Crossway

Each church in The Crossway Network is committed to creating a leadership culture that reflects the eight values listed above. As with the previous studies in DNA, each value comes with a cross-section of Biblical references that will require prayerful reflection and investigation within a given context.

LESSON 3.1 – Glory to God, Living and Leading for an Audience of One

LESSON 3.2 – Genuine Love, Encouraging One Another

LESSON 3.3 – Humility, Excelling as Servants

LESSON 3.4 – Unity, Moving Forward Together

LESSON 3.5 – Purposeful Investment, Developing Leaders

LESSON 3.6 – Empowerment, Honoring One Another’s Gifts

LESSON 3.7 – Missional Living, Leading by Example

LESSON 3.8 – Multiplication, Church Planting Churches

Lesson 3.1

GLORY TO GOD – Living and Leading for an Audience of One

DRIVEN BY WORSHIP

We desire for our leaders and influencers to be motivated by an “Audience of One.” Do they seek God’s glory alone? Do they reflect John the Baptist’s heart when he said in John 3:30, “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease?” We want to avoid the hazards that come with self-importance and the need for personal recognition. No one individual is irreplaceable. It’s not about personalities, but the glorious person of Jesus Christ.

New Testament

John 3:25-30; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Colossians 3:23; Hebrews 1:2; Revelation 5:11-14

Unit 3, Lesson 2

GENUINE LOVE – Encouraging One Another

DEMONSTRATING ENCOURAGING LOVE

We are committed to living Jesus’ “new commandment” to love one another as we have been loved so that all people will know we are his disciples. The greatest demonstration of true gospel faithfulness and obedience is to love God with all our hearts, our souls, our minds, and all our strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. That love is clearly seen and described in God’s word, is evident in every true believer’s life, and must be exemplary in church leaders and influencers.

OLD TESTAMENT

Psalm 136

New Testament

Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31; John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 13:1-7; Ephesians 4:15-16; Colossians 3:12-14; 1Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:11-18; 1 John 4:7-21

Unit 3, Lesson 3

HUMILITY – Excelling as Servants

STRIVING FOR SELFLESSNESS

God has given us the life and ministry of Jesus Christ to prove to us that He does not want us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. He wants us to give preference to one another in honor (Romans 12:3, 10, 16). A couple of catchphrases that have emerged within the Crossway Network that illustrate this value are, “we are all people in process”, and “we have the freedom to speak into one another’s lives.”

The true essence of humility is not to think less of yourself, but not thinking of yourself at all.

New Testament

Mark 10:41-45; John 3:30; John 15:5; Romans 12:3,10,16; 1 Corinthians 3:1-7; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Philippians 2:1-4; 1 Peter 2:21-23; 1 Peter 3:9; 1 Peter 5:1-4

Unit 3, Lesson 4

Unity: Moving Forward Together

EAGER FOR HARMONY

Leaders within The Crossway Network will seek to understand and embrace biblical principles of unity. They must honor one another in speech and be quick to forgive. With the scripture and its gospel message as the foundation, leaders and ministry teams must seek God’s wisdom in a spirit of love and deference.

New Testament

John 17:10-11; Acts 10; Acts 13:1-4; Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Ephesians 4:1-3, 29, 32; Philippians 2:1-4; 1 Timothy 5:19

Below you will find the lessons for discussion at our first meeting. As you will see, you can fill the forms out by hand (you may print them or get them from church) or you may fill out the digital form. If you need more time on the digital form, you can save it and return to it later.

The printable version is available here.

Unit 3, Lesson 5

Purposeful Investment: Developing Leaders

DEVELOPING PASSIONATE LEADERS

Just as Jesus chose and trained leaders to carry on the work of the gospel after his life on earth, so we seek to raise up passionate leaders who desire to follow hard after him. Paul followed the lead of Jesus and also chose men to partner with him (i.e. Silas, John Mark, Timothy, Luke, and Titus). He taught, trained, and sent them out to serve and lead churches.

OLD Testament

Exodus 18:17-27; Joshua 1:1-9

New Testament

Matthew 4:18-22; 5:1-7:29; 10:1-42; Mark 1:16-20; 2:14; 3:13-19; 6:6-13; 13:1-37; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-51; 13:1-17; 14:1-17:26, Acts 20:17-24, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8; 1Timothy 1:18-19; 2 Timothy 1:6-14; 2:1-2.

For broader study, see all of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus as a whole.

Lesson 3.6

EMPOWERMENT: Honoring One Another’s Gifts

FUELED BY ENCOURAGEMENT

Leaders are empowered and released for service with a dependent but “can-do mentality.” We must strive to spur one another on as Crossway Network leaders are unleashed for service within their areas of gifting and passion. We are committed to celebrating one another’s talents and gifts and will leave competition behind. We seek to be “relentlessly for one another.” There is also a never-ending commitment to develop more leaders to replace those who depart or are sent out.

New Testament

John 15:5, 16; Acts 8:1-4; 13:1-4; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11;2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Ephesians 2:10; 4:11-13; 2 Timothy 2:2; 1 Peter 2:9-10

Unit 3, LESSON 7

MISSIONAL LIVING – Leading by Example

DRIVEN BY GOD’S HEART

God’s heart is that all would believe and none would perish, so we are passionate about modeling and imparting a biblical urgency to call all people to repentance. Jesus, Paul, and the twelve apostles are our primary examples of missional living. With a heart of dependence, we endeavor as Crossway leaders to faithfully follow their example and impart their passion and God’s heart to all of those in our care.

Leading by example in missional living may involve hardship and suffering, but we are convinced that the urgency of the mission is worth any sacrifice God may call us to endure. We also believe that he will empower us for the same.

New Testament

Matthew 9:36-10:42; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-24; John 4:1-42 (especially v. 34-36); John 9:4; 17:4, 18; Acts 2:1-40; 10:23-48; 19:1-7, 2 Timothy 2:10, 2 Peter 3:9

Unit 3, LESSON 8

MULTIPLICATION – Church Planting Churches

DEDICATED TO STARTING NEW CHURCHES

As leaders on Jesus’ mission to make disciples we believe the best way the church fulfills its mission is through the intentional sending and starting of new churches. Every individual church, and local region of churches, seeks to plant new churches through sending teams of diversely gifted, and tested leaders, who have a heart to see many come to faith and healthy churches established.

New Testament

Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 8:1-8; Acts 9:31; Acts 11:19-26; Acts 13:1-4, 48-49; Acts 14:19-28; Acts 16:4-5, 18:22-23; Acts 19:1-10; Acts 20:27-28; Acts 28:30-31.

Also note specific references to the locations of churches in New Testament letters: 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; 1 & 2 Thessalonians 1:1; Revelation 2-3.