already begun to
focus on the future. Going through this process during that most difficult time was
just as hard on the leadership of the design team, Elders, and staff as it was to the
members. Leading this group of people through the Appreciative Inquiry helped
the leadership as much as it helped our congregants.

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CHAPTER V:
CONCLUSION

	In the introduction I shared an image from a friend of mine, David Beelan,
who suggested that the purpose of an apple tree was not to produce apples but to
produce more trees. It was always our intention, when planting Discovery Church,
to get to a point where we would plant more churches. This whole project, and for
that matter, enrollment in the Doctor of Ministry program was intended to provide
a structured and educated approach to multiplying our growing church. I
suggested that the apple tree metaphor could be expanded by stating that the apple
tree had been struck by lightning and a large branch had been forcefully removed.

	Much like the nature of living things, when there is an injury to a tree
there must be a season of healing and during that initial period there was an
enormous stress on the tree. We saw this very same scenario when we lost those
thirty people and had to deal with the leadership and financial crisis. Our
congregation was under a period of stress and, instead of launching the multisite,
we spent six months trying to understand and heal from the crisis at hand. We
needed to focus in on the emotional and social challenges that we were facing as a
congregation. Some of that healing took place as we went through the
Appreciative Inquiry, which allowed our congregation to focus again on the
positive, move towards seeing ourselves in the light of who we are as a church,

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and dream about a future that we can still create. This began the process of
healing on a positive note.

Discipleship and Multiplication

	One of my core, fundamental beliefs as a pastor and leader is that
discipleship and multiplication are closely connected. Without a clear path for
discipleship there would be no hope for missional engagement. The mission of the
church is based upon the discipleship capacity that a congregation has within
itself. When we went through the crisis in September and October 2017 one of the
most important ways in which we dealt with that crisis was to focus on
discipleship. Discipleship allowed our congregation a season of healing and
renewal so that they would have the capacity for missional engagement. In the
research conducted for the Appreciative Inquiry an emphasis on discipleship was
one of the seven global themes that arose from the interviews. It was the most
frequently mentioned themes with many of the individuals referencing personal
spiritual growth, preaching, and teaching, coaching, mentoring, and pastoral care.
Our season of healing needed to focus on the various aspects of discipleship;
during 2018 not only was the preaching focus on spiritual disciplines but the
selected themes for small groups and children’s ministries would provide
additional discipleship.

	Also identified in the global themes was a willingness to take risks. Many
of the participants in the workshop and the interviews were willing to continue a
risk-taking approach to developing new ministries with new ideas. Much of the
reflection of what was positive about Discovery Church and the participation in

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the development of our church revolved around willingness to engage in activities
that were outside of the norm for most churches. My personal desire to develop
and multiply also reflects this desire and as we have journeyed through the last
year since the Appreciative Inquiry there has been a growing sense of eagerness
from our congregation to get back to the work of mission.

Outcomes

	It is evident from the weaknesses and opportunities that there is a need to
spend some time clarifying and reinforcing the vision and core values of
Discovery Church. We are thirteen years into a church plant, and we need to
spend some time refreshing our space and taking a hard look at our vision and
direction. Furthermore, I think we need to simplify our structures so that we can
focus, in a more meaningful way, on discipleship, follow-up, and hospitality.

	I think the refresh conversation is forcing us to ask some bigger questions.
These questions revolve around how to make things simpler and when you ask
how to streamline and make things simpler you need definitions. Definitions
require an answer to the question, “Why do we what we do?” The why can only
be answered by going back to the vision of Discovery, Grow and Bless. This then
forces us, once again, to put everything under the vision of Discovery Church,
clearly define what that means for the next six months to three years, and then
clarify definitions so that we can implement steps of execution.

