Coaching & Overseeing Home Group Leaders Xenos Summer Institute 2008

Coaching & Overseeing Home Group LeadersXenos Summer Institute 2008 Presentation by Danny Walker Senior Sphere Leader Xenos Christian Fellowship

Recommended Reading • “How to Be a Great Cell Group Coach” – Joel Comiskey • “Loving God’s Way” - Gary DeLashmutt • “Strange Things about Xenos” (www.xenos.org) • “Jesus Driven Ministry” – Ajith Fernando • “The Call to Joy and Pain” – Ajith Fernando • “Walking in Victory” - Dennis McCallum • www.stevekmccoy.com/reformissionary/2005/07/tim_keller_arti.html - Resources by Tim Keller • www.redeemer2.com/rstore/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=29 – Galatians study Guide

Fast facts about XCF structure. • The home group is the core structure of Xenos Christian Fellowship. • Around here folks use the expressions: ‘home church,’ ‘home group,’ or ‘small group’ interchangeably. • Apart from the hg meeting, most home groups have separate men's and women's groups called, “cell groups” or “study groups”. Typically these “cells” are not open to non-Christian guests.

Fast facts about XCF structure. • Home Groups • All staff are in a home group. All upper level staff (elders, Sr. pastors, etc.) lead home groups. • Around 85% of the adults in the large meetings are committed members of a home group (attn. 2390). • Each home group consists of 15-60 members (Post college groups average 16). • Each home group is led by leaders (usually a team) that report to a staff person. • 155 post-college HGs (490 leaders – 3.2 per group) • 23 college HGs (108 leaders – 4.7 per group) • 35 High School HGs

Five Essentials of a Healthy Home Group(see your handout) EVANGELISM COMMUNITY DISCIPLESHIP GROWING LEADERS A FAITHFUL GOD

(see your handout) Evangelism Sample Plan Discipleship Sample Plan Community Sample Plan Growing Leaders Sample Plan

Customize sample plans to fit your group. Evangelism Sample Plan Discipleship Sample Plan Community Sample Plan Growing Leaders Sample Plan

Universals that apply to every Plan (see your handout) • Prayer • Love • Planting Emphasis • Communication & Vision • Grace • Truth / Scripture

GOAL: Planting a Healthy Home Group • Unselfishly perpetuate/share the group environment by planting. • Visualize your group 10 years from now. Will we be one close knit group or will we have selflessly multiplied? • Pray & I.D. those willing to lead. • Get a plan. Get agreement from all key workers. Set a date.

A Faithful God • Matt 16:18 -- I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. • 1 Cor 3:6-7 I planted the seed, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth! So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

A Faithful God • Jesus made the same point in parables of Mt. 13 The church is the seed that starts small and grows huge. There is no doubt God will cause His Church to grow!

A Faithful God – Application • Eph 2:10 We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. • He establishes our role in his work • He is not fretting about our success

A Faithful God – Outcome • The more we understand this, we have • More peace • More relaxed disposition • More graciousness • Faith that is attractive & contagious

Growing Leaders • 2 Peter 1:5-8 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence… faith… moral excellence… knowledge…self-control… perseverance… godliness; …brotherly kindness…love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ.

Growing Leaders • Do the members see the leader growing in relationship with Christ?

Growing Leaders Plan for growth as a leader! • Set annual personal growth goals. • Peer involvement and initiation • Honesty about character & sin issues • Grow as a spouse/ parent/ son/daughter. • Do members see you strive for growth?

Discipleship • Are you making the time to regularly help younger believers grow in Christ? • Are you convinced that this is God’s will for your life?

Discipleship • 2 Tim. 2:2 the things which you have heard from me…entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also • Mt. 28:19 & 20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…

Discipleship Plan for discipleship! • Model, Teach, & Pray about discipleship in all venues. • Encourage every member to fulfill the Great Commission. • Regularly assess progress & re-focus.

Community • Eph. 4:15-16 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Community Plan for community! • Serving each other – learning & exercising gifts • Proper delegation of tasks • Quality meetings • Serving the nonChristian community together • Regular prayer & workers’ meetings, retreats & vacations

Evangelism • Who leads the way in evangelism in your group? • Do we all recognize evangelism as part of our call? • Evangelism is our earthly mission. • Do not cave in to pressure in this pluralistic age.

Evangelism 2 Cor 5:17-20 Therefore if any man is in Christ he is a new creature: the old things passed away; behold new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors of Christ…

Evangelism • Convince team it’s critical to group’s health • Set outreach goals • Create a one-year calendar • Get everyone involved • Challenge the “status quo” • Maximize what you are already doing • Pray throughout Plan for evangelism!

Five Essentials of a Healthy Home Group EVANGELISM COMMUNITY DISCIPLESHIP GROWING LEADERS A FAITHFUL GOD

Your Leaders Need What? • Equipped with the word of God. • Know the goal(s) of your church. Visionary “high bar”. • God’s gracious timetable. (Pilot analogy) • Understanding of “Victorious Struggle”. Have a battle mentality yet, know God’s side has the victory. • Various needs particular to each leader that you must discern.

Your Leaders Need What?Slide #2 • John 10 – sacrificial love of God’s flock. • Encouraged. Hebrews 6:10 • Secure I.D. in Christ / Grace • You to ask plenty of questions. • You to help them with disruption, dissent, discipline, etc.

What has God been showing you about your group lately? In reference to your group, you thank God for...? Fill in the blank.

Questions & Comments • When and how often should planning happen? • What about setting a date and failing? • Other questions?

A Sample Home Group Schedulefor 1 Month Central Home Gr. His Gr. Central Home Gr. Her Gr. Central Home Gr. Central Home Gr. His Gr. Her Gr. Where's Discipling? What about babysitting?

Coaching & Overseeing Home Group Leaders Xenos Summer Institute 2008