The concept of an equpping team has come to us from Ephesians 4, which says "some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ¹⁴We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16 NRSV)

From this passage we are convinced that a key function of preaching and teaching is to equip all believers to do the work of the ministry and see them brought to maturity. Ministry is defined as the circle of influence you have in which to advance the kingdom and tell the story of what God has done in your life. Maturity is defined by becoming like Christ in your convictions, conduct, and character.

In many ministries, the clergy are placed in an elevated postion within the church. While we do believe it is wise to honor those who work in the church, we do not draw a distiction between the individual who attends and the individual who speaks. We believe that all believers are ministers. Individual expression of ministry comes in a variety of vocations and situations. We do not see a teaching gift or being a member of the staff as being of higher importance than the work of a stay-at-home mom, or work done in the marketplace. We can sum up our thoughts in this matter by quoting Martin Luther who said "The works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the women going about her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone". (The Call OS Guinness Page 34-35) We believe that our primary calling as followers of Christ is to live by Him, and for Him. First and foremost we are called to a person (God), not to a thing (a religion or occupation) or to a place (the inner city or outer Mongolia). With this in mind, our secondary calling takes form. That calling is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live and act entirely for Him. As a result every part of our lives becomes a platform for ministry.

Currently our Equipping team is made up of three individuals. Allow us introduce them.

Tony FitzgeraldApostle	Tony Fitzgerald is the Founder of Church of the Nations International. Tony and his wife Marilyn live in Richmond, Virginia. Tony and Marilyn travel extensively to visit the church family on a regular basis and fill an apostolic role for the ministry; providing support, counsel and direction to the equipping team and the elders. As a result of Tony's father's heart he is often referred to as "Dad".
Mike MorganEquipping Team Leader	Mike has been planted at Bykota since 1974 at the age of 12. In 1979, Mike became the Worship Leader and functioned in this role for the next 25 years. During this time, Mike was ordained as an elder in 1986 and served in this position overseeing the body of Bykota until 2002. Mike graduated from Missouri Southern State University in 1985 with a B.S. in Marketing and Management. During this time, Mike was a self-employed manufacturers' representative. In 2002, Mike assumed the position of Equipping Team Pastor and began leading the whole of Bykota Ministries. Mike is married to Mary. Mary is a stay at home mom and home-schools their 2 children, Michael and Meredith. Mike and the Equipping Team's vision is to see every person who is planted at Bykota Ministries actively advancing the Kingdom of God in their every day life supported by a structure that encourages, equips, and releases the individual in this pursuit.
Michael BanesEquipping Team Member	Michael has been involved with Bykota since September of 1988 when he came on staff as an associate. Michael graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1980 and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1983. In 1991 Michael became the equipping team leader until handing that role over to Mike Morgan in 2002. Michael continues to serve the ministry through the roles of administrator, and equipping team teacher. Additionally, Michael is a firefighter and department chaplain for the Redings Mill Fire Protection District. Michael is married to Cathy. Cathy is a Nurse Practioner and works with two cardiologists at Freeman Health Systems. Michael and Cathy have two children, Callen and Katelyn.