The Sending of the Twelve

Dennis McCallum

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus' sending of the twelve reflects important principles of Christian ministry. Jesus' instructions included sending out in pairs for support, how to endure failure, and looking for those who could be bridges for God's work. Doing God's work involves hardship and dealing with people that are unresponsive to Christ, but is extremely rewarding and exciting. This teaching included a testimony about the joy of serving God.

Jesus' Method

Dennis McCallum

Mark 3:7-19

Personal discipleship was at the center of Jesus' three and a half year ministry on earth. Jesus spent the majority of his time investing in love relationships with his disciples to instruct, model, and teach them in order that they would go and replicate that with others. These types of relationships are God's intended method of reaching people for Christ throughout the New Testament and involves much personal sacrifice and toil, but is highly rewarding as people mature spiritually to become active servants of Christ.

Transforming Discipleship

Greg Ogden

Mark 3:7-19

Just as Jesus prioritized discipleship because of the relational aspect, the vision of multiplication, and ability to model, so should we. There is a felt need for deep discipleship where mentors are not just teaching about what it means to follow Christ but also how to do it, walking side by side with another believer. This requires a shift from a program-centered approach to a relational approach, one in which there exists a focus on building personally committed disciples who can carry on the work themselves. Three key elements of this type of disciple include: transparent trust, the truth of God's Word learned in community, and life changing accountability.

Paul's Advice for Effective Leadership

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Timothy 2:1-26

In Paul's second letter to Timothy, he presents six mandates for Christian leaders, mandates that we too are called to follow today. First, we are called to draw strength from Christ's grace. We must develop leaders who will go on to develop leaders and embrace the hardships of leadership. We must focus on both keeping biblical instruction central and continuing to experience personal character growth. Finally, in order to be effective leaders, we must deal with sinful opponents in a godly way.

Raising Interest in Servant Leadership

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 4:11-12

Raising up leaders in the church started with the first church and is something we can do today. The members of the church are fully capable of becoming leaders. This is accomplished through discipleship and leadership promotion. There are seven conditions that help promote leadership: 1) setting vision; 2) insisting on Spirit-chosen people; 3) holding leaders in honor, accountability, and discipline; 4) replicating discipleship; 5) making the goal service; 6) having a clear pathway to leadership; 7) forming leaders into teams.

The Xenos Model for Equipping Leaders

Jim Leffel

Mike Sullivan

2 Timothy 2:2

In raising up leaders, the goal is to not undernourish or overwhelm. This presentation walks through Xenos' adult education program both inside and outside the classroom. Inside the classroom, there is a Biblical emphasis on in-depth training for significant ministry roles and cultivating a love for the Word. Based on 2 Timothy 2:2, Xenos trains people who will be faithful to train and teach others, and these classes are agile in order to balance the demands of ministry while providing an equipping program that successfully prepares leaders. Outside the classroom, discipleship is the catalyst and format through which leaders teach and train believers on biblical literacy, personal ministry, and character growth.

How to Lead When You're Not a Natural Leader

John Cleary

2 Timothy 1-4

While the Bible gives some examples of gifted leaders, Christians do not have to have the gift of leadership in order to hold the office of leadership. In 1st and 2nd Timothy, Paul describes important character qualities and actions that must be present in those who lead, while omitting the necessity for gifting. Paul presents six key things for the office of leadership. These include: being an example of godly character, explaining and applying God's Word, exercising one's own gifting in the context of one's own group, shepherding one's flock with high support and high challenge, staying focused on the mission, and developing future leaders.

Raising Up Student Leaders

Jess Lowery

Hebrews 5:14

As a leader in the college ministry at Xenos, Jessica Lowery has a lot of experience training and raising up young leaders. Looking at Luke 10, Jessica points out several principles Jesus used in his own discipleship ministry. She discusses the importance of things like giving direction, casting vision, and setting goals. The session ends in a group discussion regarding issues specific to young people and ideas on how to help them wade through these issues.

The Church on the Move: Then & Now

Dennis McCallum

2 Timothy 2:2

Dennis gives his testimony in connection to how Xenos began as a housechurch movement. He caught a vision of what church could be like through listening to teachings on Acts 19 and 20 at a campus Bible study. The campus Bible study led Dennis to a seminar by Howard Hendricks who recommended Robert Coleman's" The Master Plan of Evangelism". Hendricks also encouraged Dennis to begin the New Testament church practice of discipleship. Throughout the teaching, Dennis excitedly explains the fruits of discipleship and the homechurch planting movement at Xenos. Vision includes the beginning of a campus ministry, Urban Concern, and development of spheres -all today are staples of Xenos Christian Fellowship.