Jim Leffel uses the example of Elijah and the Sidonian woman to issue this challenge: are we, as the Body of Christ, prepared to go where the gospel needs to be preached? God not only calls us into uncomfortable places that are overwhelmed and overrun with needs, He also calls us to learn from the very people we're called to serve. Leffel speaks frankly on our position of economic prosperity as the American church and teaches on how to handle wealth with maturity, humility, and under grace.

Clive Calver teaches on how God is powerfully at work in even the most impoverished places around the world. He distinguishes between social action and social action with the saving power of Jesus. He testifies to thousands who have lost everything and still press on without fear because they have faith. Ruth Calver, his wife, shares about a visit to her Malawian friend who is blind, living in poverty, and dealing with tragedies such as losing her daughter to AIDS and caring for her granddaughter who is dying of AIDS. She instructed Ruth to tell people in America, ?Tell them what you have seen, tell them I love Jesus, and He is all I need.? Clive contends that while one person being impacted by faith may seem small, God usually starts small and reaches the nations through small victories of faithfulness.

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.

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.

Jesus calls Christians to live radical lives of serving love. Joke van Opstal shares her personal testimony, and how God called her to initiate, lead, and oversee a growing house church movement in Cambodia. This ministry came to include: Hope for Cambodia's Children, a ministry for teaching children basic health practices, and spiritual development; Way of Hope, a ministry for adult discipleship through cell churches; and finally, Mobilizing a Life through Hope, a ministry for teen AIDS awareness, abstinence, and community service. Each of these has resulted in thousands of changed physical and spiritual lives.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Working with at-risk teens requires hope, faith, and love. Arnold lays out why we should work with at-risk teens, what an at-risk teen is, a deficit approach, and how we can help. Understanding where these kids come from is key. God loves these kids and so should we. The things they lack are things God offers us and can change the trajectory of their future. The biggest needs are for love relationships, initiative, and grace. Only with God is change possible.\r\n

How can a church make a change from a traditional church model to a home group centered model? Hear from Gilbert Lennox whose church did just that! He outlines what they, as a church, had learned so far in ten points for making the transition. Which includes pointing out the biggest challenges they faced: conceptual--figuring out and understanding what the New Testament vision of a church is--and leadership for the home groups.

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

How can you create lasting change in your community? According to John Perkins, you cannot just preach the Gospel and expect everything to be fixed completely. You have to help others "pick up their mats and walk" just like Jesus told the man by the pool of Bethesda. There is a need for a holistic approach to Christian community development. Find out what this looks like and what practical steps you can take to get there in your community.\r\n

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

Jesus told believers to go and tell other people about him and the relationship God wants to have with them. One way the early church fulfilled this command was by the way they lived their lives, Day to day, they lived in a way that made others interested in God. It was effective and we are called to do the same. By the way we live our lives, we are either confirming the truthfulness of God or denying it. Find out what lifestyle evangelism looks like, why it works, and practical ideas on how we can incorporate it.\r\n

We learn in James 5 that God is vehemently opposed to the rich person's self-indulgence, hoarding of wealth, and mistreatment of the poor. The Christian who understands God's mercy and love should lead a life of simple-living and sacrifice, that involves high prioritization of generosity to the poor. The American church has historically been weak in this area. As a result, there is a need for strong leadership in the church on this issue, and for individuals to come before God in deciding how much to give.

Ashton gives five steps to reach your neighbors: 1) prayer; 2) meet neighbors; 3) recreate Mayberry; 4) begin a seeker group; 5) invite to services and special events. These can be summed up in making the most of opportunities and building relationships. Focusing on a few neighbors at first and having regular contact by incorporating them in everyday life are a few additional ideas that has given him success. Remembering God is involved and powerful will help with situations that seem questionable.\r\n

Mark gives practical instruction to start and lead successful seeker small groups in order to help others learn about Jesus. These begin with pre-evangelism, purposing to help get people interested in Jesus. There is a wide range of flexibility in what these can look like but they all have the same intent; to invite already established relationships to a place that is comfortable. Mark's simple strategy involves three steps involving prayer: 1) relationships; 2) invitation; and 3) implementation. He explains ten irrefutable laws of seeker groups that give direction in starting one. He gives many resources to help facilitate people at all stages of interest.\r\n