From the Residency

Field Notes

Reflections, reports, and stories from the harvest — disciple-making, church planting, and life among the unreached from MTC Nashville.

Disciple-MakingNovember 4, 2026

Disciple Making Training in Nashville: A Free Weekend to Start Living on Mission

A free, hands-on Disciple Making Training comes to Nashville November 20-21. No experience needed, just a willing heart and a weekend. Here's what to expect, who it's for, and how to register.

Read the post

Toolbox TuesdayNovember 3, 2026

Toolbox Tuesday: The Abiding Heart — Staying Close to Jesus After the Decision

The Abiding Heart is a simple, biblical tool from John 15 that pictures what daily closeness with Jesus looks like — the Word, prayer, His love, obedience, and confession — in a drawing every new believer can learn, keep, and reproduce.

Disciple-MakingNovember 2, 2026

How to Help New Believers Grow in Their Faith

What happens in a new believer's first ninety days matters enormously. Here's a simple roadmap for helping new believers grow — first steps, loving accountability, and healthy habits that last.

Disciple-MakingOctober 29, 2026

Why Obedience Matters More Than Bible Knowledge

We know more Scripture than any generation in history — but Jesus measured maturity by doing, not knowing. Here's why obedience matters more than Bible knowledge, Jesus' model, and practical action steps.

Toolbox TuesdayOctober 27, 2026

Toolbox Tuesday: The Church Circle — The 9 Parts of a Healthy Church

The Church Circle is a simple tool drawn straight from Acts 2 — nine parts of a healthy church you can draw on a napkin, evaluate your group against, and reproduce anywhere believers gather.

Disciple-MakingOctober 26, 2026

The Difference Between Leading, Mentoring, and Coaching

Leading directs, mentoring develops, coaching unlocks. Here's how to tell the three apart, when each approach fits in ministry, and practical examples of all three — from Jesus Himself.

Disciple-MakingOctober 24, 2026

How to Start Making Disciples When You Don't Know Where to Begin

Feeling stuck before you start? Here's a simple, biblical path for how to make disciples as an everyday believer — beginning with prayer and the people already around you.

Disciple-MakingOctober 23, 2026

What Is a Discovery Bible Study? A Beginner's Guide

A Discovery Bible Study is a simple, reproducible way to read Scripture together and obey it. Here's how DBS works, the classic discovery questions, and why God is using it worldwide.

Disciple-MakingOctober 22, 2026

Looking for Disciple-Making Training in Nashville? Here's What to Expect

Looking for disciple-making training in Nashville? Meet MTC Nashville — who we are, how our hands-on biblical training works, and upcoming opportunities including the November training and January residency.

Disciple-MakingOctober 21, 2026

Why Most Churches Grow Through Addition Instead of Multiplication

Churches grow by addition or multiplication — and the difference determines whether we fill a building or reach a region. Here's the biblical pattern for multiplication and the barriers holding most churches back.

Toolbox TuesdayOctober 20, 2026

Toolbox Tuesday: The 4 Fields of Kingdom Growth — a Simple Map for the Harvest

The 4 Fields of Kingdom Growth is a simple, biblical map drawn straight from Mark 4 — four stages that show where every person in your life is, and exactly what your next step is with each one.

EvangelismOctober 19, 2026

How to Share Your Testimony in Three Minutes

Everyone has three minutes and a story of God's grace. Here's a simple Before-Then-Now framework for sharing your testimony, with examples and training tips from MTC Nashville.

EvangelismOctober 15, 2026

7 Common Myths About Evangelism

"I need all the answers." "Only extroverts can evangelize." "People aren't interested." Seven common myths about evangelism — and the biblical truths that set every witness free.

Disciple-MakingOctober 13, 2026

Toolbox Tuesday: The 411 Tool for Simple, Reproducible Disciple-Making

Learn the 411, a simple, biblical, and reproducible disciple-making tool built around four questions: Why make disciples? Who do we disciple? What do we share? And when do we begin?

Disciple-MakingOctober 6, 2026

The Great Commission Has No Minimum Age

Isaac is 10. During our training this week he was fully engaged — notebook open, following along in Acts right beside the adults. A reminder that the Great Commission has no minimum age requirement.

Disciple-MakingOctober 5, 2026

How to Start a Spiritual Conversation Without Feeling Awkward

Spiritual conversations don't have to feel awkward. Here's how to start one in everyday settings, with simple conversation starters that open doors instead of cornering people.

