A Theology of Discipleship
A Theology of Discipleship explores the road toward personal transformation.
ministry
The Deacon as Spiritual Shepherd
Stewards of the Kingdom focuses on the basics of biblical stewardship.
Understanding Biblical Fellowship
Understanding biblical fellowship with the instruction of Reformation leader Philip Melanchthon.
Today's Discipleship Crisis | A Discussion with Corey Fifield
Christian discipleship, including evangelism and the sharing of the gospel, is in trouble in many of today’s churches. This is something that can be addressed, but not without the resolve and sustained attention of churches and their leaders.
In this important dialogue on the subject by Podcast Seminary Dean, Dr. Freddy Cardoza, and Christian non-profit 501(c) ministry Global Phokos Founder, Corey Fifield, these issues are explored with candor and urgency.
Corey Fifield
Corey Fifield
Freddy Cardoza
Freddy Cardoza
Tune in to hear two Christian leaders who care deeply about the gospel and Christian discipleship talk shop, in search of solutions.
Listen to the Discussion
Who Has a Global Phokos (Focus)? An Interview with Phokos Founder Corey Fifield
Global Phokos is a dynamic ministry that is unique, unlike almost any other ministry Podcast Seminary knows of. Not only does it lead ministries of evangelism and discipleship around the world, but it specifically provides housing to godly men who commit their time to doing evangelism and ministry. It’s a dynamic vision, and this is an interview you must hear. Then, after listening, take time to learn more about the ministry of Global Phokos and founder, Corey Fifield. Then, after listening to the podcast, like and learn about Corey’s vision on the Phokos Facebook page.
Click Play to Listen to Corey’s Interview
Snapchat Wisdom of College Ministry Do's and Don'ts
Guest Post by Podcast Seminary friend, Dr. Eric Turner
See Eric’s bio on his website
See Eric’s Original Post
No, this is not a post about how to use Snapchat (or any other social media) for growing a college ministry.
Let me explain.
I had this crazy idea recently to flood all of the college students I know on Snapchat with an informal research question. For those who do not know, I have served as a college/singles pastor at Lenexa Baptist Church in Kansas City and I am currently a New Testament faculty member at Hannibal-LaGrange University. My point is, I know a lot of college students and I am always looking for wisdom on how better to engage in effective ministry towards them.
For the record, the number of students may not be statistically significant, but at least it was enough to arrive at some interesting conclusions. So, if you are currently doing college ministry or are pondering how to begin a college ministry, you may find what I am about to share helpful, or at least, insightful. Now, here is the Snapchat question I asked,
“What is one Do and one Don’t of College Ministry?”
I received a variety of response. Allow me to list a few of them for you and then I will draw together some observations/principles for those of us who seek to faithfully minister to this unique generation. Here is a sampling of what they said…
- Do not expect an immediate response when starting your college ministry.
- Form friendships with college students with the intent of sharing the gospel.
- Do not dumb down the gospel.
- Know your audience.
- Do not isolate your students from the larger body of believers.
- Open up your life to your students.
- Do life with them.
- Keep your ministry “missional,” get it outside the four walls of the church.
- Be careful in choosing your leadership.
- Stay relevant.
- Use challenging material that will make them dig deep.
- Do not have too much structure; the ministry should have an organic feel.
- Teach theology to college students.
From these and from my experience in college ministry, here are a few observations/principles that may help you get on the right track.
1. The size of your college ministry is not as important as you think it is.
Very little was said about students wanting to be part of a large college ministry. What was noteworthy is that students appear to value substance over sheer numbers. Unfortunately, in the past and from a pastor’s perspective, we have used numbers to gauge success. From the perspective of students, this conversation is not on their radar. Therefore, you would do well as a college minister to not base your worth on the size of your group. Churches, I exhort you, stop playing the numbers game with your leaders.
2. College students do not want shallow teaching, they long for depth.
Over and over again, from a majority of the students polled, I heard that depth of teaching was a major factor in whether they were attracted to or stayed connected to a college ministry. One student sent me this response,
I once had a Bible study on campus with students through Romans. You would not believe how hungry they were for depth. They had been given Sunday School answers all their life. Students love being part of meaningful conversations. I had one student so shocked that the Jews rejected Jesus, she slammed her fists on the table and yelled, “We need to tell them!”
In other words, put away the games you played in youth group and start digging deep into Jesus.
3. Relationships are more important than structure in college ministry.
Often, we begin with the opposite strategy. We are taught to develop the structure (what we do) and then, when we attract students, the focus shifts to building relationships (who we are). Almost every student responded with something about the importance of relationships. None of them were concerned at all with the format of the ministry. As a caveat, this is not to say that you have zero structure, throwing caution to the wind as you drink coffee with your students in a casual atmosphere. What I am noting is the priority you place on building relationships. In other words, focus more on who you are rather than what you do. As one student boldly declared, build a relationship with me before you lecture me.
