§ ANVIL & CROSS FOR CHURCHES

Disciple the
leaders.
Trust the work.

We provide the structure. You provide the shepherding.

A 7-week cohort for the founders, owners and executives in your congregation. Six pillars. Scripture-based. Designed to send your leaders back to you stronger — not to run programs through your church.

§ 01 / Why a Church CohortSHORTER · DEEPER · TOGETHER

Most marketplace ministries die in the planning meeting.

§ THE SHAPE
  • A pastor or elder leads.

    You know your people. We provide the bones and the rhythm.

  • The portal handles the rest.

    Journaling, AI coaching, and Scripture study happen online. This keeps the in-person meetings focused on the people.

  • Bring 8 leaders or 25.

    This works for a small leadership team or a large marketplace ministry.

§ 02 / The Six PillarsCOVERED IN ORDER

All six pillars. One per week. Then sent.

PILLAR 01
Faith

Christ as Lord. Repentance, confession, and the Spirit. The foundation for everything else.

PILLAR 02
Leadership

I lead myself first. Character under pressure, before anyone else follows.

PILLAR 03
Flourishing

Marriage, family, body, rhythms. Wholeness as a leader — married, single, divorced, widowed.

PILLAR 04
Enterprise

I build my business God's way — for Kingdom impact, not personal empire. Stewardship and generosity.

PILLAR 05
Community

Iron sharpens iron. The cord of three that keeps a leader honest.

PILLAR 06
Impact

I serve the Kingdom. Generosity in action, vision, and the legacy I'm actually leaving.

§ 03 / The Seven WeeksSCRIPTURE · TEACHING · PRACTICE

What each week looks like.

Same three beats every week — Scripture, teaching, shared practice. The pillar changes; the rhythm doesn't.

Open the seven weeks+
WEEK
1

Faith

Can God trust your soul? Repentance, confession, and a built rhythm with Him — the foundation He builds everything else on.

Scripture

Psalm 139:23–24, 1 John 1:9, and Mark 1:35. Honest prayer, repentance, and the rhythm of the Quiet Hour. Pastor or elder opens the Word.

Teaching

God doesn't entrust more to leaders who perform Christianity — He entrusts more to leaders who practice it. Why honesty, confession, and rhythm precede everything He gives you.

Practice / Sharing

Every leader takes the Compass in the portal — the honest baseline across all six pillars. Each leader writes one Honest Sentence each morning. The room shares one out loud, no fixing.

WEEK
2

Leadership

Can God trust you to lead yourself? Character under pressure, before He trusts you to lead anyone else.

Scripture

1 Timothy 4:7–8 and Proverbs 16:32. Train yourself to be godly; rule your own spirit before you rule a room.

Teaching

God doesn't hand authority to leaders who can't govern themselves. The private life is the qualifying exam for the public one.

Practice / Sharing

Name one area where your private life and your public leadership don't match. Bring it to the room. Pick one concrete next step.

WEEK
3

Flourishing

Can God trust you with your home and your body? Marriage, family, health, rhythms — the people and the temple He gave you first.

Scripture

Ephesians 5:25–33, Deuteronomy 6:4–9, and 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. Sacrificial love at home; the body as temple; faith handed down at the kitchen table.

Teaching

The home is the first stewardship test. If God can't trust you with the people across your kitchen table, He's not handing you more out there.

Practice / Sharing

Name one conversation owed to your spouse, child, or close friend — and one of the four leaks (sleep, food, movement, Sabbath). Have the conversation; close one leak for seven days. Pick your weekly REVIVE day — a 24-hour Sabbath off the wheel — and tell the room when it starts. It doesn't have to be Sunday.

WEEK
4

Community

Can God trust you in covenant? The triad — three leaders who keep you honest, because two collapses to agreement and four diffuses ownership.

Scripture

Proverbs 27:17, Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, and James 5:16. Sharpening, the threefold cord, and confessing to one another.

Teaching

Most marketplace leaders are surrounded by people and still alone. God grows leaders He can plant in a covenant room — not a network.

Practice / Sharing

Name your three. If you don't have three, the room helps you name a first call this week. Confess one thing you've been carrying alone.

WEEK
5

Enterprise

Can God trust you with the business? Stewardship, generosity, and getting honest about money — running the company like it's already His.

Scripture

1 Corinthians 10:31, 2 Corinthians 9:6–11, and 1 Timothy 6:9–10. Do it all for God's glory; grace-giving (cheerful, not transactional); refuse the love of money. Tithing handled as discipleship, not as a prosperity transaction.

Teaching

Owner vs. steward. God grows what He can trust you with — and the budget tells the truth your sermon won't.

