Discussion Questions

The speaker says the devil is “quite happy” when Christians believe church is a joke or “just love God… it’s me and God”; what specific beliefs or experiences have made that “me and God” mindset feel persuasive to you, and what does that mindset assume about God’s intentions for His people? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What makes the “it’s just me and God” way of thinking feel convincing to you? What does that idea assume God wants for His people?

The speaker reverses the usual narrative (“the world did something terrible to the church”) and suggests the church’s “worst enemies are ourselves”; looking at church history and your own church experiences, what sins or patterns inside the church seem most destructive, and how should that reshape the way you talk about “the church” to outsiders and to each other? JumpstartAnother way to ask: From church history and your own experience, what sins or habits inside the church do the most damage? How should that change how you talk about the church with outsiders and with other Christians?

He argues that losing vision produces cynicism—especially “a young cynic” who goes “from knowing nothing to believing nothing”; where have you seen cynicism about church form in yourself or your peers, and what would repentance look like if cynicism is not just a mood but a spiritual condition that “wrinkles the soul”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen cynicism about church grow in you or your friends? If cynicism is a spiritual problem, what would turning from it (repentance) look like?

The speaker links attitude to spiritual outcome using the example of two groups witnessing the same reality yet one accepting Christ and one rejecting Him; when you and others experience the same church situation, what heart-level differences (forgiveness, bitterness, humility, pride) tend to explain opposite responses? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When people go through the same church situation but react very differently, what heart attitudes (like forgiveness or bitterness, humility or pride) usually explain the difference?

In his reading of Joel 2:28, he emphasizes one shared, multi-generational “our vision” (sons/daughters speaking, young men building, old men dreaming); what would need to change in your church culture for that kind of unified, cross-age vision to be real rather than aspirational? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would need to change in your church so people of all ages could share one real vision and work together, not just talk about it?

The speaker claims “the church is where God’s authority structure actually exists” and that humans “perish outside of it”; what modern Christian instincts does that confront in you (especially around freedom, autonomy, and suspicion of authority), and what would healthy submission look like without sliding into manipulation or abuse? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the idea that God’s authority is found in the church challenge your views about freedom and not trusting authority? What does healthy submission look like without manipulation or abuse?

He insists church is “not just a family” and “not evangelism,” and critiques evangelism that runs ahead of having “much of a church to bring people back to”; what would it look like in practice to build a church that is more than family warmth and more than outreach activity, and what gets lost when church is reduced to one of those? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like to build a church that is more than just a friendly family and more than just doing outreach? What gets lost when church becomes only one of those?

The speaker says leaders must not chase details, gossip, or even evangelism in a way that “loses their people,” and that leaders exist to “unite and bring people together”; how do you evaluate whether a church leader is focusing on what actually builds unity and health versus what looks impressive, and what kinds of “impressive” ministry goals might be distractions? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can you tell if a church leader is building real unity and health instead of chasing things that just look impressive? What “impressive” goals might actually distract from caring for people?

In discipleship, he says growth requires discovering what discipleship teaches you about yourself—especially how much you resist others—and he claims “90% of people lose out right here”; what are concrete signs of resistance and pseudo-listening in church life, and what practices could help a person move from thinking they’re a “10” to admitting they’re a “3” so they can mature? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are clear signs that someone is resisting others or pretending to listen in church? What habits could help a person admit they need to grow so they can mature as a disciple?

The speaker’s “six essentials” include core/historic faith, empowering leadership, discipleship, preferring our brother, family health, and evangelism—plus his provocative claim that children’s ministry and feeding the poor “seldom” produce church growth in America; which of his priorities feels most uncomfortable or counterintuitive to you, and how would adopting his framework change your personal habits (what you talk about, how you treat leaders, how you speak of brothers/sisters, and how you pursue evangelism)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which of the speaker’s priorities feels most uncomfortable or surprising to you, and why? If you followed his framework, how would it change what you talk about, how you treat leaders and other believers, and how you share your faith?