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LEADER GUIDE


Conversation 1:<br />

Operating<br />

System


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

3<br />

Outcome<br />

Overview<br />

Discuss and develop an operating system<br />

(OS) for the church that is driven by Gospel<br />

Saturation.<br />

The conversation that follows is meant to take<br />

place in one, large group meeting among<br />

pastors, church leaders, and disciple-makers<br />

in a region or city. Ideally the conversation<br />

will take at least three hours to complete in a<br />

meaningful fashion. In order to maintain the<br />

flow of the conversation, attempt to allow<br />

for breaks between the various parts of this<br />

conversation and not in the middle of these<br />

various parts. You will likely find it most helpful<br />

to provide a meal either before or after the<br />

conversation in order to allow for relationships<br />

to form among those in attendance.<br />

Flow<br />

Part I<br />

Part II<br />

Part III<br />

Part IV<br />

Starting the Conversation<br />

Welcome and Introductions (20 min)<br />

Prayer (10 min)<br />

Whiteboard Questions (15 min)<br />

Personal Testimony (5 min)<br />

Developing the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 1 (20 minutes)<br />

Large Group Discussion (20 minutes)<br />

Deepening the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 2 (10 minutes)<br />

Round Table Discussion (20 minutes)<br />

Group Debrief (15 minutes)<br />

Continuing the Conversation<br />

Reflection Questions (5 min)<br />

Prayer (10 min)


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

4<br />

Part I: Starting the Conversation<br />

Welcome &<br />

Introductions<br />

Prayer<br />

Whiteboard<br />

Questions<br />

Welcome the group by providing a time for<br />

each participant to introduce themselves<br />

and describe their current church and their<br />

role within the church. You should assume<br />

that many of those in attendance will likely<br />

know one another, but some will not. To<br />

level the relational playing-field, make<br />

sure to allow everyone time to hear a brief<br />

snapshot of each other’s ministry. Tip: Use<br />

a timer on a phone to set a 90-120 second<br />

alarm so that you keep the conversation<br />

moving.<br />

Ask the group to divide into smaller groups<br />

of 3 or 4 and spend time praying through<br />

the UP (love for and worship of God), IN<br />

(love for His disciples), and OUT (love for<br />

the lost) aspects of our love for God, those<br />

we are investing in and leading, and those<br />

we are seeking to disciple and reach from<br />

the harvest. You might also encourage<br />

these groups to pray about any needs that<br />

were presented during the large group<br />

introduction time.<br />

Keep the room divided into these same<br />

small groups and transition out of the time<br />

of prayer by asking the groups to discuss the<br />

following questions. You may want to write<br />

the questions on a board in your meeting<br />

room or have them on a slide so that<br />

everyone can refer back to the questions<br />

and stay on track. Due to the nature of these<br />

questions, you can expect the conversations<br />

to lead in all sorts of divergent directions.<br />

Make sure that you prod the groups to work<br />

through each of the questions and help<br />

them avoid chasing rabbits that are not<br />

central to the discussion at hand.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

5<br />

[1] How does the average church pastor/<br />

leader/planter in America define<br />

success?<br />

[2] How would you define success for your<br />

life and ministry?<br />

[3] How does the Bible define success,<br />

both for you as an individual and for the<br />

church?<br />

[4] What tension do you see between the<br />

three? If so, how do we resolve this<br />

tension?<br />

Personal<br />

Testimony<br />

Take five minutes to share a personal story<br />

regarding your own efforts at defining<br />

success properly. Use this time to be<br />

vulnerable with those in attendance, as<br />

this vulnerability will set a culture for the<br />

group in future discussions. As you share,<br />

make sure that you emphasize why this<br />

conversation is important to you and why<br />

you think it is vital for the future of the<br />

church in North America.<br />

Part II: Developing the<br />

Conversation<br />

Introduce the Gospel Saturation <strong>Primer</strong> and<br />

ask the participants to skim back through<br />

chapter 1. As they read, encourage them to<br />

reflect on their reading by placing a star (*)<br />

beside the main ideas, an exclamation mark<br />

(!) beside points that stood out, or a question<br />

mark (?) beside ideas they didn’t understand,<br />

had questions about, or disagreed with.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

6<br />

Discussion<br />

Questions<br />

Discuss the following questions based on<br />

the group’s reading from the first chapter.<br />

While the larger group setting may not<br />

give everyone an opportunity to share, it<br />

will allow for those in attendance to hear<br />

from diverse members of the group and<br />

should create a sense of community and<br />

shared frustration with the normative<br />

operating system. You, as a leader, will have<br />

to be diligent to make sure you keep the<br />

conversation moving, avoid mere church<br />

bashing, and prod people to go further<br />

than mere deconstruction to dream about<br />

a better reality for the church in North<br />

America.<br />

[1] What forces and voices perpetuate the<br />

OS of church growth? How do you, as a<br />

leader, feel the pressure for growth in<br />

your ministry?<br />

[2] What types of Apps do you see used in<br />

the church today? Which ones are most<br />

effective? On which operating system<br />

are they running?<br />

[3] What are we doing, as church leaders, to<br />

perpetuate this faulty operating system?<br />

What would need to change in order<br />

for a better operating system to take its<br />

place?<br />

Part III: Deepening the Conversation<br />

Discussion of the final question in the<br />

preceding section should allow you a<br />

perfect segue into the four practices<br />

outlined below.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

7<br />

Discussion<br />

Questions<br />

This time ask the group to divide into<br />

smaller groups with members from the<br />

same church in a group together. For<br />

example, if you have a pastor there with a<br />

staff member and a lay leader, make sure<br />

the three of them are in a group together. If<br />

there are people who came by themselves,<br />

ask them to jump in with a church that<br />

is in a similar life-stage as they are. For<br />

example, if you have a church planter<br />

there by himself, ask him to get in a group<br />

with another new church. Or, if you have<br />

a deacon from an established church in<br />

attendance, make sure he is in a group with<br />

another church that has been around for a<br />

good while. Prompt the groups to discuss<br />

the following questions:<br />

[1] What evidence would you observe in a<br />

church defined by Gospel Saturation?<br />

What would the church look like? What<br />

would you hear them talk about? What<br />

types of Apps might they prioritize?<br />

[2] Which of the four priorities outlined in<br />

chapter 1 do you find the most difficult<br />

to accomplish in the life of your current<br />

church? Why?<br />

[3] What might make it difficult to implement<br />

these changes in the current life-stage<br />

of your church?<br />

Group<br />

Debrief<br />

Once the groups have finished their<br />

discussion, call the group back together<br />

and give them time to share as a large<br />

group. Ask for people to share briefly and<br />

succinctly the reflections that stood out to<br />

them during their group’s discussion. Listen<br />

for common themes and make sure to note<br />

these to the group. You might even find it<br />

helpful to keep a running list of the main<br />

ideas on large Post-It notes to hang up<br />

around your meeting room.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

8<br />

Part IV: Continuing the Conversation<br />

We believe that in order to develop the<br />

convictions that a transition to a Gospel<br />

Saturation OS demands, we need to<br />

continue the conversation after we leave.<br />

Each one of us needs to wrestle with the<br />

implications of Gospel Saturation thinking<br />

in our own hearts, in our homes, and in the<br />

household of faith that we are a part of.<br />

Until we gather again, spend some time<br />

answering these questions in your personal<br />

journal. You might also find time to continue<br />

to discuss these ideas with someone you’ve<br />

met today.<br />

Reflection<br />

Questions<br />

For your heart...<br />

[1] What concepts presented in our first<br />

conversation provoked something in<br />

you? Where did you find yourself angry,<br />

frustrated, or nodding your head in<br />

agreement?<br />

For your home…<br />

[1] How would a Gospel Saturation OS<br />

change the way I lead my family and<br />

spouse?<br />

For your church…<br />

[1] Who is one leader within your church that<br />

you need to have a conversation with<br />

about Gospel Saturation? When are you<br />

going to have that conversation?