Practice / Sharing

Pull last month's numbers. Mark the first gift. Share one money confession the room can pray over.

WEEK
6

Impact

Can God trust you with what comes next? Vision, generosity, and the legacy you're actually leaving — Kingdom, not empire.

Scripture

2 Corinthians 9:6–11, Habakkuk 2:2–3, and Proverbs 13:22. Cheerful generosity; write the vision plain; leave an inheritance to the children's children.

Teaching

A one-page 12-month picture and a named act of generosity prove He can trust you with the next decade. Drift proves He can't.

Practice / Sharing

Write a one-page vision for your life, family, and work in 12 months — including one concrete act of generosity. Read it to the room. Let them ask the hard question.

WEEK
7

Plant & Send · Mission

Can God trust you to send others? Refer, apply, go — the Compass closes the loop and opens the next door.

Scripture

Matthew 28:18–20 and 2 Timothy 2:2. The Great Commission, and entrusting what you've learned to faithful people.

Teaching

Mission isn't a future event — it's the proof God can trust you with more. Three doors open in Week 7: (1) Refer — name one person in your circle who needs this room and make the introduction. (2) Apply — leaders who feel the call can apply to run the next Church Cohort in their own ministry. (3) Go — twice a year Anvil & Cross runs a mission trip (service + discipleship). Cohort grads can apply to come on the next one.

Practice / Sharing

Each leader retakes the Compass and compares it to Week 1 — where God moved, where the gap still calls. Each leader writes one referral, one applied next step (facilitate / mission / 36-week course), and reads their plan to the room. The cohort prays. The facilitator sends them out.

§ 04 / What's IncludedPER CHURCH

Everything your facilitator needs.

  • 7 in-person meetings led by a facilitator (90–120 min each)
  • 12 months of full portal access for everyone
  • A private cohort thread for your church in the portal
  • Printable facilitator guide and weekly outlines
  • Ask Anvil (study companion) access between meetings
  • Journal and plan tools for every leader
  • An onboarding call with our team for your facilitator
  • Option to continue into the deeper 36-week program
§ 05 / Who It's ForFIT
LEADERSHIP GROUPS

The business leaders in your church. Give owners and operators a serious place to talk about the weight they carry.

ELDER & DEACON TEAMS

Leadership teams who want a shared language for faithful business before they advise others.

CHURCH STAFF

Pastoral staff handling budgets and teams. These business principles apply to the church too.

MARKETPLACE MINISTRIES

Existing business groups that want a structured 6-week start before going deeper.

§ 05.5 / Try One Night FirstHOST A FORGE TABLE

Not ready for 7 weeks? Host one night.

A Forge Table is a single 90-minute evening at your church — a dinner, the Compass walked together, one honest conversation, one prayer. No fee. No curriculum to teach. We send you the kit; your pastor or elder runs the room.

If the room asks for more, you go to the 7-week cohort. If not, you've still given your marketplace leaders one honest night they don't get anywhere else.

§ ONE NIGHT, INCLUDED
  • Facilitator script.

    One PDF. Pastor or elder reads it. No prep required.

  • The Compass.

    Every leader takes it on their phone. Six pillars, six minutes.

  • One honest question.

    The room shares one Honest Sentence. No fixing, no advice. Just heard.

  • An optional next step.

    If the room wants more — the 7-week cohort or the 36-week course. If not, you've still served them well.

§ 06 / After Week 7CONTINUE INTO THE 36-WEEK COURSE

The cohort is the on-ramp. Then three doors open.

Week 7 is not the end. Every leader retakes the Compass — and then chooses one of three next steps: go deeper into the 36-week course, train to facilitate the next cohort in your church, or apply for an Anvil & Cross mission trip.

The cohort thread stays open. The facilitator stays the facilitator. The room keeps walking — together.

§ THREE DOORS AFTER WEEK 7
  • 1. Go deeper — the 36-week course.

    The Week 7 Compass picks the pillar. Cohort rate carries over. Same room, deeper road.

  • 2. Train to lead — facilitator track.

    Grads who feel the call apply to facilitate the next cohort in your church. We train them in a 4-week facilitator intensive. The room multiplies.

  • 3. Go on mission — Refinery trip.

    Twice a year, grads can apply to join an Anvil & Cross mission trip — service plus discipleship, funded in part by the Refinery Fund.

§ 07 / INVESTMENT

By application —
partnership pricing.

Every church is different. Size, budget, and season all matter. Fill out the form and we’ll send a proposal for your context. We don’t want to price anyone out of this work.

§ 08 / APPLY

Apply for your church.

Tell us about your church and the leaders you’d bring through. We’ll get back to you in a few days.

Or email us: james@beunforgettable.me