4. College students need engagement with the wider body of Christ, not isolation.
Here is a secret worth its ministry weight in gold. College students want to serve in your church. Give them leadership opportunities, however, as one student rightly said, do not allow students to serve if they are living a life of unrepentant sin. Connect students with married couples, senior adults, and above all, find places for them to serve out of the gifts they possess. Just because they are college students does not mean that they share in less of a portion of the Holy Spirit.
5. Patience is a must as you seek to disciple college students.
One of the first “snaps” that I received back read, do not get discouraged when students seem to be living double lives, continue pouring into them. Another remarked, do not make decisions for your students when they come to you for advice. Help them make their own decisions. I have discovered that ministry to college students is often messy, but you know, so is ministry to any other age group. It takes a calm, wise, and patient leader to help guide students into Christ-likeness.
6. You have to be willing to open your life before college students.
I would note, if you are going to do effective, long-term ministry to college students, this principle is non-negotiable. They want to have fun with you as a leader, but they do not want you to act like a college student. They crave examples that they can follow and imitate. They want encouragement, but they value transparency the most. One student wisely said, be willing to just hang out with me – but remember, it doesn’t always have to be about coffee. Some of our deepest relationships have been and continue to be built as open our home and our lives (for better or for worse) to college students.
7. Food, food, food…
It may seem simplistic, but if you feed them, they will come. One of the replies was telling as it got right to the point; food – it is hard to hear over a grumbling stomach. Remember this well and get this next sentence embedded in your strategy. A home-cooked meal may be the lifeline that a college student is longing for, especially if they eat off of a meal plan in their campus cafeteria, but even more importantly, if they are struggling with homesickness and afraid to tell someone. For many, this is the first time they have been separated from family. Your family could become their family.
Again, this post is a somewhat unscientific assessment on the best practices and common pitfalls of college ministry, the do’s and don’ts. But, I believe what is important to consider is that these principles are drawn from college students themselves. So, if you are doing college ministry or thinking of starting one, heed this practical wisdom. I truly believe that the generation that is in college right now is poised to do significant kingdom work. My prayer is that we see incredible gospel results as we faithfully minister to them.
About Eric
Adopted from the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home in St. Louis, Eric Turner is a Hannibal, Missouri native who recently joined the faculty at Hannibal-LaGrange University. Before accepting the position as Assistant Professor of New Testament and Greek in 2014, Eric served as Interim Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, MO, Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church in Braymer, MO and College/Singles Pastor at Lenexa Baptist Church in Lenexa, KS.
Dr. Turner currently holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies – New Testament Emphasis from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. His dissertation research focused on identifying and interpreting linguistic metaphor in Second Corinthians. The ultimate goal of the research was to show that a modern linguistic model for English metaphor can be applied to the Greek New Testament with profitable outcomes for the interpretation of historically difficult passages.
Outside the classroom, Dr. Turner can be found running, playing guitar, riding motorcycles, or traveling. He has been married to his wife Stephanie for 23 years and together they have four children. He and his family are avid St. Louis Cardinals fans.
Contact Dr. Eric Turner
Hear Ron's Story (Part 2) and the Story of His Involvement in Launching Podcast Seminary [PODCAST]
Listen to “Ron’s Story
We often say that “everybody has a story.” That’s certainly true with Ron. This is part two of a first-ever live Podcast Seminary interview in Studio C Los Angeles (see the studio).
In Part 2 of this audio interview, Ron talks Discipleship. We discuss some of the needs Christians and churches have in discipleship today, along with needed solutions. You’ll also hear about Ron’s involvement in the formulation of Podcast Seminary– from a single discussion had after a discipleship event in 2016.
Listen Now
Your Turn
Do you have a story? We want to hear about it. People want to read it! We are even willing to consider featuring your story on PodcastSeminary.com/blog in a future post like this one.
Connect with me through leaving a comment below or by going to the Contact page, and we’ll get started!
Ron's Story: A "My Story" Feature (Blog)
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Ron’s Salvation Story
I was born in San Diego, and grew up as an only child in a Christian home. I attended private Christian school. My family attended a Baptist church. At 13 years of age, I prayed the ‘sinner’s prayer’ one day in church, but I did not tell anyone. I guess that I wasn’t ready yet to make him the Lord of my life, and I was fearful of what the neighborhood kids would say about me. Maybe they would laugh at me, make fun of me, or call me a Jesus freak After all, the idea that Jesus died and came back to life seemed very unlikely to me. How could I possibly defend this crazy sounding story? If it was true, I wanted to believe, but I just didn’t know how, and I was too afraid to ask.
