LTC GO
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Although these were the last words of Jesus on earth, discipleship was by no means Christ’s last priority.
From the beginning of His ministry to the end, He was committed to building a small group to change the world. His discipleship was both mystical and methodical. Mystically, He prayed all night before building a small group. Methodically, He found faithful, available, teachable people whom others would follow. Mystically, He talked of a new heaven and a new earth. Methodically, He insisted world transformation comes from a small group focus as leaders disciple more leaders. The Apostle Paul summarizes this method of discipleship in 2 Timothy 2:2, “These things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
Going out and making disciples who go out and make more disciples is always connected. Leadership training produces more going, and going produces more leaders who will be trained. This Leadership Training Class (LTC GO) is meant to fulfill no less a purpose than the Great Commission of Jesus by teaching the convictions of Christianity (Phase 1) and the practics of how to make disciples (Phase 2).
Whether a Chi Alpha finds itself disconnected from campus and in need of something mobile, or needing to connect more pastorally with students and in need of training to outsource, it is our hope that LTC GO will be a blessing to campus ministry.
May this help you reconcile students to Christ, transforming the university, the marketplace, and the world.
Alex Rodriguez
National Training Director
Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, U.S.A.
Phase One: Convictions
Table of Contents
The Why
Lesson 1: The Heart of Discipleship by Eli and Mary Gautreaux
Real Devotion
Lesson 2: Mind in Love with God by Jason Bell
Lesson 3: Abide, Apostle, Abandon by Dick Brogden
Real Community
Lesson 4: Love by Eli Gautreaux
Lesson 5: Spiritual Friendship by Gina White
Lesson 6: Leadership Rights by Josh Moran
Real Responsibility
Lesson 7: “My Heart Christ’s Home” by Robert Munger
Lesson 8: Every Student Welcomes by Sevo Lwali
Lesson 9: Evangelism by Sarah Fletcher
Lesson 10: Find, Feed, Fight by Alex Rodriguez
The Why
Lesson 1: The Heart of Discipleship by Eli and Mary Gautreaux
Eli and Mary Gautreaux planted Chi Alpha at Sam Houston State University in 1992. This ministry has led to over 20 new Chi Alpha plants, and over 300 missionaries being sent out across the globe. In this lesson, they look at Mark 1:16-20 and Matthew 28 to explain the heart of discipleship is God’s plan to save the world.
Real Devotion
“No religion has ever been greater than its idea of God.”
– A.W. Tozer
What we think about God determines what we do and disregard for Jesus’ Name. This makes real devotion the first necessity of discipleship. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. These sessions are meant to inspire us to seek time with Jesus on purpose instead of finding Him on accident. We pray these sessions will lead to more prayer, worship, Bible reading, and good books.
Lesson 2: Mind in Love with God by Jason Bell
Jason Bell is the lead director at Sam Houston State University where he has served for 25 years. He takes every thought captive to Christ evidenced by every conversation he has leading to Jesus. In this lesson, Jason walks us through why and how to have a mind in love with God.
Lesson 3: Abide, Apostle, Abandon by Dick Brogden
Dick Brogden is a church planter with LiveDead and an author of numerous books, including “This Gospel.” In this lesson, he is speaking to Assemblies of God ministers from around the world at the 100th anniversary celebration of the movement. Mr. Brogden takes a look at John 15:5-7 to preach how abiding is spending extravagant time with Jesus. He explains abiding is accompanied with apostling the Church where it has not been built and abandoning comforts to serve Jesus through suffering.
Real Community
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Jesus preached the greatest commandment is to love the LORD with everything we have, and the second is like it, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39). The Apostle John writes how loving people is the sign to ourselves that we have passed from death in sin to life with Jesus (1 John 3:14). Jesus taught loving one another is the sign to the world we are His disciples (John 13:35). This makes real community essential to discipleship. Without love we are all lost. These sessions are meant to evoke Christ-likeness toward one another and all godliness entails.
Lesson 4: Love by Eli Gautreaux
In this lesson, Eli speaks about some of the characteristics of true, Godly love. By understanding this type of love, we can better learn to love one another.
