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| John Parlow worshipped with the Babtists at Drive 08, an Andy Stanley business. Ski, Bishop Katy, and Tim Glende were there with a total of 8 WELS workers. |
About Transformational Discipleship | Transformational Discipleship:
About Transformational Discipleship
Jesus invited twelve unlikely people to spend three years watching and learning from him how to live life in the Kingdom of God. They were truly changed – transformed from the inside out – their minds and behavior reflected a maturity of faith and purpose for living.
As they were with Jesus they received His coaching. They were mentored, encouraged, and challenged to develop a way of approaching the world from a Kingdom of God perspective. So much so, that when Jesus asked them to make disciples they knew what it was like to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ and then train others – lead them, coach them – to be disciples also. Disciples becoming disciple-makers
This had a ripple effect in their communities. In fact, disciple-making became the strategy for the early church to reach out to people so that they too could not just hear but experience Good News of the Kingdom of God.
What if…a congregation intentionally built a strategy of leadership development based more closely on Jesus model?
What if…a small group of people committed to a process of training, where they are equipped – coached – to learn how to be disciple-makers in their everyday life; in their families, their congregations, and their communities?
Imagine what it would mean for the families in the local church and the community to have leaders guided by such a deep passion and have such clarity of purpose!
The Ministry Governing Board of St. Mark Lutheran Church, De Pere, WI, imagined it early in 2011. After studying it, they invited Thrivent Financial to imagine it with them. The response was so affirming that in August, 2011, Thrivent – as part of their Lutheran Grant Program – awarded St. Mark a grant of $50,000 to identify and recruit at least fifteen partners to engage in a two-year leadership development program calledTransformational Discipleship.
Living Hope Christian Counseling, Whatif Enterprises, and Synergy Strategies has been invited to lead this two-year leadership development program.
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Transformational Discipleship is about the believer and the church growing in maturity in the faith. It is about the formation of our minds and our behavior.
Transformational Discipleship understands and lives out the call of Jesus to produce disciples. This is a proactive approach in helping each person to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ and then in turn, is able to train others because of what God is doing in each one.
Transformational Discipleship is a pursuit to develop a Kingdom worldview; enabling the church to interact with issues that are facing our culture as we form strategies to reach out to people; seeking to be truly missional.
'via Blog this'
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What If?
What if, you had the perfect strategy to stop feeling frustrated and start achieving your goals?
What if, you could reach your full potential personally and professionally?
What if, you could clarify your inner purpose and direction and feel inner peace and happiness?
What if, an enlightened person could guide you to transform your life and fulfill your calling?
What if, you could reach your full potential personally and professionally?
What if, you could clarify your inner purpose and direction and feel inner peace and happiness?
What if, an enlightened person could guide you to transform your life and fulfill your calling?
What do the most successful people do differently than everyone else?
They get a coach…
“Best Advice I ever got, ‘Get a coach!’.”
Eric Schmidt, Former CEO of Google
Eric Schmidt, Former CEO of Google
Transformational Performance and Life Coach, Business Coach, and Executive Coach Serving Michigan
Mark Freier is a highly-sought-after transformational personal coach serving a broad range of areas, including metro Detroit, Novi, Northville, Livingston County, Grand Rapids, and Michigan at large. He guides his clients along a path to realizing their inner-potential by teaching them how to be purpose-centered, inner-directed, other-focused, and externally-open to growth in the world around them.
With professional experience ranging from business to church ministry, and a global view shaped by helping people in different cultures and countries see their personal value and unique contribution to the world, Mark Freier brings a well blended mix of seeing value in every human being and coaching them to their fullest potential. Mark believes the greatest gift he offers people is his “own joy of living, his own inner peace, his own silence and solitude, and his own sense of well-being.” These values were not only learned from author Henri Nouwen, but also gained with wisdom through successes and challenges in his own life. This experience has given Mark depth and credibility in creating environments where he invites individuals to life-change in personal coaching sessions as well as inspiring and challenging groups of people in creative learning sessions; educators, corporate workgroups, business owners, non-profit leaders, students at Central Michigan University, and now as an Adjunct Professor at Cleary University.
Adopting Ken Blanchard’s view that “in today’s changing world people are looking for principles and philosophies that actually work” he tested his principles for five years as the general manager of a conference center where he was responsible for building a healthy culture, focusing on personal and team development.
A native of Michigan, Mark is a continual learner who holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and a Masters of Divinity, which provide a solid foundation for him as an accomplished teacher who communicates with passion and conviction and as a coach who carefully listens and genuinely guides his clients. He spends significant time each week in one-on-one conversations over a cup of coffee or on SKYPE and has dozens of engagements a year speaking to large audiences.
Mark’s people skills and speaking skills were honed over two decades of pastoring large churches to small turn-around and transition situations in Milwaukee, Florida, and southeast Michigan during which time leaders in the States and Mexico sought Mark’s counsel and afforded him opportunities to write curriculum, teach courses, train at conferences, and inspire teenagers at International Youth Rallies.
Mark lives in Howell, MI, with his wife and best-friend Deb; enjoying their relationship with three adult children and daughter-in-law. He enjoys reading, riding bikes, his HD television, a good cup of coffee, conversations over a cup of coffee, listening to music – especially classical and jazz, slow-walks through the parks, travel, water sports, and…a good cigar. Oh…and any location near water, especially Lake Michigan.
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GJ - Mark Freier was one of many WELS pastors at CrossRoads in South Lyons, Michigan. During Mark's tenure I asked a friend to visit. Mark had young women inviting visitors over to the swimming pool party afterwards.
Mark earned a nickname in WELS - "P-boy." That is not the complete nickname. It came from his ability to talk about one part of his body during his religious messages. I heard it myself at the Michigan youth rally. Many considered him a one-man wrecking crew, but WELS thought he was the bomb and invited him to speak at all the youth conferences.
