Casting the Nets

Casting the Nets
Jesus first met some of His disciples mending their nets. They were fishermen, but Jesus said, "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
As they obeyed that command Jesus spent the next three years equipping them for the work of catching, cleaning and gathering a different kind of 'fish'. So down through the ages this work has gone on. And the picture of the net is an abiding one. With it we catch the fish of today - men, women and children in need of the life He offers.

The G12 Vision also uses nets, both to catch these fish and also to develop them to become like Jesus. The basic work is done in the cells, but the cells must come together in the celebration services on Sunday. There is more to church life than the cell. New believers are presented to the whole body of Christ of which they have just become a part. The celebration services are splendid way of expressing the joy of people coming to Christ and finding their place in the body of Christ.

Gathering the groups
But there is also another part of the strategy that we call 'The Nets'. These are the gathering of the different homogeneous cells. They take place weekly or monthly. The principle purpose of these Nets is evangelism, spiritual warfare, prayer, celebration and vision. When the cells get together it is like the troops assembling. All the little companies gather in their battalions and begin to think, feel and act corporately. They are part of the greater army of God and must fill their function.

This level of coroporate gathering is essential. Those who make commitments to Christ in the cells need to confirm their decision publicly and discover the wider family of God. Such gatherings are powerful times of prayer and intercession, making spiritual warfare central. Spiritual forces are routed and God's victory is stamped on the spiritual atmosphere. And because the Nets are homogeneous, the focus remains steady.

Building unity
During the net meetings the vision is held up once again and people are made fresh in their determination to fulfil it. There is an opportunity for fine-tuning and repairing the breaches. Issues are addressed corporately and everyone hears the same thing at the same time building stronger and stronger unity.

But one of the greatest purposes of the Nets is to bring everyone together to praise and celebrate the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing like going to a big meeting where Jesus is being glorified by those who are fighting shoulder to shoulder in the trenches. When we come together we encourage each other in the fight and learn to stand strong in the battle.

The Nets can grow very large. It doesn't take long for the multiplication to reach into the thousands. The process begins with a single cell, but it soon grows to 12 and then those 12 will reach another 12 and so you have 144. That process repeats and you have 1,728. Once more and you have 20,736. MCI, in Bogota, passed that point in the number of cells in the year 2000.

A net to catch fish
Imagine a youth group so large that they have to be banned from coming to the regular church meetings on a Sunday because there is not enough room for them. Picture a whole stadium filled with men committed to becoming the kind of husbands, fathers and men of God He called them to be. Think of the women meeting in the largest auditoria in the city proclaiming deliverance for the city. All this is possible through the G12 net meetings.

During these meetings the net is cast so that the lost can be saved. The Spirit of Salvation is poured out and hundreds make commitments. And they do so in the presence of a people ready to receive them. The consolidation process begins right away and disciples are made. The Net meetings are a very powerful means of winning people to Christ. When these Nets start to operate in the City salvation will not be far away.
By Colin Dye

The Power of Homogeneous Groups

The Power of Homogeneous Groups
The G12 vision works through homogeneous cell groups. This means the cells are organised into several different nets: the men's network, the women's network the couples', youth and childrens' networks.
There are a number of keys to understanding how and why this works so well.

Key # 1: The vision is often presented as running the cells along the homogenous principle. But we must understand that to mean we are running these ministries (men's, women's, youth e.t.c.) through the cell principle.
Three main facts help us grasp the importance of homogeneous groups:
1. The Church is a family.

2. Each member has special interests, needs and concerns.

3. Each group is best equipped to reach and disciple others like themselves.

This means that men are best equipped to reach out and disciple men, women best reach women, and so on. We are no strangers to the homogeneous principle. In KT/LCC we have developed along kinship lines and have used the homogeneous principle in planting churches. Many groups are naturally organised that way - for example, the ethnic and language-based churches. But we have also stressed the need for the corporate expression of the body.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands (Revelation 7:9)
We see aspects of culture redeemed and glorified in heaven! But these distinctions are not barriers between people. Rather, they form the diversity that enhances the unity. We are the richer together when we receive one another and the diversity that brings.

