“But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”
Daniel 11:32

They moved in exact order, like a company of soldiers.
-- CET, p 176.

The formation of small companies as a basis of Christian effort has been presented to me by One who cannot err.
--Testimonies, vol. 7, pp. 21, 22.

The people of God will draw together, and present to the enemy a united front. . . . The love of Christ, the love of our brethren, will testify to the world that we have been with Jesus and learned of Him. Then will the message of the third angel swell to a loud cry, and the whole earth will be lightened with the glory of the Lord.--Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 401. (1900) {Ev 693.2}

The Vision:
U7, short for Unit7 represents a radical shift in the structure of the local congregation. In essence, it is a reformation of the people in the pews. U7’s are units of seven people (including a Unit leader) whose main function is to serve as an aggressive evangelism unit, while also providing nurture, direction and instruction for new and existing members. The Unit meets together on a regular basis to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, encourage, and plan exploits (evangelistic outreach) for that particular Unit. By creating these small evangelism Units, each member of the church who becomes a member of a Unit is effecting a grassroots reformation. A pastor is now able to speak directly to his Unit leaders who will in turn have their units ready for action at any given moment. With any global event, such as Net events, or OGR’s Ten Day Global Storm, or the upcoming 2009 World Series (See www.operationglobalrain.com), the “Global Unit (U7’s around the world) could be organized seamlessly and instantly. The vision then is to see the U7 reform the local and global church at the most important, and least evangelistically organized level, the congregation so that the pastors of the churches can have the forces they need to accomplish the mission of the 3 angel’s messages. If for example, a pastor has selected 10 Unit leaders, and these Unit leaders effectively do their job, the pastor now has an effective and willing working force of 70 people in his church!

Method of Informing:
How do we then inform the people of this radical evangelism? It is no secret that whenever an appeal is made from the pulpit to do the work of evangelism, you may safely assume that you lose 80% of the people immediately. Reasons range from fear to self doubt, and beyond. The most effective way for the U7 to reform the people in the pew is one to one contact. The pastor of the church seeks out his Unit leaders. Once these Unit leaders have been selected and have met together, they in turn recruit members from their church to join their Units. No announcement is made from the front to join a Unit. Thus the church is changed from disorder to order, from sleepiness to vigilance, from inaction to action without a single appeal from the pulpit.

Secret of Success:
Each Unit leader must strive to form what the military calls “Unit Cohesion.” Military strategists define Unit Cohesion as: the bonding together of members of an organization/Unit in such a way as to sustain their will and commitment to each other, their unit, and the mission.” For Christians, that “cohesion” is found in Christ and him crucified. (See John 12:32). It here at the Unit level that the action of evangelism is most effectively and successfully done. If the Unit fails to be cohesive, the Unit itself will fail. If the Unit succeeds in creating cohesion, the Unit will “be strong and do exploits.” The failure or success of the Unit depends in a large degree on the Unit leader’s ability to foster this principle of “Unit Cohesion”.

Message of U7’s:
The message of the U7 must be a united one. The three angels messages centered in the cross is key to successful evangelism. The Unit should seek to understand the cross as it relates to our message in an end-time context.
Evangelism Methods Each Unit prays and discusses the method of evangelism they will do. Whatever the method or plan, the goal should be to produce interests which will lead to bible study. The work of the U7 is ultimately to produce bible studies, which will lead to baptisms, and thus complete or create new units. A Unit is functioning correctly if it is a. Cohesive, b. Productive (producing bible studies), and c. Reproductive (training and nurturing new members by placing them in incomplete Units or nurturing them in their own incomplete Unit). A Unit which is experiencing “C.P.R.” is a living and breathing unit!

Exploits:
The U7 focuses on two types of exploits, Unit and Individual. Unit exploits entail plans where the entire Unit is carrying out an operation. Individual exploits are personal operations carried out without the planning or presence of the entire Unit. When Units meet, there should be a time of testimonials of individual exploits. Units members are encouraged to carry out some sort of “IE” on at least a weekly basis. IE’s build the overall strength and efficiency of a unit.

U7 Training Manuals:
The Bible and the books Christian Service, Gospel Workers, and/or Evangelism by Ellen White will be the standard “workbooks” for the U7. Other books can be suggested and in connection with these.

Unit Rallies:
Units meet individually on regular basis (suggested time is once a week, or every two weeks), but collectively once or every 4 to six weeks to share testimonies, to encourage and pray for current exploits. Unit leaders should meet together on a regular basis with their pastor to discuss, review and revise outreach plans and ideas.

The Multiplication Goal of the U7:
The goal of the U7 is to multiply, (not grow) itself. The Unit generally remains at 7 to 8 members and no more. When that Unit wins someone into the church, the new recruit is immediately connected with an incomplete unit. This Unit will serve as spiritual guardians and support for the new members. This will help to ground new members into the church by providing a small group connection while at the same time teaching them to get involved in the work of soul winning. A Unit leader may also “tap” one of his own unit, to start a new unit. This “tapping” should not be
a result of personality conflicts, but rather as a an “honorable discharge”, the result of proven leadership capabilities in the individual tapped. A person should not leave a Unit on his own to start his own Unit as this defeats the purpose of cohesion. Additionally, each unit member can start his or her own small group (not a U7) for inactive, former, or non members. The potential of growth if each unit member becomes a leader of a small study group is incredible.

Communications:
U7 leaders who register their Units online will have access to evangelism resources, and be able to communicate with other U7 leaders around the world to exchange ideas.

How to establish the U7 in your Church:
1. Pastor or church leader selects a number of U7 leaders. An average of one to two weeks is given for Unit Leaders to recruit members of the church (6 total) into their units.
2. One week later, pastor or church leader meets again with Unit leaders to check progress. All units should strive to be complete by this time. Two weeks are then given to Unit leaders to meet at least twice with their units to pray for and plan (not execute) an “exploit.” During these initial meetings the “Cohesion” principle should be introduced, discussed, and made the foundation of the Unit. At the end of the two week period the first Unit Rally is held where entire Units are present. The Units will have the opportunity to share their planned exploit so that all gathered can pray for its success. This can be done on A Friday night in someone’s home, the church, or fellowship hall.
3. The exploit is executed within a month of the Unit Rally. It is an “initiation” into the work of soul winning. At the end of that month another Unit rally is held to share the experiences of the various exploits, to pray and to encourage.
4. From here, individual Units will meet on a regular basis, and Unit Rallies should be held once to twice every month or six weeks, repeating the same process. Unit leaders and pastor should meet consistently.
5. Eventually, Units may chose to meet at the midweek prayer service to both plan, pray, study and testify.