	As individuals are discipled, there will be those who want to move into a
place of becoming a disciple-maker or a leader. We will also have to encourage
some to make this step because they need the encouragement and confidence that

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we can provide. If they are to move into those places, they are going to need
additional mentoring and coaching along that journey. We are going to require a
different level of skill development and biblical knowledge. There is also a need
for training in spiritual disciplines that will help carry them through the leadership
challenges that they will face. All of this will require a structured leadership
development process. After losing so many leaders during that summer crisis of
2017 we can see that the participants of the Appreciative Inquiry were looking for
a deeper discipleship experience and since then there have been individuals who
have wanted to go deeper and become disciple makers and leaders. When you add
a spiritual convert and turn them into a biblical disciple the natural tendency is to
move them to build capacity in the church. This capacity building should not end
within the walls of Discovery Church but should be focused on kingdom growth
beyond its walls. I believe that if we re-engage and develop our leadership
pipeline, we will be able to see the growth and reproduction that we have been
missing. Kingdom growth happens when leaders understand that being a disciple
is developing someone so that they can disciple someone else. It is the same
principle for leadership development, and the same principle that will lead us
back to a multisite ministry.

	Subsequent webinars/seminars would do some theological and practical
teaching on the subjects listed. Participants would be gathered back together for
these seminars four times in nine months. These seminars could form the basics of
teaching requirements for certification or accreditation.

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Mentoring cohort

	This will be led by practitioners that are familiar with the three aspects
listed above. These cohorts would consist of 6-8 individuals including the mentor.
The role of these mentoring cohorts would be to focus each session on one subject
using the information-imitation-action-reflection model identified above. Cohorts
would meet three times in between each webinar/seminar for a total of nine cohort
meetings in nine months.

Each cohort would have a theme based on the 3 sections above and from
that theme:

	•  Communicate information on the topic,

	•  Share how Jesus imitated this and how it can be imitated using the
	   experiences of the mentors,

	•  Outline action steps as assignments for mentees between cohorts

	•  Reflection on action steps at the beginning of the next cohort to bring
	   learning for the group and innovation for future action.

	Not everyone who would be interested in this process would want to have
seminary accreditation but there may be one cohort that would be made up of
individuals who are looking for Masters level credits and a syllabus would be
developed to provide guidance for the mentor cohorts.

Lead/initiate a new missional ministry.

	One of the key teaching aspects from the beginning will be that each
leader is going to be responsible for leading or initiating a new kingdom growth-
focused missional activity. It would be ideal if that activity were started during the

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cohort process. This would allow the third component of multiplying to be used
for action and reflection in the start-up of a new ministry project all the

	We can also recognize throughout this portfolio that it is important from
God’s perspective that we reach out to our community and seek justice and mercy
but also share the Gospel as our Lord commanded us in the Great Commission
(Matthew 28:19-20). During the workshops there was a strong desire from the
participants to reengage in community connections, random acts of kindness, and
Gospel proclamation activities that are focused in our community. There is still a
desire to engage in risk-taking behaviour. Many of the participants of the one-on-
one interviews were able to identify spiritual risk-taking initiatives that they
themselves benefited from or were involved in so that they could see the
transformation in themselves and others. Reconnecting with our community is
going to be a high priority.

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APPENDICIES

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Appendix I	- Nondisclosure & Data
Management Confidentiality Agreement

This confidentially agreement is being used for volunteers participating in the
research project conducted by Martin Spoelstra at Discovery Church during the
period of September 2017-May 2018. Nondisclosure of research conducted for
this project and data management require a confidentiality agreement to be signed
by volunteers. All volunteers must sign a confidentiality agreement before
participating in the following: interviewing, recording or editing image or sound
data, transcribing, interpreting, translating, entering data, destroying data.

Thank you for volunteering to help conduct this research. If you have any
questions about the research, you can contact either myself or Mark Chapman at
Tyndale Seminary of Tyndale University. You may contact either of us at any
time if you have questions about this study.

Contact information:
Martin Spoelstra
martin@Discoverychurch.ca
905-259-3399

My professor is Dr. Mark Chapman,
Associate Professor of Research Methods at Tyndale Seminary of Tyndale
University.
mchapman@tyndale.ca,
416.226.6620 Ext. 2208.

Project title - The Journey to Multisite at Discovery Church

_______________________     ____________________________________
volunteered to

________________________________

I agree to -

1.	keep all the research information shared with me confidential by not
	discussing or sharing the research information in any form or format (e.g.,

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	disks, tapes, transcripts) with anyone other than Martin Spoelstra, the
	researcher or the Design Team.

2.	keep confidential by not discussing or sharing all verbal or written
	information during the one-on-one interviews other than with Martin
	Spoelstra, the researcher or the Design Team.

3.	keep confidential by not discussing or sharing all written information
	recorded during the one-day workshop other than with Martin Spoelstra,
	the researcher or the Design Team.