Key # 2: We are one body, one family and one church. But our unity does not mean we always must do the same thing, at the same time, in the same way in the same place!
A family must regularly come together as a family, but there will be times when the children are doing one thing, the teens are doing something else and the mother is engaged in something else and so on. We must always remember that our primary cell is our family. We should first be discipled in our own families. And then we can move out into our homogeneous cells. The G12 cell vision is all about building families up - not splitting them up! But we must also understand the power of homogeneous groups.

The dynamic of homogeneous groups
Homogeneous groups allow people to learn and grow in the company of like-minded people who have the same needs, face the same challenges and share the same interests, identity and language. The gospel (evangelism and discipleship) travels fastest along these kinship or homogeneous lines.
We know this principle very well from the youth ministry. Young people have special interests that enable them to identify with one another. Their music, their style and their mind set all relate to their time of life. We can best address their questions, pressures, and temptations in the context of youth ministry.

The same applies to women. Many women's ministries are being raised up today. These recognise the special dynamic that operates when women come together to minister to each other. The same is true of men's ministry. Men open up better in the company of other men. And we need to minister to the men as men who share the same needs, desires and pressures.

Key # 3: Discipleship is about role models and teaching by example. Only so much can be achieved by cross gender role models. How can a man model to a woman how to be a godly wife? And how can a woman demonstrate to a man how to be a Bible pattern husband?

The principle is 'like disciples like'. When you disciple others, you reproduce yourself. Jesus' 12 disciples where male, although He had many women followers. In fact, they were often the most faithful, loyal and supportive. Women backed his ministry in practical provision. He elevated them and gave them a very high place in His ministry, teaching and mission. But His close disciples (His 12) were men. Even when you take the culture of the day into account (theirs was a patriarchal society in which men and women were separated in most public gatherings) you can still see how this sensibly applies today.

Paul gave the older women a clear directive to teach the younger women and to disciple them.
Titus 2:3-5 …the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

Key # 4: The homogeneous principle does not mean the sexes or the age groups are divided and separated. It means that they are discipled as men, women, youth and children to take up their place as disciples in their families and in the wider church body. They become better husbands, wives, fathers, mothers or children.
And, remember, the celebrations and church services include everybody. The church is a family and the family must come together.

Three practical points
1. This can and does work. It is a central thrust of the ICM G12 ministry in Bogota. And the fruit speaks for itself. They have over 50,000 in their youth cells alone.

2. During our time of transition into cells, we have found that it is important to start where you are. Churches should introduce whatever homogeneous cell structure they can - men's, women's, youth or couples. And they should let the others develop over time. Some may already have mixed cells. These should continue until leaders are raised up who can lead the men, the women, the youth, and so on.

3. There is power in corporate strategy. Churches should be united in their adoption of the homogeneous principle. It should never be a point of contention. But that may mean people laying down some of their traditional ideas that prevent the vision from being adopted intact.
By Colin Dye

School of Leaders

School of Leaders
"What shall we do that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28) pick up the call to "make, mature and mobilise disciples" and be thoroughly equipped to rise to a level of significance.

Have you ever considered how much God appreciates you? One thing we can be absolutely sure of is that we have eternal significance in God's eyes. He sees us full of potential and He wants to use us to the full. No matter what our background, education or social standing, we are very valuable to Him. "You are precious and honoured in My sight, because I love you" (Isaiah 43:4).

Purposeful and productive
When Jesus came to save us he did not save us only from our past. He came to save us for a purposeful and productive life. We were not saved simply to drift through life. God knows what he has put in us. He sees us full of significance. "You are the salt of the earth... the light of the world". (Matthew 5:13-14) The world may not have time for us but God does. There is no such thing as unemployment in the kingdom of God. We were made and redeemed of God to be divine appointments. "I chose and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last" (John 15:16).

