Reggie Joiner interviewed Andy Stanley during the morning session today. One of the issues he discussed was the process that people went through in their relationship with Jesus. After many conversations, interviews and discussions, Stanley and his staff have come up with the following five areas that every believer experiences in their journey:
- Practical Teaching – someone opened the Bible to them and communicated the Scripture to them in a way they could understand
- Providential Relationships – each person met or developed a relationship with someone who influenced them
- Private Disciplines – each one learned to develop a devotional life
- Pivotal Circumstances – something happened that wasn’t planned and couldn’t be controlled
- Personal Ministry – invited to give, serve and be involved in a ministry
The assumption is that these areas are present at one point or another in every person’s life as they develop and mature in their relationship with Jesus.
If that’s true, then we ought to focus on creating rhythms in ministry so that these areas keep on showing up.
The reality is that the person who has the greatest ability to influence each of these areas is the small group leader. The person who has close relationship and has a regular and consistent voice in the life of a believer. This is often the person who has the greatest ability to be present during difficult and pivotal times in the lives of others.