4.	keep all research information in any form or format (e.g., disks, tapes,
	transcripts) secure while it is in my possession.

5.	return all research information in any form or format (e.g., disks, tapes,
	transcripts) to the Martin Spoelstra, the researcher when I have completed
	the research tasks.

6.	after consulting with Martin Spoelstra, the researcher, erase or destroy all
	research information in any form or format regarding this research project
	that is not returnable to Martin Spoelstra, the researcher (e.g., information
	stored on computer hard drive, paper notes, journals).

_____________________________                   ___________________________________
(Print Name)                                     (Signature)

__________________
(Date)

Martin Spoelstra

_______________________________                 _____________________________________
(Print Name)                                      (Signature)

__________________
(Date)

The plan for this study has been reviewed for its adherence to ethical guidelines
and approved by Research Ethics Board of Tyndale Seminary of Tyndale
University. For questions regarding participant rights and ethical conduct of
research, contact the Research Ethics Board at REB@tyndale.ca.

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Appendix II	- Consent Form: Interviews

Introduction: My name is Martin Spoelstra and I am a student at Tyndale
Seminary of Tyndale University conducting research for my Doctor of Ministry
dissertation.
Contact information:
Martin Spoelstra
martin@Discoverychurch.ca
905-259-3399

My professor is Doctor Mark Chapman,
Associate Professor of Research Methods at Tyndale Seminary of Tyndale
University.
mchapman@tyndale.ca,
416.226.6620 Ext. 2208.

You may contact either of us at any time if you have questions about this study.
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to understand the concerns, fears or
anxiety produced because of the journey to multisite and engage the congregation
in dialogue, solutions and experiments to understand these feelings and to work
together towards continued growth at Discovery Church as a whole. These
interviews will help understand your thoughts and desires for the future of
Discovery Church.
Procedure: If you consent, you will be asked several questions in an oral
interview by either myself, a staff member or member of the Design Team. The
interviewer will make notes during the interview and make an audiotape
recording of the interview.
Time required: The interview will take approximately 1 hour of your time.
Voluntary participation: Your participation in this study is completely
voluntary. If you choose to participate, you may still refuse to answer any
question that you do not wish to answer. You may also withdraw from the study
at any time.
Risks: There are no known risks associated with this interview. However, it is
possible that you might feel distress or extreme excitement in the course of the
conversation. If this happens please inform the interviewer promptly.
Benefits: While there is no guaranteed benefit, it is possible that you will enjoy
sharing your answers to these questions or that you will find the conversation
meaningful. This study is intended to benefit the congregation by understanding
our shared history, your experience and insight that might lead to a better future
for our church.
Confidentiality/ Anonymity: Your name will be kept confidential in all of the
reporting and/ or writing related to this study. The interviewer will be the only
person present for the interview and I will be the only person who listens to the
audio or video tapes. When I write the ethnography (a written account of what I

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learn), I will use pseudonyms (made up names) for all participants, unless you
specify in writing that you wish to be identified by name. If you wish to choose
your own pseudonym for the study, please indicate the first name you would like
me to use for you here: _______________________
Sharing the results: I plan to construct an ethnography (a written account of
what I learn) based on these interviews together with my reading and historical
research. This ethnography will be submitted to my professor. I also plan to share
what I learn from this study with the congregation. Portions of the ethnography
may be printed and made available to the members.
Publication: There is the possibility that I will publish this study or refer to it in
published writing in the future. In this event, I will continue to use pseudonyms
(as described above) and I may alter some identifying details in order to further
protect your anonymity
Before you sign: By signing below, you are agreeing to an audiotaped and/or
videotaped interview for this research study. Be sure that any questions you may
have are answered to your satisfaction. If you agree to participate in this study, a
copy of this document will be given to you.

Participant’s signature:                                Date:
Print name:
Interviewers signature:                                 Date:

Print name:

Researcher’s signature:                                 Date:

Print name:
(Sensing 2015, 236-37)
Source. Sensing, Tim. Qualitative Research: A Multi-Methods Approach to
Projects for Doctor of Ministry Theses (pp. 236-237). Wipf & Stock, an Imprint
of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.

