In August, I had the privilege of filming a RightNow Media series for Scatter the Seed!
The series went live in November, but I’m just now getting around to posting about it.
This is the perfect pairing with the book. While the book covers church strategy, the video series encourages people to embrace the mission personally. The videos average 8 minutes, which allows groups to focus on the discussion content (and a free guide is included with the study to make it a cinch).
Dear Friends, I am excited to announce that Scatter the Seed has officially published! Many of you have prayed and supported me in this journey, and I thank God for your encouragement. This book will help churches more effectively fulfill their Great Commission call. Pick up your copy here.
After learning from this easy-to-read book, my fervent prayer is that, through God’s Spirit, it will reignite our hearts to get back to the basics of evangelism and discipleship as Jesus instructed. It certainly has mine!
Dr. Peter W. Teague, President Emeritus of Capital Seminary & Graduate School at Lancaster Bible College
Read it with a team for the greatest impact.
Get your leadership team on the same page and strategize around the vision together. Each chapter has discussion questions that teams can use to prayerfully plan their mission together. Bulk copies of 10+ are available at a discounted rate. Contact Kevin to arrange this.
Kevin Freeman has given us a remarkably thought-provoking and practical book based on Jesus’s two dynamic objectives in the Great Commission—to make and teach disciples. He helps us answer this important question: To what extent do we have these supracultural directives in balance? This is an immensely helpful book!
Dr. Gene A. Getz, Professor, Pastor, and Author; Founder of bibleprinciples.org; Host of Renewal Radio
Discover why most churches struggle with lukewarm discipleship and anemic outreach – and how to improve.
Equip yourself with tools to develop your strategy and align your church around it.
Creatively consider how to DREAM: Develop the mission, Recruit by the mission, Evaluate by the mission, Allocate for the mission, and Motivate by the mission.
More praise for Scatter the Seed
This book is an absolute gem! Kevin’s passion for the local church and its disciple-making efforts shines through. Thoughtful, practical, and truthful, he shines a light on an area in which far too many churches fall short: the making of disciples. I was encouraged, challenged, and convicted as I consumed this powerful work. Thanks, Kevin, for the reminder that we are called to make disciples, contributing to the next generation of people who will not only say “Jesus is Lord” but will follow Jesus as Lord!
Tom Stolle, Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware
Kevin Freeman lives his life with Great Commission intent. Scatter the Seed is a guidebook that not only outlines the importance of proper disciple-making—that special combination of evangelism and spiritual formation—but also presents a clear and reasonable look at how the true mission of the church can be restored. This book can motivate Christ followers toward fulfilling the Great Commission within their lifetime.
Dr. John B. Brittain, Associational Mission Strategist at West Central Baptist Association, Missouri
This book is a beneficial resource, rooted both in Scripture and our modern context. It clearly points us to our primary call to make disciples and practically describes how to be faithful to that mission.
Dr. Daniel Hyun, Church Partnership Team Leader at Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware; Adjunct Faculty Member of Church and Ministry Leadership at Lancaster Bible College
Many congregations seem unclear about their mission in God’s Kingdom plan. Further, they lack the ability to evaluate the fruitfulness of their present efforts and programming. Kevin Freeman, informed by Scripture and years of ministry experience, provides helpful analysis and encouragement from a foundational parable rooted in Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels.
Dr. Kevin Smith, Pastor of Family Church Village in West Palm Beach, Florida
I had the privilege of teaching Kevin in multiple seminary classes and spending time with his family outside the classroom. Kevin consistently displayed not only a sharp intellect but a creative mindset. He has masterfully combined both those traits in this book. Biblically based, creatively written, and with a focus on application, I heartily endorse this work. It will force you, as it has forced me, to think about evangelism and discipleship in new and helpful ways.
Dr. Timothy Beougher, Associate Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Evangelism and discipleship, as Kevin Freeman shows us, are not a bifurcated “either/or” but rather a “both/and”endeavor. Employing the Parable of the Sower and extrapolating it into future fictional generations, Freeman creatively shows how the church has abandoned Jesus’s original plan of scattering the seed of God’s Word in favor of ineffective and far less optimal alternatives. The resulting harvest has been mediocre rather than bountiful. But Freeman also shows a better way: one that appreciates the integral relationship between evangelism and discipleship to empower the church to make disciples who make disciples. As Freeman says, “The sustained success of both evangelism and discipleship is found when they operate in concert.” This book will equip the church to do exactly that.
Mark Dooley, State Director of Evangelism at Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware
Scatter the Seed is a must-read for any Christian wanting to refocus on fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18–20. Kevin Freeman defines the nature of true discipleship and provides wise counsel to enable believers to be more effective in cultivating followers of Jesus. This book is engaging, practical, and firmly grounded in Scripture.
Dr. Mark R. Meyer, Director of Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College; Pastor of Halethorpe Community Church
Kevin Freeman’s approach to ministry is to integrate discipleship with evangelism, an often-overlooked strategy. He is like a modern-day Johnny Appleseed who believes that the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18–20)—going, baptizing, and teaching to obey—is indeed the church’s mission and is best described through the organic metaphor of a farmer casting seed. The aim is to reorient Christians in their mission to make disciples and to depend upon God for growth and fruit. Freeman’s ideas are based on sound research and years of experience in ministry—and are easy to understand. In a world of ministry fads that come and go, this book is a needed addition to help churches grow deeper in their understanding and practice of discipleship.
