Written and Discussion Assignment
Brad Tollison, Minister of Students and Outreach
DSMN 500 LUO (Fall 2012)
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
Bradley L. Isbell (ID# L23525077)
December 6, 2012
Contents
Observation/Interview Outline…………………………………….…………...…………...
……………………………...3
Introduction…………….………………………...………………………….…………………….4
Transactive or Transformative?
……………………………………………………………………………...……6
Patterned after suggested Metamodel and Practices?……………………………….
…………………………….…………………………...6
Supportive of Disciple-Making?
……………………………………………………………………………………...……6
Reproducible?………………………………………………………………………………..……6
How Disciple and Discipleship are defined?
……………………………………………………………….……………………...……6
How Disciples are made…………………………………...…………...
………………………………………...……6
How success is determined…….
……………………………………………………………………………...……6
What advice would an emerging (just getting started)
minister need? …………………………………………………..…………………………...……6
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...……6
Appendix……………………...……………………………………………………………...……6
Selected
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………8
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Observation/Interview Outline
I. Observation
a. Transactive or transformative?
a.i. Brad Tollison is a transformative leader.
b. Patterned after the suggested metamodel and practices (Mitchell: chs. 2 - 4)?
b.i. Brad is keenly aware of the metamodel and practices necessary for
affective leadership as outlined in the Mitchell text.
c. Supportive of disciple making?
c.i. Brad is supportive of discipleship in each of his ministry areas.
c.ii. His goal is to build leaders/disciples.
d. Reproducible?
d.i. As his goal is to build leaders in his students, I would say yes his ministry
plan and leadership style is reproducible. He invests in students that then
invest in other students.
II. Interview
a. How "disciple" or "discipleship" is defined.
a.i. Willing to go the extra mile. Not a pew filler.
a.ii. Discipleship is Ephesians 4:12.
b. How disciples are made (strategies, methods, materials used, etc.).
b.i. Student ministry is a step-by-step process. Teaching students core truth
and then giving them responsibilities. It is a team effort. Hands on.
c. How success is determined.
c.i. Numbers game
c.ii. Students entering “ministry” themselves.
c.ii.1. Whether that is as a full time minister or in any line of
work. Are they keenly aware of the impact they can have for Christ
in any context?
d. What advice would an emerging (just getting started) minister need?
d.i. Awareness of surroundings
d.ii. Personal spiritual life
Introduction
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I chose to observe and interview Brad Tollison for this week’s assignment. Brad Tollison
serves as the Minister of Students and Outreach in Moody, Alabama. Brad has been with Bethel
Baptist Church for close to 10 years. He came on board initially as Sunday school director. Brad
is a special friend and brother in Christ. He is several years older than me but we have bonded
over the years. In fact we both accepted Jesus Christ the same evening after a message at church.
He would then go on to teach Sunday school, attend seminary, and accept the call to ministry.
Brad tends to get irritated when I tell him that he is old because he taught me in high school
Sunday school. Regardless, he is a special guy and God has used him to stir things up at Bethel
for the good. His keen insight to ministry and students lives has forever changed how we do
ministry. We are serving more people in the community and school district than ever before.
Serving the community with the intent of bringing people to Christ and making disciples for His
glory. That is what it is all about.
Transactive or Transformative?
I have gone back and forth thinking about where I would place Brad in the transactive or
transformative brackets. When I think about transactive I see a minister that is focused on the
results, cut and dry. They are decisive and in control. The transactive minister is your numbers
guy. I had some fun reading different descriptions of leaders that fall into the category and they
are more often than not painted in a negative fashion. I think that is unfair because in every
group you need the person that keeps the dreamers grounded. What can we really accomplish
with the resources we have? Yes, God can provide in all situations but he provides us the
transactive leaders to keep us in check.
A transformative leader is the relationship builder looking to shape peoples lives. They
invest in lives and focus on the mission despite the costs. They are passionate about ministry and
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the transformational possibilities of following Christ. I have decided to place Brad in this
category. Now, every person can have their moments that go back and forth between the two, you
have to. Brad is a dreamer and a go-getter. Brad’s entire ministry plan is about taking himself out
of the picture. He invests in students, making leaders who in turn go out and reach more students.
Our student ministry has taken on the challenge of leading as students. When someone asks of
our students, “who is the student pastor.” They say, “I am.” Brad has taught and shaped students
to take on the responsibility of reaching others for Christ. We are all called to make disciples as
stated in the Great Commission. Brad is a transformative leader because at the core of everything
he does is a passion to see students and the community as a whole reached for the Kingdom of
God.
Patterned after the suggested metamodel and practices (Mitchell: chs. 2 - 4)?