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Appendix III - Appreciative Inquiry Timetable
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix III details. ]



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Appendix III - Appreciative Inquiry Timetable (Continued)
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix III details. ]

	

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Appendix IV - Data Collection

General Themes

	The one-on-one interviews and workshops notes were coded using the
following themes. Each theme was broken down into its various components
based upon the comments in the interviews and workshop notes.

Values Theme - A value is the importance each participant attribute to
Discovery Church, another person, thing, or Multisite. They are the principles,
moral codes, and situational norms people live by (Daiute, 2014, p. 69).

Attitudes Theme - An attitude is the way the participant thinks and feels about
Discovery Church, another person, thing, or Multisite. Attitudes are part of “a
relatively enduring system of evaluative, affective reactions based upon and
reflecting the evaluative concepts or beliefs, which have been learned” (Shaw &
Wright, 1967, p. 3).

Beliefs Theme - A belief is part of a system that includes our values and attitudes,
plus our personal knowledge, experiences, opinions, prejudices, morals, and other
interpretive perceptions of our Christian Faith and social world. “Beliefs are
embedded in the values attached to them” (Wolcott, 1999, p. 97) and can be
considered “rules for action” (Stern & Porr, 2011, p. 28).

Themes

Code	Value			Code	Attitude	Code	Belief

V1	Great Commission	A1	Positive	B1	Prayer
V2	Unity			A2	Negative	B2	Holy Spirit
V3	Love			A3	Inspired	B3	God's plan
V4	Burn out		A4	Blessed	B4	Not	 God's plan
V5	Invite people		A5	Great Church	B5	Spiritually mature believers
V6	Multiplication		A6	Great Worship	B6	Spiritually immature believers
V7	Addition		A7	Great Sermons	B7	Good and  Evil
V8	Kingdom Growth		A8	Feel Welcomed	B8	God's  Wisdom
V9	Church  Growth		A9	Excited		B9	God's Will

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V10	Community		A10	Undecided		B10	Discerning God's will
V11	Friends			A11	Lack of			B11	Commitment
				confidence		to biblical values
V12	Discover		A12	Inconsistency		B12	Bible  Reading
V13	Grow			A13	Recommend		B13	Church  Attendance
V14	Bless			A14	Invite friends		B14	Waiting
V14	Friendly		A15	Bad/poor Sermons	B15	Not God's time
v15	Consistency		A16	Bad/poor worship	B16	God's time
V16	Inconsistent		A17	Getting worse		B17	Leap of Faith
v17	Multisite		A18	Getting Better		B18	Trust
V18	Church			A19	Growth not		B19	Grow my
	Planting			happening			faith
V19	Stay as one church	A20	Not involved		B20	Lack of  Faith
V20	Not enough		A21	Lack of			B21	Lack of
	Resources			Volunteers			Trust
V21	Young church		A22	Pastor/Staff Problems		
V22	conversion		A23	Lack of Clarity		
V23	Expansion		A24	Benchmarks for  Launch		
V24	New Things		A25	Love Pastor/Staff		
V25	New People		A26	Want change		
				A27	Don’t want change		
				A28	Wish this were happening		

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Basic, Organizing, and Global Themes
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for details on this part of Appendix IV - Data Collection ]


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Basic, Organizing, and Global Themes (Continued)
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for details on this part of Appendix IV - Data Collection ]




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Basic, Organizing, and Global Themes (Continued)
[ Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for details on this part of Appendix IV - Data Collection ]




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Appendix V - Interview Questions Consolidated

	This consolidation represents the summary of all the answers given to the
changing the conversation questions. These summaries were handed out to the
participants of the one-day workshop for them to read and review so that we could
have a discussion based upon the actual answers from the one-on-one interviews.

Question 1: Remembering your entire experience with Discovery Church,
when were you most alive, most motivated, and excited about your
involvement in Discovery Church? (What made it exciting? Who else was
involved? What happened? What was your part? Describe what you felt.)

