Crossing J-Way System

The Jesus WayA Model for Discipleship : 

The Jesus WayA Model for Discipleship "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Is JWAY Necessary? : 

Is JWAY Necessary? One half of one percent of the world population is fulfilling the Great Commission. Lois LeBar, Education that is Christian, 27. “There are more churches on birth control than people…” C. Peter Wagner A church older than 10 years takes 89 attendees to reach one person for Christ.A church that is 3 to 10 years old takes 7 attendees to reach one person for Christ.A church that is 0 to 3 years old takes 3 attendees to reach one person for Christ. Bill Hull, Revival that Reforms, 41. Approximately 3,750 churches close each year in the USA, which is 72 per week… Michael D. Noel, Church Planting Voices, 16. Only 50% of the cities in America have enough church buildings to contain the harvest that would be brought in by an awakening that so many are praying for. (This is based on every existing church building being filled to capacity for two services.) Dave Olsen, The American Church Last year, there was a 15 percent decrease in church attendance. The American Church needs about 3,000 additional new churches planted each year in order to keep up with population growth. Dave Olsen, The American Church. Established churches grew by 0.0% in the decade. Church plants added 7.8%. However, population growth was 12.2%. Therefore, Established churches within the whole Christian church are declining. Dave Olsen, The American Church.

WHY JWAY? : 

WHY JWAY? For nearly ten years, we have witnessed the powerful transformation that occurs from the simple principles that Jesus modeled with his disciples while he was on earth. The countless comments on the fruit that others have seen in the lives of our interns prompted us to extend the principles to the broader context of a local church. Now, we are experiencing the same dramatic fruit of changed lives in the broader context of the Crossing, our local church. We have named this biblical system of discipleship the Jesus Way, or JWay Discipleship Method. Though this method is clearly outlined in Scripture and accessible to the entire Body of Christ, few experience the bounty of its presence. We have a passion to see the entire Body of Christ experience the joy, power, and fruitfulness of this kingdom reality. Just before Jesus ascended to take His place at the Father's right hand, He left the Church with a mandate that we know as The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20): Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We have been commissioned by our Lord to win the lost and to make disciples. How do we accomplish this task? Jesus showed us the way. He selected twelve men and he trained and mentored them to continue His mission when he was gone. Following the pattern established by Jesus, the apostle Paul became a spiritual father to a number of young men (“Timothy”) who emerged as leaders of the New Testament Church. We call this discipleship the Jesus Way. This is not just another new church growth strategy. It's a biblical lifestyle which focuses on developing “fathering” and “mothering” relationships which equip every believer to become a fruitful leader who can disciple others. It is perpetual leadership development.

What are the Benefits of JWAY? : 

What are the Benefits of JWAY? Intimacy: Nurtures submission, loyalty, and unity by presenting a healthy perspective on authority Love and Power: Draws unchurched people into community Equality and Diversity of Function: Facilitates deliverance and healing Provides a platform for men, women, and youth to be activated in their gifts Inheritance: Facilitates discipleshipServes as a Reality Check for Fruitfulness Multiplication: Serves as a Container for the Harvest Provides a “rite of passage” for leaders to be raised up

Counter-Culture Goals : 

Counter-Culture Goals Respond in faith for revival and harvest by preparing a suitable discipleship net (Jn 4:35-38) To faithfully steward souls through this net of equipping (healing) and discipleship (Mt 28:18-20) Encourage more widespread participation in ministry and leadership (I Tim 3:1, II Tim 2:15,Jms 2:14-22)(building ship at sea) Cultivate unity, each member of Body operating in his or her own gifting and calling (Eph 4:11-16, I Tim 4:13-16) Facilitate evangelism and a kingdom culture (Mt 6:9-13, Mk 1:15)

The Discipleship Process : 

The Discipleship Process Isaiah 61 presents a tremendous discipleship process: restoration, relationship, and reproduction. RESTORATION New believers are added to the church through personal evangelism, JWay groups, Encounter weekends, and church services. There is a genuine hunger for deliverance and healing. CONSOLIDATION New believers and new members are both connected to the church through the consolidation process. Members of the consolidation team are assigned to new believers or new members who help them enroll in a weekly JWAY group and register them to attend one of our quarterly Encounter Retreats. Following the retreat, they are encouraged to attend a ten-week new believers' class we call the Post-Encounter. RELATIONSHIP Upon completion of the consolidation process, the new disciple enrolls in the School of Leaders, which consists of three trimesters of leadership development. At the close of the second trimester, students open their own evangelistic JWAYs. REPRODUCTION As the disciple progresses through each level of the School of Leaders, he or she has certain goals of fruitfulness to put into action what has been learned about making disciples. Growth in leadership is evidenced by bringing others through the discipleship process and developing more leaders. begins his own JWAY and begins the process of developing new believers, taking them through each step of the discipleship process.

