Search & Rescue: Becoming a Disciple Who Makes a Difference (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: internal motivation, making and multiplying disciples, spontaneous multiplication, Holy Spirit, God's Word, Word of God (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Christians today are on a rescue mission. Each of us is called to get involved in God's plan to make disciples. A former California lifeguard, Neil Cole weaves together his personal experiences of saving lives with biblical principles for how to make and multiply disciples. Cole shows how to create Life Transformation Groups that can help a Christian grow in a safe and transparent relationship with one or two other spiritual pilgrims. Full of heroic and even humorous stories, Search and Rescue captures readers' imaginations and hearts and doesn't let go until they want to make a difference and know how to go about doing it.

From the Inside Flap

A Tool for Rescue Neil Cole has discovered a simple and powerful tool for accomplishing the task of making and multiplying committed disciples. He calls this method the Life Transformation Group (LTG). The LTG is a group of two or three people who meet together weekly for three essential disciplines: confession of sin, steady intake of Scripture, and prayer for others who need Christ. The genius of the LTG is that it is simple and transferable, making it naturally self-proliferating and an appropriate tool for any cultural or church context. Outlining this system, Search & Rescue will benefit pastors, church leaders, and anyone interested in fulfilling the Great Commission.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801013097
• ISBN-13: 978-0801013096
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,433 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #16 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Evangelism > Missions & Missionary Work
  #17 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > Discipleship

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deja Vu, April 15, 2008

By	Jeremy D. Myers (Otisville, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love everything by Neil Cole, and this book is no different. If you've never read anything by him, this is the book to read.

However, if you read Cultivating a Life for God and/or Organic Church this book will be full of deja vu. Aside from numerous new stories about life guarding, this book is basically just an updated remix of these two previous books.

Nevertheless, though I have read his other books, I was still glad to read this one because it helped remind me of the important concepts that Cole presents.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reminder on discipleship fundamentals, February 23, 2009

By	mikeandleslie "mikeandleslie" (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

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I was introduced to the principles in the 2nd half of the book earlier in my church planting journey. I only wish I paid closer attention back then. I simply didn't have the maturity and perspective to see disciple-making at the core of church planting. Despite having two seminary masters' degrees and being a favored student in my church planting classes, four years into my first planting experience I came to the shocking realization that I didn't know how to make disciples outside of "preach it; program it, and they will come."

Cole's books have been a God-send to me to help me think about disciple-making as Jesus and Paul did it, and also to help me think about biblical values like multiplication and reproducibility. Search and Rescue is his most updated treatise on the fundamentals of disciple-making that provides us with an updated example of his movement's disciple-making tool (the Life Transformation Group) that is being used all over the world. Whether people in urban Western settings to people in the African bush, thousands upon thousands of men and women are using this simple, reproducible tool to make more and stronger disciples everywhere. It seems to me the closest thing to what John Wesley and the Circuit Riders used to disciple those were coming to Jesus en masse: leaderless, simple, obedience-oriented, and reproducible. I see their value, not only as a student of history, theology and mission, but also as a practicing pastor/church-planter. We introduced LTGs organically into our church community and began watching people start to do crazy missional things like ministering to day workers, the homeless, under-performing elementary schools. Cell group material and scads and scads of expository sermons never activated these same people into such action that have been sustained for nearly two years to date.

I wholeheartedly recommend this for anyone who is looking to get back to the basics and learn from someone who is a proven disciple-maker and has learned from some of the best thinkers on disciple-making movements from a biblical and missiological perspective -- be it Roland Allen, Thom Wolf and church planting guru, George Patterson. Anyone looking for the next cool and trendy program or strategy will be utterly disappointed. Anyone looking, however, to launch movements of Jesus-followers that spread like a virus would do well to read this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discipleship IS the key, September 25, 2009

By	Janice Price - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I am so impressed with Neil Cole. After seeing him at our denominational spring conference, I became convinced of his direction. God has planted within him a desire for Kingdom growth by following Christ's last words to us- to make disciples. We have gotten off track by promoting programs and increasing church sizes, but we have not nurtured disciples who in turn are capable of multiplying themselves through the Holy Spirit. I can't wait to read his other books.