Comments:

New experience, being involved, new ideas, clear calling, learning and applying
new skills, prayers for hurts and needs, community help and involvement, TTS
(Take It to the Streets), family atmosphere at the start, DC (Discovery Church)
had a different worship, my “most” was when we first started-it was the people,
full participation, everyone had a common goal, TTS, most excited at the
beginning, church could make a difference beyond the body of believers, it was
new and different, being challenged to do mission in the community, clearly felt
God leading to help start DC, coffeehouse, someone from DC provided wisdom
and insight for my life goals, being part of the KE (Kingdom Expansion) plan, DC
taught me about Christ, DC reached out to me when I lost my job home and
marriage, being small group coordinator, hosting a Bible study, attendance during
small groups, the first five years because of community involvement and family
atmosphere, made a lot of friends, being involved in sermon based small groups,
we didn’t feel judged, The HUB’s more creative music set selections, seeing lots
of non-members at the community Christmas service, TTS, having Sunday
morning music in the middle with a semicircle of chairs, it’s seeing new people
every week, participating in men’s life, knowing that you got to see the church
grow, CR (Celebrate Recovery), coffeehouse, prayer support, KE, Fellowship, a
family feel, the 10 year anniversary, leading a small group at my home, TTS,
when leadership sees me, the first few years was the highlight: togetherness,
drawing together, faith formation, simple worship style, CR, TTS, felt most alive
when serving, participating in CR, helping launch new ministries, being coached
by Martin, working with other people who are great givers, most excited when
first attending, being on worship planning team, praise team, Saturday morning
men’s fellowship, welcoming atmosphere, children and grandchildren attend,
involved in CR, helped start celebration place, seeing the HS in action, Martin’s
messages, meeting a need at different stages of my life, C4C, being there at the
beginning, my kids love coming to DC, getting involved in anchor house and

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nursery, being involved in leadership, at the birth of DC, working on sound
systems, moving sermons and services, hearing the New Beginning stories and
testimonies, strong connections and relationships within the church, involvement
in worship and drama, once a month doing a dance or skit, I was the
choreographer of a dance, when we did the cutting-edge things like edgy sermons
and not getting caught up in the past of church but the future, when we first
attended, I attended alpha, started two chapters of the Canadian Christian business
Federation as a result of my experience at DC, being part of cowboy church,
being able to lead prayer and share on Sunday morning, discipleship huddle,
being a part of YWAM and supported by the church, youth group with Jackie D,
Poppa John and Jen B,

Quotes:

“I found that I had the skills to grow the kingdom, and that my contributions were
valued, and I can see the value I offer.” “I’m encouraged when leadership sees
me!”

“We are a Matthew 28 church.”

“I’m feeling pushed and motivated towards praying for others.”

“The Spirit of acceptance has disappeared; leaders have begun to force the
activities and interests of multisite.”

“I often find that my work follows the work of others”

“Exciting to be in the room to adopt the KE plan; it was filled with the Holy Spirit
during the prayer, in that meeting everyone came to the consensus that the Holy
Spirit touch them during prayer.”

“DC help me significantly in times of trouble.”

“DC is nonjudgmental, has helped me grow in being more open, honest and
trusting others”

“DC is willing to start new things regularly.”

“The new worship at the HUB is very uplifting.”

“I felt their absence when Janice and Steve were away for a wedding. I noticed
how much amazing work they both do each week.”

“Everything was new and shiny. Everything touched me personally and seem
specific to my life. It was like every sermon was specific to me; like God put the
words that Pastor Martin spoke in his mouth for me and my wife.”

“Sundays were for recharging! I felt inspired, we felt inspired.”

Question 2: What are the most valuable ways you contributed to Discovery
Church (EG your personality, your perspectives, your skills, or activities?)

Comments:

Worship leader, setup and takedown, learned new music, administration and
communication, speaking in front of the congregation, putting together safe
church policies, organizing, strategic planning, playing on a worship team,
stewardship team, being willing to stick it out in good times and hard times,
committed to tithing, being dependable and available to jump in and fill holes,

