10/01/2017
A Brief Summary of the LAMI Historical Development
We came from a traditional parachurch ministry missionary beginnings similar to Campus Crusades for Christ and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. I came to Christ in January 30, 1964. Our history of ministry led us to a development process that is was contextualized to the Philippine culture. From there we went on to a refocusing on Jesus' life and ministry pattern.
The international leaders of my original organization didn't approve of the way we were making changes to their traditional ministry process and strategy. We tried to appeal to them to accommodate the ministry approach we were doing -- a holistic ministry (spiritual and whole person approach) -- but they didn't understand it.
In 1978, I was asked to resign from the organization. I was in charge of the Los Baños ministry then. Thus, after much prayer and some key answers to prayer, I resigned from the organization in order to continue with the Lakas-Angkan Disciplemaking Ministry. Lakas-Angkan was just a term we used for the our general conferences then. It was to emphasize the theme that we are members of the family of God and that we needed to align our values of relationships to this spiritual reality. After resigning, we could now use this as a name for a separate organization.
But the way we were going about, doing the Lakas-Angkan ministry was just keeping the same values with which we used to do things. We did a few changes, like going in the direction of becoming a local church ministry - but of the kind that did discipling in small groups in the cells. By the grace of God, these changes were helpful and the ministry grew in number. But not remarkably so.
In the 1980s our constituency grew to 3000 or so and to 5000 by the year 2000. These numbers are rough because we did'nt do hard data. In 1993 we adopted Sunday church worship. After this period, I started getting uneasy and bored that the New Testament church was not happening. What do we have to do so that Christ's design for the church is going to happen?
Things were not so bad though. There was some progress. In 2005, we were able to put up a three-storey building, the gift income was just enough for the fulltime workers to get along. We had some new leaders being raised but ministry growth and the multiplication of disciples was not happening.
What kind of quality of disciples did we have if we were not getting the quantity?
But we persevered with the process of cell groups. Later on we heard about other churches doing cells 12 by 12. The previous models that we were imitating did 6x6 or 7x7 but 12x12? To me, 12x12 sounded closer to scriptural patterns. I started looking into this. I also noted that we are supposed to get the 12 who are committed disciples in first year, training them in Christ's ministry pattern and then get them to do ministry and impart the same vision and process with their discipleship cells of twelve. Jesus' ministry pattern in a three-year format -- 12x12x3.
In 2004 we started discussing this concept. We started promoting it in all our areas. We restructured our areas into this pattern. We reworked all our bible study materials and training programs and integrated our previous experience into this JMP 12x12x3 disciplemaking process. By 2007, though conceptually rough, our major areas were implementing it. By 2009, the ministry began to show changes. The areas that were willing early adapters began to have results. And the reluctant areas remained the same. Others took a few steps backward and distanced themselves in what was happening. A few dropped out.
Now, as of June 2016, we have now 1,701 cells. These cells are led by 1378 cell leaders and in turn have 10,021 cell members. That's 11,399 persons being discipled in cells. With the present rate of evangelism and follow-up, this should now be around 13,000 people.
What is even more exciting for me is - that we have 13,000 people being discipled in a clear ministry strategy and pattern which we call "Jesus' Ministry Pattern" (12x12x3).
We now have our major ministry areas following this model. It is easier to teach this ministry development process now because people can visit and observe how it is being done.
—updated as of June 2016, Ptr. Boni Arzadon
