A French pastor recently asked me to describe in one sentence the essence of our ministry in Spain. I quickly responded: “making disciples.” Like many ministries, we did not arrive at this understanding overnight. At various times we have considered our primary objective to be evangelism, cell group ministry, leadership training or church planting. But the Great Commission contains one imperative - make disciples. All other activities are merely phases of that process.

If this is true, the effectiveness of our ministries is measured by the quality of disciples they produce. Quality disciples build the kingdom of Jesus Christ. As a result, the church grows, new churches are planted, and we are successful in closing the “back door” - keeping most of those we win through evangelism efforts.

The International Pentecostal Holiness churches in Spain use the G-12 (Government of 12) disciple-making plan. This model is based on the example of Jesus and His disciples. Each person is prepared eventually to reach and disciple 12 others.

The plan takes each disciple along the four rungs in the “ladder of success”:

(1) win the person to Christ (evangelism);

(2) consolidate him into the body of Christ (consolidation);

(3) train him to be a disciple of Christ (discipleship); and

(4) launch him into ministry to reach others for Christ (sending).

Consolidation is the key to the process. Here the new believer is baptized in water, taken through a process of healing, deliverance and sanctification, and led in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. On this rung of the ladder, he deals with deep issues in his personal life during a weekend “face to face” encounter with Jesus Christ. Before a person can advance to receive in-depth discipleship teaching or be released into ministry, he must go through this process. Once a person has experienced an encounter with Christ and been sanctified, it is not difficult to train them or motivate them for ministry.

A nine-month, practical school of leadership meets in each church once a week for two hours. During the first hour, the student focuses on doctrine. The second hour is devoted to practical ministry. To graduate, each student must reach three people and plant a cell group with these new converts. Presently, 115 students are enrolled in the school of leadership.

The G-12 model has brought dramatic change in the church. People have become serious about their commitment to Christ, miracles have occurred, and growth has been a natural result.

In March of this year, 53 men attended an encounter weekend; 22 were from one of our churches in Madrid. The following week, the pastor asked participants to testify about their encounter. As one of the men spoke, he began to weep. He turned to his wife and said, “I know I have not been a good husband, but Christ has touched my life. Please forgive me.” Then he asked his two teenage sons to forgive him. As the family wept together, the power of God fell on the entire
congregation.

The pastor stood and said, “God wants to do this in every family and in every life...” When he gave the invitation, 41 people - 20 women and 21 men - received Christ that day. In the following two weeks, 16 more were saved. The women who were saved then, recently attended their own encounter, and nearly every one of them was filled with the Holy Spirit.

In another church, a student in the school of leadership was assigned to write a letter to her family asking forgiveness for the suffering that she had caused them. At first, she resisted this assignment, but finally wrote the letter. Just as she
completed it, her father entered the room and she gave it to him. Overcome with emotion, he showed it to her mother. They both responded with brokenness. A family that once resisted the gospel now allows Christian meetings in their home.

Critics of the G-12 Discipleship Model have suggested that it’s just another church growth scheme or marketing strategy. Our experience has proven it to be nothing of the sort! It is about making quality, sanctified, Spirit-filled disciples, who will do the works of Jesus Christ. The gates of hell cannot prevail against that kind of church.

Last update on 10/15/08
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