423 Leadership

Home-grown leaders • safety • integrity • long-road formation

We do not import leaders. We raise them up from within.

Leadership Onboarding

423 leadership is stewardship: protecting safety, guiding process, and helping people move from secrecy to integrity. Leaders are not perfect—they are disclosed, accountable, and committed to a long road of formation.

Take the Readiness Assessment Read the Agreement

In 423, leadership is “from alongside,” not “from above.” You’re helping hold a room where people can be witnessed, disruptions can be named, and healing can take root through community and discipleship.

Welcome to 423 Leadership

A short orientation to posture, purpose, and how we protect the room.

Vision and Purpose

Leadership in 423 is servant-style pastoral care: holding a structured, compassionate space where people can tell the truth, be witnessed without fixing, and grow into a life of integrity over time.

Pillar 01

Home-grown leadership

Leaders are raised up from within the same recovery journey.

423 leaders are not “imported” experts. They are men and women who entered through the same doors as everyone else and have learned to live disclosed. This creates credibility without performance—leaders can say, “I know this road,” while still remaining humble, accountable, and under care themselves.

Pillar 02

Process over performance

We value safety, structure, and formation more than polish.

Leadership is not a stage. It is the long obedience of showing up, protecting confidentiality, guiding the weekly rhythm, and keeping the room grounded when emotions rise. Leaders are “qualified” by integrity—by the willingness to be real, to receive coaching, and to choose the slower path of growth when shortcuts appear.

Pillar 03

Discipleship and repair

We help people move from secrecy to repair—over time.

The goal is not just behavior management; it is heart-level transformation. Leaders help members identify patterns, practice confession, and build healthier attachment—so marriages, families, and churches can heal. This is deeply rewarding, but it requires sober-mindedness: strong boundaries, wise referrals, and a commitment to protect the vulnerable.

Leadership Roles and Team Rhythm

Roles provide clarity and sustainability. Hover to expand each role. All leaders remain in ongoing support and development.

Role

Co-Leader

Shares responsibility for meetings and group health.

Co-leaders protect the weekly rhythm: start/end on time, keep the group on-topic, and ensure members are witnessed. Co-leaders do not teach like a classroom—rather, they facilitate discussion, ask open-ended questions, and guard emotional safety. Co-leaders also coordinate with 423 leadership and (when applicable) the host church, keeping communication healthy and proactive.

Role

Support Leader

Trains into leadership and can step in when needed.

Support leaders are the bench that keeps groups stable. They learn the meeting flow, practice facilitation skills, and join the leadership team rhythm so transitions are never abrupt. Support leadership is not “lesser”—it is often the wisest first step for new leaders, allowing deeper formation before carrying the full weekly responsibility of co-leading.

Team

423 Leadership Team

Ongoing development, alignment, and support (typically monthly).

Leadership team meetings exist to prevent isolation, drift, and burnout. Leaders receive updates, training, and coaching around group dynamics, confidentiality, escalation pathways, and relational safety. This is also the place leaders can be supported when life gets heavy—so “stepping aside for self-focus and healing” is normal and restorative, not shaming.

Leadership Readiness Assessment

Answer honestly. This is a readiness and support guide—not a diagnosis. Your results will affirm your desire to lead and highlight areas to watch as you step into care for others.

Readiness Snapshot

32 prompts • 5-point scale • Auto-advances as you answer

Not started

Category: — Question — of —

Click “Begin” to start the assessment.

How we interpret this

This helps clarify best-fit role, training focus, and needed supports.

You can be called to lead and still need support. This assessment is designed to remove confusion—not add pressure. Some leaders start as support leaders first. Some leaders apply and we build a development plan alongside them. In all cases, our aim is to protect the room: confidentiality, safety, healthy boundaries, and sustainable leadership.

If your results highlight instability, boundary strain, or inconsistent recovery rhythms, that is not a disqualifier—it’s a signal. It helps us place you wisely, strengthen your support, and keep leadership from becoming an unsustainable burden.

Background Check and Application

All 423 leaders complete a background check to protect the community and honor leadership responsibility.

Step 01

Background check

Complete the secure background check process (reviewed per policy).

Start background check

This protects the vulnerable, strengthens trust with partner churches, and supports clear safety standards for leadership.

Step 02

Leadership application

Submit your application so we can understand your story and best-fit role.

Read agreement

After you apply

Schedule a leadership intake with Joel Warneking

This intake confirms fit, support needs, training focus, and placement timing.

Schedule leadership intake

Step 03

Placement and development

After review, we confirm next steps: training, leader rhythm, and group placement plan.

Email questions

We aim for sustainable leadership: clear boundaries, consistent recovery rhythms, and a role that fits your season.

Leader Standards and Agreement

Leadership is stewardship. Read carefully before applying.

1) Posture: leadership is not a pulpit

423 leadership is facilitative rather than didactic. Leaders do not lecture, preach, or use the group as a platform. The leader’s responsibility is to protect the process: keep the group on-topic, cultivate safety, and help members engage.

I will facilitate discussion rather than teach at people.
I will avoid political, doctrinal, or controversial debates unrelated to healing and integrity.
I will lead with humility, compassion, and clear boundaries.

2) Integrity and disclosure

Leaders are qualified, not perfect. Leaders are expected to live disclosed—quick to tell the truth, open to correction, and committed to ongoing formation. If I fall seriously below my sobriety or emotional health line, I will pursue support and step aside when needed for self-focus and healing.

3) Safety, confidentiality, and wise escalation

Confidentiality is essential to trust. I will protect member stories, avoid casual disclosure, and follow 423 escalation pathways when safety concerns arise. I understand leadership may involve measured anonymity within church partnership.

Schedule leadership intake Email questions