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

9<br />

Prayer<br />

Before you conclude, ask the group what<br />

specific steps need to take place between<br />

now and when you meet again in order<br />

to move the Gospel Saturation agenda<br />

forward?<br />

Dismiss your time together by asking the<br />

groups to pray in smaller groups of 2-3<br />

individuals. Seek to orient these prayers to<br />

asking God’s favor on the coming months<br />

of conversation. Ask Him, by the power of<br />

His Spirit, to prompt the changes that are<br />

necessary for the Church to thrive in North<br />

America in the days ahead.


Conversation 2:<br />

Movement


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

11<br />

Review and<br />

Reflect<br />

In our first conversation, we discussed the<br />

normative operating system in the church in<br />

North America and presented the need new<br />

operating system that would flow out of God’s<br />

intention that the earth would be filled with<br />

His glory. Spend a few minutes reviewing the<br />

major concepts that were presented in your<br />

first gathering:<br />

• nThe normative OS in the church in North<br />

America is driven by church growth;<br />

• nChurch leaders develop Apps that are<br />

created to run on the operating system of<br />

church growth and wonder why the church<br />

seems to be making little difference in the<br />

broader culture or in the lives of so many<br />

far from God;<br />

• nThe problem is not that we have the wrong<br />

Apps, but that we have the wrong operating<br />

system;<br />

• nA new operating system requires us to ask<br />

the “why” question behind all that we do<br />

as a church and seek to understand God’s<br />

purpose for the church;<br />

• nA new, biblical operating system would be<br />

driven by Gospel Saturation and seek to<br />

ensure that every man, woman, and child<br />

has a repeated opportunity to see, hear,<br />

and respond to the good news of Jesus<br />

Christ;<br />

• nThis OS overhaul would result in four<br />

shifts in our priorities: 1. From collection<br />

to mobilization, 2. From attendance to<br />

transformation, 3. From competition to<br />

collaboration, and 4. From addition to<br />

multiplication.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

12<br />

Rapid-Fire<br />

Testimonies<br />

Prayer<br />

Ask the group to share “ah-has” they’ve had<br />

since the last gathering. Where did the light<br />

bulb come on? What questions are they still<br />

asking? What implications rise to the surface?<br />

How are they encouraged or discouraged?<br />

Remind those who share to introduce<br />

themselves and their church so as to continue<br />

building familiarity among the group. Also,<br />

push those who share to be brief so that<br />

everyone who would like has a chance to<br />

share. You, as a leader, should use this sharing<br />

time as a teaching opportunity. As participants<br />

share points of value, make sure you affirm<br />

their observations. When they communicate<br />

ideas that lack clarity, attempt to restate<br />

what you’ve heard in your own words and ask<br />

probing questions to drive them further in<br />

their thought. Remember to set an alarm to<br />

a predetermined amount of time in order to<br />

keep the conversation moving.<br />

Ask the group to divide into small groups of<br />

2-3 and spend time in prayer. Use the Lord’s<br />

prayer in Matthew 6:9–15 to guide your<br />

prayers. Break Jesus’ model prayer into short<br />

phrases and write them on a board or place<br />

them on a slide. Following each petition,<br />

ask the groups to ask God for the specific<br />

outworking of this prayer to be evident in your<br />

cities and churches. Use the following as a<br />

model:<br />

Our Father in heaven, hallowed by Your name.<br />

God, we pray that those who live in our<br />

neighborhoods, work in our businesses, and<br />

attend our churches will see You as glorious<br />

and worthy to be praised. We pray that<br />

You would save the lost and empower the<br />

saved to live on mission to spread Your glory<br />

throughout the earth.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

13<br />

Prayer cont.<br />

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on<br />

earth as it is in heaven.<br />

God, we ask that our cities would reflect Your<br />

Kingdom. Would You, by the power of Your<br />

Spirit, remove the various aspects of our area<br />

that do not rightly reflect You. Use believers to<br />

make our city look more and more like heaven<br />

until we see You face to face.<br />

Give us this day our daily bread.<br />

God, we trust that You will supply all that we<br />

need to fulfill the mission You’ve put before<br />

us. Give us deep and abiding trust in You and<br />

allow us to point to the only One able to meet<br />

the deepest needs of those in our city.<br />

And forgive us our debts as we also have<br />

forgiven our debtors.<br />

God, drive us to model Christ-like love to all<br />

those we come in contact with today. May the<br />

aroma of Christ be evident in all we say and do.<br />

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us<br />

from evil.<br />

God, protect us, and the disciples in our<br />

churches, from the sin that so easily entangles<br />

our lives and hinders our mission. Allow us<br />

to run with perseverance the race You have<br />

marked out for us.<br />

Conclude the prayer time by leading the group<br />

in a prayer, asking God for grace for your<br />

meeting today.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

14<br />

Part II: Developing the Conversation<br />

Ask the group to reflect on their reading from<br />

chapter 3. As they read, encourage them to<br />

reflect on their reading by placing a star (*)<br />

beside the main ideas, an exclamation mark<br />

(!) beside points that stood out, or a question<br />

mark (?) beside ideas they didn’t understand,<br />

had questions about, or with which they<br />

disagreed.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

15<br />

Discussion<br />

in Pairs<br />

Before you move on to the next section, ask<br />

the group to pair up with one other person in<br />

the room who serves in their same capacity.<br />

For example, as a lead pastor to pair with<br />

another lead pastor, a staff member to pair<br />

with another staff member, a small group<br />

leader with another small group leader and<br />

so on. Ask them to discuss what they’ve read<br />

using the following questions as a guide:<br />

[1] What warning signs are you seeing<br />

concerning the inadequacy of growth as a<br />

final destination for your church or ministry?<br />

[2] Are you fulfilled in your current mission<br />

in life? What part is the most frustrating,<br />

disappointing, or unfulfilling? What part of<br />

your current mission in life is fulfilling to<br />

you? Why?<br />

[3] How would you currently define your<br />

church’s destination? How would your<br />

church likely define the destination? Based<br />

on this definition, what are the major milemarkers<br />

that show you are actually making<br />

good progress towards your destination?<br />

Personal<br />

Reflection<br />

and Prayer<br />

Be prepared for this conversation to be a<br />

bit weighty for the groups. You’ll likely find<br />

that there will be pastors or church leaders<br />

who begin to realize that the thing that has<br />

gotten them out of bed for the last 30 years<br />

is inherently flawed. You may have church<br />

planters who realize that the work they’ve<br />

done over the first two years in building a core<br />

group has been done whiling aiming at the<br />

wrong target. These individuals are likely to<br />

feel shame, guilt, frustration or even anger at<br />

the thought or the years they’ve squandered<br />

and the work it will take to redefine the<br />

destination.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

16<br />

Personal Reflection<br />

and Prayer cont.<br />

Here’s your chance as a leader to pastor those<br />

in attendance. Use this time to share a word<br />

of gospel-filled hope and encouragement.<br />

Consider reading Joel 2:25–32 and reminding<br />

your brothers and sisters that we stand in<br />

a long line of people who have blown it. If<br />

anyone wasted their potential, it was the<br />

nation of Israel, and yet God promised that He<br />

was able and willing to restore the years that<br />

they’ve ruined because of their sin. In the same<br />

fashion, we can find hope in the fact that God<br />

has not abandoned us and continues to have a<br />

role for us to play in His mission, even if we’ve<br />

made a mess of it up to this point. Conclude<br />

this time by asking the pairs to pray over one<br />

another, asking God to renew the passion and<br />

joy that should define those who are caught<br />

up in God’s grand mission.<br />

Part III: Deepening the Conversation<br />

As you move into part three of the second<br />

conversation, consider two options of how to<br />

present the material that follows. First, you<br />

could do what we’ve done up to this point and<br />

allow each individual to read and reflect on<br />

their reading from section 4 on their own. Or<br />

you might consider teaching this material if<br />

you notice that your group is struggling with<br />

focus and would not do well with another<br />

time for individual reading and reflection.<br />

This second approach doesn’t have to take<br />

the form of a sermon, but can simply hit the<br />

main points of the content in chapter 4. If you<br />

choose this route, you might encourage the<br />

participants to read section 4 on their own in<br />

the time between conversation 2 and 3.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

