In this session, we’ll learn how LEADERSHIP IN NETWORKS allows a growing group of small churches to work together, grow new leaders and accomplish even more of the good things God has planned for His people.
So what happens to churches as they grow and start new churches that start new churches that start new churches? How do they stay connected? How do they live life together as an extended spiritual family?
The answer is that all of these simple churches are just like the cells in a growing body and they connect and network into a city or regional church.
The churches are related. They share the same spiritual DNA. They are all connected out of the same first multiplying family. And now -- with some guidance - they come together as a larger body to do even more. At the city and regional level, God’s Word shows that the growing body of believers is served by a new group of leaders.
In the New Testament, the church calls these servants Elders and Deacons, Shepherds and Overseers of the flock. We learn in God’s Word that the multitude of small home churches in the city of Jerusalem, were served by a group of 7 servants - or deacons.
We learn in God’s Word that the multitude of home churches in the city of Ephesus were served by a small group of Elders - shepherds who were to follow the model of the Good Shepherd Jesus and lay down their lives for their flock.
In the city or region, we also see a group of five leadership gifts given. God’s Word says -- Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
These spiritual gifts are given not so a small group can do all the work of the church but so they could serve and prepare the followers of Jesus to do the work - so the whole body of believers could work together to accomplish all God has in His heart to do.
In addition to or in place of meeting with their own spiritual family, these leaders meet and pray and fellowship and encourage one another in much the same way that any simple church in a home would.
The 3/3rds pattern is used in leadership training meetings and peer mentoring.
The Four Fields pattern is used for planning, evaluation and coaching at higher levels just as it is at the local level.
When the leaders meet they share what is happening not only as individuals but also across their network. They represent the families and share about the well-being of the ones they serve. A good place for a network of spiritual families to center is the place where that network starts. A church network that launches from Tampa will start as a city church in Tampa. As they grow and serve throughout the state, they will act on behalf of the network in Florida. As they send and serve around the country and around the world, they begin to function at a national or even international level.
Jesus said - If you’re faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.
These networks of churches remain connected because of their common spiritual DNA and shared beginnings. Sometimes the networks split off into multiple networks based on language, opportunities to meet or other reasons.
This is part of growth and not a problem. The willingness of simple churches and individual followers to learn, obey and share God’s Word is the spiritual DNA of a movement. If it is passed on successfully from generation to generation, from church to church and from believer to believer then everything needed to begin a new movement of multiplying disciples is already present in every spiritual family and in every follower of Jesus.
When movements launch movements, that’s when... we start to see the “leaven” working through the dough of a city or a state or even a nation. That is how the Kingdom of God comes in such a way that God’s will is being done on earth as it is in heaven. That is how we can finish the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations.