Reachable:7 Keys to Loving, Mentoring, and Leading the Church of the Next Generations

Summary
In this episode, Dr. Jeffrey D. Skinner discusses his new book, 'Reachable: Seven Keys to Loving, Mentoring, and Leading the Church of the Next Generations.' He shares his research on reaching the next generations and emphasizes the importance of being where Jesus is. Dr. Skinner also reflects on the mentors who have shaped his own faith journey, highlighting the impact of simple gestures and the love of his grandfather. The episode explores the deep motive for mission and the profound influence of mentors in the Christian community.



Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/echoes-through-eternity-with-dr-jeffery-skinner--5523198/support.

Echoes Through Eternity Guiding church planters and pastors to plant seeds of prayer, holiness, and courage that outlast a lifetime. contact [e-mail]

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Marcus Aurelius said, what we doin life echoes through eternity? What is
your life echoing through eternity? Welcometo Echoes through Eternity with Doctor Jeffrey Skinner.
Our mission is to inspire, engage, and encourage leaders from across the
globe to plant missional churches and beservant leaders. So join us and hear

(00:22):
the stories of servant leaders reverberating livesas God echoes them through eternity. Brought
to you by Missional Church Planting andLeadership Development and Dynamic Church Planning International.
Welcome into Echoes through Eternity. Iam your host, Doctor Jeffrey D.
Skinner. Welcome back to episode twoof season four. I will leave us

(00:44):
the sixty second or sixty third episode. A lose track is somewhere along in
there. But as I mentioned inthe Easter episode last week, I have
written a brand new book is entitledReachable Seven Keys to Loving, mentoring and
Leading the Church of the Next Generations. And it is an outline is exactly

(01:07):
as it says, an outline ofhow we can go about reaching the next
generations. I believe they're reachable.I've done four years of research really three
years. It's baseball dissertation, andthen I did an extra year of research
as I'm prepared to write the book, which I've done with the last year.
And I know the headlines seem direwhen we read Barna and Gallup and

(01:32):
the other Christian reason researchers excuse methat are out there, But based upon
my research, I am very encouraged. And so this episode and the next
few for this season are going tofocus on my book. I just kind
of want to give you a littlebit of taste there. Remember, you
can go to reachablebook dot com reserveyour copy. You get a fifteen percent

(01:55):
discount once that is available for purchase. And so let's just go ahead and
delve in and to the episode today. And I just feel like that it's
going to help you out and bean encouragement to you. So this is
based on the introduction of the book, and it's kind of scripted a quick
episode here. It's entitle the deepestmotive for mission. The deepest motive for

(02:21):
mission is simply the desire to bewith Jesus where he is on the frontier
between the reign of God and theusurped and meaning of the devil. It's
a powerful quote from Leslie Nwbegan.It sets out the stage, It sets
the stage for our discussion today.It reminds us that the heart of our
mission is the call to be whereJesus is, to stand on the front

(02:46):
lines of faith. But what shapesus to answer this call? Often it's
the influence of those who've mentored usat our faith. From a young age,
waiting eagerly for the Snoopy church busevery Sunday where Miss Elaine hands out
chocolate, milk and ding dongs.This wasn't just a ride to church.

(03:09):
It was my journey into a sanctuaryof peace and love, a contrast to
the chaos at home. And therewas Uncle Arthur with his juicy fruit gum
who would stand in the foyer,handing out the gum to every child who
would dare ask. And everyone daredto ask because Uncle Arthur was a sweet,

(03:34):
kind, old gentleman. It wasa small gesture that spoke volumes about
the church's warm embrace that had offerednot only to me, but the rest
of the children that would be pickedup by the Snoopy bus. These experiences,
while simple, are profound. Theyleave indelible marks on hearts shaping our

(03:55):
understanding of Christian community. In myown life, my grandfather was my mentor.
And in the beginning, when someoneasked me when I was writing this
book, they said, who wasit that mentored you? And in the
beginning, I really didn't have anybody. I couldn't think of anyone. I
was thinking of a leader, amaxwell, or a venerable pastor, or

(04:21):
someone who has just had lots ofbooks to their name, and I couldn't
think of anyone like that. Butas I began to write the book,
it became clear that was my grandfatherthat had mentored me into the faith.
He didn't do it on purpose necessarily, He just called himself loving me.

