Materialism and Indifference

John Perkins

Isaiah 61

John Perkins teaches on materialism in the context of trying to grow spiritually with too individualistic of a mindset. He expounds on what it means to participate in the love of Christ and how to be transformed into Christ's likeness within the context of fellowship. Citing Isaiah 61, he also imparts wisdom on the importance of intentionally serving the poor in order to reflect the kingdom of God.

Money Well Spent

Clive Calver

Isaiah 61

World missions can be critiqued for ineffective approaches; yet there's also a compelling testimony of how God is at work in 2nd and 3rd world countries. Calver ties in witnessed accounts of faithfulness worldwide to what he calls the Andrew Principle (lessons from Andrew's response to Jesus in the New Testament): 1) in the lowest parts of the planet is where you find Jesus; 2) when you find Jesus, the first thing you do is go and get your brother; and 3) like with the example of bread and fish, God can do a lot with the little you have to give.

Home Group Ministry (Part 1)

Gary DeLashmutt

Romans 12:1-2

Part of home church leadership includes cultivating an environment for God's people to spiritually thrive. Leaders must champion God's transformational power in these areas: outreach; community; equipping; biblical depth; corporate prayer; financial stewardship; and missions.

Coaching and overseeing Home Group Leaders

John Cleary

Ephesians 2:10

Overseeing any group of leaders for God is an awesome work that should be done in grace and truth. It is important to understand that the role of an overseer includes helping leaders cultivate a healthy home church. Five essential areas of focus to cultivate a healthy home church includes: encouragement in God's faithfulness; helping leaders grow; discipleship; building community; and evangelism.

Hope for the Inner City, The Lawndale Story

Wayne Gordon

Matthew 22:36-40

The amazing story of what God is and has been doing in the inner city of Lawndale is nothing short of miraculous. We can learn many things from the story of this church and how to serve the inner city communities around us. Keys to starting a ministry in the inner city include: focusing on the positive things going on in the community; lifting up burdens in prayer; start by teaching what the church actually is; love your neighbor individually but love the neighborhood as the body of Christ.

Effective Youth Evangelism

Joe Botti

Tom Dixon

Matthew 28:19-20

Fostering effective youth evangelism is important for many reasons. It produces spiritual growth, it helps young students with their own faith, and it is biblical. Some practical steps that leaders can take to foster evangelism amongst youth include: encouraging every and any attempt of faith being shared; becoming an example; teaching biblical principles of evangelism; giving personal advice; teaching how to build friendships; making sure that you have a meeting people want to come to; raising the tension levels when necessary; and creating prayer lists and prayer groups.

Home Group Ministry (Part 2)

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

To be a good home church leader you must be able to cultivate an ethos that God desires for your group. Cultivating this ethos includes: responding positively and negatively to examples set by others; supporting and challenging members; giving an emotional response to key issues and events; and having a willingness to raise tension.

Good to Great: Facing and Addressing Problems in the Local Church

Dennis McCallum

Nehemiah 2:15-18

What do you do when your group starts to have problems? What do you do when you realize your group has problems and it has been that way for years? This workshop from the Xenos Summer Institute uses the example of Nehemiah to understand how a leader can address these situations. Find out how to lead a good group into a great one. Topics include: 1) assessing the situation; 2) facing the bad news; 3) leading through discrepancy; and 4) raising tension.\r\n

Leading Home Group Evangelism

Doug Patch

2 Timothy 2:2

How do you lead evangelism in your home church or small Bible study group? Doug Patch discusses seven critical elements: 1) leaders must win the group to God's perspective of the mission of the church; 2) group members must be committed to building relationships with Christians and non-Christians outside of Bible study meetings; 3) leaders must equip the members of the church to do evangelism; 4) leaders must lead evangelism by doing evangelism; 5) leaders must plan for planting churches from the beginning; 6) leaders must stay forward focused; and 7) home group structures must put non-Christians at ease.\r\n