Equipping Marketplace Leaders in Your Church

The session begins with an overview of the focus: practical strategies for equipping marketplace leaders in the church to integrate faith and work, live missionally, and disciple others in their daily environments. The speaker, Ryan Casera from RightNow Media, shares his personal background and the goals of their ministry, emphasizing the importance of discipleship beyond just Sunday services.

Ryan discusses the broad scope of RightNow Media’s resources, including their core Bible Study library, and special initiatives like RightNow Media at Work, which partners with businesses to foster Christian leadership in the workplace, and the annual conference in Dallas. The new 'Pastors Plus' subscription, providing seminary-quality leadership content for pastors and church staff, is highlighted as a key tool for leadership development. Ryan also emphasizes the global reach of RightNow Media.

Testimonies from various users, including a volunteer from Myanmar and a church leader, illustrate how RightNow Media's resources are being utilized in different contexts such as small group studies, family discipleship, outreach, and personal spiritual growth. The importance of digital and virtual small groups, especially highlighted during COVID, is discussed as an effective way to maintain disciple-making efforts and connect geographically dispersed congregants.

The session reviews data from Barna indicating that while small groups are vital to church life, many congregants remain unconnected. Barriers like busyness and scheduling conflicts are acknowledged, but there's an emphasis on digital solutions to bridge these gaps. Ryan stresses the importance of training small group leaders and vetting curriculum content to ensure doctrinal soundness and alignment with church values.

Ryan introduces new Bible studies in the 'Essentials of Faith' series aimed at foundational Christian teachings suitable for all maturity levels, including new believers. The resources are mapped out for a three-year discipleship pathway. Discussions include the value of revisiting core doctrines regardless of one's spiritual maturity, and how these tools can serve both individual and group learning. Additional resources like books, eBooks, assessments, and events aimed at disciple-making are also promoted.

The session concludes with Ryan encouraging church leaders to promote and utilize RightNow Media’s resources extensively, emphasizing the need for ongoing leadership training, engaging content, and community building through digital discipleship tools. The importance of making disciples who make disciples is reinforced as the ultimate mission.