We talk about numbers and multiplication in Global Disciples circles. For us, every number has a name. Every name represents a person. Each person has an eternal destiny. And God "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3).
Every man, woman, and child is created in the image of God and designed for a loving relationship with their Creator, through Christ.
One of our Global Disciples guiding principles is to nurture what multiplies, measure results, and collaborate. ONE is a big number in God's economy. Luke 15 reminds us that God has the heart of a shepherd for a lost sheep, the heart of a woman who lost a valuable coin, and the heart of a Father for a lost son. He wants to give us that same heart!
Our world population has been growing by one billion people every 13 years; the most rapid growth is among those least-reached with the Gospel of Jesus. Reaching them requires multiplication: near-culture disciples making disciples who make disciples…
So, we focus on nurturing what multiplies. We assist clusters of churches in 57 nations to equip their people as disciple-makers who go and make disciples among least-reached ethnic groups living nearby. And it's working—really well!
We know because we measure results—we focus on the number of people who come to Christ and are engaged in a newly-planted fellowship of believers. These numbers are reported by the church planter, verified by the key leader in their church cluster, and confirmed by our Global Disciples Facilitator.
We understand that our vision—to see everyone have an opportunity to choose and follow Jesus—is much bigger than what any one organization can accomplish. So, we collaborate with more than 1,200 clusters of churches near least-reached peoples. They use our training and sending approach to develop locally-sustainable, near-culture missions in just three years. It's theirs. We stay connected, coaching and encouraging them, and linking them with others doing the same thing.
We seek to live out Jesus' prayer in John 17:20-24 that we may be one, so the world will know Him!
-Galen Burkholder, Founder/CEO
