When it comes to being a servant leader the main focus needs to be on allowing God to continue to grow you in your character. Everything you are pours out into everything you do. Anyone can learn the skills to be a leader, but it is in the transformative power of God where you can model real sanctification. Your heart must be softened to the work He is doing in your own life.

Leadership disease is real and can impact anyone. This disease starts when leaders put man's interests above God's interests. This is a chronic condition of the heart that can cause leaders to create functional legalists. Leaders need to put their service for God in the middle of His grace. The role of a leader is to edify the church and exalt God. So many fall into seeking their own personal gain and success.

There are many things to think through and consider when deciding what to focus on in discipleship and helping people grow in transformation. Here are six things: 1) get clear about goals and outcomes; 2) move from facilitators and mangers to fathers and mothers; 3) commit to training and guiding those you lead; 4) value a slow and on the go movement; 5) facilitate growth in group living; and 6) invest in the spiritual lives of leaders.

An overview of what student ministry looks like at different ages and how to raise students up to be leaders is discussed. What qualities should be looked for in potential student leaders as well as essential components to time spent with those students. We also hear from a handful of student leaders on their experiences, growth, trials, and successes.

Since teams are knit together from unique individuals created by God, it is important to understand who God made each person to be. Remembering our position in Christ and discovering our passions, spiritual gifts, and temperaments will help us better understand how God created us individually and how we can be used in a team setting. Building unified relationships among a team requires regular communication and spending a lot of time together enjoying shared experiences. Ministry teams can also benefit from having a clear mission and unified ideas regarding their team atmosphere.

God's heart and plan to reach the lost is through the church. While God is the one who ultimately causes the growth, we each have a role to play as well. Effective evangelism in a home church setting is driven largely through discipleship relationships between committed workers, bringing the power of the Word and teaching people that exchanging their agenda for their lives for God's agenda is ultimately fulfilling. For a home church to effectively reach the lost, a substantial number of members have to own God's plan for evangelism and reorder their lives according to His value system.

While God has given some people the gift of leadership, not all in a leadership role also have the spiritual gifting. What matters much more than a leadership gifting is the pursuit of character growth and sanctification. When Paul leaves Timothy in charge of the church in Ephesus, he tells Timothy to be an example to the people, preach God's Word, and not neglect the giftings God has given him. Even though Timothy was seemingly not a gifted leader, he was qualified for the office of leadership because he had godly character and was faithful with what God had given him.

In order to promote a leader-rich home group, there are seven conditions that should be present. The church must first believe in the vision that qualified leaders are the key to success, and new leaders must be Spirit-chosen. Spiritual leaders must be held in honor, accountability and discipline. Every leader should seek to replicate themselves and top leaders in the church must prioritize helping develop new leaders. Finally, people should see a clear pathway to leadership, and leaders should be formed into teams to promote increased leadership within the church.

Xenos Christian Fellowship's model for leadership development lands on the biblical picture that the real pastoral work is to be done by the members of the church. In order for the members of the church to lead and pastor there must be significant training. Three areas that are key to leadership development is personal discipleship, fostering an active community life, and theological training.

There is no recipe for helping people cultivate character that works 100% of the time. If, however, we are in a position of leadership in any capacity, it is first important to make sure we are the kind of person we would want others to model their lives after. It also requires our willingness to enter into the chaos of people's lives and build deep relationships. Having open conversations with people about God's view of character encourages them to pray about it, research or seek input from others, and ultimately come to their own convictions about it.