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worship planning team, being in charge of Christmas services, CR step study
leader, taking C4C helped me to share my faith and testimony, being part of the
worship team, DC kids teacher, using my hospitality skills (cooking things for
potlucks), giving my time, volunteering with kids/youth in the community,
helping start Saturday men’s group, saying yes to help DC get started, I’m an
ideas person, I’m financially prudent, my work background in childcare, Using
my university skills as an editor and communicator, teaching and helping out at
DC kids, keeping my eyes open and noticing new people, I can push the
boundaries in worship, serving on the board, giving my perspective on initiatives,
DC kids teacher, welcoming new people, faithfully tithing, at CR, wanting to
make things better, focus on children’s ministry instead of administrative
concerns, serving, volunteering in nursery, leadership, taking on responsibility,
helping start small groups, being involved in tech stuff, leading a small group,
community outreach stuff like Christmas and carnivals and the Halloween event,
hospitality, pastoral care, a lot of gifting and skill development as worship leader,
learning new music, worship leading, help with functions, being blessed with the
gift of discernment, helping people present information in a more helpful way, I
help wherever I can, taught freed up financial living, network course, men’s
breakfast, huddle, use my construction abilities, building a youth group Bible
study, preaching, problem-solving, caring for others, supporting people in
management, excellent at training and facilitating group discussions, cowboy
church, helping in the nursery, videography, being able to do one job at a time and
move on to the next, I love committee work and being on the board, being part of
the pastoral care team, leading a small group, helping people through grief

Quotes:

“At DC I can push boundaries in worship without conflict”

“I wanted to build up one another in our faith in God.”

“I didn’t grow up in the church.... This gives me a unique perspective for first
timers.”

“We are family, it’s not just about showing up and learning vertical 101”

“Add songs to the DC kids lessons so that children can learn children friendly
songs.”

“I went to church to please my parents when growing up, and there were always
things going on Sundays, I didn’t go to church for a long time, and now I miss it if

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I don’t go and I plan my weekends around being there on Sundays as much as I
can.”

“I think we have become more inward focused”

“People don’t know about us, get back to the festivals so that we can let other
people know.”

"I love committee work. My assessment skills are strong, and I enjoy looking at
the inner working of problem-solving and social justice and human interaction.”

Question 3: What are the most important things (either Spiritual or
personal) our church has contributed to your life? (Who or what made a
difference? How did it affect you?)

Comments:

Friendships, being involved with the lives of others, spending time connecting
with church people, growing in my faith, I like how DC pushes my comfort zone,
faith, DC gives opportunities for growth like C4C, particularly growth in the area
of prayer, being pushed outside of my comfort zone to grow spiritually, doing
something different than traditional CRC, praying with other people, CR, met my
wife, gained many leadership skills, become more comfortable and confident with
responsibility, Martin’s teaching challenges me spiritually, meeting other
Christians and building relationships, DC has given me a great support system,
people to pray with me, church family, Martin’s sermons light a spark in us to
want to learn more about Jesus, small groups to fuel that spark and learn, family
and community where people come around you in grief and sorrow, practical
tools like stewardship and communication and how to pray and tell others about
Jesus, Sharing God’s redemptive plan for our lives, our singing and praise time,
helping people to love Jesus, discovering the strength of scripture, inspiring
preaching, being challenged to live out my faith, put my faith in action, balance
between outward service and inward support, came to know Christ, not spiritually
alone, people genuinely care, made many of my closest friends/family through
DC, made many dear friends at DC, DC is a praying church known for healing,
hearing other people’s stories, helping me financially, brought meals in my time
of need, Elaine, a lot of people prayed for me, a safe place to be loved,
connections with other members of the church, I’m becoming a very strong
believer in the power of prayer, a focus on family and participation for all family
members, being spiritually stretched, Martin’s leadership, being out of my
comfort zone with lots of support, Martin’s preaching, the faithful presence of my
friend Ben during my divorce, Pastor Martin married us, the marriage prep
course, Martin help me develop leadership skills, Pastor Martin’s personal
connection and preaching, being part of the pastoral care team, we have a church
family that makes a world of difference, worship, being given a task, being part of
the vision team, I’m called to dig ditches... God brings the rain, I learned a lot
about God and what it means to be a Christian and pursue him, hearing his voice,
having community added meaning to my life and this help me to help others, even

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though they knew my past history a lot of people welcomed me with open arms,
we received a new vehicle friends coming to church now

Quotes:

“My heart was changed”

“I’m a pain avoider and introspective, DC pushes me towards others.”

“KE doesn’t excite me, but when I step out, I find I meet God. It’s like the kid
standing on the diving board, painful but when they dive then there is growth, and
we get to see how God shows up.”

“God is there for me”

“Martin just blows me away, because on some weeks I want to go home and
check my house for video cameras and tape recorders because something he said
in his sermon is right on the money.”

“At DC, everyone has a job and works busily for the kingdom.”

