Fractals and Faith: Chapter Summaries
By JH Klaas
Section 1 Fractals are Reproducing Patterns
Chapter 1 Fractals Determine Outcomes
There are patterns at work in discipleship, the process of becoming learners of Jesus Christ, and these
patterns either contribute to discipleship or work against it. We often add discipleship as another
element to an already complicated pattern of church and it becomes diluted or trivial. Yet we are called
to make disciples (Matthew 28:19,20) so it is important to recognize and choose these patterns
carefully.
These patterns determine outcomes. We may blame luck or misfortune for our difficulties but likely
there are patterns operating below the surface that are influencing what happens. Theses design
patterns are called fractals, which repeat themselves in predicable ways, forming bigger structures
having the same characteristics. These are found in nature in such things as broccoli plants, snowflakes,
lightning and blood vessels. These patterns may be much more prevalent than we realize and are
significant because of their consistent influence. They can help us understand how structures behave.
We need to be seriously concerned about the personal and corporate patterns of discipleship in the
church today. We need to make learners within a learning organization. This book will help identify
biblical discipleship fractals, question other patterns we often choose and propose a learning model that
will release the church into a new vision of discipleship.
Chapter 2 Social Learning Fractals
Social learning fractals are reproducing social patterns that resemble fractals. These are informally or
unconsciously taught and passed on. The way we learn to ride a bike, help a child to learn to eat or the
way we stand or laugh are examples. Without thinking we reproduce the way were learned and use that
to help others. This can also happen with negative behaviour with such things as family violence,
bullying and peer pressure or simply being passive when we should take action.
Social learning fractals in the church affect how we learn expected behaviour such as dress code, seating
arrangements, the amount and nature of our involvement and our response to sermons. The
expectation concerning the later may be quite passive. If we really designed our teaching for a response
and application, we would make more space for choice, discussion and discovery. Instead we train
people in passivity and simply hope that application will be made.
Jesus used a pattern of choosing between public ministry and time with his disciples. While we cannot
say for sure how much time he spent with either group, we do need to analyze the proportion of time
we invest in discipleship, ministering to the crowds or running programmes.
Chapter 3 Fractals and the Problem of Scale-up
Scale-up refers to what is done differently between a small project and a large one. Some of the things
that make a small project effective can be lost when it is attempted on a bigger scale. Fractals are ideal
for effective scale-up because as the project grows, the reproduction of the pattern remains consistent.
Negative patterns can be reproduced on a large scale as well with such things as inflation, prejudice or
failure to apply the Scriptures.
The church in dealing with scale-up replaces personal care in discipleship with corporate teaching. It
assumes that information transfer can be an adequate substitute for personal care. In what was once
taught interactively around the table in families and looking into each other’s face, must now be taught
by fewer speakers and more passive listeners sitting in rows. Looking into other’s face is replaced by
looking at the back of other’s heads.
The worse part of this pattern is that people don’t even realize what they are missing and think that the
pattern of passivity is normal and biblical. They miss the opportunity to become spiritually involved in
discipling others with the associated joy of that relationship. We must choose discipleship fractals that
can scale-up if we want to influence the world.
Section 2 A Discipleship Fractal
Chapter 4 The Jesus Kernel
There is part of the discipleship fractal that is not open to change. It is similar to “the kernel” in some
open source software. (This is a restricted section of computer code that cannot be changed while the
rest of the programme can be changed and developed). So while we discuss the best fractal patterns to
choose in making disciples, there is part of the Gospel that we cannot change. While each denomination
may define this differently, this centers around who is Jesus and His work on the cross, the dynamic
involvement of the Holy Spirit, the role of the Bible, our need for community and obedience to the Lord
in reaching the world.
We can be tempted to put everything we do as a church into the unchangeable kernel and make
everything important. This inhibits any attempt to change where needed and produces a bloated kernel
of “change at your peril”. Some churches don’t seem to have a defined kernel where everything is open
to change.. Each one of us needs to decide what we part of the Gospel is an unchangeable pattern
before we discuss any other aspect of discipleship.
