Identify & Equip Your 12

By: Pastor Claudia Castellanos

A leader’s success or failure is determined by the company they keep, I can testify that this is a fact. Those who form part of a G12 group have the ability to empower or destroy us. Some individuals will never meet their goals in spite of the fact that we invest time in them. When we evaluate how we are doing with our goals we discover that these ones have detained the entire group’s growth,

Although everyone who is under a ministry receives the same teaching, some grow rapidly while others may have numerous arguments against them which impede them from fulfilling their call. Every pastor desires their leaders to be successful, but there are some that grow a rapid rate while others in the group stay stagnate. For this reason you must continually be asking yourself: Do I have a strategy that will ensure that my disciples will be successful? Are my disciples experiencing true growth? Are they helping me carry the ministry load or are they simply spectators?

Henry Ford, the renowned American businessman, once said: “You can take my plants and burn down my buildings. But give me my staff and my business will resume to function in perfect working order.” Church is founded on leadership, church life is dependant on how equipped we are as leaders. If you desire to have a great congregation, if you want to have an ample vision you need many leaders and the pastor must dedicate themselves to that specific goal – that is the key.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s success as a great political leader was due to the fact that he devoted himself to know his men’s needs, he then proceeded to do everything in his power to help them attain what they wanted. This is the reason why his army was faithful to the end. Your primary purpose and great challenge as a leader of a G12 group (the first thing that you must do) is to personally get to know your disciples needs. If they are going through family crisis you must counsel them, if they are dealing with childhood traumas minister inner healing and deliverance to them. If necessary, help them meet their financial needs. Whatever they need, you must be willing and available to help them meet it. The majority of them are in dire need of a word of faith and hope; once they receive that word it becomes the saving grace for their lives. As you are conforming your G12 group it is vital that you be a leader with vision. Everyone that walks into a church has a sleuth of problems, no one is perfect but we are to walk them through the perfecting process which is the main objective in their formation.

When you are forming your team you must do as Michelangelo did. While he was sculpting his masterpiece David (IN SPANISH IT SAYS MOISES WHICH IS INCORRECT) someone asked him how he did it, and his response was: “The sculpture was always in the stone, all I had to do was carve it” He had envisioned and seen more than a mere piece of rock. Something similar is what must occur when the Lord brings those individuals that are to be part of our group, we should not focus on the bitterness, pain, need, lack or the countless problems they have – we must see them through the eyes of faith as the great servants of God that they will one day become that are Holy Spirit filled and will enrich God’s work.

You must also ask the Lord to bring you disciples that have a right spirit and servant’s heart that will be loyal at all times and have a heart than can be molded and that they have integrity.
The night before Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He spent the entire night in prayer, and He then proceeded to integrate them as part of His team. The best way for you to complete your G12 group is by first moving God’s hand in prayer, so that He will be the one to bring them to us and that He also opens our spiritual eyes so that we will be able to identify them. This will enable us to be assured that the time we dedicate to them will be a profitable investment which will produce a great harvest in ministry.