17<br />

Group<br />

Brainstorm<br />

Attempt to organize your group into smaller<br />

clusters of churches who meet in close<br />

proximity to one another. For example, you<br />

might make four quadrants from your city’s<br />

center (northeast, southeast, northwest,<br />

southwest) and ask those who attend churches<br />

in these regions to cluster together. Or, if your<br />

group reflects a number of small suburbs,<br />

you might align the groups around these<br />

geographical pockets. It may be that your city<br />

has clearly defined boundaries known to all<br />

who reside there: such as those who live on<br />

one side of a railroad track versus those who<br />

live on another side, and so forth. Give each<br />

group a big piece of poster paper and ask the<br />

clusters to draw a rough sketch of their defined<br />

geography. Using the map, do the following:<br />

• nPut a star on the map at the location of the<br />

churches represented in your group;<br />

• nPut a circle at the location of other churches<br />

who are prime targets for collaboration<br />

towards a movement;<br />

• nPut an x in or around the major areas of<br />

lostness or brokenness represented in<br />

your geography. This might be a certain<br />

neighborhood, school, or business sector<br />

that is known for ungodly practices. Think of<br />

these x’s as the first places you would likely<br />

notice a change if a movement of God were<br />

to break out;<br />

• nPut an exclamation mark on the map in<br />

places where you sense God is already at<br />

work doing something unique. This might<br />

be a school with an inordinately large<br />

percentage of professing believers, a prison<br />

where many inmates are coming to faith, or<br />

a neighborhood where you know that a large<br />

number of believers are living on intentional<br />

mission;<br />

Talk with your group about the observations<br />

you make from your map. How does this inform<br />

your thoughts, prayers, and actions? Close your<br />

time in prayer over your defined geography and<br />

the evidences of God’s grace and the needs<br />

represented therein.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

18<br />

Part IV: Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding<br />

Challenge<br />

Ask the group to list the name of one other<br />

person in your circle of relationships who<br />

is wrestling with some of the facets of the<br />

discussion we’ve had up to this point. This<br />

might be another pastor with whom they meet<br />

regularly, a staff member of their church, or<br />

someone else in their local church. Before we<br />

meet again, ask them to set up a time to meet<br />

with this person and share with them what<br />

they are learning. It’s a common truth that we<br />

retain very little of the content that we merely<br />

hear. Process truth with others to ensure that<br />

true understanding has taken place creating a<br />

catalyst for lasting transformation. Encourage<br />

your participants to continue to pray for a<br />

gospel movement between now and when<br />

you meet again next month to consider the<br />

second principle for an operating system<br />

defined by Gospel Saturation. Before you<br />

conclude, ask the group what specific steps<br />

need to take place between now and when<br />

you meet again in order to move the Gospel<br />

Saturation agenda forward?


Conversation 3:<br />

Kingdom


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

20<br />

Objective<br />

Overview<br />

Refocus our perspective on the Kingdom of<br />

God and our local church’s role within that<br />

Kingdom.<br />

The conversation that follows contrasts the<br />

Kingdom of God with the local church. As<br />

with the conversations up to this point, the<br />

discussion that follows is meant to take place<br />

in one, large group meeting among pastors,<br />

church leaders, and disciple-makers in a<br />

region or city. Ideally the conversation will<br />

take at least three hours to complete in a<br />

meaningful fashion. In order to maintain the<br />

flow of the conversation, attempt to allow<br />

for breaks between the various parts of this<br />

conversation and not in the middle of these<br />

various parts. The following outline should<br />

give you an overall perspective on the nature<br />

of the conversation, though you should feel<br />

the freedom to adjust the time suggestions to<br />

best fit the nature of your group.<br />

Flow<br />

Part I<br />

Part II<br />

Part III<br />

Starting the Conversation<br />

Review and Reflect (10 min)<br />

Story of a Win (15 min)<br />

Prayer for Others (20 min)<br />

Developing the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 5 (20 min)<br />

Group Conversation (20 min)<br />

Deepening the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 6 (20 min)<br />

Personal Reflection and Discussion (30 min)


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

21<br />

Part IV<br />

Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding Challenge (5 min)<br />

Part I: Starting the Conversation<br />

Review and<br />

Reflect<br />

Welcome the group back together and briefly<br />

reflect on the previous two gatherings in<br />

which you have examined the ideas of Gospel<br />

Saturation and movement. At this point you<br />

may observe some attrition among those who<br />

attend month to month. The reality of most<br />

of our lives is that we tend ignore or minimize<br />

matters that have the potential to reshape our<br />

priorities and ministries because other lesser<br />

issues constantly vie for our attention. This is<br />

true of pastors and ministry leaders as well—<br />

the pressure of the old OS will war against the<br />

concepts you discuss. Fight the temptation<br />

to grow discouraged by this fact and keep<br />

sowing seeds among those who continue to<br />

process with the implications of the new OS.<br />

Begin your time with a brief reflection on<br />

Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1–23).<br />

Certainly, the focus of Jesus’ story regards<br />

those who sow seeds of the gospel among the<br />

lost; however, the implications clearly extend<br />

to all believers as well. The odds are not<br />

encouraging, as three out of four of the seeds<br />

that are sown do not produce a harvest. Yet,<br />

some seeds last. And not only do some seeds<br />

last, but the source of our hope is found in the<br />

super-abundant harvest that results from the<br />

seed that falls on the good path.<br />

The same is true with those in your group,<br />

as you find that the majority of churches and<br />

leaders are quite comfortable with the old OS<br />

and see no need to change. Or, it may be the<br />

case that they understand the liabilities of the<br />

old OS, but are unwilling to do the hard work<br />

required to install a new one.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

