Draft:Advance Groups

(Programme of Christian Evangelism Training)

Advance Groups are an evangelistic training resource developed by The Message Trust and the Luis Palau Association. The groups are designed to encourage, train and disciple Christians for practicing and proclaiming the gospel into the world. This is achieved through monthly small group gatherings using the free 3-year mentoring material. The organisers say that Advance exists “for anyone who wants to grow their understanding of the gospel and their ability to share it”. Advance Groups run in churches, homes, universities, and a wide range of locations in more than 90 nations around the globe. Course materials are translated into native languages to equip the groups and churches as they are trained.

History
Advance Groups began in 2015, when Andy Hawthorne (founder of The Message Trust) began meeting with eleven younger evangelists in his office in Manchester UK for the purpose of encouraging and sharpening one another other in their ministry. . Meeting once a month for two hours, the group was founded on five simple principles

Regular Meeting: that the group would take preparation for the task of witness into the world seriously. Once a meeting date was set it was to be treated as a schedule priority and serious commitment.

Sharpening: that the group would take the gospel seriously. Through bible study, discussion, prayer and practice, group members would commit to knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ with depth, that it may be lived and shared with clarity.

Accountability: that the group would take holiness seriously. Through honest self-reflection, each group member could share successes and failures from their lives in the past month, and invite each other to support each other accordingly.

Communication: that the group would take community seriously. Through a messaging app group, the evangelists would offer prayer requests, encouragements, testimony and more in regular communication with one another between group sessions.

Multiplication: that the group would take the mission of God seriously. After a year of being in the group, each member would consider starting their own group - whilst continuing on in their original group - to encourage others in they same way they had been encouraged.

In September 2016, Ben Jack (also known as Galactus Jack) became the Head of Advance at The Message Trust, and was tasked with turning the basic principles into a full program of material that could be offered as a free resource to any individuals or churches who may find the Advance Group journey a blessing, broadening a little from a strategy to encourage evangelists into a mentoring tool that could encourage all believers in their witness.

As more groups sprang up in the UK from these new materials, It soon became apparent to The Message Trust and partner organisation the Luis Palau Association that these groups could resource mission around the world, and Advance Groups began rolling out across the globe.

Advance Groups have since grown rapidly, from just 17 groups in 2015, to over 15,000 in 2023.

As of 2023, the Advance Groups website describes the course as running in 94 nations, with 22 guide translations, and 63 Advance ambassadors, who develop and grow groups in their nation/region.

Structure
Advance Groups follow a three-year structure. Each year is divided into 12 sessions, with content to teach and discuss provided in the guide. Each session consists of Session Background, Catch Up, Prayer, Teaching, Discussion, Application, and Accountability.

Year one

The first year provides an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the characteristics of an evangelist. Each session looks at the different characteristics of an evangelist (someone who shares the good news), developing the messenger rather than methods or messages.

Year two

The guide describes the second year as “The twelve sessions of Year Two alternate between exploring the challenges and the fruit of evangelism”.

Year three

Year three moves away from the prescribed material and provides materials, resources and stimulus to develop the groups in a personalised way, and further ideas for continuing on beyond year three.