In 1983, during a time of prayer on a family holiday, Pastor César Castellanos felt God speak to him about building a church that would grow to have so many people that he would be unable to count them all. A month later in Bogotà, Colombia, Pastor César and his wife Claudia founded a church, starting with only eight people in the living room of their home. Today the church has hundreds of thousands of members.
The church grew as Pastor César followed Jesus' example of building the church on a foundation of 12 disciples. God spoke to him saying, "If you train twelve people and are able to reproduce the character of Christ in each of them and if they in turn are able to do the same with another twelve and so on, then the church will experience unprecedented growth." Today the influence of a church that had such humble beginnings in Bogotá, Colombia extends all over the world.
Pastors César & Claudia Castellanos
Pastor César Castellanos is an inspirational pastor who founded the International Charismatic Mission (ICM) in 1983. It is now one of the fastest growing churches in the world. He has written many books about the cross, the blood of Jesus and the G12 vision and is a sought after international speaker. Pastor César and his wife Claudia have four daughters, a son and two son-in-laws. They work together as a family in ministry.
Pastor Claudia Castellanos has faithfully served alongside her husband since the birth of the ICM. Leading one of the largest networks of women in the world, she is responsible for over 20,000 cell groups in Bogotà, Colombia. As well as her pastoral duties, she has also served as the Ambassador of Colombia to Brazil. She is currently serving as a Senator for the Republic of Colombia.
Today, MCI has more than 200000 people in 40000 cells.What is G12?
The G12 vision is focussed on Jesus Christ and His command to the church to 'go and make disciples of all nations.' This is to be accomplished by the preaching and the teaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God in the power of the Holy Spirit and the training of committed followers of Christ.
Based on Christ's mentoring of twelve disciples and sending them out to disciple others, the G12 vision is a vision of formation and multiplication. G12 stands for Government of 12 and represents the lordship of Jesus Christ being established in the life of each of the 12 disciples. Trained disciples then train disciples to train disciples in a continuing process that aims for all people everywhere to learn of Christ's love and His power to transform lives.
G12 is not a denomination it is a vision to bless the body of Christ and extend the Kingdom of God.
"The G12 Vision Challenges Individuals, Families And Churches To Firmly Take Hold Of Jesus' Command To "Go And Make Disciples Of All Nations." The Vision Is Motivated By A Passion For God And Compassion For People."
- Pastor Cesar Castellanos
G12 Worldwide
Thousands of churches from around the world have adopted the G12 vision as a means of building the church and spreading the gospel. From small churches in starting out in the vision to churches now numbering in the 100,000s. G12 has equipped churches of different sizes and denominations to be fruitful and multiply. The G12 community gathers throughout the year at regional and international conferences. The annual international conference is held in Bogotá, Colombia every January with other conferences being held in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and other parts of Latin America.