22<br />

Review and Reflect cont.<br />

Rather than lamenting this fact, invest in those<br />

who prove to be “good soil”. Care for them.<br />

Talk with them. Encourage their meager<br />

efforts. Push them to keep going. It’s likely<br />

that by the third conversation you will know<br />

those who are good soil and can prioritize<br />

accordingly.<br />

Use the opening of this month’s conversation<br />

to point the participant’s attention to the<br />

hundred, sixty, and thirty-fold harvest that<br />

results from the good soil. Challenge them to<br />

not grow discouraged when it seems the odds<br />

of change are stacked against them but to<br />

trust in a God for whom nothing is impossible<br />

(Lk 1:37).<br />

Story of a<br />

Win<br />

Prayer for<br />

Others<br />

Encourage these leaders to persevere by<br />

holding up a number of examples of the fruit<br />

that comes from a new OS. Consider someone<br />

in your city or state who has implemented<br />

the ideas discussed in this primer. Some may<br />

have participated in a group that used this<br />

material before, while others may have been<br />

uniquely prepared by the Holy Spirit to begin<br />

wrestling and implementing many of these<br />

ideas already. Invite a pastor or leader of one<br />

such church to come and share his or her story<br />

with the group. Allow them to testify to God’s<br />

grace and cast a vison of what could be for<br />

those in attendance. You may find it helpful to<br />

conclude this portion by opening up a time of<br />

questions for the one sharing. These questions<br />

will likely expose the fears or frustrations that<br />

your group members have and should inform<br />

your focus as you continue through this <strong>Primer</strong>.<br />

Use this person’s story to remind your group<br />

of the value of praying for other churches<br />

and believers in your city. This will serve as<br />

a helpful connection to the consideration of<br />

“Kingdom” in this month’s study.<br />


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23<br />

Prayer for Others cont.<br />

Point out the way in which prayer reflects the<br />

orientation of our hearts, either towards the<br />

old or new OS. The old OS will be reflected in<br />

inward prayers—prayers for our own individual<br />

needs, ministries, and churches. The new OS<br />

will show itself in prayers for others and the<br />

churches they represent. To model this, first<br />

lead the group in a prayer for the person who<br />

just shared his or her story. Then ask the group<br />

to form small groups of 3-4, and ensure that at<br />

least three different churches are represented<br />

in each group. From there, ask each member<br />

of the group to share two or three specific<br />

prayer needs related to the new OS and have<br />

the other group members pray for these<br />

needs.<br />

You, as a leader of these conversations, may<br />

find a desire to rush into the content of each<br />

month’s gathering. Resist the urge to cut<br />

corners on these times of prayer and sharing.<br />

Not only do they model a dependence on<br />

God, but they also establish the relational trust<br />

among the members of the group essential<br />

for lasting transformation and ongoing<br />

partnership. Trust that God is doing a good<br />

work, even when you may not be able to see it.<br />

Part II: Developing the Conversation<br />

Ask the participants to reflect on their reading<br />

of section 5. As they do, encourage them to<br />

reflect on their reading by placing a star (*)<br />

beside the main ideas, an exclamation mark<br />

(!) beside points that stood out, or a question<br />

mark (?) beside ideas they didn’t understand,<br />

had questions about, or disagreed with.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

24<br />

Group<br />

Conversation<br />

Ask the group to divide into small groups of<br />

3-4 people, ideally with some others they<br />

have not shared a group with in the previous<br />

months. Prompt them to use the following<br />

questions to discuss attempts at collaboration<br />

in their cities:<br />

• nHow do you define the kingdom? How does<br />

your definition of Kingdom influence the<br />

way you lead your church?<br />

• nIn what ways have you tried to form<br />

relationships and work with other churches<br />

in your city? Which have you found easier:<br />

building relationships or working in mission<br />

together? Why?<br />

• nWhat challenges have you faced when you<br />

try to work with other churches on strategic<br />

mission endeavors?<br />

• nWhat cultural factors in North America<br />

influence partnership at this level?<br />

• nWhat experience do you have in seeing<br />

local churches work together at The Church<br />

to demonstrate and declare the kingdom<br />

of God in a city? What traits did these<br />

experiences have in common?<br />

Following a time for the groups to discuss<br />

these questions, call everyone back together<br />

and ask for someone from each group to<br />

share their conclusions. In particular, hone in<br />

on the last question and attempt to make a list<br />

of the traits of effective Kingdom partnership.<br />

Groups may share traits such as: a key leader<br />

or church who initiated the effort, an easily<br />

accessible shared mission need like you might<br />

experience after a natural disaster, or a joint<br />

time of prayer among the pastors in the city<br />

for a true movement of God to take place.<br />

Leave the list on the board for the remainder<br />

of your time together and refer back to it at<br />

points in the following portion of this month’s<br />

conversation.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

25<br />

Part III: Deepening the Conversation<br />

You will be well-served to provide a break<br />

between parts 2 and 3 of this month’s session.<br />

Allow the participants time to have informal<br />

conversation during this extended break.<br />

This time will allow them to converse with<br />

others who were not in their group and further<br />

discuss the implications of the material in this<br />

month’s reader. At an appropriate time, call the<br />

group back together and ask them to follow<br />

the pattern they’ve used up to this point as<br />

they reflect on their reading from chapter 6.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

26<br />

Personal<br />

Reflection<br />

and<br />

Discussion<br />

The following questions are meant to allow<br />

participants to reflect on this month’s reader<br />

in more depth. The nature of this conversation<br />

is quite personal, demonstrating and exposing<br />

the heart-orientation of your group. Often, when<br />

sharing with a small group we are all prone to<br />

angle the truth to make ourselves look better<br />

than we actually are. No one wants to admit<br />

that they are a part of an inwardly focused,<br />

collecting community, much less that it is their<br />

teaching and strategy that has created such a<br />

community in the first place, thus the need for a<br />

time for personal reflection. Ask the individuals<br />

to take some time to reflect on the following<br />

questions in their own journal. Remind them<br />

that the benefit of these conversations will only<br />

occur when they are honest and vulnerable with<br />

themselves and others.<br />

• nHow do you feel when other churches<br />

succeed?<br />

• nHow is your church currently sacrificing for<br />

The Church in your city?<br />

• nDoes the orientation of your church’s staff,<br />

programs, and teaching ministry demonstrate<br />

a desire to be a collecting community or a<br />

mobilizing community?<br />

• nWhat role have you personally played in<br />

creating this culture in your church?<br />

• nWhat changes would need to take place<br />

in order for your church to clearly and<br />

compellingly prioritize the Kingdom?<br />

After a time of personal reflection, allow the<br />

group to reflect on this exercise using one of two<br />

models of discussion. Choose the version that<br />

best fits the nature of your group. You might ask<br />

the participants to pair up with someone they<br />

know or with whom they have built a relationship<br />

in the previous weeks. Ask them to share with<br />

one other person the primary ways they were<br />

convicted and challenged by their answers. Or<br />

you might call the entire group back together<br />

and ask them to share their reflections with the<br />

group as a whole. The first method would likely<br />

work well with a larger group that does not know<br />

one another as well, while the second method<br />

would work well with a smaller group of friends.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

27<br />

Part IV: Continuing the Conversation<br />

The desired outcome of this <strong>Primer</strong> is to do<br />

more than foster six conversations. By God’s<br />

grace, the momentum that begins in these<br />

months will continue in ongoing, Kingdomwork<br />

in the years ahead. Stimulate this process<br />

by encouraging the participants to connect<br />

with at least two other people from the group<br />

before you meet again. This could be a lunch<br />

meeting or a coffee conversation. Ask them<br />

to use this time to talk about the mission of<br />

the local church and the way in which they<br />

are processing with the content of the <strong>Primer</strong>.<br />

Pray that God would, by the power of His Spirit,<br />

enliven these conversations to produce gospel<br />

fruit.


Conversation 4:<br />

Harvest


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29<br />

Objective<br />

Overview<br />

Define the scope of Kingdom work through<br />

a thorough consideration of the nature<br />

of an individual and corporate “Circles of<br />

Accountability” (COA).<br />

The conversation seeks to compel God’s<br />

church into the harvest so that men, women,<br />

and children can see and hear the good news<br />

of Jesus. As with the conversations up to this<br />

point, the discussion that follows is meant to<br />

take place in one, large group meeting among<br />

pastors, church leaders, and disciple-makers<br />

in a region or city. Ideally the conversation<br />

will take at least three hours to complete in<br />

a meaningful fashion. This month it will be<br />

important that you maintain a dual focus<br />

throughout the conversation. On the one<br />

hand, you are going to want to encourage and<br />

challenge the participants to own their own<br />

COA and engage it with gospel intentionality.<br />

On the other hand, you should seek to<br />

challenge them to leverage all of God’s people<br />

in the churches they serve to own their shared<br />

COA as well.<br />

Flow<br />

Part I<br />

Part II<br />

Part III<br />

Starting the Conversation<br />

Demographic Overview (25 min)<br />

Prayer (10 min)<br />

Developing the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 7 (20 min)<br />

COA Group Discussion (40 min)<br />

Deepening the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 8 (20 min)<br />

Church Planting and Revitalization Discussion<br />

(30 min)