Dr. Ron R. Blankenship, Director of Missions for Montgomery Baptist Association in Maryland; Adjunct Professor of Practical Ministry and Biblical Studies at Washington University of Virginia
In a culture that offers many avenues for Christ followers to pursue, Kevin lays out a compelling message, explaining that at all times the Christian can and should embrace Jesus’s Great Commission call to be the disciple He wants them to be. This book will help reinvigorate you and your leadership team toward God’s call and realign it with a more effective and achievable ministry strategy.
Maina Mwaura, Minister, Public Speaker, and Journalist;author of The Influential Mentor: How the Life and Legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders
Kevin Freeman makes a compelling argument for balanced discipleship and evangelism in the church today. From the Parable of the Sower, Kevin helps us see the need to use time-honored methods for reaching and discipling people while being open to new methods in successive generations. The church has scattered the seeds of the gospel for over two thousand years, and in whatever time that remains, we must be adaptive and hardworking to reach and disciple more people. Kevin’s book is an important work for the church and its leaders today. It’s well worth your time and investment—read it with others to multiply its impact.
Ken Braddy, Director of Sunday School & Network Partnerships at Lifeway Christian Resources
Great news! You can preorder Scatter the Seed before it’s release. It’s available on Amazon in both print and e-book form. I would GREATLY APPRECIATE if you would leave a review.
While looking up inventions recently, I came across one that immediately caught my interest. The futuristic-looking “Motoruota” was invented a hundred years ago, patented in France in 1924! David Cislaghi and Giuseppe Govetosa were the named inventors on the patent. Because they were never widely popular, these “monowheels” are shrouded in a bit of mystery, though they were featured in the December 1924 edition of Popular Science Monthly. It is said that the Motoruota could reach speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour.
We have enjoyed rapid technological inventions nearly nonstop for the past 150 years. This can lead us to always look to the next gizmo or updated version of a product we love. Perhaps we are sometimes too quick to disregard the inventions of the past. A few marvels lie buried that are worth some scrutiny, and, if we are honest, not all of today’s inventions are worthy of accolades.
As we live out our faith, we can be guilty of looking for the next innovation to propel us forward, though what lies in the past is often much more fruitful. We seek the next worship song, popular speaker, Christian living book, conference, or catchy verse. These are not bad, but they can leave us continually skimming the surface, looking for the next exciting thing that will boost our faith.
In truth, Christians should embrace both the old and the new, the things that stand the test of time and those new expressions of hope that will propel us forward.
God reveals this in His Word:
Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
Isaiah 46:9, ESV
But just a few chapters earlier, we read:
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-19, ESV
Even at the end of the Bible, God declares He is “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). In the next verse, He reminds us that He is the beginning and the end. The trustworthy truths of the past will always hold their value, and we can eagerly embrace new expressions of those same principles. That is because our God is the God of every moment in time!
What aspects of God’s past faithfulness do you treasure? How will you live out the hope He has placed in you in a new way in the coming days?
“I don’t understand why the younger people aren’t helping with ministry needs. We’ve served our time! Now we’re old.”
Those words were spoken by a frustrated senior adult who had faithfully served in ministry for many years, yet, she lamented that no one from the next generation was waiting in the wings to relieve her. Many saints toil for decades and come to the same frustrating conclusion: the next generation isn’t there to carry the ministry torch.
It becomes easy for one generation to cast aspersions at the other. “They’re lazy and self-centered.” “They don’t understand what we go through.” This tension won’t resolve itself and will instead leave both sides frustrated.
So, what is the trick to avoiding this heartache and seeing ministry efforts embraced by subsequent generations?
Involve the next generation early.
That’s it.
God commanded the older Levites to retire early so that the next generation could bear responsibility for the care of the tabernacle.
“In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. But at fifty years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.”
Numbers 8:24-26 CSB
This is a great example of a seasoned generation providing valuable insight and support to the next generation, who must take on the work. The retired Levite would likely be in the prime of his career. At 50, he has many worthwhile years to contribute, and valuable experience has replaced heady enthusiasm of youth. God commands his retirement, yet he may put on the supervisor hat for the next generation who will take his place.
We may find a need for a similar system. In ministry life today, we often find that the younger people aren’t filling the gaps of service to carry on the work of the ministry. In some cases, this happens because there is no system in place to intentionally create space and support for them to serve.
Here’s an example of how this might play out. A person aged 50 is likely more experienced and capable than the 25-year-old. In a couple of decades, the older person may be less capable, and the younger person is gone. He wasn’t needed, so he left or has made other commitments. His 15-year-old has no model of service to follow. The now 70-year-old wonders why no one is there to carry on the work and begrudgingly continues.
Let’s change the story now. If the 50-year-old invites the 25-year-old to help take on the role, the 25-year-old – who, let’s face it, is more likely to say yes and feel excited to be needed for something important at that age – can gain experience for a few years with an excellent advisor. When that advisor is 70, the work has carried on well for a couple of decades and can nudge the now 45-year-old to consider whom to tap for future leadership.
It is less about the capability of the 50 (or 60 or 70) year-old and more about the continuity of the work that God has called His people to carry out.
What is your church’s strategy for involving the next generation in the work of the ministry and the development of future leaders?
I’m picking up where I left off. In 2014, God laid this idea on my heart. I dabbled in it for a bit, but the timing was not right. Now, however, this project aligns with a few others, making a restart look possible.
So, what am I trying to accomplish here? What is it that I believe God has laid on my heart?
It’s a call to faithfulness.
The world pressures followers of Christ away from full-fledged faithfulness to Christ. Distractions and new ideas pull us away from our calling.
I have a few projects underway that I pray will help to remind Christians and churches to stay faithful to their calling. Some of my old posts will be given a little face lift and reposted, too. Their continued timeliness, after 10 years, is a good sign.
Undiluted Faith 