Bill Beckham gives a historical and strategic perspective of God's expansion people movement that is built upon the unique and interrelated groups of 3, 12, and 70. He makes the case that the church must do three things in the 21st century: (1) Add a mid-sized group of seventy that can organize and supervise church planting expansion, (2) make Christ the presence, power, and purpose of existing and future small groups, and (3) establish friendship triads of two or three as the contagious factor for making disciples and reaching unbelievers. Beckham gives a five-step strategy through which a church, up and down the spectrum from a mini church, mega church, cell church, or a church plant, can, by using Jesus' groups of 3/12/70, experience New Testament expansion rather than just growing or maintaining in a building.
