2024 Disciple-Making Leaders (Advanced) Network
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This network builds on the foundation laid by the Foundational Disciple-Making Leaders Network through expanding content depth and drawing connections as well as providing a keen focus on practical application in disciple-making ministries in the local context.
We will help envision, equip, and encourage you as a leader for disciple-making, because while Jesus’ command to make disciples is straightforward, the practice of it can be quite complex and require clear insight, skill, and understanding as well as plenty of support from fellow practitioners. Our vision is that Christ would multiply your disciple-making leadership to many others and thus impact Europe with the transforming power of the gospel. At the end of our time, you will have working knowledge of critical areas of discipleship content from people who have great experience and expertise. You will also have a clear plan of action to apply this wisdom and its facets to genuinely impact those with whom you work locally.
In order to attend this network, you must already be discipling others or be willing to commit to lead others in discipleship relationship and be held accountable to that work over the next year. Prior preparation will be set for all applicants.
What Network Participants Are Saying
- "Being at the European Leadership Forum is a huge blessing to me. Through the Disciple-Making Leaders Network I have received important inspiration which will define the future of our ministry. I have been motivated to build a disciple-making system. I would like to make discipleship a key part of our ministry with volunteers and counsellors."
- Laszlo Beregi, Executive Officer of Grace Ministries Foundation, Hungary - "Being part of the European Leadership Forum has been an incredible experience and a great blessing for me, as I am able to learn from other leaders and disciple-makers across Europe, receive encouragement for my walk with the Lord, and receive many resources, including great books, which will equip me the other Christians in Slovenia to walk with Christ more faithfully and boldly."
- Sara Stikovic, Youth Leader, Slovenia
Applicants should be leaders who have previously attended the European Leadership Forum Disciple-Making Leaders Network: Foundational Track. The Advanced Track will help participants move from principles to practical application sensitive to each person's ministry context.
Network Leadership
Network Speakers
Mike Betts is one of the leaders of Relational Mission, a family of churches itself part of the wider Newfrontiers group. Mike is the author of 'From the Inside Out, Relational Mission: A Way of Life', 'The Prayers of Many',… Read more
Michelle is the Minister of Staff Development and on the Executive Leadership Team at Scottsdale Bible Church in Arizona. She has a passion for discipleship and drawing out a greater thirst for more of God and His Word in others. Michelle also enjoys developing people within the Church in such a… Read more
Stephen McQuoid grew up in Ethiopia where his parents were missionaries. He then lived in Ireland where he qualified as a nurse before going on to study theology, gaining a variety of degrees including an MTh and PhD in theology. He is the author of 16 books on subjects such as discipleship,… Read more
Jay Mosser has served in pastoral roles for 43 years – about 20 years in various assistant pastor capacities and the rest as senior pastor. Through those years he has served in three churches ranging from smaller (less than 50) to larger (about 1,000). Along the way he has worked with children,… Read more
Lindsay Olesberg is a Bible teacher and Scripture Engagement leader with more than 35 years of ministry experience. She has provided Scripture Engagement leadership for numerous Urbana Missions Conferences, Cape Town 2010 (Lausanne’s Third Global Congress), and Lausanne’s Younger Leaders… Read more
Dave Patty has been involved in training youth leaders and leading national and international youth movements in Europe for over 30 years. He serves as the president of Josiah Venture. He is also a founding member of Concentric, which mobilizes and equips youth ministry trainers in over 60… Read more
Jerry Root is a Professor of Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College and serves as the Director of the Evangelism Initiative. Jerry is a graduate of Whittier College and Talbot Graduate School of Theology at Biola University; he received his… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 26 May
The process of discipleship always works best if there is some sort of a plan. The only problem with plans, of course, is that they involve...well, people! Sometimes people encourage us by their spiritual responses and steps of obedience. We love that! At other times, however, we find ourselves discouraged by creative excuses or lack of follow-through or ebbing interest. Even worse are those who, over time, fall away from Christ entirely. What has happened to our former disciples? Have we failed? Is there something wrong with our discipleship approach? In this opening session, we want to chart the course for our time together. We want to study Scripture and think about our discipling. We want to encourage one another and revitalise hope, and in doing so, we want to "keep it real."
Most leaders know that disciple-making is important, but when it comes the practical outworking it often gets a bit more complicated. What does disciple-making look like on a day-to-day basis, in the real-world pressures of ministry? What are the practical habits that turn theory into reality? At the end of Christ’s ministry, in his high priestly prayer recorded in John 17, Jesus reflects to his Father about seven things he repeatedly did with his disciples. How can we understand these seven habits of effective disciple-making? What could we do to build these habits into our lives and ministry?
Monday, 27 May
In the Bible, we often see Jesus teach through asking questions. Awakening the curiosity that lies within another can be our greatest tool for making disciples. In this session, we will explore the power of questions and how they pave the way toward deeper growth and a vibrant discipleship culture.
The church is described in the New Testament in community terms. It is a family of brothers and sisters, a body with Christ as the head and a called-out people. Despite this, many churches lack that sense of togetherness and consequently fall short of what Christ expects from his church. Moreover, this distance between church members actually detracts from the effectiveness of church life. This session will do an initial analysis of the cause of this distance and explore remedies to the problem. Thought will be given to how we build and develop small groups, how they are led, and what their purpose should be. There will also be a focus on how to build longevity into these groups and how to keep members engaged in them.
Tuesday, 28 May
We define ourselves by means of the love of God. Having been recipients of his love, we are also ambassadors of his love and forgiveness to others. Throughout the history of Christian spiritual formation, maturity has virtually always been conceptualised as union with God and His mission for the world. This session explores those areas of life that can possibly prevent maturity in Christ. Time will be invested in discovering in what way our wounds tend to be deeper than our convictions, and why. It will also explore how God can work through our human weaknesses and recycle them into assets of empathy in order to reach others for Christ and His Kingdom.
Scripture is central to discipleship, yet common forms of Scripture engagement (such as personal Bible reading and expository preaching) do not necessarily result in spiritual maturity. This session will explore how periodic Scripture immersion experiences can shift peoples’ posture towards Scripture and help them to be doers of the Word and not merely hearers.
Wednesday, 29 May
The mission of the church will only be able to be fulfilled according to the availability and readiness of emerging leaders. They will need to have been effectively discipled by experienced leaders so that there is an entrustment which enables the mission to be widened in scope and for it to have longevity to go forward with future generations. As those who disciple, we need to recognise and call out grace in others. It is a role akin to father and son, mother and daughter. It is a family and relational dynamic, rather than one of pure methodology. In this session we will look at key principles involved in the raising up of mature disciples who are ready to lead at all levels. They will be those who carry the same values and vision that we carry, and who are also able to lead and disciple others, not by copying methods, but by imparting the biblical vision and values and encouraging the development of God-given grace in others. We will consider: How do we identify what we often do intuitively and train others in it? How do we develop the character and skills in others most effectively?
We learned that there is no shortcut to maturity and there is no shortcut to mature leadership. All of us embark on life’s journey with a variety of backgrounds and experiences that affect the progress we make in our growth. All of us are led by God to make disciples in different contexts. One thing is sure: no matter how much we know, or what our spiritual, psychological, or emotional heritage might be, it takes time to mature and it takes perseverance in the long term to make disciples. In this last session we will explore:
- How can we continue to grow as disciple-makers?
- What are the next steps to springboard to fruitful ministry?
We plan to end by forming cohort groups to keep one another accountable to the plans we've made and to spur each other on throughout the year and then entrust each other in God’s providence in prayer.