For 27 years, I walked through life believing that there might be a God, but was unsure. I believed that I was a pretty good person and deserved to go to heaven if there was one. However, my belief had no basis other than I had heard this for a number of other people and it seemed logical to me. Also, I was told by a close friend in college that there are a lot of religions, as well as, ways to heaven. And, in addition, religions just try to explain what we do not know.
At nearly 40 years old, I was in the best physical shape of my life, and everything seemed great. However, starting with my 40th birthday, I began to experience pain in a number of areas of my life. First, I became very aware that my marriage relationship was not in a good place. Soon to follow, my athletic triathlete body started to hurt from age and injury. I surrendered. I let go. No longer did I believe that I was in control. I began to work on myself. I began searching for answers. Thankfully, God had put many people in my path that would help me find a life of significance and purpose.
During that same year, a friend put his hand on my shoulder in the parking lot of a hospital, and prayed for God to make himself known to me in a way that I could understand. Eleven days later, the prayer was answered when God revealed himself in a powerful way to me. It was on that day of September 15, 2011, that God became real to me.
Ron’s Thrills and Trials as a Disciple of Jesus
I have been a believer now for almost 6 years, and it is time for me to work at going deeper. I want to be able to grow my faith and take it to a greater depth. More specifically, I need discipleship help in the area of leadership. I am a father to three children and I desperately want them to know God. And, I want to be a better father to them. Also, there is a new believer at church that is asking me to meet with him weekly. I want to know how to disciple him in his new found faith.
Ron and Podcast Seminary
I have lead a couple of small groups, and both times they have dissolved after two or three years. If I was better at discipleship, I believe that those small groups might have remained intact and still be thriving to this day. It is my hope that Podcast Seminary can help me to meet my spiritual growth needs, and as a result, I can become a more effective discipler and follower of Christ.
Listen to Ron’s Interviews on Our Official Podcast! Part 1 and Part 2
Your Turn
Do you have a story? We want to hear about it. People want to read it! We are even willing to consider featuring your story on PodcastSeminary.com/blog in a future post like this one.
Connect with me through leaving a comment below or by going to the Contact page, and we’ll get started!
Corey's Story
Corey’s Salvation Story
The gospel message of salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ has saved my soul and completely changed my life. Having no religious background in my upbringing, I experienced a radical conversion to Christianity in my early 20’s. I immediately joined a Bible believing local church, was baptized, and made discipleship in the faith a priority. Two years later, with a hunger to dive deeper, I enrolled as a student at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, achieving a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies in 2006.
Corey’s Ministry Story
While a student at Moody, I developed a heart for missions, and later founded a non-profit organization named “Phokos” (On Facebook @globalphokos). I’m so grateful to God for my salvation, and I want to see others saved. I want to see churches strengthened. I want to see the tides of our time shift. Romans 1:16 says, “The GOSPEL is the POWER of God…” I believe it STILL is. John Wesley said, “Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.”
How Corey’s Story Connects with Podcast Seminary
As important as evangelism is to me, I cannot overstate the great emphasis the New Testament places on DISCIPLESHIP. Equally important to the New Testament call of evangelism, is the call to DISCIPLE. For this reason, I applaud Dr. Freddy Cardoza and his work with Podcast Seminary. True to their mission, “Podcast Seminary wants to help you grow spiritually, and will give you a step-by-step spiritual growth strategy for personal growth.”
Podcast Seminary likens their step-by-step spiritual growth strategy to climbing an “ivory tower.” This is a great comparison, and shows why Podcast Seminary will prove to be a great resource for Christians of every level of spiritual maturity. There’s one kind of beauty at the entrance, but there’s so much more to see! Even if you’ve advanced to a certain height, you may find something that you needed to rediscover.
Just recently, my eyes welled up with tears as I watched a Podcast Seminary Vlog. Life can be challenging, and even Christians face hardships and trials, but I was so blessed to be reminded of “God’s Omniscience” (Part 5 of the “Enjoy the Ride” series).
God used Dr. Freddy Cardoza to remind me that “God is ALL-KNOWING” and that “God’s knowledge allows Him to calculate the events of our lives in perfect timing.” I was reminded afresh that “God knows everything,” and because He is good, I can trust Him through anything. A big heart, a deep mind, and a sincere desire to see people grow in their faith is what’s behind this great work. Tune in, and tell others!
Learn More or Partner in Corey’s Vision and Phokos
Your Turn
Do you have a story? I want to hear about it. I am even willing to consider featuring your story on PodcastSeminary.com/blog in a future post like this one.
Connect with me through leaving a comment below or by going to the Contact page, and we’ll get started!