Before Michelangelo sculpted his masterpiece "David", he "saw" the potential in the stone. God does the same with each one of us. As the Apostle Paul declared "We are God's workmanship [literally God's "work of art"] created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:9).

Everything we are and all that we have, Christ wants to employ in building his church on earth. Surely, there can be no greater cause to spend our lives on and deserving of our best endeavours. Discipleship is an investment that lasts for eternity and yields incredible rewards. (Luke 22:28-30, Mark 10:30)

Partnering with Jesus
How are we to partner with Christ in building his Church and seeing the kingdom of God take over the world?
Jesus said "Go and make disciples". (Matthew 28:19) Every believer shares a common call to reproduce in others, that which they have so freely received from Jesus. He said, "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). Those who have been discipled should disciple others. This is the evidence of the fruitful life Jesus spoke about in John 15. In similar vein, this is what 1 John 2, verses 12-14 alludes to when believers are described as "fathers or spiritual parents". The nature of a parent is to beget, to reproduce after his or her own kind. The enemy's work is to alienate parents from their children, (Matthew 10:21) but the work of the Spirit of God in the last days is to "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children..." (Malachi 4:6). Spiritual parenting is essentially the work of making disciples. "Feed my lambs... tend my sheep". (John 21:15-16)

Feeding and tending new disciples will mean, integrating them into the life of God's family. This is achieved most effectively through cell ministry. In the cell, the new disciple is built up by close fellowship and trained to become a disciple-maker. The goal of the G12 Vision is for us to "make mature and mobilise disciples" by starting a cell of our own with people we win to Christ. "The people are willing in the Lord's day of power" We may be willing, saying with Isaiah "Here am I Lord" but we may not feel equipped or able. In the Bible, not everyone called of God felt ready or able at the outset, yet God resources those He calls. That is why He set apostolic teachers and trainers in the Body of Christ, to "prepare and equip God's people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:12).

Enabled to serve well
The Schools of Leaders prepare cell members to fulfil Christ's call upon their lives thoroughly preparing them for disciple making and cell leading. Topic include foundational Christian doctrine will be taught as well as training in personal development, Christian life skills and cell leadership. Along with the Encounters, the School of Leadership gives comprehensive and effective training in disciple making. Natural ability alone can take us only so far but, with training, we can rise above that level to a place of excellence. "The people who know their God shall be strong and do great exploits" (Daniel 11:32).
By John Starr

Encounters with Jesus

Encounters with Jesus
The G12 Vision is really very simple and straightforward. However, there are many parts to it. One of the most important of these is the Encounter Weekends.

The consolidation process is central to the success of the G12 strategy. All believers should go through the consolidation process, at the heart of which lies the Encounter experience. There are three parts to the Consolidation process. They are the Pre-Encounter, the Encounter and the Post-Encounter. Now what exactly are the Encounter Weekends? What is their importance? Does everyone really need to go? After all, what actually happens at these Encounters?

In the Pre-Encounter sessions, the new believer will study themes related to his or her new life in Jesus. Someone from the cell group personally takes the new believer through several Bible studies. These cover topics such as, the certainty of salvation, the power of prayer, the power of the Word and principles of deliverance. The aim of the Pre-Encounter is to prepare the believer for the Encounter.

Spiritual preparation
Then comes the Encounter, which usually takes place over a weekend at a residential conference centre. Before every Encounter, the new believer's cell group is encouraged to prepare itself with much prayer, fasting and spiritual warfare, for those participating. Before the Encounter starts, the battle should have been won in the spiritual realm through spiritual warfare. This way, the cell member will surely have a remarkable encounter with God.
The Encounter is much more than just a three-day retreat, in a setting away from the normal distractions of life. It should be a time in the life of the believer when he or she will look back to many times and remember their encounter with Jesus!

