The following is a guest blog post by Devin Turner, Lead Pastor of Revolution Church in Washington, DC and CEO of Disciples Thru Media. Devin is one of our 50+ speakers at the Exponential Regionals this fall:
I’ve been blessed to serve in full-time ministry for 12 years (7 years as a Youth Pastor of Zion Church /Merge Youth Ministry in Landover, Maryland and 5 years as Lead Pastor of Revolution Church in Washington, DC). During these years, I’ve had the honor and privilege to develop many disciples of Christ. One particular disciple of Christ who stands out to me the most is a young man named Stephawn Lindsay.
When I first met Stephawn, he was a 19 year old local celebrity in the go-go music scene (a very popular music genre based in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area). He had just given his life to Christ and came to the youth ministry that I was co-leading. He told me that he wanted to serve Christ and no longer live a life of sexual immorality, drug use, and overall rebellion against the will of God.
Right after our conversation, I connected him with another young man that I had walked in discipleship with for many years, named Terrence Newman, who was just a year older than Stephawn. These two young men began to not only become accountability partners, but later lead a gospel go-go band that produced Christ-centered music all over the Washington, D.C. area. Together, they used their passion for Christ and talents in music to help lead many young people to salvation.
But Stephawn’s story doesn’t end there. Stephawn was, and still is, a persistent disciple of Christ who constantly called me and wanted to come over my house to study the Bible and gain insight on life lessons. We would hang out, go over hermeneutics & homiletics, go grocery shopping, play games at Dave and Busters, change his car tire… you name it and we probably did it as we shared life in an authentic brother-in-Christ relationship.
Later in life, I talked with Stephawn about his decision to marry his wife Esha, and I was honored to help him join the youth ministry staff of Zion Church. The young man that came to Christ in the youth ministry was now leading in that same youth ministry.
A year after Stephawn joined the youth ministry staff, I resigned as a youth pastor of Zion Church to plant Revolution Church. Shortly after this, Stephawn prayed with his wife and believed that God wanted them to help my wife, Lenneil, and I plant Revolution Church. Together the 4 of us lead interest meetings, outreaches and they helped us in the early years with giving leadership and oversight to ministry teams at Revolution Church. Stephawn would also come on Sundays and preach sermons when I needed a break from preaching.
Stephawn now serves as the youth pastor of Zion Church in Landover, MD and is thriving as a husband and father of two awesome little boys. I’m blessed to have been a part of his journey!
Special Invitation from Devin
Devin Turner is one of over 50 speakers at the Exponential Regional conferences this fall. Join Devin and others at the Washington, DC regional conference!
Hero Maker Conferences
Hero Maker is the theme for Exponential 2018. The theme focuses on the shift from being the hero to coming alongside others for them to become the heroes in our church’s unfolding story. At each conference, we will unpack the 5 essential practices for leaders to multiply leaders: multiplication thinking, permission giving, disciple multiplying, gift activating, and kingdom building.
| 5 Main Sessions | 10+ Speakers | FREE Equipping Labs |
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Regional Conference Locations
- Washington, DC: September 10-11
- Southern California: October 2-4
- Bay Area: October 22-23
- Houston: October 24-25
- Chicago: November 6-7
- New York City: December 5-6
To learn more and to register for any of the 2018 Hero Maker conferences, click here.