“At one time I was thinking about going to another church, and decided to give a
$10 Tim’s card to a gas attendant after filling my tank, later that day I received a
first ever Christmas card from Martin and a $10 gift card and I decided that was a
sign to stay at DC”

“It took the soft heart of the people of DC to let me know that I would not get
slapped if I were to reach out for help.”

“When I was a kid growing up, I didn’t want to go to church; my kids want to go
to church!”

“I couldn’t trust anyone much less trust God before DC, so my church family has
re-instilled faith in people.”

“It’s wonderful to be able to go to church with your spouse, family and friends.”

"I am moved by the music and I feel it is excellent, at times this moves me to be
closer to God in my walk.”

“Learning that evangelism is a lifestyle, where I engage with people who are not
Christians at work, I can invite them to church but I’m not responsible for
salvation.”

“Without the DC community it was hard to grow, I felt God asking me to give
things up and through my mentorship with Martin and Henry P, I had lots of
support."

“Pastor Martin has incredibly impacted my life and was supportive in the
endeavour of starting a new ministry. He took the time to mentor me, it made me
feel prepared and ready to start cowboy church.”

“When my husband got hurt and I was feeling overwhelmed, Elaine arranged for
meals and grocery cards.”

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Question 4: Make three wishes for the future shape of Discovery Church?

• Community outreach

• Contemporary worship music

• Keep the preaching

• Growth in numbers

• Growth in tithing

• More fellowship time outside of Sunday, or parties

• Strong commitment to the church community

• DC needs to work on building quality not quantity (core vision and doing
things right)

• Build a community of quality (put our faith into action)

• Good preaching leads to revival, encouragement and reading the Bible makes
  a big difference

• Have a small church feel again

• More outreach

• Start a second site and never stop growing

• Come better at children’s ministry

• People of DC can commit more fully to Christ

• More community-oriented ministries and a focus on internal community of
  DC

• Strong programs/activities for kids of all ages to build foundation in Christ

• Focus on real change in outreach and not on Band-Aid issues.

• Uphold the cause of the poor

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• Advocate for societal/political change

• TTS: looks good from the outside and good for us as a congregation. DC
  could get more involved in planning and running events.

• To see more people come

• Retain core members

• More people coming to know Jesus

• Owning our own building

• More volunteers

• Increase our numbers and outgrow the gym until we get to 200 and then
  multisite

• Be more involved in Maple fest, Apple Fest, and rib-fest

• For DC to have its own worship space, one week in worship in, have
  weddings in, and rent out

• More people involved and contributing

• A God wish: that we would continue to become more real and relevant at DC.

• Expand and grow

• Stay with a diverse age spread, infant to elderly where everyone is respected
 and encouraged to be involved

• TTS-grow this ministry

• Grow our children’s ministry

• To halt/stop multisite promotion until numbers are in place

• Simple sharing of the Good News

• Outreach to the community

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• DC more involved in community.

• To see the KE plan accomplished

• Be a church that has relationships with each other throughout the week, not
  just Sunday

• Have more Bibles in church?

• More communication between leaders and volunteers

• That CR would explode and expand

• That DC would be HS filled and led

• Small groups that happen, that include meals

• More TTS

• More volunteers

• More updated decorations.

• To see where anchor house youth goes from here

• Somehow provide affordable housing

• Stay outreach oriented

• Continue to be different and unique

• Rent every school, one in every community for Sunday services

• That DC stay community focused (the atmosphere of community in the
  church)

• Forward focused-not being stuck, changes not bad, looking for new ideas and
  include more people

• Change the worship setting/atmosphere

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• Embrace the idea that we should be different. Jesus was different and we
  should continue to be different, adapt and grow.