Lesson 5: Spiritual Friendship by Gina White
Gina White is the Campus Missionary-in-Training Director for North Carolina State University, and the District Director for North Carolina. She speaks across the nation with a unique blend of candor and carefulness in her messages. In this lesson, Gina walks us through the meaning and necessity of spiritual friendship according to the biblical meanings of love and the nature of God Himself.
Lesson 6: Leadership Rights by Josh Moran
Josh Moran is one of the team leaders with Chi Alpha at James Madison University, and the Potomac District Director. He has been a leader worth following with a history of leading leaders. In this lesson, Josh explains the more leadership an individual receives the less rights they have. Using John 3:30, he teaches how leadership is not about what we gain, but what we can give to the Kingdom of God.
Lesson 7: “My Heart Christ’s Home” by Robert Munger
Robert Munger was a Presbyterian minister and professor at Fuller Theological seminary. Over 10 million people have been impacted by his sermons, including but not limited to “My Heart Christ’s Home.” Using Ephesians 3:16 and the power of allegory, Mr. Munger explains in six brief yet full pages the process of making one’s heart the LORD’s home. Through understanding Christ’s right to the heart, we will understand Christ’s rule as Lord of our lives.
“My Heart Christ’s Home” by Robert Munger
Lesson 8: Every Student Welcomes by Sevo Lwali
Sevo Lwali is the National XAi Director, the ambassador for international student ministry to Chi Alpha staff, students, and the church. This visionary leader has a dream of reaching 100,000 internationals in Chi Alpha. In this lesson, Sevo shares his personal story of being an international student from Kenya on an American campus. Using Leviticus 19:33-34, he advocates for every Chi Alpha student to use the gospel to take international students from friendship to leadership.
Lesson 9: Evangelism by Sarah Fletcher
Sarah Fletcher is a product of Chi Alpha. During her freshman year, some Chi Alpha girls moved her into her dorm. During that year, they introduced her to Jesus, she gave her life to the LORD, and has been sharing the gospel ever since. In this lesson, Sarah uses 1 Peter 4:14 and Luke 6:22-23 to unpack the practics of evangelism to create confidence in starting conversations that lead to Jesus.
Lesson 10: Find, Feed, Fight by Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez serves as the National Training Director for Chi Alpha. Beginning with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, he explains how discipleship is a proactive process of finding, feeding, and fighting for the lost lambs of God.
Phase Two: Practics
Table of Contents
Discipleship by Design
Chapters 1-12
Small Group Leader Podcast
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Discipleship by Design
“We must decide where we want our ministry to count—in the momentary applause of popular recognition or in the reproduction of our lives in a few chosen people who will carry on our work after we have gone. Really it is a question of which generation we are living for.”
– Robert E. Coleman
Dr. Harvey Herman is one of the founders of Chi Alpha, a ministry to which he has given over four decades of his life. He currently serves as the National Program Director of Chi Alpha, and originally wrote this manual to help answer the why and how of discipleship. This manual has helped advance the Kingdom of God over multiple decades, across multiple universities, and received several translations to reach multiple countries. Within the book, Dr. Herman uses the Bible to address discipleship principles, theological foundations of the discipleship process, and practices for actually building and leading a small group.
Six Wins of a Small Group Leader
The Small Group Leader Podcast is a resource from the National Chi Alpha Ministry Center. It is a podcast by small group leaders for small group leaders to be equipped and encouraged as they make disciples for Jesus. In these first six episodes, we will go through the six wins of a small group leader to look at the practices the best small group leaders do every day to make disciples who make disciples.
Episode 1: Win #1 – Daily Devotion to Jesus
Episode 2: Win #2 – Every Conversation Leads to Jesus
Episode 3: Win #3 – Be With Your Small Group Outside of Small Group
Episode 4: Win #4 – Honor People To Other People
Episode 5: Win #5 – Delegate Responsibility To Create Maturity
Episode 6: Win #6 – The Grit to Keep Going
Conclusion
Congratulations on completing LTC GO! We hope you feel more encouraged and more equipped to be a small group leader. Our prayer is for the convictions of real devotion, real community, and real responsibility to only grow stronger as you make disciples for Jesus this school year and beyond. Feel free to come back to this resource as many times as you need. May God bless you as you reconcile students to Christ, transforming the university, the marketplace, and the world.