(04:43):
But there was no other man thatI wanted to be around more than my
grandfather. He lived in a quainttown where he pastored in a quoint town
called Peterson, Alabama. Lived ina small town not far from there called
Hotelabama, which is the same placethat my church was. But Frank pastored

(05:09):
a small little church in the country, had wooden floors, didn't have any
staying glass windows. This church wasfar from modern, yet it was here
amidst the cold droughts, and thatwarmth of the congregation that a deep passion
for the church took root in me. When I spent the night with my

(05:30):
grandparents. On occasion he would takeme to church with him. Granda's Frank's
rhymes, his passionate sermons, andhis rarebic style of worship were more than
just quirks. They were expressions ofa deep, abiding love for Jesus.
His dedication to improving the church withhis own hands taught invaluable lessons about service

(05:57):
and faith. The concept of thinplaces is a concept from Gaelic folklore,
and thin places were locations that wereconducive to spiritual encounters, where the veil

(06:17):
between the physical and the spiritual worldas center. Grande Frank, without ever
knowing this ancient concept, creating thesethin places, though through his unwavering faith
and presence. It's a reminder tous all that holiness isn't confined to grand
cathedrals. It's present wherever God isinvited in Our mission isn't just about growing

(06:47):
the church in numbers. It's aboutmaking disciples, about stepping out of our
comfort zones into the unknumb. It'sabout lay people just like those in the
old mill towns saw need and startedchurches, often with little more than faith
and determination. Today, across theglobe, ordinary people continue to answer God's

(07:10):
call, planting churches and sprating thegospel. This segment is a call to
action for each of us to considerwhere God is leading us to live fully
alive for His glory. As wewrap today's episode, I hope you're inspired
by the legacy of those who shapedmy faith, like my grandfather and those

(07:33):
at the small country Church in Petersonand and my home church of Holton Heights
Churches Nazarene in the small town ofHote, Alabama. And I ask you
to reflect on your own discipleship journey. Who is it that has poured into
your life? Who are the peoplethat have marked you for mission? Who

(07:59):
is it that you can mark permission? Who's someone around you that you can
pour into now and you can youcan guide them in this journey to Christ.
As we wrap up this episode,I hope that you're inspired by the

(08:20):
legacies to shape me and people likethat. Whether it's a grandparent or Sunday
school teacher or kind neighbor, theirinfluence continues to ripple through eternity. So
let's take a moment to reflect inour own lives how we can mentor the
next generation passing on the torture faithof love, presence, and authenticity.

(08:45):
Thank you for joining me on thisepisode of Echos through Eternity. If you're
inspired to share the story or wontto connect, you can find me at
reachablebook dot com. This will alsosign you up for little pieces of the
book to be sent out to youlittle challenges that I've also developed a curriculum
that will be going along with usas well as well as a small group

(09:07):
curriculum. And again, stay tunedat reachablebook dot com. Thank you.
Until next time, May you walkin the dust of the Rabbi, covered
in that holy dust together, Maywe all contemplate whom we may mark per

(09:28):
mission. You can be a cocreator with God by helping to echo our
voices, share our episodes and friendsand family, and on your own social
media accounts. Give us positive fivestar reviews. The more positive reviews we
have, the more visibility we have, and the more voices that are echoed

(09:50):
through Eternity. We often invite guestswho are serving faithfully year after year,
often in anonymity, and their respectiveroles in min industries. God sees them
and reality is as for a goodkingdom leader. That's enough. We do
not do what we do for theaccolades of humanity. We do it because
we're called by God. But Ibelieve that God uses people like you and

(10:13):
I to continue those reverberations and echothem throughout eternity. You can partner with
God by liking and subscribing and writinga quick positive, five star review and
again sharing those voices with friends andfamily and on your own social media accounts.
Those reviews will eventually lead to otherguests who have larger platforms that have

(10:37):
more listeners, who will then inturn listen to the show, and again
it further echoes those voices, whichis the whole vision of the echoes through
Attorney Podcast here is continue echoing thosevoices that God is echoing through Attornity. There