Disciple-MakingOctober 1, 2026

5 Signs You're Ready to Start Discipling Someone

Think you're not ready to disciple someone yet? Here are five practical signs you're more ready than you think, the fears that hold us back, and how to take the first simple step.

EvangelismSeptember 29, 2026

Tuesday Toolbox: How to Share the Gospel Using the Three Circles

Welcome to the Tuesday Toolbox — one simple disciple-making tool every Tuesday. Week 1: how to share the gospel using the Three Circles, a napkin-and-pen method anyone can learn.

Sending & MobilizationSeptember 28, 2026

A New Home Base: The MTC Nashville Website Is Live

Our new website is live, the house is filling up, and there are two ways to jump in: Disciple Making Training this November and the next residency semester beginning January 11.

Disciple-MakingSeptember 28, 2026

What Is Disciple Making and Why Does It Matter Today?

Disciple making is helping someone follow Jesus, become like Jesus, and join His mission. Here's what it really means, how it differs from church attendance, and why the Great Commission still matters today.

Disciple-MakingAugust 28, 2026

Disciple-Making in the Daily Rhythm

How 3/3rds groups and the 4 Fields framework — the simple, reproducible tools behind disciple making movements — turn ordinary weeks in Nashville into multiplying simple churches.

Missions & MobilizationJuly 17, 2026

A New Season of Kingdom Training Begins in Nashville

Discover how MTC Nashville equips ordinary disciples through hands-on residency training to multiply the Kingdom and live on mission in Nashville and beyond.

Missions & MobilizationJuly 11, 2026

Paul in Ephesus

Acts 19 and the Theological Turning Point of a City Transformed by the Gospel

Spiritual GrowthJuly 4, 2026

Christian Life in First-Century Ephesus

Paul, the Letter to the Ephesians, and a Church Formed in Cultural Pressure

Bible StudyJune 27, 2026

Mary, John, and Ephesus

What the Bible Says, What Church History Suggests, and the Story of "Mary's House"

Biblical Context & HistoryJune 20, 2026

Origins and Evolution of Artemis

How a Goddess Shaped a City—and the World the Early Church Entered

Sending & MobilizationJune 15, 2026

Fifteen Years of Saying Yes

A look back at God's faithfulness through missions, marriage, and motherhood — and a look at the assignment before us in Nashville.

Biblical Context & HistoryJune 13, 2026

When Worship, Identity, and Economy Became One System

Artemis in Ephesus

Disciple-MakingJune 9, 2026

When Ordinary Life Becomes Ministry

One year after releasing Kingdom Living, reflecting on transition, surrender, and the faithfulness of God — and how ordinary surrender in the hands of Jesus becomes extraordinary ministry.

Biblical Context & HistoryJune 6, 2026

The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus

When the Gospel Entered a City Built on Worship

Disciple-MakingJune 3, 2026

The Church Isn't Meant to Be Consumed

Examine how consumer Christianity isolates believers and discover Jesus' call to move from passive church attendance to active participation in Kingdom mission.

Biblical Context & HistoryMay 30, 2026

Imperial Cult in First Century Ephesus

Why "Jesus Is Lord" Was a Dangerous Confession

Spiritual GrowthMay 27, 2026

Why So Many Christians Feel Spiritually Stuck

Explore why many Christians feel spiritually stagnant and learn how shifting from passive spiritual consumption to active obedience transforms your walk with Jesus.

Biblical Context & HistoryMay 23, 2026

Ephesus in the Roman Empire

Why Understanding Rome Changes How We Read the New Testament

Disciple-MakingMay 22, 2026

What Does It Actually Mean to Live Like Jesus?

Discipleship is not information transfer — it is transformation through obedience. What it looks like to follow Jesus in everyday life.

Biblical Context & HistoryMay 16, 2026

Overview of Ephesus

Overview of ancient Ephesus, its Roman history, and key role in the New Testament and early church expansion.

Sending & MobilizationMay 15, 2026

Why Nashville Needs Missionaries

A call to live out Matthew 28:19-20 right where God has placed us — why local missions in Nashville are one of the great gospel opportunities of our moment.

Biblical Context & HistoryMay 9, 2026

Ephesus Explained

Ephesus sat at the crossroads of commerce, culture, and travel routes across the Roman Empire, making it a powerful gateway for the message of Jesus to spread throughout Asia Minor and beyond. This article unpacks the historical and biblical significance of the city, the ministry of the Apostle Paul there, and how understanding geography helps us read Scripture with greater depth and clarity.