Meeting with God
In both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible shows men and women experiencing great, life changing encounters with the living God. Abraham had his before he began his journey to be a great nation (Genesis12) and Moses before he led the Israelites out of slavery (Exodus 3). Joshua had his before leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land (Joshua 5:13-15) and Isaiah before becoming a prophet of the Most High (Isaiah 6:1-8). Jesus had his before starting his public ministry (Matthew 3:13-16, Luke 4:1a) and Paul after his conversion and before becoming the master of the theology of the New Testament (Acts 9:3-7).
One could find many other examples of the contemporary church leaders and their personal encounters with God, before they entered into the full ministry that God had prepared for them.
Total transformation
The aim of the Encounter is total transformation that will give birth to the character of Christ in the believer. We need a genuine Encounter with God in order to bring about a total transformation in our lives. It is also an Encounter with yourself, when you look inside your life to see the changes that God wants you to make. Finally, the Encounter will take you into the depth of the cell vision, making you reflect on the actual situation of the world and its desperate need of the Saviour.

Encounter deals with the following subjects and issues in depth:
* Repentance
* Forgiveness
* Breaking of Curses
* Deliverance
* Inner Healing
* Baptism with Water
* Baptism with the Holy Spirit
* The G12 Vision

Another goal of the Encounter is for you to see the Lord face to face, so that you are released from everything that hinders you in your ministry. The G12 vision regards everyone as a potential leader and the Encounter is a preparation for the training that takes place at the School of Leaders.
After the Encounter the new believers go through another series of one-to-one Bible studies, which take them deeper into the Word and further consolidates their commitment to Christ. During these teaching sessions the new believer learns about spiritual warfare, the armour of God, how to resist and overcome temptation, and how to deal with the attacks of the evil one.

Encounters for all
Does this mean that the Encounters are only for new believers? No, they are for everybody. Often believers today have never been truly consolidated in their faith as experienced in the G12 structure. This means many issues dealt with at the Encounter are still unresolved in their lives. Sadly, they carry pain, bondage and demonic curses for many years and still need to be set free in some areas of their lives.

In the G12 vision we are all called to lead others to Jesus, see them set free and disciple them into the image of Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul made it clear to Timothy that he should transmit and entrust, only the teaching and instructions that he learned from Paul, to reliable and faithful people. They in turn would then be competent and qualified to teach others. No one can teach and talk about what they have not experienced or received. They cannot see the spiritual world if their eyes have not been opened.

In a church transition into the G12 vision, it is essential that every member goes through the whole process, so they can effectively carry the vision without any distortion. This is like taking up the spiritual DNA of the vision and being ready to pass it on in the discipleship process. The Encounters are not just for your personal benefit. But the life changing, refreshing and empowering experience the Encounters give are in order for you to go out and impact the lives of others through the Vision.
By Willians Barbosa

THE VALUES OF THE G12 VISION

The key to the success of this vision is not just the strategy of the G12 but the values that uphold it. We cannot think that we will be successful simply by adopting the Bogota strategy. We must rise to the challenge spiritually, take on new levels of the anointing and, above all, embrace all the values that lie behind it.

1. The G12 is a vision for discipleship
Jesus said, "Make disciples" (See Matthew 28:19-20). He did not just tell us to evangelise or to get decisions. People who accept the gospel and believe must be discipled. They must be taught, shaped and formed into the image of Jesus. We are still far short of full obedience in this respect. Many people who make decisions to become Christians in our network are never truly discipled in the paths of Christ. This must change, and we must all place full obedience to Jesus' command on the highest level of our agenda as people and as a church.

2. The G12 is a cell vision
Cells are small groups of people who meet together weekly in order to disciple each other and reach out to those who don't know Christ. We must learn to love the cells. They are where the blessing of growth takes place. Cells are the only way of fulfilling the New Testament mandate we have as believers to be disciples and to disciple others. That's where you receive the personal ministry you need and where you find and fulfil your ministry in the body of Christ.

