“These are the most powerful tools I have seen throughout my 42 years of life in God’s kingdom,” says J. Müller, director of ACTOS Network, of the Coram Deo materials. ACTOS has been a DNA Affiliate Organization since September 2015. He continues:
Before, I couldn’t differentiate between the kingdom, the Church, and the family of God. This was very confusing to me, and my Christian life on earth didn’t have much meaning.
Reading books by Darrow Miller sparked something in me, causing me to deeply and honestly examine my vision of the world. Finally, as a result, I could organize my life around my real Identity, Purpose and Mission based on God’s Word.
At the same time, I began to discern the real nature of the Church as a strategy and its modus operandi established by Jesus as a way for redemption and not an end in itself, as Christians so often think.
For me, the de-institutionalization and de-mystification of the church–its true role in God’s redemption process–was very liberating to learn.
The Disciple Nations Alliance is composed of like-minded individuals and organizations united by a common mission. DNA Affiliate Organizations actively advance this mission through their organizations, contextualizing DNA teaching for their various spheres of influence.
The ACTOS team assists church leaders in their job of making the local church a real “ekklesia” of Jesus by going back to His model of discipleship. Essentially, they provide and promote a process and resources for a local church to become an agent of transformation in its community. Here is more information on their model.
ACTOS focuses on leaders, believing that “the hallmark of a local church according to Jesus’ model is the transformation of its community. However, a local church can only be as healthy as its leaders.”
Disciples disciple others
Catise Ramos (right) is the ACTOS coordinator in Cape Verde. She first met J. Müller in 1998 and began to be discipled by him. “At that time,” says J. Müller, “my discipleship emphasis was on ‘getting closer to God’ and ‘serving in the church.’ In 2002, when I started to enlarge my discernment on God’s kingdom, I also started to transfer my discernments to her. And this dynamic was a powerful change in her life as well.”
Catise subsequently earned a degree in social work and continued the ACTOS ministry in Cape Verde, where she implements the Manthano University of Life which will serve 16 nations in West Africa (more details below). Catise also founded a pilot project with young people in a small village. This is called Generation that Acts (group photo below).
From 2003-2012, ACTOS has operated a network in South Africa called POPnet or the Pastoring of Pastors Network, designed to put an end to the isolation and loneliness that so often accompanies pastoral leaders and their spouses.
Since 2013, ACTOS has been working to establish a center for leadership development in Cape Verde, called Manthano University of Life.
Using non-formal education, the center has two main purposes:
- Sowing God’s kingdom values into the community
- Through teachings on personal leadership (self leadership) for anyone in the community, mainly for young people in high schools and universities
- Through teachings on community leadership for NGOs
- Through teachings on professional leadership for employees and employers in the private and public sectors
- Harvesting God’s kingdom fruits from the community by developing “ecclesiastical leadership”–offering leadership training to anyone who is kingdom-oriented and wishing to be more effective in his/her life, regardless of church or organization affiliation
After reading Discipling Nations in 2002, J. Müller started to introduce kingdom concepts into his trainings. He then attended a DNA Vision Conference in Johannesburg in 2003, linked arms with the DNA Local Network there, and integrated into his work teachings from both Darrow Miller and Bob Moffit. You may connect with J. Müller and the ACTOS Network by emailing info@actosministry.net.
If you lead an organization and would like to become a DNA Affiliate, please click here to learn more.
I appreciated the article about ACTOS Network and the implantation of the Manthano University of Life in Cap Vert. Our goal is to get up a new generation of leaders in Cap Vert. We believe that like partners of God we can influence our community with values of the kingdom, like Jesus done.
So, thank you for the news in your newsletter about what God has done in Cap Vert, West Africa.
I appreciate your ministrie. May God bless you!
Catise Ramos
ACTOS Coordinator in Cap Vert.