February 2025 marked the beginning of a new season for Relational Mission, as we set a clear intention to seek God purposefully for the nations of the world, trusting that we will be globally fruitful. Indeed, that was the name of our conference “Globally Fruitful” as we gathered people from the nations in the beautiful city of Malaga, Spain.  There was great sung worship, much prayer and prophecy, teaching, and of course much time to be with friends!

It was good to be reminded of the foundational teaching about our apostolic mandate to reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We looked at:

• Romans 15 – the heartbeat of an apostle
• 1 Corinthians 15 – the death and resurection of sowing and growing
• 2 Corinthians 10 – stewarding a biblical apostolic ambition

We were also blessed to hear from Edward Buriah who leads a family of churches based in Kenya, and Vinu Paul who leads a family of churches based in India.

At the heart of the conference was a call to multiply globally, restating our vision for the nations and setting a clear course for the future. Our goal is to raise up local language apostolic teams in each nation, committed to the biblical apostolic mandate, which includes:

1. A culture of care (Relational)
2. Safeguarding the values (Word)
3. Life of the Spirit (Spirit)
4. Regions beyond (Mission)
5. Care for the poor

Here are some key takeaways from the conference that I’d like to share with you:

Multiplication Mandate

We have a multiplication mandate from God. From Genesis¹ through to the New Testament² the command is to be fruitful and multiply. Jesus expected his disciples to multiply, 30, 60, or 100³ fold. When Jesus prayed for his disciples he also prayed for those who would believe in their message⁴. Paul multiplied labourers and sent them to many places multiply disciples and to multiply churches. We must do the same!

Multiplication of vision

As we multiply across the nations, we must ensure that our vision is carried by each local church and every team. Over the years Relational Mission has had several vision statements which have directed our path:

• Together we preach Christ and plant and strengthen churches to the ends of the earth
• Multiply apostolic spheres in the nations through the arising up of spiritual sons and daughters
• An Extendable table .. capable people are going to be added – raising up and also adopting
• Our vision is to be globally fruitful, crossing all boundaries to reach the nations, make disciples and plant locally-led churches

As we multiply our vision must not only remain, but grow as our family of churches grow.

Multiplication of values

Our statement of faith and our nine family values⁵ are what hold us together. They are clear biblical values that we hold dear, and represent God’s heart for His church.

Our nine values are:

1. Word-based
2. Grace-filled
3. Spirit-empowered
4. Elders in each local church
5. Ephesians 4 ministries
6. Servant-hearted leadership
7. Local church focused
8. Expressed locally, globally and holistically
9. Contextual freedom in application

We must ensure that as we see multiplication our biblical values do not get watered down, but are held as foundational to who we are as a family of churches.

Multiplication of teams

If we are going to reach the nations we must be able to multiply disciples, churches, leaders, and Ephesian 4 ministries⁶. We are starting a journey to intentionally multiply local language apostolic teams in each of the nations that we are working in, that will work to a clear apostolic mandate.

If we are not able to achieve this then our ability to reach the nations will be restricted to the few, who will run out of capacity and energy. Multiplication of teams in every area of our church family is imperative to see the nations reached.

Multiplication generationally

Our multiplication mandate starts with broad and generous seed sowing of the gospel. Then we will be making disciples that make disciples and planting churches that in turn plant churches to the fourth, fifth or sixth generation. Only then will we truly see a movement emerge, the kingdom advance, and the nations reached.

Jesus told his disciples to pass on everything that he had taught them⁷. Paul said to Timothy that he should pass on everything that he had learned from Paul, which in turn would be passed on to others to the fourth generation of disciples⁸.

Generational multiplication can happen quickly if we teach simple reproducible and reproducing tools, and are able to really equip many to make disciples and plant churches. We must then invest in leaders, to train, coach, develop them, and release them with authority to carry on the mission of Jesus wherever He leads them.

Multiplication through abiding

Above all, we were reminded to “look after the soil of our heart” by abiding in Jesus as our priority. Fruitfulness, whether local, regional, national, or global, only comes from being with Jesus. Over this week’s conference we spent much time worshiping and waiting on Jesus. As we worshipped we were in awe at his great power and his deep love. This grounded us in Him, and Him in us. This highlighted things in our lives that need to change through His Holy Spirit. We were encouraged, built up, commissioned and sent out with authority and power, to go as ambassadors of Jesus into the world to engage in His mission to the ends of the earth.

In our Relational Mission Community of churches we have the privilege of being involved in global mission as we partner with pioneers and churches in East Asia, Central Africa, and in Europe. This means that we can pray, support, visit, resource, send, and partner with brothers and sisters globally. I will be with a team to going to Japan in April, and a team to Zambia in June. There are also opportunities to support our pioneers in Europe through the year.

I believe that every local church should be caught up in the great commission to multiply disciples to the ends of the earth. What does this look like for you? What does this mean for your church?

God’s heart is to reach the nations with the gospel. We have the joy of joining in with all that He is doing and being globally fruitful for His glory!

For King and Kingdom!

David

Your response

Pray

We have global prayer initiatives to help us to pray for the nations. Look out for times and dates.

Resource

Mission costs money! If you want to resource the mission financially please see my giving page.

Contact

Feel free to contact me if you want to talk further about what it means to be globally fruitful or if you need training for disciple making, church leadership, or church planting.

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1. Genesis 1:28 – And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (ESV) ↩︎
2. Matthew 28:19 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (ESV) ↩︎
3. Mark 4:20 – But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” (ESV) ↩︎
4. John 17:20 – “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, (ESV) ↩︎
5. https://www.relationalmission.org/vision-values ↩︎
6. Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher ↩︎
7. Matthew 28:20 – “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (ESV) ↩︎
8. 2 Timothy 2:2 – and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (ESV) ↩︎