At the Exponential Global Conference, Ashley Stegaman introduced opportunities at Stadia for learning about raising future church leaders and offered resources for church multiplication. Heidi Tandy outlined new church leader competencies, focusing on gospel, cultural, relational, and entrepreneurial competences foundational to starting diverse and resilient churches. Panelists Josh Travis, Sam Chaco, and Betsy Spring emphasized the sacredness of guiding potential leaders, discussing practical experiences and the importance of resilience, with testimonies highlighting the impact of the process on personal growth and marital health. The recommended practice is a lengthy development runway with residencies to prevent premature church launches and ensure holistic readiness. Attendees were encouraged to consider Stadia's process for comprehensive development plans, factoring in team assessments to foster unity and understanding among co-leaders. For pastors seeking to implement learnings in their churches, the talk underscored fostering competencies in aspiring leaders and promoting a culture of intentional discipleship with a focus on relational engagement and cultural adaptability—key for making disciples who make disciples and church multiplication.

Title: Aligning Church Leadership with Disciple Making and Multiplication

Subtitle 1: The Role of Stadia in Leadership Development and Church Multiplication

• Stadia's focus includes raising the next generation of leaders and assisting church leaders in fulfilling their vocations through resources and support.
• "We want to give away all of the resources, tools we have open-handedly."
  • Application: Pastors can seek out partnerships with organizations like Stadia for webinars and leadership training to invest in raising future leaders within their church.

Subtitle 2: Identifying and Fulfilling the Calling

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of church leaders being called to a people and a place, not just planting a church.
• The 'calling' centers around who they will serve and where, indicating a need for connection and purpose beyond just starting a church.
• "If it takes all kinds of churches to serve all kinds of people...then it takes all kinds of leaders to start all kinds of churches to serve all kinds of people."
  • Application: Pastors should identify and foster a variety of leadership styles within their congregation, recognizing and affirming diverse callings in aligning with disciple-making.

Subtitle 3: Competencies Required for New Church Leaders

1. Gospel Competence

   • Vibrant faith and articulation of the gospel as the foundation.
   • Application: Pastors must ensure that leaders are deeply rooted in the gospel and able to communicate it effectively in various settings.

2. Cultural Competence

   • Awareness of one's own culture and the ability to engage with others' cultural contexts.
   • Application: Encourage leaders to understand their cultural background and develop cultural humility towards others.

3. Relational Competence

   • Demonstrating social and emotional health in relationships, enabling conflict navigation.
   • Application: Promote relational skills within leadership teams, emphasizing emotional intelligence and conflict resolution.

4. Entrepreneurial Competence

   • Ability to cast vision, motivate, and demonstrate resilience.
   • Application: Cultivate entrepreneurial skills in leaders to innovate and adapt in disciple-making and church planting efforts.

Subtitle 4: Recommendations for Potential Planters

• The process encourages "hitting the brakes" by providing a development plan, ensuring preparedness prior to church planting.
• This approach aligns with fostering long-term commitment and avoiding burnout.
• Application: Implement a comprehensive evaluation and coaching process for aspiring planters to solidify their readiness and support their journey.

Subtitle 5: The Importance of Resilience and Health in Church Planting

• The psychological and emotional health of the church leader is a key factor in church planting and disciple-making.
• Stories from candidates highlight the role of resilience in overcoming personal adversity.
• Application: Provide support structures for church leaders to maintain mental and emotional well-being, reinforcing their capacity for disciple-making.

Subtitle 6: Assessing Cultural Competency

• Utilizing tools like the Culture Map to understand cultural differences and how they influence leadership styles.
• Application: Use assessments to help church leaders recognize their cultural biases and adapt their ministry to serve a diverse community effectively.

Subtitle 7: Ensuring the Right Team Dynamics

• The significance of having all team members undergo a comprehensive process to ensure unity and clarity of role.
• Application: Encourage pastors to bring entire leadership teams through training and assessment processes for cohesion in purpose and approach to disciple-making.

• Stadia webinar with Erin and Hannah Barnett from Generation Distinct on multiplying the next generation of leaders within the church: No specific link provided, but audience may find it at Generation Distinct's website or contact Stadia for information.
• Stadia's vision trips for church multiplication: No specific link provided, but flyers were available on the table at the event, and attendees were encouraged to speak with Ashley Stegaman for more information.
• Stadia's discovery process for new church leaders: No direct link, refer to Stadia's website or contact their team for details.
• The Apex assessment for spiritual gifts: No link provided, potentially an internal tool used by Stadia.
• Prepare and Enrich marriage assessment tool: (https://www.prepare-enrich.com)
• The Art of Neighboring book by Jay Pathik: (https://www.artofneighboring.com/book)
• Mighty Networks platform: Used by Stadia for their process, but not a direct link to a specific Stadia network. Refer to (https://www.mightynetworks.com) for the general website.
• Culture Map by Erin Meyer: Used for cultural competency assessment (https://www.erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/)
• The brief resilience scale: Part of Stadia's psychological evaluation, no direct link provided.
• Generation Distinct: (https://www.generationdistinct.com/)
• Exponential Conference, where Francis Chan spoke: (https://exponential.org/)
• The Vineyard Church: (https://vineyardusa.org/) (context suggests they influenced some of Stadia's processes)

Please note that since no specific URLs for Stadia's resources or internal tools were provided in the transcript, attendees would need to contact Stadia directly for more information or access to these resources.

• Question 1: How can we create environments that foster affirmative discernment of an individual's calling within our church community?
  • Context: Consider reflecting on ways in which your church currently supports individual callings and identify where there might be gaps or a need for improvement.
• Question 2: In what ways can our church leadership model resilience in disciple-making while navigating hardships or setbacks?
  • Context: Reflect on past challenges your church has faced and discuss the coping mechanisms and spiritual practices that helped the leadership and congregation to persevere.
• Question 3: How can we better equip our members to recognize and cultivate their gospel competencies, particularly in communicating and living out the gospel in diverse cultural contexts?
  • Context: Discuss the current methods of teaching and exemplifying the gospel in your church, identifying any cultural assumptions that may be present and potentially limiting.
• Question 4: What processes and systems can we establish that effectively identify and develop potential leaders' entrepreneurial competencies within our disciple-making framework?
  • Context: Consider current and past leaders developed within your church and identify the traits and competencies that have been most influential in their leadership and disciple-making abilities.
• Question 5: As a church focusing on multiplication, what strategies can be adopted to ensure new church plants are not just transfer growth but are genuinely reaching and discipling the unchurched?
  • Context: Examine the outreach and evangelistic efforts of your church and any church plants associated with your community to identify effective and ineffective strategies.