• Would like to see DC put together a 5-year business plan and structured
  accountability

• Start a fellowship/Bible study for 30-50-year-olds that allows you to bring
  your kids

• More people and more connection with the community

• Continued awesome leadership and developing of others

• More opportunity to contribute outside of the church, TTS, crucial
  conversations, and kingdom impact

• Being led by the Holy Spirit

• More God focused worship, more depth to worship

• An atmosphere of prayer and expectancy

• More Holy Spirit in our worship and a freedom to allow God to invade our
  lives

• Helping to restore the community thereby calling heaven down-to-earth

• More vulnerability as a church community which enables growth, walking in
  our true self

• A fire for God, selflessness, being filled with the Holy Spirit

• More community outreaches

• A passion for KE

• Home Bible studies

• Having a church family that cares for each other

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• Invigorating our youth ministry

• TTS more often, random acts of kindness in the community

• Community and intimacy at church

• Re-establish a passion for church unity where all members are on the same
  page

• Move away from a consumer church mindset and towards a "what can I do for
  the church”

• To be outward focused

• Get back to the grassroots

Quotes:

“Don’t change the teaching/preaching”

“the cycle of generosity, generosity brings generosity.”

“I want to grow, however; I hope the interpersonal connections will always stay
tight.”

“I like having church in other people’s homes, it’s a good way to know others.”

“To know each other’s gifts, we must be known.”

“I like how in DC we can have an idea and then we can do it.”

“Recognizing the dream for multisite is a wonderful concept, but we need to be
careful to wait for the numbers.”

“I’m sad that the multisite project is delayed; small church feel is what originally
drew me in and made me want to get involved.”

“At the last TTS, my child brought a friend and we went to a nursing home to
give out flowers.. I gave this girl a pink Bible and the girl yelled “this is the best
day of my life”. She went home and showed her mom. Next time she came over
to our house she asked if we were going to church and if she could come. That
girl came to Christ.”

“I wish that we could address poverty in meaningful ways. For example: childcare
costs are real issue, food drives are a Band-Aid issue.”

“Update things like stage decorations... It seems like there aged. I’ve been
finding lately the music is slow, personally to me I feel more empowered when
the songs are a bit faster.”

“I think church in a school, TTS and community outreach programs makes us
unique and different”

“When you look at millennial’s, they are hungry for God, they connect through
music and the atmosphere created in worship. It’s ridiculous how changing the

188




lighting helps change the atmosphere. Just changing the atmosphere will help
bring in anticipation. Don’t forget the power of atmosphere. What you see and
feel creates atmosphere.”

“Jesus was uniquely different, and our church has lost that uniquely different
feel.”

"Church should be a place where everybody knows your name.”

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Appendix VI - Survey Questions

Survey 1

	1.	How long have you been attending Discovery Church?

	2.	Which of the following words would you use to describe how you feel
		about Discovery Church? Select all that apply. (Excited, encouraged,
		confident, satisfied, positive, optimistic, thankful, Blessed, distrustful,
		powerless concerned anxious fearful sceptical pessimistic worried.)

	3.	How likely is it that you would recommend Discovery Church to a friend
		or colleague?

	4.	Overall, how satisfied, or dissatisfied are you with the direction of
		Discovery Church towards multisite? Comments?

	5.	Considering our desire to multisite, how excited are you about Discovery
		Church’s future? Please explain.

	6.	How responsive has the design team of Discovery Church been to your
		concerns about multisite?

	7.	Are you currently in favour of Discovery Church’s kingdom expansion
		plan (to become one church with two sites)?

Survey 2

	1.	How long have you been attending Discovery Church?

	2.	How likely is it that you would recommend Discovery Church to a friend or
		colleague? Please comment.

	3.	Overall, how satisfied, or dissatisfied are you with the direction of Discovery
		Church towards multisite? Comments?

	4.	Considering our desire to multisite, how excited are you about Discovery
		Church’s future? Please explain.

	5.	Which of the following words would you use to describe how you feel about
		Discovery Church? Select all that apply. (Excited, encouraged, confident,
		satisfied, positive, optimistic, thankful, Blessed, distrustful, powerless,
		concerned, anxious, fearful, sceptical, pessimistic, worried.)

	6.	Are you currently in favour of Discovery Church’s kingdom expansion plan
		(to become one church with two sites)? Please comment.

	7.	In your own words tell us about how you feel towards starting a second
		service?

	8.	What are you most excited about, multisite or starting a second service?
		Please rank each answer, (1-most excited, 2-somewhat excited, 3 being leased
		excited).

	9.	Overall, how satisfied, or dissatisfied are you with the direction of Discovery
		Church to start a second service?

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Appendix VII - Workshop Outline
[Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix VII details. ]


191




Appendix VII - Workshop Outline (Continued)
[Please contact repository@tyndale.ca for Appendix VII details. ]



192




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