The Stoked Life: Making Disciples First

Jesus in the Upper Left

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Join Gabe Kolstad as he talks with his good friend Sean Thomé, a leader with Expand Network and Multiply PDX. Sean shares his incredible journey from growing up overseas and competitive surfing to a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Hear how his youth pastor's hands-on discipleship shaped his philosophy: pursue Jesus first, make reproducing disciples, and then trust Jesus to build His church. Sean transparently discusses the pivotal moments and paradigm shifts in his ministry, including a powerful "repentance from church planting" to prioritize disciple making and pastoral encouragement. Discover practical insights on intentional prayer strategies and how local churches can join God's kingdom movement by taking "mustard seed steps" of obedience in community.

Key Topics Discussed

• Sean's personal journey: From Tokyo and Iran to competitive surfing and a life-changing encounter with the Gospel.
• Youth pastor's influence: The intentional discipleship model that shaped Shawn's early faith and ministry.
• Repenting from church planting: The pivotal realization that prioritizing discipleship over church planting leads to healthy church growth.
• The "backwards" model: Pursuing Jesus first, then making disciples, then trusting Jesus to build the church.
• Shift in Expand Network's values: Moving from asking for support to "washing feet" and serving local churches.
• Recognizing personal giftedness: How Shawn's apostolic wiring led him to step into a network leadership role.
• The "both/and" of ministry: Emphasizing both building up the local church and starting new work for kingdom expansion.
• The story of Restore Hillsboro: An example of a church planting with a multiplication mindset from the start.
• Strategic prayer: Developing an intentional prayer strategy for ministry, moving beyond just "praying about strategy."
• Mustard seed obedience: The importance of radically faithful, small steps and doing ministry in community.