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

30<br />

Part IV<br />

Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding Challenge (5 min<br />

Part I: Starting the Conversation<br />

Demographic<br />

Overview<br />

Prior to this month’s conversation, research the<br />

demographics of your city. There are various<br />

tools that will allow you to define a certain<br />

point in a city where your local congregation<br />

gathers for corporate worship. It can either be<br />

a radius from that location defined by miles<br />

(1, 3, or 5) or it could be defined by roads,<br />

waterways, neighborhoods, zip codes, or any<br />

other natural divisions. Attempt to ascertain the<br />

demographics of those in that COA. If possible,<br />

print a unique report for each of the churches<br />

represented in your group. This report will<br />

give the participants various hard-data on<br />

their immediate geographies, including overall<br />

population numbers, ethnicities, socioeconomic<br />

data, household size, and a host of<br />

other factors. Ask your group to kick off this<br />

month’s conversation by discussing these<br />

reports. For groups with at least two churches<br />

represented in each group, you will likely find<br />

that the most fruitful conversations will happen<br />

if the churches in each group share a common<br />

place in the city. Ask them to use the following<br />

questions to guide their discussion:<br />

• nWhat did you learn?<br />

• nWhat surprised you?<br />

• nWhat convicted you?<br />

• nWhat form should mission take?<br />

As you respond to these questions, make sure<br />

to review the concepts you’ve discussed in<br />

the first three conversations. This review with<br />

further instill the ideas in the minds and hearts<br />

of the participants.


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31<br />

Prayer<br />

After a time of discussion, prompt the groups<br />

to pray specifically for the geographies<br />

represented in each group. Pray that every<br />

man, woman, and child in this circle will have<br />

repeated opportunities to see, hear, and<br />

respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray<br />

also for God to mobilize the churches in these<br />

circles to engage their geographies with<br />

gospel-intentionality.<br />

Part II: Developing the Conversation<br />

Ask the participants to reflect on their reading<br />

from chapter 7. As they do, encourage them<br />

to reflect on their reading by placing a star (*)<br />

beside the main ideas, an exclamation mark<br />

(!) beside points that stood out, or a question<br />

mark (?) beside ideas they didn’t understand,<br />

had questions about, or disagreed with.


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32<br />

COA Group<br />

Conversation<br />

Divide the group into smaller groups that<br />

represent various churches in the city.<br />

Ask each group to choose a reasonablysized<br />

area that represents the majority of<br />

their congregation or some subset of the<br />

congregation. For example, some groups may<br />

choose a certain small group to use as the<br />

basis for their COA. Ask the groups to provide<br />

a thumbnail sketch of their COA by asking, and<br />

answering, the following questions:<br />

• nWho lives in this circle?<br />

• nWhat are the various types of people<br />

represented?<br />

• nWhere are the natural boundaries for this<br />

circle?<br />

• nWhat is in your circle (neighborhoods,<br />

schools, nursing homes, apartments,<br />

businesses, prisons, parks, etc.)<br />

• nWhat other churches or organizations care<br />

about the health of this circle (para-church,<br />

government, non-profits, etc.)<br />

Then, based on this thumbnail sketch attempt<br />

to answer the following more challenging<br />

questions:<br />

• nWhere is God already at work in your circle?<br />

• nHow representative is your church of this<br />

circle?<br />

• nWhat are the three biggest needs of those<br />

in the circle?<br />

• nWhat other information would you need to<br />

know in order to develop a clear missionary<br />

strategy?<br />

• nWhere in the COA are your people already<br />

embedded in a strategic COI?<br />

After you’ve given each group sufficient time<br />

to answer these questions, call the entire<br />

group back together and ask each subgroup<br />

to present their COA in five minutes or less. Ask<br />

the overall group what they might add to each<br />

group’s presentation or what observations they<br />

have about Gospel Saturation in each location.<br />

Allow extended time for the group to discuss<br />

and dream together.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

33<br />

Part III: Deepening the Conversation<br />

Discuss the group’s reflections from chapter 8<br />

of the <strong>Primer</strong> using the following questions:<br />

• nWhat captured your attention?<br />

• nWhat implications did you note for your<br />

church?<br />

• nWhat will you do as a result?


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

34<br />

Church<br />

Planting<br />

and<br />

Revitalization<br />

Discussion<br />

Ask the group to spin back to their COA<br />

maps. This time the focus is going to be on<br />

the existing believers and churches in that<br />

circle. Ask the groups to answer the following<br />

questions. If they do not know hard numbers<br />

to these questions, then encourage them<br />

to make educated guesses at the answers<br />

for now and take time after this month’s<br />

conversation to attempt to clarify their<br />

assumptions:<br />

• nWhat is the overall population of your COA?<br />

• nHow many evangelical churches are<br />

represented in that circle? Hint: if the<br />

number of churches is too large, then<br />

you may have a circle that is too large<br />

as well. For example, if you have drawn<br />

a 3-mile radius from the place in which<br />

your church gathers and you can name<br />

30 or 40 churches in that circle, then you<br />

may be better served to narrow down to a<br />

one-mile radius with only 10-12 churches<br />

represented.<br />

• nWhat is the weekly attendance of those<br />

churches?<br />

• nBased on these numbers, what is the<br />

percentage of the population of your COA<br />

in church on any given Sunday? At this point<br />

you might be tempted to argue, “Yes, but<br />

many people from our circle are driving<br />

out of the circle to attend a church across<br />

down.” This is certainly true in most cities in<br />

the United States. But, the same premise<br />

works in reverse as well. Many of those who<br />

attend your church likely drive from outside<br />

of your circle to attend your church as well.<br />

No percentages are perfect, but this ebb<br />

and flow would likely result in a relatively<br />

accurate percentage within your circle. For<br />

those who drive out of the circle there is a<br />

corresponding person who drives into the<br />

circle, so the percentages hold fairly steady.<br />

Once the groups have defined their circles, it is<br />

now time to dream about the work of church<br />

planting and revitalization using the following<br />

questions:


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

35<br />

Church<br />

Planting<br />

Church<br />

Revitalization<br />

• nWhere do we need new churches in our<br />

circle?<br />

• nAre their certain methodologies or<br />

denominations that are underrepresented<br />

in our circle?<br />

• nAre their certain ethnicities or people<br />

groups who are underrepresented?<br />

• nIf you had the power, the money, and the<br />

leader to plant a new church in this circle in<br />

the next 18 months, where would you put it?<br />

• nWhat churches are without a pastor or clear<br />

leadership presently?<br />

• nWhat churches are not healthy and in need<br />

of revitalization? (Warning: Be very careful<br />

to avoid church bashing at this point. The<br />

intention is not to point out how messed<br />

up another church is, but to consider how<br />

you could play a role in nurturing them to<br />

health).<br />

• nIf you had the power, the money, and the<br />

leader to revitalize an existing church in the<br />

next 18 months, where would you begin<br />

and why?<br />

Conclude this time by asking the groups to<br />

pray for the dreams they discussed. Remind<br />

them that God is capable of doing the<br />

impossible! While their dreams may seem<br />

far-fetched, God loves to surprise us with His<br />

goodness.<br />

Part IV: Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding<br />

Challenge<br />

This month’s conversation has focused on<br />

local circles. Though we mentioned the<br />

concept of telescoping we intentionally left<br />

this out of the group conversations so that they<br />

could prioritize their immediate geography.<br />

Ask the participants to spend time before<br />

next month’s conversation reflecting on the<br />

international mission work of their local church.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

36<br />

Concluding Challenge<br />

cont.<br />

Your group likely contains a wide assortment<br />

of pastors or lay leaders so don’t assume that<br />

they all have inside knowledge on the method<br />

by which their church goes about international<br />

missions. Explain that they may need to have<br />

conversations with other leaders in the church<br />

to assess the work their church is currently<br />

doing. Ask the participants to consider the<br />

effectiveness of their church in telescoping<br />

the OS of Gospel Saturation to these locations.<br />

What would need to change to be more<br />

intentional? How can they personally be<br />

involved in helping implement these changes?<br />

The answers to these questions will serve as<br />

the introduction to next month’s conversation.


