FAQ
What does T-Net stand for?
Teleo is a Koine Greek word that means to bring to a close, to finish, or complete, or fulfill a command. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul used Teleo in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.” Again, in John 19:30 as Jesus died on the cross for our salvation He said, “It is finished.” Teleo captures our passion to finish the Great Commission by being and making disciples of all nations.
T-Net has been in existence since 1992. We are currently in more than 40 countries with 10,000 in training. We train and equip pastors and leaders to revitalize churches into disciple-making churches and we initiate church planting movements around the world.
What is the mission of T-Net?
Our mission is to finish the Great Commission through raising up indigenous leaders, initiating church planting movements, and multiplying disciple makers in each of the 238 countries of the world.
What is Project Zero?
We have a new initiative called “Project Zero”. The mandate ends at zero… Zero countries in the world that have not been transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The key to finishing the Great Commission is one of the most unique elements of Project Zero and it’s called “Plan 180”. Plan 180 is a strategic planning process unlike any other. Imagine trained, indigenous, Christian leaders assembling to create a path for the Gospel in their own country. It is a way to see the message spread and new churches be planted creating followers of Jesus in the most hard to reach places. Plan 180 is about turning a country around, about making a “180 degree” shift in the destiny of nations. And it is about reorienting them towards Jesus Christ through our unique disciple-making process.
How does T-Net Work?
Our approach has a few key elements. The first is to identify the next country God is leading us to. Since we are in so many different countries, this is now happening very naturally through mutual contacts and our extensive network. We then go to that country and begin promoting our approach to disciple making and church planting by meeting with key people and leaders from many denominations. Once we have a core group of around 25-30, we send our own trainers to teach a fully accredited degree program to the core group including 10 courses over a period of 3.5 years. Half way through, the core group multiplies to a second generation and begins doing the teaching and training themselves under our supervision. By the time we are at the 3rd generation, the country is on its way to becoming fully indigenously led and funded, leaders multiplying leaders, hundreds of churches being planted, and seeing a disciple-making movement sweep through their country.
Has T-Net been Successful?
Let’s use Ethiopia as an example. Our work in Ethiopia began in 2013 with 75 pastors in 2 centers. Since that time, the work in Ethiopia has flourished. Look at the numbers:
1. 1700 pastors in training.
2. 250,000 converts regularly attending a disciple-making church.
3. 12,500 believers involved in intentional disciple-making groups.
4. 2,200 persons being apprenticed as church planters.
5. 1,250 churches planted.
6. Indigenously led and funded.
7. Expansion beyond Ethiopia. They are now training pastors in South Sudan.
8. Our Ethiopian Leader is now a Regional Director.
What is your model for ministry?
Our model for ministry is Jesus’ command and design for disciplemaking from Matthew 28. Christ’s last words to the church were the Great Commission –“Go and make disciples of all nations!” That command was meant to be finished, and Jesus promised that it would be finished. Mt. 24:14 states, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations and then the end shall come.”
The early church understood that this command was meant to be finished. Jesus disciples traveled to the ends of the earth and all but one, the Apostle John, died a martyr’s death thousands of miles from Jerusalem. Paul even stated that he had finished this command from Jerusalem to the Adriatic Sea. But after the first century, Christians seem to have forgotten Christ’s command and have focused more on building their own church than on finishing Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all peoples.
What are some of your unique characteristics?
Multiplying Leadership
T-Net is not simply a pastoral training organization. Along with equipping pastors in how to be disciple-makers, we train them to be multipliers of disciple-making leaders. We do this by coaching and providing fully transferable material that pastors can use to train other pastors to train other pastors as 2 Timothy 2:2 instructs leaders to do. The training we give includes providing apprentice material that can be used in a disciple-making church so that the congregation can fulfill the words of Ephesians 4:12 “…to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” And once we have helped a country to become indigenously led and funded, we continue to coach and mentor the leadership and the board of that country indefinitely.
Revitalizing and Planting Churches
T-Net works with existing pastors. Often they are leading institutionalized churches. Our emphasis on finishing the Great Commission is the Spirit-filled spark that ignites new hope that from any existing church a new church planting movement can begin. Fresh vision brings revitalization. Add to this, new ministry skill sets, and the dreams become reality.
Indigenizing Leadership and Funding
At T-Net, we believe that the indigenous forces can reach their country more effectively, more efficiently, and more passionately than we ever could. So our mission is to see the indigenous people released to do what they are best equipped to do. As a result, we are constantly working toward a completely indigenous structure where the country is both led by indigenous leaders and funded through their own resources. We want them to be so passionate about finishing the Great Commission in their own country that they are willing to sacrifice greatly to see it completed.
