Steve Addison > Quotes

“Church history is not made by well-financed, well-resourced individuals and institutions. History is made by men and women of faith who have met with the living God. Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
― Steve Addison, Movements That Change the World: Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel

“Movements are led by Pioneering Leaders who can go into unreached fields, connect, share the gospel, make disciples, form new churches, and multiply leaders. But how do you grow Pioneering Leaders when your existing methods only produce pastor-teachers? Don’t begin with a denominational or church-wide restructuring. Don’t begin by blaming the leaders you have. Cast vision widely for making disciples.”
― Steve Addison, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders

“Some practitioners spend too much effort trying to get the strategy and methodology right rather than looking for the right person to invest in. If someone says to me, give me the method or give me the curriculum, I know they have not understood that this is accomplished through persons rather than through methods.”
― Steve Addison, Pioneering Movements: Leadership That Multiplies Disciples and Churches

“Movement pioneers form missionary bands that become catalysts for evangelism in unreached fields, leading to initial discipleship, church formation, and church strengthening. These bands work in partnership with new and existing local churches. Neither the churches nor the bands control the other.19”
― Steve Addison, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders

“Praying for people. A great question to ask when you’re out connecting is, “If God would do a miracle in your life, what would it be? Could I pray right now for that miracle for you?”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“increased … the essence of religion, the mind that was in Christ, has decreased in the same proportion. Therefore do I not see how it is possible … for any revival of true religion to continue long. For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality; and these cannot but produce riches. But as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world in all its branches. — John Wesley”
― Steve Addison, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders

“The Word of God is a dynamic force that changes lives. It cannot be confined to a Sunday morning sermon or a carefully controlled Bible study.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“The questions to ask when evaluating any method of making disciples are: 1. Is it obedience-oriented? 2. Is it simple enough that a new believer can begin discipling someone they know? 3. Does it lead to the formation of disciple-making groups and churches?”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“A living organism cannot survive without effective systems that can adapt to different environments.”
― Steve Addison, Movements That Change the World: Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel

“Implementation 2, chart 2 Stage Current ministry activities Connect Share Train Gather”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“People of peace are Prepared. The messengers must take the initiative to find the person of peace. As the messengers step out in faith and obedience, there will be signs that God is powerfully at work as he leads them to the person he has prepared. Receptive. The person of peace welcomes the messenger and the message. Not every receptive person is a person of peace, but every person of peace is receptive. Influential. The person of peace’s reputation may be good or bad, but it is well known. These are people who, when they respond to Christ, will refer others to him.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Two decades later we’ve learned to change the order and priorities to gospel first, then disciples, then churches. When we connect with people, we’re not trying to get them to come to our church. We share the good news about Jesus, not the good news about our church.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“What would it look like to align your life with Christ’s command and to join a missionary movement that will one day reach every tribe, every language, every people and every nation? To be involved in seeing countless millions make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives? What needs to change in you? What do you need to do differently? Who will you go on the journey with?”
― Steve Addison, Movements That Change the World: Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel

“5. Gather communities. Movements form new believers into the local communities of the followers of Jesus (featuring the Lord’s Supper, transformation of behavior, love, service and witness). Each community of disciples is responsible to reach its region in depth and to contribute money, prayer and workers who take the gospel to unreached regions.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket. — Eric Hoffer”
― Steve Addison, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders

“WHAT JESUS STARTED There are six elements that characterize the movement that Jesus founded and still leads today. 1. Jesus saw the end. He was moved with compassion. He looked out over Israel and saw sheep, lost without a shepherd. He prepared his disciples to take the gospel to the whole world. 2. Jesus connected with people. Jesus crossed whatever boundaries stood in the way and connected with people. No group was beyond his care. Jesus spent a lot of his time ministering to people—looking for the “sick” not the “healthy,” “sinners” not the “righteous.” He sought out people who knew they needed God’s mercy. 3. Jesus shared the gospel. Jesus proclaimed the good news of salvation in words and deeds. In him, God’s rule had become a present reality. He preached, taught, rebuked and invited everyone he met to repent and believe. He gave his life as a ransom for many. 4. Jesus trained disciples. Jesus led people to put their trust in him and to learn to obey his commands. He modeled and taught them a new way of life. 5. Jesus gathered communities. Jesus formed his disciples into communities characterized by faith in him, love for one another, and witness in words and deeds. 6. Jesus multiplied workers. Jesus equipped his followers to make disciples of all nations. He sent the Holy Spirit upon them so that they would continue his ministry in his power.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Discovery Bible Study Read Matthew 9:35-38. Without looking at the text, retell the passage in your own words. What do you like about this story? What does the passage teach us about God? What does it teach us about people? Is there a command to obey or an example to follow? What do you need to do this week to obey what you’ve learned? Who could you share this story with? Pray for each other.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Early on, a connecting strategy must move from relying on outsiders to do the connecting to the insiders who reach out to their friends and family.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“The genius of George Fox was his emphasis on the individual’s direct encounter with God through the Holy Spirit. Yet an inherent weakness of Quakerism was its over-reliance on this direct experience of the Holy Spirit at the expense of the Word. The Quakers lacked an emphasis on the written Word of God as a corrective to individualistic spirituality. They also lacked dedication to the clear mission to make disciples of the nations. Their energy for mission was poured into commercial success and transforming society. Meanwhile, their lack of urgency in multiplying disciples meant they ultimately lost their cultural influence.”
― Steve Addison, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders

“• How do I enter an unreached region and connect with people? • How do I share the gospel? • How do I make disciples who disciple others? • How do I form groups in the community that will reproduce? • How do I develop and multiply local leaders?”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Finally, we’ll ask the most important question of all—how can we respond to the invitation to follow him and to let him teach us to fish for people?”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“The priority is to find the people God has already prepared.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Connect with people. Movements cross boundaries (geographic, linguistic, cultural, social, economic) to establish contact with non-Christians. They seek out responsive people who have been prepared by God.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Movements want to change the world; institutions fear a changing world.”
― Steve Addison, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders

“Within two decades the Moravians sent out more missionaries than all Protestants had sent out in the previous two hundred years.”
― Steve Addison, Movements That Change the World: Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel

“Begin with prayer, but you must pray with the intention of engaging with people. You must be transparent that you are there to share Jesus.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“• What does this teach us about God? • What does this teach us about humanity? • Is there an example to follow or a command to obey? • What will you do to obey what you have learned? • Who could you share this passage or story with?”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Effective connecting strategies are up front with the gospel. The purpose is not to win over disinterested or antagonistic people. It is to identify responsive people who are the doorway into their community”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World

“Christ gave the Great Commission to every disciple, not professionals. Every disciple is charged with making disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching those who respond to obey everything Jesus has commanded. Every disciple has the Word, the Spirit, and the responsibility to fulfill the Mission.”
― Steve Addison, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders

“Jesus discipled people to conversion; he didn’t convert people and then try to disciple them. You don’t have to convert anyone. You just need to find someone who is willing to learn more about Jesus and how they can follow him. You begin by doing a discovery Bible study and asking obedience-oriented questions. God does the converting.”
― Steve Addison, What Jesus Started: Joining the Movement, Changing the World