Frequently Asked Questions

Who can be involved in taking the Ultimate Impact Challenge?  Although the Ultimate Impact Challenge is a very serious commitment, it is really no different than what Jesus has called all of His disciples to do.  This challenge is simply finding a way to facilitate the command to “Go and make disciples”.  Any Christian who is committed and humble enough to be trained in making disciples may take the challenge.  The Christian must believe and teach that faith in Jesus as God’s Son, repentance, confession and baptism (immersion in water for a person old enough to believe and repent) are essential responses to God’s grace and for receiving His free gift of salvation.  The Christian must be committed to and involved in a local church that teaches the same.

I’m already making disciples and helping them to make disciples.  What advantage is there for me to sign my name to say that I’ll do it?  There are many people who are already making disciples just as Jesus taught.  You certainly don’t have to sign a commitment form to follow Jesus’ example of making disciples.  However, there are several advantages to taking this challenge.  People who are very evangelistic sometimes get discouraged because it is easy to feel like “I am the only one” trying.  Knowing of others in your community and around the world helps keep us all encouraged by hearing  what others are doing and how souls are being won in many different places.  Also, it seems less productive not to network and share resources with others who are doing the same thing.  Why waste valuable time re-inventing the wheel when you could be using that time to winning the lost?  Materials will be updated and we will constantly be networking with others who can share their experiences.  Also we would like to benefit from your experience and be encouraged by what you are doing.

I don’t have the gift of evangelism like others do.  Why should I take the Ultimate Impact Challenge?  In scripture, making disciples is given as a command, not only as a gift.  Pragmatically speaking, it is easy to see that some people are gifted in reaching others.  “Some produce a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."  But the fact that I am not as gifted as others shouldn’t matter.  I may not have the gift of giving, but I am still commanded to give, even if I can’t give as much as others.  I may not have the gift of encouragement, but I am commanded to encourage, even if I am not as effective as others.  In fact, I would think that it would be good for me to network with other encouragers to learn from them how to better fulfill the command of encouraging.  It may even relieve guilt I may feel, knowing that now I’m doing what God commanded me to do and learning how to be more effective at it.  God has always shown His strength through our weakness, so don’t let your weakness or your lack of giftedness in a certain area keep you from following Jesus’ example and command.

Is this a spiritual pyramid scheme?  Absolutely not!  Because with a pyramid there is always a human at the top.  You will never be given a quota of people to reach.  You will never be pressured to perform.  Each disciple does his or her best to reach people in their sphere of influence.  If you do your best and don’t lead anyone to the Lord for several years, but learn how to be more effective the rest of your life, praise God.  Everyone is encouraged to motivate others in their group through loving each other and seeking each other’s betterment as a disciple of Christ.

I know that many groups who practice accountability often abuse authority or turn into cults.  How is this different?  “One over one” relationships are not encouraged.  We are all given authority to “correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.”   If you feel someone is sinning against you in this way, you should go to them like you would for any other sin.  Satan always tries to get people to abuse God’s commands.  We must be aware of Satan’s schemes and show God’s love in how we deal with others.

As I look at the chart of geometric progression, it seems too theoretical.  Certainly things won’t happen just as they’re shown on the chart.  Why do you think this will work better than other programs?  It is important to remember that this is not a “program”.  It is Jesus’ method of winning the world to himself.  A lot of how much growth we will see will depend on the first generation of disciples and their maturity and effectiveness.  Things could progress faster or slower than the chart shows.  The chart is not a plan in itself.  It simply shows how the plan would work assuming that everyone leads one person to the Lord each year and passes the vision on to the next spiritual generation.  Certainly people will die, fall away or back off their commitment to make disciples.  Jesus had the same thing happen in His ministry.  Why would we expect anything different? Let’s face it, life is messy and doesn’t work like a chart, but we all need to have a goal to reach. Winning one or two souls a year is a reasonable goal for someone who has prioritized their life and is fervently praying for God to bear fruit in their lives.

There is no one in my area who has taken the challenge.  How can I still network with others?  You can still e-mail back and forth with others who have taken the challenge.  As you lead people to the Lord this gives you an opportunity to bring them to a maturity level to take the challenge also.  Then there will be people in your area you can directly influence. If there is still a need after searching locally, e-mail us at barry.hendrick@comcast.net

After I’ve led someone to the Lord, how and when do I bring them into my Ultimate Impact meetings?  It is good to give a new Christian some time of personal discipling and help them gain some maturity.  They may have some personal issues that need to be dealt with before they are invited to take the challenge.  Pray for discernment about  the right time to invite them to take the challenge.  Remember making disciples is a command for all Christians.  Ultimate Impact is simply a networking of Christians who help each other facilitate this command.

What if I decide not to take the Ultimate Impact Challenge?  Then God bless you in your endeavors to make disciples.  We sincerely hope that you lead many souls to Jesus.