GACX Framework

Overview

The Context

There are 8 billion people alive today. Of those, 2.5 billion claim to follow Jesus, while the remaining 5.5 billion do not identify with the Christian faith. This presents the body of Christ with great opportunities and great challenges. The former need to be inspired and mobilized to passionately and effectively engage the latter with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.

Vision, Mission, Values, and Beliefs

Our Vision

GACX is a global alliance of churches and mission organizations committed to the vision of a healthy, multiplying church for every 1,000 people on earth. These churches will be located in every relational network - every village, neighborhood, high-rise, or digital space. They will influence their communities through:

  • Preaching the gospel in word and deed
  • Teaching Christians to obey the Word of God
  • Making multiplying disciples
  • Helping Christians to live as salt and light in their communities.

Our Mission

GACX inspires and facilitates the intentional collaboration necessary to achieve this vision of a church for every 1,000 people. GACX does this by providing a network where member organizations work together for church multiplication.

Our Values

  • Faith-inspired prayer 
    • “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing) (Jn. 15:5).
    • “Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mk. 9:23).
  • Unified Christian witness 
    • “. . . that they may be one as we are one . . . then the world will know that you sent me” (Jn. 17:20-23).
    • “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples” (Jn. 13:34-35).
  • Collaboration across diversity 
    • “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Cor 12:12-31).
    • “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:16).
  • Effective coordination 
    • “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor” (Eccl. 4:9-12).
    • “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand” (Lev. 26.8).

Beliefs

We affirm the Statement of Faith of the World Evangelical Alliance and embrace the following beliefs:

  • All matter: God loves the whole world. We mobilize every resource and use every gift under our care in order to reach every person with the gospel.
  • All methods: there is one Church. We love, respect, and affirm any size, expression, tradition, and ministry methodology of the church provided that Jesus is proclaimed as Lord and King, and the Bible is elevated as the Spirit-inspired inerrant Word of God.
  • All multiply: living organisms reproduce. We all use the tools, strategies, and methods God has given us to creatively multiply disciples, leaders, faith communities and churches.
  • All together: we are better together; therefore we love, inspire, support, and learn from one another.
  • All in: God’s kingdom is bigger than any one organization or church denomination. We focus on what unites us and work together humbly, intentionally, and strategically.
  • All God: we can do nothing without God. We pray, mobilize prayers, believe, and take faith-actions to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Unique Characteristics of GACX

  • Share
    • We pursue a shared vision of planting a multiplying church or faith community for every 1,000 people (an aggregate of five million churches).
    • We share resources, experiences, and best practices toward accomplishing our shared vision.
  • Collaborate
    • We take concrete steps toward initiating and implementing effective collaboration with one another.
    • We seek to identify and match needs and resources among member organizations.
  • Multiply 
    • We emphasize the multiplication of disciples, leaders, churches, and faith communities.
    • Through multiplication processes, we engage the least-reached peoples and places with the gospel and help raise up leaders who are able to identify and overcome some of the most relevant challenges to the gospel.

Descriptions

A Church

A healthy, multiplying church is a sustainable body of believers and followers of Jesus Christ with recognized spiritual leadership who regularly gather for worship, prayer, fellowship, instruction, communion, and baptism. These churches fulfill the Great Commandment by loving God and their neighbors and fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations.

  • Regarding church size, various members have various measurements. Examples include: “two or three gathered in my name;” “ten or more adults from three different families practicing Acts 2:42-47;” and “hundreds of people worshiping the Lord together.”

Partnerships

A partnership is an intentional collaboration between like-minded leaders of various churches and mission organizations toward achieving a common goal. They share a common vision and values, they mobilize and optimize resources, and they measure and celebrate collective progress.

Membership

Categories of Members

  • Implementers
    • Churches and organizations that are primarily involved in planting and multiplying churches.
  • Accelerators
    • Churches and organizations whose primary focus is to help accelerate church planting and multiplication through prayer, tools, strategies, finances, humanitarian development programs, networking, etc.

Membership Requirements

  • Alignment: Members agree with our statement of faith and the GACX Framework.
  • Measurement: Each member annually reports their progress in church planting, their progress in building partnerships, their strategic needs, and their available resources to share with GACX member organizations.
  • Scope: GACX Global Membership is for organizations currently working in multiple countries or diverse contexts.
  • Investment: Each member makes a minimum annual investment of $1000 to fulfill the vision of GACX. This investment is used to catalyze the formation of collaborative alliances, sponsor the participation of under-represented leaders at GACX events, and develop the tools and systems necessary to effectively serve alliance members.

Membership Benefits

  • Glorifying God. Becoming answers to Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17).
  • Connecting. Building relationships with like-minded leaders, discovering areas of mutual interest and making strategic decisions together.
  • Collaborating. Sharing lessons learned, identifying and partnering in priority locations, minimizing duplication, maximizing resources, measuring progress, attending one another’s events, and supporting one another.
  • Sharing research, resources, and tools. Using global, regional, and national research and tracking tools to identify where churches exist and where new churches need to be established. Sharing resources and tools to accelerate church multiplication.
  • Coaching. Access to GACX regional coaches who support and encourage sustainable national alliances and connect national alliances with each other. Regional coaches also connect national alliances with the following resources: the Biblical and missiological basis for a collaborative attitude; case studies and best practices for establishing and developing a national alliance; training in holding a conference/alliance meeting; and connections to GACX member organizations which provide training and tools for DMM, CPM, and theological training.

Application for Membership

Local churches, church denominations, mission organizations, and networks with a similar mission may join GACX. The application process:

  • Potential members complete the application form provided online at gacx.io/about/membership

    • A GACX team member schedules an interview with the organization applying for membership to review the application, discuss membership, and answer questions.

    • The application is reviewed and potentially approved by the GACX Leadership Team.

    • The organization is informed of GACX’s decision and the onboarding process begins.

    • Normal review and approval time takes five to ten business days.

Cancellation

A GACX membership may be canceled when a member organization chooses to do so or acts contrary to this framework.

Regional and National Alliances

Regional and national alliances provide a platform for global GACX members, national churches and mission agencies to develop and implement a shared vision at regional or national levels. When a national alliance for church multiplication already exists, the posture of GACX is to celebrate and support that alliance and to connect that alliance with GACX member organizations and with other national alliances for church multiplication around the world.

When a national alliance for church multiplication does not exist, GACX will work with national leaders and GACX member organizations to catalyze the development of a national alliance for church multiplication in that country.

Any GACX member(s) may help initiate and facilitate the development of an alliance in a given geographic region, nation or city. However, anyone wishing to launch a new alliance is encouraged to first contact the GACX global office to verify that similar alliances do not already exist in that particular region. This helps to avoid duplication or competition.

GACX invites national alliances for church multiplication to apply as Affiliate Members of GACX global. National alliance Affiliate Members contribute to the vision and mission of GACX by sharing their experience and resources with other national alliances around the world but are not required to contribute financially to GACX global.

Characteristics of national alliance Affiliate Members include:

  • Contextual application of the GACX framework.
  • Connected to the global network of GACX national alliances.
  • Supported by GACX Regional Coaches.

Your Involvement

As a member of GACX, you can inspire, initiate, and implement partnerships with member organizations. If you are not yet a member, you can help accelerate the Great Commission by joining GACX now.  To partner with GACX or any of its member organizations, please visit gacx.io or contact us.