Over the last four years, I’ve researched, written, and taught about Jack Miller’s vision for “Evangelism as the Foundations of Discipleship,” and the natural relationship of “A New Life” booklet with the emergence and development of Sonship Leadership Training.
I went thru Evangelism Explosion and the Sonship Course decades ago, and have trained others using these same excellent materials for years. Yet somehow, I had not really caught the simple, practical, and biblical harmony showing how evangelism is foundational to discipleship.
I was captivated when Jack explained his basis and vision for “A New Life” booklet which he referred to as a “small catechism on evangelism” used for “every member ministry,” and how, in time, Sonship would develop from this cohesive vision of renewal and missions.
During my research, I began visualizing an idea to republish “A New Life” booklet (for which I received permission to use) in a way that would foundationally connect evangelism to discipleship and employ benefits derived from being incorporated into an iOS and Android App environment.
I had hoped to hire someone to create an app. However the cost for apps we use everyday on our phones ($80K to $150K to hire a corporate team, $30K to $50K to hire a freelance team in Asia) has proven to be a significant barrier.
Additionally, the actual idea for this iOS app has been in my head as a fruit of the deep dive I had done in the whole of Jack’s life and ministry.
When I’ve tried to explain this idea (since evangelism and discipleship are typically compartmentalized, and most who remember “A New Life” booklet conflate it with outdated tract-based forms of evangelism—thus “out of print”) others have looked at me oddly, a familiar response I experience quite regularly anyway.
Therefore, last week I (an old dog still trying to learn new tricks) began an iOS app development course online for the purpose of creating and building the app myself, since I can see in my head the end product and its application to individuals, small groups, and churches.
My aim is to capture the harmony of Jack Miller’s vision for “Evangelism as the Foundations of Discipleship” where “A New Life” booklet forms the evangelism framework for preaching the gospel to ourselves and others (Christians and nonChristians) with Jack’s teaching on discipleship: gospel, prayer, sonship, and teams (with some basic and helpful iOS tools)—underlying “A New Life” booklet.
(Note: Regarding Jack’s teaching on “teams” ministry, I have experienced great failure in this area over the last two years, I’m thankful to return to the foundations of gospel, prayer, and sonship myself in this project so the Spirit can rebuild my own heart and ministry as I reengage with teams. So, like Jack’s biography, this project is more for me than it is for anyone else).
I’ve developed a paper draft of the first discipleship module on the gospel (release 1.0), and I also have 130 pages of Jack’s material for the second module on prayer and corporate prayer (release 2.0) with other modules to follow.
I’d like to have an iOS mock up draft version to use when I teach this material at our church after the New Year. At that time I can begin showing something to others so they can see and touch it, and then I can obtain additional permissions and partnerships I will need to move forward.
The scheduled release of Jack’s biography is late Spring 2020. It would be great, Lord willing, to have a basic version of “A New Life” iOS App available in the App Store in the run up to the book’s release (I’m not forgetting Android by the way).
I’d love to hear your thoughts (good or bad) and ideas on this next part of “The Jack Miller Project.” (I want to see a book of his sermons published too, but this app idea keeps gnawing at me).
Also, if you are interested in critiquing, brainstorming, shaping, beta testing, downloading, or purchasing such an app please send me your email address so I can keep you posted and send out mock ups as they are created.
Thanks, Mike