RENEW.org network is a collaborative community of church leaders, churches, and disciples of Jesus who rally together around the DNA of a clear biblical theology and the mission of being and making disciples of Jesus Christ.
- Mission – to renew the teachings of Jesus to fuel disciple making
- Vision – a collaborative network equipping millions of disciples, disciple makers, and church planters among all ethnicities
What is a network? We are a voluntary association of disciples of Jesus who come together to help each other faithfully pursue Jesus’ teachings and mission. There is a big difference between centralized organizations (like governments, companies, and denominations) and decentralized organizations (like collectives, tribes, and networks). Here is a summary of the two different approaches.
|
Centralized (Denominations) |
Decentralized (Networks) |
|
Someone is in charge |
The DNA of the theology and mission is in charge |
|
There are headquarters |
There are no headquarters |
|
Centralized leadership structure |
Decentralized leadership structure |
| Knowledge comes from the head |
Knowledge comes in from network |
| Direction comes from the head |
Direction bubbles up from the network |
We are a network that is growing as more and more join together with us based upon our shared beliefs and mission. The propagation of RENEW.org network is currently being expressed through six channels.
1. Daily Digital Communication
As disciples who make disciples, we at RENEW.org publish daily posts, videos, eBooks, and podcasts. We send out weekly newsletters promoting our beliefs and mission to tens of thousands of disciples of Jesus and church leaders. Our content focuses on biblical teachings, inspiration, and cultural commentary. We seek to renew the teachings of Jesus to fuel disciples and disciple making in a digital world.
Impact:
“Genuinely fresh reflections.”
—Mike, Florida
“True insights packaged with engaging and personable writing.”
—Doug, Pacific NW
“Outstanding! Great content and comprehensive in nature.”
—Dave, Indiana
2. Print Books
We create and publish books for church leaders, churches, and everyday disciples. Our books, as with everything we seek to create, focus on good theology through culturally relevant engagement. We seek to educate everyday disciples, serious laypeople, and parents so that they can be disciples and make disciples.
Impact:
On the Real Life Theology Collection:
“As our churches become more diverse and our culture less biblically literate, we increasingly need Real Life Theology.”
— Mark Moore, author of Core 52
On New Birth: Conversion and Baptism, by Michael Strickland and Anessa Westbrook:
“For those looking for more Bible and less systematic theology, this book fits the bill.”
— Brett Andrews, founding pastor of New Life Christian Church
On Disciple Making: The Core Mission of the Church, by Bobby Harrington and Scott Sager
“Illuminate[s] not only the genius of Jesus’ words, but just as significantly, the genius of his world-changing ways.”
— Dave Clayton, Lead Minister of Ethos Church
On Real Life Theology Handbook, by Daniel McCoy and Andrew Jit:
“This book is an important tool to help young people set a firm foundation built on biblical truth that will serve them for a lifetime.”
— Jayson French, President of Christ in Youth
3. Learning Communities for Senior Ministers/Pastors
Hundreds of senior ministers/pastors cluster together in our many learning communities for support and training opportunities once every two months (in-person or online). These learning communities focus on good theology and disciple making practically applied to leading the local church. The mutual support and encouragement in our shared mission are just as important as the teachings and trainings.
Impact:
“I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of a Renew Learning Community because it has become a unifier to ministers in my state. We live in an area where fellowship among ministers in our brotherhood has severely been lacking but thanks to the Renew LC we can come together in an environment of spiritual growth and ministry.”
— Matt Wilson, Lead Pastor Ekklesia Christian Church, Conway, SC
“Quite honestly, I have never seen a group of lead preachers gel so well. Nor have I seen such lack of recidivism. They keep coming and the time is always rich. If this can happen for like-minded preachers in more places, it can have a huge impact on our tribes. Here is what a senior leader in my group had to say: “Jeff, thank you for inviting me to this group. At first, I was feeling like another commitment was too much. But this is one of the best investments of time, relationship, and growth I have made recently. Your leadership of this group and our discussions, and food, have been excellent. So thank you for your vision for this group of ministers and for the disciple making journey!’”
— Jeff Faull, Mt. Gilead Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN
4. National and Regional Gatherings
We host a national Gathering each year for teaching, inspiration, and encouragement. Each year at the national Gathering, we feature some of the top national speakers and provide a theme book for all attendees. Additionally, we are launching regional gatherings, which will be led by church leaders from local Renew.org network churches. This approach helps churches and disciples to build relationships with each other beyond the local church as it facilitates collaboration and support.
Impact:
“It was encouraging to know that I’m not in this alone. Worshiping, praying, and learning alongside hundreds of disciple-making leaders was the breath of fresh air I needed.”
— Memphis, TN
“As a lay person seeking to grow in discipleship/disciple making this event was awesome. I am excited to invite a handful of close friends next year.”
— Charlotte, NC
“I was impressed with the emphasis on prayer. It was a humble move for all of us to stop and pray instead of listening to another speaker. Also, the speakers were top-notch!”
— Franklin, TN
5. Mentoring for Church Leaders/Elders
Through Renew.org connections and our partnerships, we offer mentoring for church leaders and elders. The mentoring typically focuses upon helping church leaders and churches develop a disciple making focus, along with various models and strategies that increase the effectiveness of the local church.
Impact:
“Central Church of Christ is a congregation of about 500 members (pre-pandemic) that seek to renew our focus on disciple making. Renew.org has become the trusted source for our elders and ministers, equipping ourselves with engaging, high-quality, culturally-relevant, and biblically-sound theology and materials. Slowly but surely, our leadership team is on our way to forging a way ahead that will allow our congregation to make mature disciples who make other disciples. As Renew.org Regional Director for Western Canada, I am delighted to announce that Renew.org has become a blessing to eight other ministers/pastors in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, where we can pursue continuing personal and professional development. Renew is an essential network and resource that I wouldn’t want to do without.”
— Jay Manimtim, Minister for the Central Church of Christ, Winnipeg, Canada
6. Renew Movement Church Planting
Biblical disciple making means growth and multiplication, so network members banded together to catalyze Renew Movement Church Planting. Biblical disciples will naturally make disciples, who will make more disciples. The multiplication of disciples naturally requires that we plant churches in new locations. Our vision is churches collaboratively planting churches. In this way, our movement spreads so that more people are transformed through the gospel and disciple making. Each church will be launched with the same DNA and will be encouraged to freely associate with and help build the network.
Research has shown that “Church planting is the most effective form of evangelism under heaven.”
— C. Peter Wagner
***
The Renew.org network vision is the same vision Jesus gave us in Revelation 7:9:
“I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
Come and join with us and help expand the Renew.org network. Sign up for more information at Renew.org.
For a one-page PDF summary of what RENEW.org is and does, click here.
For a two-page PDF summary of RENEW.org and how a network works, click here.
For a three-page PDF version of this article, click here.