Conversation 5:<br />

Disciple


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38<br />

Objective<br />

Overview<br />

To develop a definition and scorecard for<br />

making missionary disciples in the local<br />

church.<br />

The conversation seeks to make the mission<br />

tangible and personal. In many ways the<br />

process of this <strong>Primer</strong> has worked like a<br />

Google map. We started with the map zoomed<br />

out to God’s desire for the world. From there,<br />

we zoomed in a click to the scope of the<br />

mission, then to the nature of God’s Kingdom,<br />

and finally to the specific harvest field that<br />

lies before each of our churches. Now, we are<br />

going to wrestle with the question of how we<br />

go about impacting that specific harvest. The<br />

answer will necessitate the transformation<br />

of the people in our churches. God’s grace,<br />

transforming the identity, affections, and<br />

actions of missionary disciples is the Godordained<br />

means of bringing about lasting<br />

transformation.<br />

Flow<br />

Part I<br />

Part II<br />

Part III<br />

Part IV<br />

Starting the Conversation<br />

Prayer (10 min)<br />

Gospel Movement Reflections (20 min)<br />

Developing the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 9 (20 min)<br />

Defining a Disciple (40 min)<br />

Deepening the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 10 (20 min)<br />

Systems Analysis (30 min)<br />

Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding Challenge (5 min)