3. The G12 is a vision for leadership
The name 'G 12' stands for 'Groups of 12' which emphasises the leadership development aspect of the vision. Every Christian is a potential leader. We are all called to serve Jesus and to lead others to Him. Those who are leading cells are discipled in groups of 12 (like the 12 disciples of Jesus). Therefore everyone who ministers is also ministered to in this vision. That means there is proper accountability in all things.

4. The G12 is a vision for multiplication
This is one of the most exciting aspects of the vision. Jesus' purpose for you is fruitfulness. He wants you to be successful in your life. He calls you to 'to be fruitful and multiply'. The growth that comes through the G 12 vision is not through transferring members from the other churches. It comes through the cells as the members reach out to their family, neighbours and friends. This means everyone must develop a passion for the lost and reach them uncompromisingly for Christ.

5. The G 12 is a vision for the glory of God
Something wonderful happens when God's people are mobilised. The 'super star syndrome' disappears and the work is done all. The real heroes in this vision are the members of the church not a handful of its super-anointed leaders. That way God can really get the glory. Signs, wonders, miracles and mighty deeds happen throughout the whole church and everyone has a part to play.

As you can see the vision is a comprehensive one. And it will take some time before we fully implement it. There will be new initiatives and creative innovation in every area of our church and personal lives. It will bring unrecognisable transformation to the way we think about church fellowship and to the way we do things. The cost will be high. But the rewards will be worth it.
By Colin Dye

What Is A Cell?

What Is A Cell?
Ask any medical student "What is a cell?" and they will explain that it is the basic building block of the body.

Our bodies consist of millions and millions of cells working in unison. We cannot live without them. Within each cell is carried the DNA, the genetic coding, or "blueprint" of life itself. Through our bodies we can reach out and touch the world around us. Otherwise we would be disembodied spirits, unable to influence and impact our world. By nature cells will seek to multiply themselves, reproducing after their own kind, or transitioning to fulfil different functions according to hormonal influences. What is true of the physical body is true of the body of Christ, the Church. After all, truth is parallel.

Spiritual DNA
We see the origins of the church began with Jesus calling 'the twelve' to Him. His Master plan' was to create a small intimate fellowship of disciples around Him, pouring His life - His 'DNA' - into them. It was in this small "cell" gathering that Jesus built relationship with them, taught and trained them, imparted authority and power, and sent them out to minister and witness.

"Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and cast out demons" (Mark 3:14-15).
Later, the Holy Spirit would reproduce the same kind of ministry in the lives of subsequent believers.

After Pentecost, we see the life and vigour of the Early Church are maintained by their large, corporate gatherings in the Temple, complemented with their much smaller fellowship meetings in believers' homes (Acts 2:41 - 47).

The apostles had a cell visionA vital church grows in Jerusalem. It is a church endued with supernatural power (Acts 2:43). The DNA of Jesus has been successfully reproduced from Christ's 'twelve' to this burgeoning new church in Acts (Acts 4:13). They know how to construct their lives upon the Word of God. They know how to create close fellowship with each other so that no one is in need. They know how to reach out in revival power to the lost, restoring damaged lives. They know how to draw the attention of both God and Man (Acts 2:47). Integral to the Holy Spirit finding a welcome place in the life of the early church was the place of the 'cell' gatherings.

After the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Church grew rapidly and spread throughout the entire known world of that time. They erected no church buildings of their own. How, then, did they achieve such explosive growth? They continued to meet in each other's homes as "cells".

