Personal Ministries Training
GROW Your Church, an initiative of the General Conference Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department, provides education and resources to help local churches in the great mission of making disciples. It follows the agricultural method of soul-winning taught by Jesus, emphasizing evangelism as a process and not merely an event. Jesus illustrated this ongoing evangelistic activity using the harvest cycle. He spoke the parable of the sower in which the seed represented the Word of God and the soil represented the heart (see Luke 8:11, 12, 15). And He referred to the great body of humanity as “fields” that were “already white for harvest” (John 4:35). Following the growth model of Jesus, we can break down the process of making disciples into five essential phases:
- PREPARE the soil of the heart with friendship and service.
- PLANT the seed with spiritual conversations or with literature and media.
- CULTIVATE spiritual interest with ongoing Bible studies.
- HARVEST decisions with appeals to follow Christ and be baptized.
- PRESERVE the harvest with ongoing discipleship of new members.
For a church to really grow, it needs strong evangelistic activity in EVERY PHASE of the disciple-making process. Therefore, every local church is encouraged to set the following 5 ministry goals:
- Churchwide Community Ministries—Prepare
- Active Literature and Media Ministries—Plant
- Vibrant Bible Study Ministry—Cultivate
- Regular Public Evangelism—Harvest
- Systematic Discipleship Ministry—Preserve
Here at the GROW website, the valuable resources, training videos and guides, and customizable logo, are each provided to help your church achieve the above ministry goals and develop a culture of disciple-making with sustainable growth. May the Lord give you fruit from your labors and GROW Your Church!