Chapter 5 The Discipleship Cycle
We learn almost everything by imitation, from family life to discipleship. It is the key to understanding
the social learning fractal. This universal trait is very significant in the method Jesus used to make
disciples and one we must follow.
Jesus entered the world of those he wanted to reach. He invited them to learn from him in a relational
way. He intentionally developed a close life-relationship with those who chose to follow him. He
assigned them progressively more difficult tasks so they could learn experientially. And he sent them off
to repeat the process of what they saw Him do.
This process can be summarized as “being with Jesus” as he chose twelve to “be with him” (Mark 3:14)
so that even his opponents recognized his disciples as having “been with Him” (Acts 4:13).
This answers how Jesus intended to scale-up by personally investing in others and then teaching them to
do the same. Paul practiced this with Timothy and then charged him to do the same with others
(2Timothy 2:2). This pattern of multiplying spiritual generations can be observed throughout the
Scriptures.
Section 3 Divine Resources
Chapter 6 Promise Claiming
If the means to scale-up depends on God’s resources then there is no ‘energy shortage’ when it comes
to making disciples. These resources are contained in the promises of the Scriptures which are all “yes
and Amen’ in Jesus. As joint heirs of the promises of Abraham fulfilled in Christ, we too can access the
‘precious and magnificent promises’.
Note should be taken of promises that affect disciple-making especially in terms of receiving a spiritual
inheritance that encompasses the nations. Promises in the Bible need to be examined for conditions, the
nature of what is promised, the beneficiary and the authorization. It can be helpful to put the date in the
margin of your Bible for promises you claim to remember the circumstances and see what God may do.
The promise claiming fractal can be quite exciting where God can surpass our expectations and it can
scale to every generation in reaching the world.
Chapter 7 Scripture Resources
There is nothing that helps babies grow more than milk. It is consumed often and in small quantities. We
are commanded to long for the milk of the Word like a baby does (1 Peter 2:2). A simple way to practice
a ‘milk approach’ to the Scriptures is using a devotional practice called 7 Minutes with God. While it is
not meant to always be practiced in this form, it is a good place to start.
The pattern of helping someone with their devotional life, illustrates an experiential learning technique
that can be used in many areas of helping other Christians grow. Tell your story how the topic at hand
has been a help, share a verse that illustrates the principle being taught, explain an activity that helps
apply the idea and then practice it together.
While Bible study is a broad topic, beginners can start by by copying a short passage and placing it on
the page in such a way as to illustrate its content. The method can become progressively more
sophisticated according to the preferences of the learner, growing skill in the inductive method and
good facilitation on the part of the leader.
Chapter 8 Prayer Resources
We can observe fractal patterns in the way prayer is practiced although not all the patterns today are
helpful. Prayer is like a conversation where the interchanges are made in short phrases, followed by
listening and the participation of others. One need not worry in a conversation that all is said in a formal
way, rather that the idea is transmitted. The Scriptures say that we don’t know how to pray anyway, so
the Holy Spirit takes our incomplete prayer and reinterprets it before the Father in His own special way.
This conversation can involve those who are not yet believers as a type of outreach where a group
agrees to pray for a need and the recipient keeps observant as to what God may do. People may be
open to prayer when they are not open to discuss faith issues. New fractal patterns can be developed as
a ministry outreach.
Claiming promises, the resources of the Scriptures and prayer are all fractal patterns that can scale up
perfectly in disciple-making.
Section 4 The Learning Journey
Chapter 9 Learner Agency
Some people must be coaxed, bribed and pampered in order to get them to learn something. Others
are eagerly learning before they are even asked. The difference is a characteristic called Learner Agency
which describes an individual’s inner drive to learn and something that is not restricted by others’
permission or programs. They ‘own’ the control of their learning, are self-determined and decidedly not
passive. They are “free-agent learners” because while they make take formal courses, their inner drive
transcends the course requirements, marks and academics. They are not limited by the programme nor
do not use other people as excuses why they can’t learn. Control is moved from “they” to “I”.
Self discovery is a useful tool to develop agency, including learning styles, preferences and challenging
traditional internal messages about identity and learning. By creating a culture of participation, people
are released to explore, make mistakes and reflect on what is helpful. Control becomes less necessary.