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

39<br />

Part I: Starting the Conversation<br />

Prayer<br />

Throughout this <strong>Primer</strong>, we’ve attempted<br />

to press pause on the changes those in<br />

your group are apt to make. Because of our<br />

proclivity to App-based changes, we are all<br />

prone to read a new concept and attempt<br />

to make changes right away. But, as we all<br />

know, this is impossible. Once ideas begin to<br />

take root in our soul they will invariably shape<br />

the conversations and actions we spend time<br />

cultivating.<br />

The same will be true for your group. Whether<br />

they are church pastors or ministry leaders,<br />

it’s likely they’ve attempted to make changes<br />

informed by the priorities of movement,<br />

Kingdom, and harvest, which is not an<br />

altogether bad thing. Ask the group to open<br />

this month’s conversation by sharing some<br />

of the conversations they’ve had around<br />

the material in this <strong>Primer</strong> or changes, even<br />

microscopic ones, they’ve begun to make to<br />

the operating system of the churches they<br />

serve. After a time of sharing, ask the group to<br />

pair up and pray specifically for God to bring<br />

fruit from this activity. Prompt those who have<br />

not been able to share in the group at large to<br />

do so with their smaller pairs and encourage<br />

these two individuals to entrust these efforts,<br />

and the future changes that will result, to<br />

God’s care, guidance, and grace.<br />

Gospel<br />

Movements<br />

Reflection<br />

Now that the group is reengaged in the<br />

subject matter, briefly review the main points<br />

of last month’s conversation:<br />

• nGod’s church and Jesus’ disciples must take<br />

responsibility for the circle of influence in<br />

which they live, learn, work, and play;<br />

• nOwnership of these circles will necessitate<br />

activity in both church planting and church<br />

revitalization;<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

40<br />

Gospel Movements<br />

Reflection cont.<br />

• nThese dual tasks need not render<br />

international mission obsolete, instead we<br />

should attempt to telescope our efforts to<br />

strategic locations and see God’s people<br />

empowered in that geography to reach<br />

every man, woman, and child in their circles.<br />

• nAsk several pairs to join into groups of<br />

6-8. Ask the participants of these groups<br />

to share their experiences with gospel<br />

movements around the world. Use the<br />

following questions to guide the discussion:<br />

• nWhat is the closest experience you’ve had<br />

with a rapidly multiplying movement of<br />

God?<br />

• nWhat were the characteristics of such a<br />

movement?<br />

• nWas this movement in a pre-Christian or<br />

post-Christian context? Can the principles<br />

apply to the other type of context as well?<br />

For example, if you have experience with<br />

a gospel movement among a previously<br />

unreached people group in a third world<br />

context, how might the characteristics of<br />

that movement apply to a post-Christian<br />

context like North America?<br />

• nWhat are the greatest hindrances to a<br />

movement of God in North American in our<br />

day?<br />

A quick suggestion is warranted before you<br />

begin a large group discussion on these<br />

questions. This month we will consider the<br />

nature of disciple-making and the way in<br />

which it empowers Gospel Saturation. Defined<br />

appropriately, maturity in Christ necessitates<br />

not only that one’s behavior is patterned after<br />

Christ but also that each disciple invests in<br />

making other disciples as well. Simply stated,<br />

the goal is not that we would make disciples<br />

but that we would make disciple-making<br />

disciples.<br />

You can take a step towards realizing this<br />

goal in your leadership of these group<br />

conversations as well.<br />


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41<br />

Gospel Movements<br />

Reflection cont.<br />

Up to this point, it is likely the case that you,<br />

as the leader of the group, have been the<br />

primary catalyst in calling the group together<br />

each month and facilitating the discussion as<br />

you gather. Now that we are transitioning into<br />

the final two conversations it’s time to handoff<br />

some of this responsibility to someone<br />

else. Ideally, you’ve already been thinking<br />

about this goal and working towards involving<br />

others in the work. If not, now is the time to<br />

begin. Find a person or two in your group who<br />

has proven themselves to be faithful to the<br />

group conversations and is passionate about<br />

the concepts you’ve discussed. It would be<br />

great if this person were from another church<br />

than the current leader in order to empower<br />

collaboration. In addition, this person should<br />

be the type of individual who can lead his own<br />

group in the future. Before the session begins,<br />

ask this individual to take more of a leadership<br />

role in this month’s conversation. Don’t merely<br />

thrust him into leadership and take a back<br />

seat. Rather, give him clear ways to invest in<br />

the group and work to set him up for success.<br />

Look through this week’s conversation and<br />

select a couple of key points this person<br />

could lead, tell him ahead of time that you’d<br />

like him to do so, and spend time after the<br />

conversation reflecting on what you observed<br />

about his leadership. This first activity is a great<br />

place to begin.<br />

Ask the group to compile a list of<br />

characteristics of a gospel movement and<br />

write them on a board that everyone can see.<br />

Once you’ve compiled a solid list, draw a circle<br />

around those characteristics that are most<br />

often seen in a pre-Christian context. Draw a<br />

box around those characteristics that are often<br />

seen in a post-Christian context. And, put a star<br />

beside those aspects of gospel movement<br />

you’d notice in both a pre- and post-Christian<br />

context. Ask the group to share reflections on<br />

the list.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

42<br />

Part II: Developing the Conversation<br />

Disciple-<br />

Making<br />

Discussion<br />

The intent of the last section of this<br />

reader (part 9) was to force assessment of<br />

understanding of the definition of a disciple.<br />

Like many words that are common in the<br />

church, the word “disciple” is one ripe<br />

for misunderstanding and impoverished<br />

definitions. But, as we will see in the upcoming<br />

section, if we don’t have clarity on our<br />

definition of a disciple, we will never have<br />

clarity on our mission. If we don’t know what<br />

something is then we certainly can’t create it.<br />

We must seek knowledge of what an applepie<br />

is before we understand how to make one.<br />

We must know the objective of soccer before<br />

we work to build a team. As church leaders,<br />

we have to know what a disciple is before we<br />

go about designing church systems that make<br />

such a person.<br />

Use this introduction to provide a bit of<br />

rationale to your group for the following<br />

discussion. Give each group a sheet of poster<br />

paper and ask them to work to define a<br />

disciple. Instruct them to develop a holistic<br />

view of the distinctive marks of a mature<br />

disciple of Jesus. What would they think?<br />

What would they say? What would they<br />

do? How would they be known by others?<br />

Encourage them to use whatever method<br />

best helps them arrive at this definition. They<br />

could draw a person on the paper and label<br />

that person. For example, they might list the<br />

traits of a disciple’s speech beside the mouth<br />

of the drawing. Or they might list the actions<br />

of the disciple by the hands and feet. Other<br />

groups may simply want to make a list of the<br />

various characteristics of a disciple in groups<br />

or categories that they see as most significant.<br />

Whatever method they choose, encourage<br />

the group to list Scripture beside each<br />

characteristic they choose.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

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Disciple-Making<br />

Discussion cont.<br />

Following sufficient time for each group to<br />

discuss, call the group back together as a large<br />

group and engage them in a conversation<br />

about each group’s definition. Ask each group<br />

to present the distinctive marks they listed<br />

and, after each group presents, attempt to<br />

combine the ideas presented into one clear list<br />

of the characteristics of a disciple. How does<br />

movement, Kingdom, and harvest inform your<br />

definition of a disciple?<br />

Finally, ask the entire group to attempt to<br />

define a disciple in a single sentence (not a<br />

Pauline run-on sentence, but a short, concise<br />

sentence of 15-20 words). Push them to boil<br />

their definition down to the essential nature of<br />

God’s definition of disciples of Jesus.<br />

Part III: Deepening the Conversation


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

44<br />

System<br />

Analysis<br />

Ask the large group to break into small<br />

subgroups to discuss the disciple-making<br />

systems they’ve outlined. As they talk, ask<br />

them to pause at each stage in the disciplemaking<br />

process they develop to consider the<br />

following questions:<br />

[1] What do you already have to work with?<br />

[2] What people will you need?<br />

[3] What resources will it take?<br />

[4] What obstacles will you encounter?<br />

[5] How will you evaluate if this is working?<br />

If time allows, call the group back together and<br />

have them provide a summary for the large<br />

group. You might even find it helpful to place<br />

the continuum of discipleship on a board in<br />

the front of the room. As the groups present,<br />

list helpful ideas or concepts so that all of the<br />

participants can learn from one another.<br />

Part IV: Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding<br />

Challenge<br />

Obviously, we are not going to solve<br />

the challenge of disciple-making in one<br />

conversation. And, what’s more, every person<br />

in these conversations comes at discipleship<br />

from different angles—we all have different<br />

personalities, passions, and life-histories that<br />

shape our understanding of discipleship. We<br />

also have differing denominational heritages<br />

and serve in different church contexts, which<br />

inform the way we will go about our disciplemaking<br />

work. Bring this month’s conversation<br />

to a conclusion by reminding the group that<br />

they don’t have to feel the pressure to do<br />

everything overnight, nor should they believe<br />

the lie that they will be able to bring change<br />

immediately. But, at the same time, challenge<br />

them to move beyond excuses for failing to do<br />

the hard work of developing and refining their<br />

disciple-making systems.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

45<br />

Concluding Challenge<br />

cont.<br />

To encourage tackling this work, invite them to<br />

have a conversation with one or two members<br />

of their church between now and the group’s<br />

final session. Encourage them to select<br />

someone who has not journeyed through the<br />

<strong>Primer</strong>—perhaps just an average, ordinary<br />

member of the church. Invite the group<br />

members to share their take-aways from this<br />

session with that person. Talk about what a<br />

disciple is and how the church is going about<br />

making such a person. Invite these individuals<br />

to give feedback and point out things that you<br />

might have missed. Remember, it’s not the<br />

job of any one individual to make discipleship<br />

happen anyway. These initial conversations<br />

may be the springboard God uses to begin<br />

the work of decentralizing the church, as the<br />

people you meet with may be the very ones<br />

God will use to invigorate your church with a<br />

disciple-making passion.


Conversation 6:<br />

Convictions


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

47<br />

Objective<br />

Overview<br />

Demonstrate how the principles discussed<br />

throughout the <strong>Primer</strong> create certain priorities<br />

within the life of the Church.<br />

This conversation transitions the discussion<br />

that have been had up to this point into<br />

ongoing priorities that drive the life of a<br />

pastor, leader, or local church. As with the<br />

conversations up to this point, the discussion<br />

that follows is meant to take place in one,<br />

large group meeting among pastors, church<br />

leaders, and disciple-makers in a region or<br />

city. Ideally the conversation will take at least<br />

three hours to complete in a meaningful<br />

fashion. This month it will be important that<br />

begin to transition the groups attention to<br />

the Accelerator that will attempt to lead the<br />

group members to put into practice many<br />

of the concepts that have been discussed<br />

throughout the <strong>Primer</strong>.<br />

Flow<br />

Part I<br />

Part II<br />

Part III<br />

Part IV<br />

Starting the Conversation<br />

Prayer (10 min)<br />

Disciple-Making Reflection (10 min)<br />

Developing the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 11 (20 min)<br />

Build-A-Church Workshop (40 min)<br />

Deepening the Conversation<br />

Reader: Section 12 (20 min)<br />

Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding Challenge (5 min)