Throughout the history of the Church, whenever the Holy Spirit needed to move in revival power, the phenomena of cells was used as the structure to convey His restorative works. A prime example is the ministry of John Wesley and his 'classes' for believers. In more recent history, over the last thirty years, we see those churches throughout the world who are experiencing explosive growth are Cell Churches.
Worship is a hallmark of a genuine cell

The hallmarks of a cell
What are the hallmarks of a genuine cell? There are four: worship, nurture, fellowship and outreach. In worship believers will seek to be Christ-centred, coming under His authority. They will nurture each other from the Word of God, seeing to apply its teaching to their everyday lives. They will seek to fulfil Christ's command to love one another and build up each other in fellowship. However, they will go beyond considering their own needs. They will be motivated to fulfil Christ's call upon every believer: win the lost and "make disciples" (Matthew 28:19). It is this last component that singles out a true cell from a mere Bible study or prayer group.

Without worship, the group would be dry. Without the Word, they would become sub-Christian. Without fellowship, they would become cold. And without outreach, a cell would become introspective and self-absorbed. William Temple, an Archbishop of Canterbury, once said: "A church that lives for itself dies by itself!" The Church is the only institution that exists for the benefit of its non-members.

The G12 structure with its four step Ladder of Success - win, consolidate, disciple, send - ensures that the cell stays true to its purpose. The cell is the primary place for winning new believers, discipling, training and releasing them to become disciple makers of others.

We finish where we started. Like the biological cell, a cell of believers will be the basic building block of the body of Christ. They will transmit the DNA of Christ. They will seek to multiply themselves, reproducing after their own kind, via the Ladder of Success. And where necessary existing groups will need to transition to different functions in order to fulfil the four fold agenda of cell ministry.
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise". (Proverbs 11:30)
By John Starr

The Secret is in the Twelve

The Secret is in the Twelve
Pastor Cesar Castellanos

The model of ministry based on 12, is the most effective means of obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ to win disciples and of growing the Church. The key to success in this model is found in leading groups of 12. Jesus taught us this lesson through His own example. He did not deal with people based on their obvious abilities, but according to the potential He knew they had within.
Jesus could have poured His life into the multitudes, but He did not; instead He chose 12 and worked to shape their characters. Each of the 12 had completely contrasting personalities and for three years, like the potter with the clay, Jesus moulded each one of them.

The model of 12 has always been in God's heart. The number 12 symbolises government. At creation God established 12 months to govern each year; even days are governed by periods of 12 hours each. To govern the people of Israel, God established 12 tribes and King Solomon appointed 12 governors.

In 1991, the lord removed the veil from my mind and gave me a deep revelation about the meaning of 12. I had asked myself why Jesus taught 12 and not 11 or 13. I also thought, the larger the number, the faster the work would progress. Why did Jesus invest His effort in just 12 people? Then I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit deep in my heart. He said if I trained 12 people, reproducing in them the character of Christ in me, and each of them did the same with another 12 - the continuation of the process, with every group of 12 transferring what they receive, would lead to unprecedented growth in the church.

The 12 that Jesus formed learnt to walk in supernatural power because they had to display Christ's character in their own lives. The religious leaders that opposed Christianity were astonished at the boldness of uneducated John and Peter. However, they recognised that they had been with Jesus. The model of 12 is something supernatural that the lord Jesus implemented. He intended that His ministry should grow and move forward in this direction. The model came from the heart of the Father to the heart of Jesus and as I sought a vision to win great multitudes, it came to my heart from the heart of Jesus.

One of the first things I learnt from the Lord at this time was that to implement the model of 12 one must walk in supernatural power, casting out demons and performing miracles according to each person's need. A price must be paid for the success of the model of 12 and this price is to do the same things Jesus did with His disciples - cleansing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, raising up paralytics and so on. When a pastor develops his or her ministry supported by these types of miracles, the news will spread and people in need of a miracle will run to hear this pastor's message. The model of 12 will bring the multitudes to the Lord's feet.