The teacher who encourages learner agency will observe results that go far beyond course objectives.
Most of life is involves informal learning where learner agency is the driving force.
Chapter 10 Collaborative Connection
The best thing a person with learner agency can do is to connect with another learner. The sum of what
they do together far exceeds what either can do alone. Two weak ideas, when combined can become a
strong idea. A passing thought from one can become a foundational principle for another. A wrong
answer when viewed from another perspective can become a breakthrough. The connection can be
more external, with simple encouragement and interest from a coach or mentor. Control is shared
where the learners move from “me” to “we”.
This relationship is fostered by true friendship. It is relational as well as intellectual. It touches our being.
We can think in terms of micro-teams, quickly forming around a desire to discover and learn, each
contributing with who they are, with their gifts and needs. The team can use positive deviance which is
acting together into a new way of thinking, instead of thinking their way into a new way of acting. They
act “as if” what they want is happening and they learn their way into that new reality as opposed to
having to think out all strategies and then try to figure out how to act.
Chapter 11 Risk Agility
Risk is moving from theory to practice through experiential learning. It has its own rhythm like learning
to push a swing; a resonance of just the right amount of push, waiting and working with the movement.
Just as a swing starts slowly and effort is progressive, risk can be incremental: the right amount to
stretch but not to overwhelm, something that builds in momentum and involves the learners. By
observation and reflection on the experience, continual adaptation is fostered so that mistakes form a
laboratory for learning.
Agility, like good balance when dancing with a partner, is quick to adjust, quick to learn, and quick to
involve the other. Control is surrender as it spins outward, and inviting others into the journey. In this
process others gain learner agency as they make collaborative connections. The learning can be virally
designed, easily shared, reproduced and adapting to the characteristics and processes of the new
learners.
Section 5 Assembling the Fractal
Chapter 12 The Story
A story is like a sticky burr that causes you to remember the message. It makes truth human and was an
attractive component in the way Jesus taught. He used metaphor (The Kingdom of heaven is like...) and
compared spiritual truth it to what was real to the hearers.
A story is extremely efficient in using few words in order to carry meaning; it is easily remembered and
easily shared, inspires passion and awakens our imagination. It explains what we are doing and why we
are doing it. It tells us what we need to do next and answers our questions. We find ourselves in the
story.
We need a story that explains the discipleship fractal. The story of the four rooms illustrates how a
ministry could be arranged like the rooms of a house which people use as they have need, rather than a
prescribed programmed approach. We would benefit from examining the stories we find in discipleship
to determine what would be most helpful and learn to capture and share these stories.
Chapter 13 Communication
Compassion means to feel with. We need to feel passion before we can offer compassion. The role of
the arts can awaken passion in order to lead to really caring for others. In our information-saturated
culture we suffer from a compassion deficit. Communication that just delivers information will not
motivate others. It must arouse passion and lead us to compassion.
We can look at communication through the lens of resonance, like the wine glass vibrating when the
finger is traced around the lip. The method of communication must match the frequency of those
receiving the message. It must be relational and supporting the choices of the discipleship pattern. It
must be releasing and not controlling or manipulative.
Chapter 14 Bring it all together
A discipleship fractal must contain the faithful Kernel of the Gospel. It must be driven according to divine
resources and not in our own strength. It must involve a learning journey where learners own, share and
surrender their journey together with others (learner agency, collaborative connection and risk agility).
Formal teaching must enable informal learning using methods adapted to learners’ needs and
preferences. It must be able to scale to accomplish the Great Commission. It is a daunting task but one
which we observe in the methods and life of Jesus.
If this is programme-driven or control-based it will occupy too many resources and burn out the
labourers. Rather it must be a system of learning where people are released into a journey of discovery
with the church providing encouragement and guidance rather than control and structures. The model
of the family where children are normally raised in a home and not in an orphanage is a good example
of how this works in the physical realm. The problem is that we are used to a different fractal in the
church where it is the pastor’s job to do the disciple-making.
This fractal must apply to learning organizations as well or else the structures will complete for control
and become unsustainable.
Link to Appendix A: http://www.devedinternational.net/fractal/FAF_Appendix_A.pdf
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