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

48<br />

Part I: Starting the Conversation<br />

Review and<br />

Reflect<br />

This conversation is meant to serve as a<br />

conclusion for the content and discussion<br />

you’ve had as your participants have journeyed<br />

through this <strong>Primer</strong>. This month, our hope is not<br />

to introduce many new concepts, but rather<br />

to link the ideas we’ve learned up to this point.<br />

As always, it’s vital for you to read the room<br />

and discern the emotional tone of the group:<br />

Are they leaving encouraged and motivated<br />

for what’s ahead? Are they overwhelmed?<br />

Do they want to quit? The answer to each<br />

of these questions is probably “yes”. There<br />

are those who feel like this journey has put<br />

words to ideas they’ve been wrestling with for<br />

some time. Some have wondered if anyone<br />

else was asking the same questions and they<br />

are now emboldened to know that there are,<br />

in fact, scores of pastors and churches who<br />

are restless for a change to a new OS for the<br />

Church.<br />

Others, however, feel hopeless. Some may be<br />

crushed by guilt and shame, thinking that they<br />

may have squandered decades of pastoral<br />

ministry by prioritizing the wrong things. Some<br />

others may have fallen into the comparison<br />

trap. They look around the room and assume<br />

that the other leaders are sharper, wiser, and<br />

better positioned to bring about change than<br />

they perceive themselves to be. They believe<br />

in the mission but doubt whether they can<br />

actually make a difference.<br />

It may be helpful, at this juncture, to remind<br />

the group of the two figures who shaped the<br />

mission of the early church, perhaps more<br />

than any other—Paul and Peter. Point out the<br />

reality of Paul’s past as a violent opponent<br />

of the Church, his radical conversion, and<br />

his unrelenting zeal for God’s mission to the<br />

Gentiles.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

49<br />

Review and Reflect cont.<br />

Contrast that with Peter—called by Jesus as<br />

a disciple, marked by frequent missteps and<br />

failure, and yet used by Him to establish His<br />

Church. Point to the fact that each man has<br />

his fair share of reasons to feel inadequate,<br />

disqualified, or crushed by suffering. Yet, they<br />

persevered. And through their perseverance,<br />

the gospel saturated the known world of that<br />

day and the church spread to the very ends<br />

of the earth—to you and I reading this <strong>Primer</strong><br />

today. Pray for that type of fortitude, passion,<br />

and stick-to-itiveness to mark your group<br />

as they resolve together to run after Gospel<br />

Saturation for the rest of their lives.<br />

Disciple-<br />

Making<br />

Reflection<br />

Ask the group to break into small groups<br />

once again. This time, point them back to<br />

the concluding challenge from last month’s<br />

conversation in which they were asked to<br />

meet with one or two other people to talk<br />

about discipleship. Instruct them to share the<br />

thoughts and insights of others with whom<br />

they met regarding the definition of a disciple<br />

and the systems for disciple-making. What<br />

did they learn? How did this influence their<br />

definition of a disciple? Did they alter anything<br />

about their ideal system for disciple-making as<br />

a result?<br />

Part II: Developing the Conversation


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

50<br />

Ask the group to divide into small groups, this<br />

time with members from their own church. If<br />

someone is there alone, ask them to join up<br />

with a group from a nearby church. Give each<br />

group a big sheet of poster paper and ask<br />

them to draw, list, or design their ideal church<br />

using the questions below:<br />

• nHow would Movement, Kingdom, Harvest,<br />

and Disciple be represented in your church?<br />

• nWhat would you do first?<br />

• nWhat would you value?<br />

• nWhat would your facility look like? Would<br />

you have one?<br />

• nWhat about your staff?<br />

• nDescribe the members of your church.<br />

What would define them?<br />

• nWhat programs would you lead?<br />

• nHow would you engage in mission?<br />

This time is likely to be a fun challenge<br />

for the groups, so make sure you allocate<br />

sufficient time for these discussions. Pick<br />

a predetermined time and encourage the<br />

groups to take a break. Over this break, you’ll<br />

likely find that the groups will continue to talk<br />

together and share ideas.<br />

Part III: Deepening the Conversation<br />

Discussion<br />

After the break, call the large group back<br />

together and ask each group to share their<br />

reflections. As each group presents, note the<br />

common themes that emerge and make sure<br />

you don’t allow people to spin towards their “but<br />

what abouts”. If the conversation turns toward<br />

reasons these things can’t happen, push the<br />

group to stay focused on their God-given calling<br />

as leaders and pastors. Remind them that the<br />

purpose of these conversations is to envision<br />

what could be in spite of what currently is. And,<br />

finally, point them to a God who is capable<br />

of surprising us with how quickly, and how<br />

completely, he can bring change.


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

51<br />

Concluding<br />

Challenge<br />

So, where do we go now? That’s a good<br />

question and one that I hope your group is now<br />

asking. These six conversations were merely<br />

meant to instill certain priorities into our minds,<br />

and hopefully into our hearts as well. They<br />

were written to prime the pump for ongoing<br />

conversations, dialogue, and partnership that<br />

could bear significant fruit in your city.<br />

We’ve designed another tool—an<br />

Accelerator—in order to aid your group in<br />

implementing the changes we’ve discussed<br />

in this <strong>Primer</strong>. We’ve intentionally refrained<br />

from providing many prescriptive statements<br />

throughout these six conversations.<br />

Prescriptive statements (Do this…Don’t do<br />

that…) tend to be App-based. Whereas our<br />

goal in the <strong>Primer</strong> was the focus on descriptive<br />

statements about our new operating system.<br />

The Accelerator will shift our attention to how<br />

we might embody these principles moving<br />

forward and how we can invite others into the<br />

conversation with us. Before you dismiss your<br />

group, make sure you thank those who have<br />

been faithful to engage in these conversations<br />

and point them forward to the next time your<br />

group will gather. Until that time, ask God to<br />

give grace to these leaders as they seek to<br />

give their lives away so that the gospel will<br />

saturate our land.<br />

All the content and convictions of this <strong>Primer</strong><br />

have hopefully led to a lot of soul searching.<br />

We recognize that even though this OS may<br />

be new to us, it’s not new to God and it arises<br />

from the very essence of what God wants as<br />

His story and mission unfolds in Scripture.<br />

It is our hope you have begun to rethink the<br />

answers to all the why questions that you’ve<br />

held up to this point in Christian ministry and<br />

church leadership. We understand that the<br />

process of owning certain convictions takes<br />

time. Whenever we are presented with a new<br />

paradigm, we go through an evolution in our<br />

mind, heart, and soul while trying to grasp the<br />

magnitude of the truth presented to us.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

52<br />

Concluding Challenge<br />

cont.<br />

Most of those who are presented with<br />

the new OS of Gospel Saturation begin by<br />

believing it is an interesting concept. It sounds<br />

good in theory, but there are so many things<br />

that you’d have to change in your life and in<br />

the life of the church you lead, you just aren’t<br />

sure if it’s worth all the work to transition to<br />

such a foundational conviction.<br />

After the interesting concept phase, most<br />

church leaders shift to acknowledging<br />

that it’s a good idea. <strong>Leader</strong>s in this phase<br />

may agree with the conviction in principle,<br />

but there are still no changes to how they<br />

do life and ministry. If all the content and<br />

teaching presented in this <strong>Primer</strong> merely<br />

remains a good idea, we will never make<br />

the radical reorientation that is necessary<br />

to move towards blanketing our cities with<br />

the gospel of Jesus. The move from good<br />

idea to foundational conviction is a gamechanger.<br />

When the Gospel Saturation OS and<br />

its conviction becomes foundational to your<br />

life and ministry, it alters everything. It not only<br />

informs our “why”, but our “how” in ministry.<br />

If what we’ve presented is truly a conviction for<br />

you, it can’t be something that you can opt out<br />

of, especially, if we are serious about seeing<br />

a Kingdom movement of God in the harvest<br />

through His disciples. The question that we<br />

want you to wrestle with is this:<br />

Can you go back to doing church the way you<br />

always have after being exposed to this new<br />

conviction and the OS that seeks to saturate<br />

every man, woman, and child with the gospel<br />

and God’s glory?<br />

When Gospel Saturation becomes a nonnegotiable<br />

then the priorities of Mobilization,<br />

Transformation, Collaboration, and<br />

Multiplication flow through everything we do<br />

as a church community.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

53<br />

Concluding Challenge<br />

cont.<br />

These six conversations were meant to lead<br />

you, and other leaders in your city, to rethink<br />

the normative OS in the life of the church in<br />

order that every man, woman, and child might<br />

have repeated opportunities to see, hear, and<br />

respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />

But we acknowledge that the fruit we seek<br />

and the partnership we want to see can’t take<br />

place unless we all have the same driving<br />

conviction for Gospel Saturation. Until all of<br />

us have a shared vision to see every man,<br />

woman, and child have repeated opportunities<br />

to see, hear, and respond to the gospel in our<br />

community our efforts to impact our city will<br />

be limited.<br />

But, that doesn’t have to be the outcome.<br />

By God’s grace, it is possible for a group of<br />

leaders to change the OS of their churches<br />

and see a movement of God’s Kingdom that<br />

will change our culture. This is our prayer as<br />

we end these conversations. If you would<br />

like to know more about envisioning Gospel<br />

Saturation in your city or would like to know<br />

more about other resources to help go<br />

after every man, woman, and child in your<br />

geography, please feel free to contact us at<br />

envision@christtogether.org.<br />

Part IV: Continuing the Conversation<br />

Concluding<br />

Challenge<br />

So, where do we go now? That’s a good<br />

question and one that I hope your group is<br />

now asking. These six conversations were<br />

merely meant to prime the pump for ongoing<br />

conversations, dialogue, and partnership that<br />

could bear significant fruit in your city. We’ve<br />

designed another tool—an Accelerator—in<br />

order to aid your group in implementing the<br />

changes we’ve discussed in this <strong>Primer</strong>.<br />


:<strong>Leader</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />

54<br />

Concluding Challenge<br />

cont.<br />

We’ve intentionally refrained from providing<br />

many prescriptive statements throughout<br />

these six conversations. Prescriptive<br />

statements (Do this…Don’t do that…) tend to be<br />

App-based. Whereas our goal in the <strong>Primer</strong><br />

was the focus on descriptive statements about<br />

our new operating system. The Accelerator will<br />

shift our attention to how we might embody<br />

these principles moving forward and how we<br />

can invite others into the conversation with<br />

us. Before you dismiss your group, make sure<br />

you thank those who have been faithful to<br />

engage in these conversations and point them<br />

forward to the next time your group will gather.<br />

Until that time, ask God to give grace to these<br />

leaders as they seek to give their lives away so<br />

that the gospel will saturate our land.

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