Equipper Interview

Equipper Interview

For James Lanza

Karl Dyrli

Associate Pastor for Worship Ministries

Fellowship Church

45 Hildebrandt Road

Dallas, PA 18612

570-675-6426

1.     What is your process for making disciples?

In order to participate in the building and making of disciples that God is doing, I seek first to identify those in whom God has called to know Him and who are growing in a particular area.  If I see giftedness in someone, however immature, I will start with a conversation with them.  I seek to ask some open-ended questions and inquire about what God is doing in their lives.  This step is important, in order to get to hear the person’s heart and to prayerfully discern what to do next.

                  After this initial conversation, I would prayerfully consider what type of service and what type of mentor would be beneficial to this person’s growth.  Although this person might be me, it might not be.  I would then seek to connect the person with those opportunities that would stretch them out of their comfort zone.  This is where growth occurs.  This requires a delicate balance between what is challenging for the individual, while at the same time not giving them more than they should responsibly be given.  For example, if teaching is a gift, I would have them lead devotions at worship team practice far before I would give them a Discipleship Class.

                  As they grow through these increasing responsibilities, I would also seek to give them ongoing feedback and encouragement to serve in their area of giftedness and in time to mentor others along the same path as the Lord enables.  One of the most important steps in equipping is to step back and resist the urge to do the ministry for the person, but to give them room to experience ministry on their own.

2.     What is your biggest challenge you face in making disciples?

The time and availability element becomes the biggest challenge.  In order to have ongoing conversations, evaluation, observation, and mentoring, I would need to be able to interact during the week, not on a Sunday morning only.  If someone is interested in being equipped for ministry, but work six long days a week and are not available for ongoing relationship, it would be nearly impossible or at lease very challenging to interact with them in a meaningful way.

3.     Who equipped you for ministry?

The primary equipper in my ministry background would be the director of the Christian camp ministry I participated in for several consecutive summers.  The camp is named Deerfoot Lodge and the director was Chuck Gieser.  He would deliberately plan what new and expanding responsibilities I could have each summer, and would give me room to grow and experience success and failure.  He would then provide a lot of feedback along the way, completed by an extensive end of summer interview that supplied helpful wisdom for future growth.  He mentored me in many ways, and sought to help me grow in faith and ministry through experience.

4.     What are some ways you equip people for ministry?

I seek to provide new experiences for people in ministry.  I also seek to provide feedback and ongoing relational influence to those around me.  The bridge of relationship is the most effective way in which I encourage and seek to build up people in ministry.  In addition, I teach through devotionals and other means to help equip those with whom I minister.

5.     How do you measure your effectiveness?

To measure effectiveness in equipping ministry I will periodically observe the expansion of people who have participated in ministry over the past year.  I will not only look for new people who have experienced and grown, but also for the personal growth within the participants in ministry.  Qualities in which I would look for growth would be faith, humility, fearlessness, faithfulness, wisdom and consistency.  The humble, teachable servant will be growing, while a prideful heart will often be resistant to change and growth.  These can be observed over longer periods of time.

6.     Where does discipleship making start?

In my view, discipleship making begins in the initial going out of the Word of God in the Gospel.  Jesus told His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, which begins with the going and proclaiming of the truth of the Gospel.  After that, discipleship will be the ongoing spiritual growth of the born-again believer in the context of biblical community.

7.     Where did discipleship start for you?

For me, discipleship began in my home.  My parents modeled a relationship with Christ, and introduced me to the truth through their words and actions.  The foundation of my faith was laid out in my home, as well as in the context of my home church.  My pastor had a lot to do with my own discipleship, through classes and Sunday messages throughout the course of my childhood.

8.     How would you define a disciple? 

I would define a disciple as a regenerated believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who is growing in spiritual understanding, faith and wisdom through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, bringing maturity and ever-increasing likeness to the character of Jesus Christ.

9.     What helps you stay effective in your discipleship role?

I need to consistently revisit and challenge myself to the role of discipling and equipping.  It is too easy to settle into routine and forget about challenging others to new areas of growth, faith and service.  I also have to resist the urge to do too much myself and overlook the spiritual growth of others who would and should be doing the work of the ministry instead of me. 

10.  What do you believe is the most important thing in being a disciple?

I would say that closeness in relationship to the Person of Christ is paramount.  As Paul says, “I want to know Christ,” not any other qualification, renders everything else as worthless trash.  Discipleship is not to be simplified down to knowledge alone, or character alone, or experience alone…but to draw close to Christ in a real, personal way.  To lose this is to completely lose the way of discipleship.