Episode 206 - How Corporate Prayer & Disciple-Making Sparked FBC Jenks' Movement with Cody Brumley

The podcast begins with an introduction to Cody Brumley, the lead pastor at FBC Jinx, Oklahoma, highlighting his journey and the remarkable transformation at his church. The host shares their long-term partnership in developing their disciple-making movement and sets the tone for discussing spiritual renewal, prayer gatherings, and cultural shifts. Cody’s background includes growing up in Oklahoma, involvement in church from a young age, and serving in various pastoral roles before leading FBC Jinx, where he’s been for nearly four years. The emphasis is on how Cody’s leadership has infused new life into the church, honoring its past while focusing on future growth.

Cody shares his deep burden to lead his church in a genuine, Spirit-led way, avoiding superficial success and instead striving for authentic faithfulness that aligns with scripture. His desire is for believers to be confident in their ability to disciple others and live out their faith practically. Early in his tenure, Cody rooted the church’s focus in Ezra 7:10, emphasizing prayer, presence, and the centrality of God's Word. His approach involves humble, incremental steps that align with the church’s heritage, aiming to produce fruit that mirrors Jesus' ministry and the early church.

Cody discusses how he respects the church’s 20-year legacy of growth under the previous pastor. His strategy has been to honor this history of faithfulness, refraining from criticizing the past, and instead focusing on maturing and building on what was established. He emphasizes the importance of humility, recognizing God's sovereignty in their journey. Using Ezra as a guiding example, Cody highlights that prioritizing God's presence through worship, prayer, and Scripture has been foundational in their transformation. His leadership exemplifies a balance of honoring tradition while embracing innovative ways to cultivate disciple-making.

Discipleship at FBC Jinx started grassroots and under the radar, with Cody personally modeling prayer and spiritual rhythms to staff and volunteers. His focus was on cultivating a culture of spiritual renewal grounded in prayer, listening to the Holy Spirit, and relationships. The church’s focus was on developing confident believers who could disciple others, emphasizing practical, everyday faith that included prayer, accountability, and listening for God's voice. This foundation enabled the church to practically embody their mission and culture, leading to tangible signs of growth like multiple D groups meeting simultaneously in public spaces.

Cody shares the development of the church’s core mission: helping believers discover and live out their unique role in God's story through the 'OLE' metaphor: Ready Feet, Open Hands, Linked Arms, and Eager Ears. These simple, tactile principles serve as a visual reminder for all ages of what it means to follow Christ actively and intentionally. The church’s communication emphasizes discipleship as a natural, everyday practice. The vision was vividly cast during a recent Sunday, where individuals publicly shared their calling in two words, inspiring the congregation and illustrating that every believer is called to be on mission.

Cody highlights strategic initiatives such as canceling Wednesday night programming to replace it with prayer gatherings, a move that initially faced challenges but proved transformative over time. Small, faithful prayer groups grew into a regular church-wide practice, leading to increased prayer engagement across all ages. Spiritual outcomes include more people praying out loud, families praying together, and individuals feeling freer to engage with God authentically. These prayer initiatives have energized the congregation, bringing about a culture of prayer that influences all areas of life, including community involvement and everyday relationships, fueling the disciple-making movement.

The podcast concludes with reflections on the tangible results of these efforts: a vibrant culture where prayer is central, an increased number of D groups meeting consistently across the community, and a church actively living out its mission. The commitment to prayer and spiritual rhythms has visibly changed individuals and families, fostering confidence, closeness to God, and a shared sense of purpose. Cody shares stories of personal transformation, like a senior adult overcoming her fear of prayer, exemplifying the deep roots of this movement. His leadership demonstrates the power of focused, Spirit-led effort over time to produce lasting cultural change.