Mitchell’s metamodel method for leadership is simple yet extremely important. “The
metamodel for both transactive and transformative leadership behavior is plain and practical. A
leader determines, declares, and directs a mission, which often transforms not only followers but
the organization as well.”1 An effective leader will keep in mind these core steps to insure
maximum effectiveness. These can be applied in any situation or job.
Any ministry context requires and understanding of the people involved and the job at
hand. It is the responsibility of the minister or leader to lay that on the table. Brad has spent
many a hour investing in students in my community. From the conversations he has and through
the moving of the Holy Spirit he has laid out a mission statement for his ministry that says,
“Love Others Faithfully Together.”2 Brad has built his mission statement based on the command
1 Dr. Michael R. Mitchell, Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples: World-Class Christian Education in the
Church, School and Home (Nashville: CrossBooks Publishing, 2010), 28.
2 “The Loft,” Bethel Net, http://bethelnet.com/theloft/about/ (accessed December 6, 2012).
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to make disciples found in the Bible. I will touch on the meaning of “LOFT” in directs a mission
paragraph.
The second metamodel step is declaring a mission. When I think about all the sermons
and conversations I have had with Brad is continually declaring the message of Christ and
pointing students to fall into the LOFT plan but more generally he calls people to a live of
service. Every sermon Brad preaches ends with a call to salvation. If making disciples is the
mission. The first step of that is sharing Christ and leading others to seek Him. Brad shared with
me during his interview the next six months of his sermon plans. First series is a look at the
student ministry mission statement and its Biblical mandate. Brad is all about declaring the word
of the Lord.
The third metamodel step is directing a mission. Brad’s mission statement of “Love
Others Faithfully together,”3 is not just a catchy saying but instead a method of taking students to
the next level of serving Christ. Brad has laid out a plan where students move to a deeper
relationship with Christ and then into a Disciple role leading other students into a relationship
with Christ. A more detailed look at the LOFT plan is included in the appendix to this
assignment.
Supportive of disciple making?
Brad is supportive of disciple making because he sets out to take students from one level
to the next. A disciple is someone who rises to the challenge, leads out for Christ, and brings
others to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Student leadership and involvement is
important in each of his ministries whether that be campus ministry, international missions, or
3 Ibid.
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Wednesday night services. Student leadership is disciple making. A student sold out for Christ in
high school with solid foundation has the potential to reach many for Christ on their colleges
campuses and eventual workplace.
Reproducible?
As I have already detailed Brad invests in making student leaders that go out and reach
their fellow classmates bringing more and more to Jesus Christ. With that in mind I believe his
ministry is reproducible. The whole plan is about growth from the inside out.
How Disciple and Discipleship are defined?
Brad defines a disciple as someone that is not just a follower in a mass group of people
looking to be told something and then go on their merry way. The disciple is a sold out believer
that is willing to go the extra mile as they fulfill the Great Commission in their school, family,
future workplace, really anywhere. A disciple is actively engaged in ministry.
Discipleship is about the one on one relationship leading others into an intimate
relationship with Jesus Christ. Discipleship is making disciples. Brad leaned heavily on
Ephesians 4:12 as we spoke. He eventually said Discipleship equals Ephesians 4:12 which says,
“to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”4
How Disciples are made
Following the LOFT strategy of ministry makes disciples. I have walked through that
several times already where students are mentored to love God and eventually serve others by
telling others about Christ. The minister must seek God and lead out in away that students see the
passion and step up to the plate and take their place of leadership and ministry. Brad takes
students to the next level. The next level is serving Christ without hesitation.
4 New Revised Standard Bible.
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How success is determined
Brad first joked that the number of people in your group determines success. He called it
the number game. While an increase in people may indicate a passionate message and more
people interested in what is being said it doesn’t necessarily mean peoples lives are being
changed and convicted to step up and be disciples or ministers in their own contexts. He clarified
by saying it is the number of students that you see a mature nature developing. “You can just see
it.” When someone is devoted to Christ, seeking his face, and reading His word, you know it.
Something is special about them. He ended this question with the idea of students actively
involved in ministry. Success is determined when you see students leaving the ministry and
entering adulthood yet staying involved. Involvement for some might mean full time ministry as
a pastor or missionary. But more often that not it is in the workforce. You might lead a small
group or mentor a younger believer. It is all ministry. It is all success. I can’t help but think about
Louie Giglio’s message about designer jeans. He went into a whole story about jeans, but the gist
of the story is do what you feel called to do; what you enjoy doing. You can serve God in those
venues by building relationships with your customers or coworkers. Success equals being sold
out no matter where you are.
What advice would an emerging (just getting started) minister need?
