423 Leadership

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

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

Leadership Onboarding

Thank you for considering stepping into leadership within a 423 Community. You are joining hundreds of other men and women who once entered our groups for help, who are now entrusted to help others in the same journey towards healing. A 423 Leader is not chosen because they are perfect, but because they have responded to God’s invitation to live as ministers of reconciliation—helping others move from sexual bondage into intimacy with Christ and healthy connection with others. They are real, transparent, and authentic in their own pursuit of healing. They lead not from a pedestal but from alongside, reflecting the gentle and lowly nature of Jesus, guiding others through grace, presence, and truth. This call is both a privilege and a responsibility: to keep growing personally, to faithfully serve others, and to embody the mission of 423 Communities in every dark corner where God sends us.

Take the Readiness Assessment Read the Agreement

Welcome to 423 Leadership

A short orientation to the leadership community

The Call of Leadership

A Minister of Reconciliation You are not merely facilitating a group; you are standing as an ambassador of Christ in a room of men longing for hope. You declare with your words, your presence, and your story that reconciliation with God is possible—that freedom from sexual bondage is not only a dream but a reality in Christ.
Pursuing Personal Recovery A 423 Leader lives with transparency and honesty. You are on the same road as the men or women you serve—still learning, still battling, still discovering new layers of freedom. What sets you apart is not perfection but posture. You lean forward into your own recovery.
Gentle & Lowly Many arrive burdened with shame, fear, and self-condemnation. A 423 Leader meets them with safety and welcome. Gentleness listens more than it lectures; lowliness serves rather than dominates. Your posture is invitational: “Come as you are. There is grace here. You belong.”
A Call to Give Back Leadership is gratitude in action. God has poured grace and healing into your life—not just for you, but for others. You become a conduit of hope by showing up consistently, sharing what you’ve received, and walking with others in their hardest moments.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 rhythm.

Team

423 Leadership Team

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

Leadership team meetings prevent isolation, drift, and burnout. Leaders receive updates, training, and coaching around group dynamics and escalation pathways.

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

Fill out application

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

Read agreement

This helps us understand your recovery posture, leadership readiness, and the supports needed to protect the room.

Step 02

Submit request for background check

After submitting your application, request your background check link via email.

Email background request

We use background checks as a safety standard to protect the vulnerable, strengthen trust with partner churches, and uphold integrity in leadership.

Step 03

Schedule a leadership intake call with Joel Warneking

This intake confirms fit, support needs, and training focus as you step into leadership.

Schedule leadership intake

Come prepared to share where you are in recovery, what kind of leadership role you’re considering, and what support structures you currently have in place.

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