The multitudes followed Jesus for the miracles He performed. To have a church with multitudes, one must walk in supernatural miracles, acting on the power of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion a leper approached Jesus. All Jesus did was look at this leper's need, acknowledge his faith and heal him. The best way is to give them a miraculous solution to their problems. Their faith in God will be strengthened when they realise that He does meet their needs.

One Sunday, whilst celebrating our first anniversary, I asked the congregation, "How many of you are present here today because God performed a miracle for you?" Ninety-five per cent of the people raised their hands. Listening to their testimonies later on, I realised that one of the best ways to spread the gospel is to move in the realm of the supernatural. A person, who has received a touch from God, will not want to break away from the faith because the person is grateful to the Lord.

The model of the 12 aids the achievement of the vision to see explosive church growth. If a person is content with a small ministry, the person will bear fruit according to that vision. On the other hand, if a leader believes God for a large ministry, the fruit will be according to that belief.

However, this leader must understand that it means the Lord will dig deep into their life, and through them, dig deep into the lives of those they are discipling. The model of 12 is the principle key in achieving this purpose.
By Cesar Castellanos

THE LADDER OF SUCCESS

The Ladder of Success
Success is a very positive word in today's world. Everyone is seeking success. But what does it really mean for a believer? What is success in the eyes of Jesus?
As far as Jesus is concerned, there is only one criterion by which we may judge success. All that He has told us to do can be summarised by His final words to the disciples:

"Go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do everything I have commanded you" (See Matthew 28:18-20).
Your life will be judged successful only in so far as you have fulfilled this commission of Jesus. It means making and maturing disciples into the character and image of Jesus. The G12 vision is a practical means by which we can all obey the call of our Master and be a success.

Success must mean that your vision, goals and purpose in life are fulfilled. But personal fulfilment depends on you fulfilling the call of God on your life - making, maturing and mobilising disciples of Jesus Christ. Success means fulfilling the Creation Mandate - "Fill the earth and subdue it." And this comes with the blessing of God. It is says,
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:28

Success also means stepping into the blessing of Abraham, God says,
I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing… And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Genesis 12:2-3
When you obey the Great Commission of Jesus to disciple the nations you step into the blessing of Abraham and he was blessed in all things!
There are four stages in obeying the Great Commission. Each one is necessary for full obedience. They are to Win, Consolidate, Disciple and Send.

WIN
New believers are added to the church through personal friendship evangelism, the celebrations and the net meetings. At the end of each of the services, the leader takes the whole congregation through the sinners' prayer and invites those who have made a first time commitment to come to the front. The counselling team, which is made up of cell group leaders, joins the new believers. The new believers are then taken to a separate room and the process of consolidation begins.

CONSOLIDATE
At this point personal details are recorded and the gospel is shared again to ensure that the person understands what has happened to them. The person is then told that someone will call them within two days to find out how they are. The responsibility of the cell leader is to ensure that the new believer is called within 48 hours and receives a personal visit within a week. The consolidation process continues through a series of one-to-one Bible studies and through a special encounter weekend. This encounter retreat focuses upon giving the new believer an experience of Jesus. The weekend covers such areas as assurance of salvation, inner healing, deliverance, being filled with the Spirit, and the vision of the church. Once the consolidation process is completed the new believer is ready to enter the next stage of development.

DISCIPLE
The aim is to enable every new believer to become a leader of a new cell. Therefore when each disciple has completed the consolidation process they enter the School of Leaders. The School of Leaders involves training one night a week for about 9 months. About half way through the School of Leaders the students start to open their own cell groups.
Each person on the school of leaders launches a new cell group. The leader of the new cell continues to receive support, help and instruction from their original cell. As each of the members of the original cell starts their cells the original cell becomes a G12 group. The G12 group is therefore a leadership cell. Multiplication occurs! The 12 grow to 144 leaders each with their own cell.

