Abundant Life is an equipping church where we take Jesus’ invitation to discipleship seriously.  We define disciple making as producing reproducing followers of Jesus Christ. Or to say it another way, Jesus wants us to be more into multiplication than addition.  Now that’s a good thing, because we live in one of the most secular places in the country, where of the ten million people who call the Bay area home, only 2-3% identify as followers of Jesus.  Our sanctuary seats about two thousand, and there’s not enough services we can add to meet the millions of people here who need Jesus. To be effective in the Bay we have to multiply ourselves in the lives of others, and to multiply we need to be equipped. 

This is why once a year we host our Discipleship Summit, which aims to equip Christ-followers in the Bay with the requisite tools to engage others in their spheres of influence to the glory of God.  Dr. Bobby Conway, also known as the “One Minute Apologist,” will be teaching us on Saturday, April 21, and then again the next day at our Sunday morning gathering. I’ve known Bobby for about ten years, and beyond his academic credentials he is uniquely gifted to take the heady concepts of apologetics (i.e., the existence of God, the problem of suffering and evil, the reliability of Scripture among others) and present them in a way that’s accessible to people all across the spiritual spectrum.  He is known to take lofty concepts and set them on the bottom shelf. You will leave feeling more confident in engaging people who don’t know Jesus, and responding to the questions they have. I hope you’re making plans to join us.

But there’s more.  If you were to ask me what has been my most satisfying moments as a follower of Jesus, I would say without hesitation it’s been those times when I’ve given myself away…when I’ve multiplied what Christ has entrusted to me into the lives of others.  It’s when I’ve written that check, or taken the young leader under my wing to develop them, this has brought me the greatest joy. Contributing, not consuming is the path to joy. So the invitation to jump in on disciple making is really an invite to the deepest joy and satisfaction we can ever know.  Our Discipleship Summit is a step in the journey to satisfaction. Be sure to register and let us know you’re coming. Can’t wait to see you.

Bryan Loritts

Lead Pastor, Abundant Life