DNA of a Christ Follower
DNA of a Christ Follower shares the essential character traits of a biblical follower of Jesus Christ. This describes the “what” of disciple-making. 12Church is our answer to the “how.” Learn More.
Mission THEN Community
Here is a short post highlighting the principle that biblical community forms around mission.
This is in contrast to the common practice of forming a community and hoping that it will eventually get around to mission. Jesus called his first disciple by saying “Come follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”
They joined him in the mission in which he was already engaged and on-mission formed an amazing community that in time became the Church.
Win Build Equip Multiply
The Sonlife Strategy of Winning the Lost, Building Believers, Equipping Workers and Multiplying Ministry is at the heart of 12Church.
It is biblical, simple, scalable and transferable.
Very few ministry approaches rival it in these important metrics and too few churches (and followers of Jesus) have embraced this framework.
Follow…or Not
Jesus allowed people to quit following him. He didn’t chase them or coerce them.
12Church invites people to join us in following Jesus. But should someone, or a group, choose to live out that following in another context, we will send them off with a blessing and the hope that they will continue to be and make disciples. Should someone wander away from the faith, we will of course seek to draw them back, while recognizing that they are free to follow or not.
Sustainable Service
Too many sincere pastors, ministry leaders and church workers are burning out.
In some cases self-care may be lacking, but there also seems to be something unsustainable about the way we “do church” for the average person.
While we affirm the call of Christ to “take up your cross daily and follow” and know that this call may in fact include the need to lay down our lives as martyrs, our conviction is that it usually isn’t a call to sacrifice our physical, mental or spiritual health, nor our marriages and families.
Lose the Building-
Build the People
Weekly worship gatherings and church facilities have become the focal point of most local churches. While neither are inherently wrong, they often do not contribute effectively to disciple making and in fact often divert resources from things that that would contribute.
The way we usually “do-church” also adds an unnecessary layer of complexity to disciple-making.
12Church seeks to reverse this resource allocation and complication. Getting away from the weekly large gathering eliminates the need to own a meeting hall and moves evangelism and disciple making to the forefront.
Convictions
- The primary purpose of any single church is to glorify God by making disciples/followers of Jesus Christ
- Disciples are best made by churches whose efforts balance winning the lost, building believers, equipping workers and multiplying leaders
- Churches need clarity about what a disciple is and what it then means to “make a disciple.”
Click Here to read several more important principle which shape the 12Church culture and practice.
Personal Evangelism
Evangelism is a key aspect of disciple making.
The core of evangelism is personal relational evangelism. This takes place when individual followers of Jesus Christ live on mission, build relationships with those the Lord brings into their lives, “pray and pay attention” and follow the promptings of the Spirit in their interactions with friends, neighbors and sometimes even strangers.
Manifesto
Christian.
At one time
The powerful descriptor of a peculiar people.
Those who were like Jesus.
Students who followed him passionately.
Lovers of God.
Servants of the poor.
Disciples, who did not shrink even from death.
Click Here to read or view the full Manifesto
Activities
Our core ministry flow or structure is very simple:
- Weekly groups for study, evangelism training and planning, ministry to one another and intercession.
- Online content which provides additional training and Bible teaching.
- When there are enough groups in an area we plan to meet periodically in larger groups for worship, celebration, teaching and intercession.