SEND
When each of the original leader's 12 have grown their 12 the next step is for these to begin to form teams to lead Encounter weekends and for them to develop their own School of Leaders. As the multiplication takes place more people are needed to teach in the School of Leaders. Therefore the School of Teachers, or 'T-Track', shows people how to teach the material and how to see the teaching applied to people's lives.
Then the leader is free to go on and plant many more cells. In ICM, Bogota when someone has 250 cells they can become part time members of staff. And they can go full time when they have 500 cells - that means leading around 5,000 people!

There is also a call for people who have grown their 144 disciples to go an plant cells and churches overseas. We are particularly concerned about the 10-40 window. That is the part of the world which has most of the world's population of unevangelised people. A cell strategy is definitely the most effective way of reaching them. Many of these people live in remote areas of the world and are found in countries which are hostile to Christian teaching.

From all this you can see the G12 is not just another programme. The Discipleship Cell Explosion is the key to seeing thousands of people born again, discipled and sent into the harvest fields of the world. Pray, take every opportunity to learn about and experience this strategy and start to implement it by climbing the ladder of success.

Ladder of Success Summary
New believers are won by personal evangelism, through the cells and through the celebration meetings.

1. WIN
The new believer is consolidated through the pre-encounter Bible studies, the weekend residential encounter and the post-encounter Bible studies. This consolidation process is called the 'C -Track'.

2. CONSOLIDATE
The new believer is consolidated through the pre-encounter Bible studies, the weekend residential encounter and the post-encounter Bible studies. This consolidation process is called the 'C-Track'.

3. DISCIPLE
The disciple is then trained in the School of Leaders and by being part of a cell group. This process is called the 'L-Track'. The disciple then launches a new cell group and becomes part of a G12 group. Then the leader 12 grow their 12 totalling 144 people. When this cell structure is in place the church is divided into strategic groups or 'nets'.
The nets are made up of the men's cells, the women's cells, the youth cells, the children's cells and the couple's cells. The nets meet weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

4. SEND
The leader then forms teams to run their own Encounter and start their own School of Leaders. Then they are released to continue to grow more cells in London or sent out into the world to plant cells and churches. Our target is particlularly the unevangelised areas of the world.

Dr. Robert Aboagye-Mensah

Dr. Robert Aboagye-Mensah
For a long time, Dr. Robert Aboagye-Mensah (Serwah House '67) was the host of the GBC 2 programme, BE IN TUNE, with his signature name, 'I am your pastor Akwasi Aboagye-Mensah'. He is an ordained minister of the Methodist Church-Ghana and the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana and also the Founder and Executive Director of Ghana Institute for Biblical Exposition and Teaching (GIBET).

His educational background include a M.A.C.E from Virginia Theological Seminary; PhD from The University of Aberdeen in Scotland; B.Th from University of Nothingham's St. John's College and LTh from University of Ghana's Trinity College.
He is married to Grace, with two children.

He is currently also Superintendent Minister of the Dansoman Methodist Church of Ghana; Academic Associate at Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Centre in Akropong-Akuapem; member of the Academic Staff at the University of Natal in South Africa; as well as a Part-time Lecturer at the University of Ghanaa; Central University College in Accra and Marathon Bible College, Accra.
Formerly a Yale University Divinity School Research Fellow and a A.T. Houghton Fellow, Dr. Aboagye-Mensah has been a visiting/guest Lecturer at All Nations Christian College in England; Overseas Ministries Study Center in Connecticut and in missionary in the Gambia; in addition to teaching Chemistry and Biology at Dormaa Secondary School.
He has had the honour of being invited 14 times in Ghana and 11 times internationally to address pastors, students, ecumenical bodies, etc.

A member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Mission Theologians (INFEMIT), African Theological Fellowship (ATF), CROSSLINKS (an Evangelical Mission Agency), International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS), and British, Irish Association of Mission Scholars (BIAMS), he has published 24 papers.
His current areas of research includes Class of Virtues, (Christmas Ethics), Understanding Baptism, Meditation and Expository Sermons on Colossians.