The JWAY Vision : 

The JWAY Vision A vision to foster organic, Christ-centered community where people may experience genuine restoration and relationship with God and others in order to become active disciples who out of intimacy with God, express their own unique design and reproduce disciples who will demonstrate the Kingdom of God on earth. Simply put… To fulfill the Great Commission

Elements of Vision : 

Elements of Vision JWAY Group- meeting weekly in two groups: one to be discipled and one to disciple Weekly Celebration- weekly corporate gatherings of Spirit-led worship, preaching and personal ministry Encounter- a weekend retreat during the beginning of involvement for repentance, healing, and empowerment Leadership Development- a four-phase training process preparing the believer to be a leader through truth and the power of the Holy Spirit

The J Way Group : 

The J Way Group The JWay group is a small relational weekly gathering that incorporates the dynamics of Acts 2:42: breaking of bread, fellowship, apostles’ doctrine (weekly lesson), and prayer. It is a critical time to encourage one another in life and Kingdom service and foster growth. Men and women are separated to more effectively facilitate growth and participation.

The Encounter : 

The Encounter The encounter is an intense experience with the truth and power of God where one receives understanding of sin and the Cross, deliverance from addiction and bondages, forgiveness and healing in areas of hurt and pain, baptism in the Holy spirit, and vision for discipleship and the harvest.Encounters transform lives no matter how long a person has been a Christian. Freedom, joy, and vision are evident fruits of the weekend that serve as the impetus of commitment to the rigor of leadership development.

Post Encounter : 

Post Encounter Post Encounter facilitates consolidation to process the Encounter Experience and secure the dramatic lifestyle change. The ten-week course covers themes including the Exchanged Life, Lordship of Jesus, Abiding in Christ, Living in the Word, Faith and Obedience, Water Baptism, Prayer, Friendship with God, Walking in the Spirit’s Power, and Sharing Jesus with Others. Classes include prayer, discussion, teaching, ministry and impartation.

School of Leaders 1 : 

School of Leaders 1 This first level of leadership development involves building a Christian worldview in the disciple of Jesus. This phase uses Truth Project, a video series which nurtures the ability to look at life from a biblical perspective. The journey challenges all aspects of life from philosophy and science to labor and government with the great truths of Scripture. As with the other phases, truth is accompanied with Holy Spirit power through vision casting, prayer, and impartation.

School of Leaders 2 : 

School of Leaders 2 This second phase focuses on the making of a fruitful leader. The disciple is challenged to be a vendor of vision and call others to a life of faith, love, joy, and fruitfulness. Special emphasis is given to understanding community and the role of the leader in cultivating it through relationship building, discipleship, and vision.

School of Leaders 3 : 

School of Leaders 3 This final phase of leadership development prepares the disciple to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit by nurturing essential skill sets and ministry giftings. Themes include effective pastoring, healing and deliverance, biblical counseling, consolidation, teaching, gifts of the Spirit, and world evangelism.

The JWAY Process : 

The JWAY Process Pray for 3 new people Establish 1 new person in JWAY Establish 3 new person in JWAY Start a new JWAY group with 3 people

Launching Process : 

Launching Process Model a Tender, Teachable Heart Testify of Your Personal Transformation Establish Sense of Urgency for Change Pray and Fast for Encounter

Frequently Asked Questions : 

Frequently Asked Questions Why was the Crossing established? It was launched by Shawn Foster and the YouthStorm team in hope that a broader expression could experience the joys of, community, purpose and power. The vision has been made clear from the beginning: to foster organic, Christ-centered community where people may experience genuine restoration and relationship with God and others in order to become active disciples who, out of intimacy with God, express their unique design and reproduce other disciples who will demonstrate the Kingdom of God on earth. Is this a hierarchical/pyramidal structure of leadership? No, its an upside down pyramid– those with the greatest capacity to lead/serve, carry the most responsibility. Authority and decision making correlate to the degree of commitment, faithfulness, and fruitfulness. Does this strategy involve leadership by one man or an entire leadership team? Every believer is a leader. The Crossing is led by a leadership team who shares the responsibility to equip and empower other leaders. Mt 28:18-, How will leaders be chosen in the future? Through the same biblical process of relationship, testing and faithfulness. Leaders will demonstrate a willingness to participate in the process and bear fruit! Isn’t Jesus our only authority? Why does this structure incorporate submission and learning through humans? The Bible is very clear: Jesus establishes his authority and government through humans. From the days he walked on earth to the days that will come after his return, Jesus has chosen to partner with humans in governing His kingdom and accomplishing His purposes. Even in the New Testament, where all are called to be priests and kings, God demonstrates a consistent and indisputable structure of authority and government through humans so that His people may be equipped and activated to fulfill His purposes. (Eph 4, Rom 13, I Pet 5, Heb 13:17) With such structure, does this new approach facilitate being led by the Spirit? Structure is a very important part of the Kingdom. It facilitates greater spontaneity. It enables all, not just the articulate and gifted, to grow progressively into a place of leadership by the Spirit and fruitfulness. Structure is our means for growth, our container for stewardship, and our tutor training us for the spontaneity of sonship. Why separate men and women, husbands and wives? Grouping people this way facilitates more effective and focused ministry. It is more compatible with Scriptural protocol on older believers mentoring younger ones of the same gender. It also strengthens marriages by developing each spouse so that the couple will be stronger together. Why do groups have to use the same lessons each week? Using the same lessons facilitates unity within the movement and ensures a balanced diet of teaching. Members are able to grow together through sharing similar truth and experience. Since JWay becomes the vehicle for feeding the flock, Sunday celebration services may be reserved for vision casting, encouragement, and prophetic exhortation.