Brad had three thoughts for emerging ministers to keep in mind. First, you have to
remember your own spiritual life. Just because you prepare for a sermon does not mean
everything is going peachy. Seek God in your own life. Have fun, pray. Seek him in all that you
do. Second, Brad said that new ministers need to remember that they should practice safe
ministry when it comes to counseling and working with students. Always be careful of the
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situations you find yourself in. Finally, seek accountability from others in ministry. We all have a
lot we can learn. Lean on others who have been in the ministry and learn from them. Run ideas
by them. Don’t fly by the seat of your pants with no plan. Lots of people have came before you.
You probably have something to learn.
Conclusion
In our Mitchell textbook, we were exposed to the 5 essential activities of Christian
ministry that make disciples. I believe Brad Tollison and his ministry at Bethel Baptist Church
and the surrounding community fulfills these. I will touch on each of the 5 essential activities
below and how Brad and his ministry incorporate them.
1. Make a Disciple who Worships Jesus (answering the What question)5
a. Brad’s entire ministry is about taking students to the next level of following
Jesus Christ. That involves making disciples themselves; being student
leaders. In order for someone to be invested in this type of ministry that have
to have first accepted Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior but they must
also be “worshipping” Christ with their entire life. What student is going to
share with others about Christ if they are not truly invested and worshipping
God with their lives? That is what Brad works to instill in students lives. A
spirit of worship with all that they do focused on the correct thing. That is
God.
2. Construct a Curricular Plan (answering the Content question)6
a. I think about the time Brad prepares sermons and messages for His students
with then intent of giving opportunities for students to accept Jesus Christ. He
always insures his adult leaders underneath Him are prepared with adequate
training and material to reach students in small groups.
3. Prepare a Plan for Teaching and Learning (answering the Processes question)7
a. I think the fact that Brad has a solid plan to carry students in a process of
growth by fulfilling his mission statement covers this item. Without a plan and
mission you are going to get nowhere.
4. Establish and Environment for Education (answering the Context question)8
5 Mitchell, xiii-xiv.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
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a. For people to learn and grow in Christ it has to be a warm and inviting
location where we people can gather and ask the tough questions. Lets be
honest, life is not easy. Brad has always been honest with students and let
them be honest with Him. That environment of honesty has spurred more
growth and discipleship than you could imagine. It is in the discussions that I
seek God. I know I have had countless discussions with Brad about all kinds
of things. That environment is important.
5. Have a Heart for and Serve People (answering the People question)9
a. Brad loves students! He spends countless hours preparing sermons, mission
trips, etc. When you invest in your ministry with a solid purpose and goal you
are serving people.
Finally I would like to briefly note the key truth I have gleaned from this semester
and its implications for my own ministry. Be aware of your ministry context and the
consequences and rewards of all of your actions. I guess you could say, make sure you
have a plan. As a leader I need to know how I’m going to lead. A leader prepares. A
leader is ready when times get tough. A leader goes the extra mile.
9 Ibid.
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Appendix
What is the LOFT?
The LOFT is the student ministry of Bethel Baptist Church.
“LOVE OTHERS FAITHFULLY TOGETHER” is the purpose statement for the student ministry
at Bethel Baptist Church.
Our purpose is also a strategy. The strategy is to help move students from point A to Z in their
walk with Christ, there are four steps to move through to accomplish our purpose:
Love (Mark 12:30)
The first step is LOVE God, and our Wednesday night @ the LOFT is used to give students the
opportunity LOVE God by drawing close to Christ with dynamic worship and biblical teaching.
Others (John 13:34-35)
We want to help students connect relationally. Relationships are a very important part of the
body of Christ. We have used Small groups and outreach events to accomplish this step.
Faithfully (Eph 4:1)
Once students start to Love God and Love Others then they will start to become Faithful in their
walk with Christ. This step involves ministry opportunities for the faithful students to become an
active player in the ministry. Small groups and discipleship classes are available to move
students to a deeper faith in Jesus Christ.
Together (Eph 4:11-13)
Once students find there place in ministry the unity within the group starts to work together for
the purpose to bring glory to Christ.
There are ministries in place to move students through the steps.
When students Love Christ then they begin to love Others and become Faithful to the cause of
Christ, then they begin to work Together to accomplish the purpose of the student ministry.
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Bibliography
Mitchell, Dr. Michael R. Leading, Teaching, and Making Disciples: World-Class Christian
Education in the Church, School and Home. Nashville: CrossBooks Publishing, 2010.
New Revised Standard Bible
“The Loft.” Bethel Net. http://bethelnet.com/theloft/about/ (accessed December 6, 2012).
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