THREE VALUES
The ministry of MULTIPLYNAZ is built around practicing three values:
1. Building Relationships – we believe cohorts and mentors are key to building and sustaining movements
2. Sharing Resources – we resource healthy, multiplying Nazarene churches and districts
3. Reproducing Leaders - we focus on every leader developing a Timothy
There is no doubt that intimacy with Jesus as the Head of the Church is the power behind gaining agenda harmony with Jesus. As we remain connected to Him (John 15:5), there are practices that enable us “to resource healthy, multiplying Nazarene churches and districts.” These practices are built around the following three R’s.
1. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS– a key to building and sustaining movements
Our first value is relationships. At the core of MULTIPLYNAZ are friendships, accountability, and networking among partner churches and districts committed to multiply. All kinds of good things happen when pastors and church leaders gather in formal and informal groups/cohorts to keep on growing and learning. John Wesley’s vision for multiplying groups is a model for us. Like Jesus and Paul, we encourage every group leader to select/develop a “Timothy,” an apprentice leader.
Just as we encourage every small group/cohort to have an apprentice leader, we encourage every group to always think about developing/multiplying apprentice leaders. Most effective small groups/cohorts are relational, not organizational. They are usually based on affinity because people like each other and like being together. We encourage small groups/cohorts to work through the book series small group action guides via zoom or in person. We encourage groups to rotate leadership — the action guide is designed so everyone can facilitate a group. We encourage Partner Churches on Partner Districts to establish a culture of “reproducing” both local leaders and local ministries. Our first value is relationships!
2. SHARING RESOURCES– we resource healthy, multiplying Nazarene churches and districts
Our second value is sharing resources. We have a never-ending commitment to improve, which means we must keep creating and sharing more resources throughout the church. To achieve the local, district and global agenda of Jesus, we know we are better together — we can go further together than we can alone. This is why we collaborate and partner with everyone we can. We share resources. It’s not just about “me, myself, and I” but about “us, we and our.” MULTIPLYNAZ has no profit motive. We have Church Partners and District Partners to encourage on-going improvement and sharing resources among like-minded leaders. This includes books, small group/cohort guides, College of Ministry resources, message manuscripts, videos, intermediate and large church resources, sharing knowledge and experience, best practices, leadership training materials and more. We want to facilitate better communication among healthy, multiplying churches and districts to start as many churches as we can, as fast as we can! Our second value is sharing resources.
3. REPRODUCING LEADERS - we focus on every leader developing a Timothy
Our third value is reproducing leaders. We focus on every leader developing a Timothy. If you are committed to reproducing leaders and ministries, you will feel right at home among us. Every Nazarene district globally is designed for reproducing at every level of ministry, through new leaders, ministries, church plants, multi-sites, campuses, etc. We actively encourage the biblical reproducing model used by both Jesus and Paul (Luke 6:12-16; 2 Timothy 2:2) and suggest every healthy church consider doing the following: a) reproducing a leadership resident regularly, b) reproducing a CTM / multisite / “new work” regularly and c) reproduce leaders at every level. Healthy churches are committed to both micro and macro multiplication. We encourage healthy local churches and districts to develop reproduction thinking as part of their annual Church Development Plan or District Development Plan.
An additional key way we reproduce is with residencies. The more leadership capacity requirements increase in a church, the more important residencies become in a movement. We are serious about all kinds of churches; small churches, intermediate churches and large churches. While all sizes of churches can benefit from residencies, we believe Large Launch Churches require residencies if we desire long-term effectiveness. Residency programs are designed to help churches identify, train and send out church planters, campus pastors, urban core leaders, cowboy church leaders and more. A residency is a nine to 18-month apprenticeship with a Residency Church, after which the resident plants a new church, new campus, etc. A Leadership Residency includes: a) Apprenticing with a Campus Pastor/Lead Pastor at a Residency church, b) Real time training in the fundamentals of leadership / ministry reproduction and c) interaction with other reproducing planters / ministry leaders through relationships and resourcing. Our third value is reproducing leaders.
“It takes but one generation, ignoring or distorting the spirit and basic issues, to change for all the future the course of any spiritual movement.”[I] The Nazarene movement of God through the people of God was born with a unique spirit that led us to build agenda harmony with each other to fulfill the global agenda of Jesus; “to make Christlike disciples in the nations.”
All kinds of forces pull individual leaders, local churches and districts away from regularly renewing the spirit of the early church. Early church leaders left their place of flogging “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name of Jesus…they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:41-42).
Because they had the agenda of Jesus, the early church was designed for outsiders. They built relationships with everyone and “enjoyed the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:47). They built agenda harmony and this spirit fueled the movement. We embrace these same values as a group of partners committed to movement…by — 1) building relationships, 2) sharing resources and 3) reproducing leaders. We look forward to partnering with you in the days ahead.
[i]Board of General Superintendents, Church of the Nazarene, 1962 as quoted in the preface to the history of the Church of the Nazarene entitled, “Called Unto Holiness.” (Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House, 1962).