Leadership Advance!

It is perhaps the most important thing we do at City Campus Church.

We don't meet 4 Sundays a year.

And one of those Sundays, all the leaders and apprentices get away for a weekend called the Leadership Advance.

It is essentially a family vacation. 16 of us in one house on Lake Erie.

Praying. Playing. Laughing. Crying.

Shaping the things to Come.

My primary task as the leader of City Campus Church isn't to shape or cast vision.

It isn't to study and preach the Word.

It isn't to develop killer systems that do nice things.

It isn't to care and shepherd.

All of those things are important roles, but the primary task is to pray for and replicate leaders.

Jesus didn't hang out with the 5000 for very long. He knew that great teaching and shock and awe miracles would never sustain a movement. He knew he would be required to continually "one-up" himself to keep the crowds engaged.

But to focus on 12? To invest in 12? Jesus knew he could change the world.

He entrusted not just his teaching or his insight or his wisdom to those who followed Him, He entrusted His life.

And the world has changed drastically because of that move.

Shaina and I are not Jesus (shocker!), but together we can invest in 12. We are clearly not as skilled or wise or strong as Jesus when it comes to making disciples, but anything that is worth doing is worth doing badly. We will get better and better at it.

And while Jesus led his 12 to change the world, maybe we could let God work in such ways that we could at least change some neighborhoods in our city.

I can't do more than I can do.

But if what I can do is show others how to do what I can do so that they can too show what they can do to others, discipleship happens.

And last time I checked, if you follow Jesus, this is your calling.

Has anyone ever showed you how they do what they do as they follow Jesus? Are you showing anyone how to do what you can do as you follow Jesus?