Creating A Multiplication Culture

Last week marked the start of a series of Fertilizers written by the coaches leading breakout sessions at the upcoming October 18th Worship Workshop in Lancaster, PA. These Fertilizers stand on their own, but they also give you a glimpse into each coach’s heart and help you select which breakout you want to attend. This week, Coach Brett Lovern shares.

I turned 50 in February. I’m not sure how it happened. I’m pretty sure yesterday I had all my hair and it was much darker, I could see at night while driving, and there were more days ahead of me than were behind me. Alas, I’m feeling a bit of the same sentiment the Beatles sang about… 

“Yesterday, All my troubles seemed so far away, Now it looks as though they're here to stay.”

As this reality starts to sink in —that yesterday is actually quite far away —my mind has shifted to thinking more about tomorrow. When my expiration date arrives, will my life have made a difference? Will I have accomplished the purpose for which God created me? Will I hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

Grounded By God’s Word

Three Scriptures come to mind when I consider these questions. The first is…

“everyone who is called by my name,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made.”  (Isaiah 43:7, ESV)

This truth, in concert with several other verses in the Bible, makes it clear: my ultimate purpose for existence (and yours) is to bring glory to God. How does this happen? Enter the following two verses: 

And [Jesus] answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  (Luke 10:27, ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)

Here’s Hope

These are well-known verses for a reason. They are the bottom line, the summary statements that give ultimate purpose, meaning, value, identity, and direction to everyone who desires to glorify God with their lives. If I love God and people by making disciples, the answers to my “over 50” questions will all be a resounding “Yes!”

There’s one other verse I find super helpful in thinking through how we go about making disciples. 

...and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.  (2 Timothy 2:2, ESV)

Faithful disciples make faithful disciples. Actually, faithful disciples MULTIPLY faithful disciples. This happens in so many different ways in the church, but if you serve in worship or production ministry, you have a unique way of making disciples. I used to think too lowly of my role in worship and production. “I’m just singing songs.” “I just push buttons and faders.” “The real disciple-makers are the teachers and preachers.” At the risk of sounding a bit over the top, here’s my response to that: BLASPHEMY!

Your True Job Description

Ladies and gentlemen, when you “just sing,” God is using you to communicate his eternal truth. When you “just push buttons,” you are bringing clarity to the message. When you “just slide faders,” you are encouraging a depressed brother with something he needs to hear. When you “just run camera,” you are helping someone understand what’s being said more deeply because what we see communicates as powerfully as what we hear. When you “just play notes,” you are creating beauty that reflects the Creator and raises people’s affection for Him. When you “just sing backing vocals,” you are displaying the joy and humility of Christ. And when you do this with others, you have the opportunity to model, to teach, to encourage, to challenge, to sharpen, to comfort, to love, to bless, to strengthen, to equip, to inspire, to entrust, and a host of other “one another’s” we see in Scripture. 

Friends, discipleship is not merely teaching the Bible (although it is no less than that, either). It is the lifelong pursuit of multiplying people who live for God’s glory by loving God and others. Don’t wait until you’re 50 to discover the joy and adventure of it! If you feel new wind in your sails with this invitation, come to my workshop, “Creating a Multiplication Culture,” to learn, discuss, and implement principles that will lead to lasting fruit and much glory to God.

-Brett Lovern
(purchase our book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)

Creating A Multiplication Culture (Nº 445)