C12 Celebrates 30 Years of Business with Christian CEOs
Launching with 32 CEOs in Florida in 1992, C12 now reaches 3,500+ business leaders across the US and internationally every month.
As C12 celebrates 30 Years of Christian CEOs, we have the opportunity to look back and gain perspective. Too many followers of Jesus live in suspended animation, not knowing how to connect their identity in Christ with their vocation in business. This syndrome is even more acute if you are a CEO or business owner.
As a former executive and newer Christian who experienced this disconnection, Buck Jacobs grew passionate about learning and applying practical, fruitful methods for an integrated, Christ-centered life of ministry in the marketplace. Then in October of 1992, with a vision to help Christian business leaders do the same, he launched “The Christian 12 Group.” 30 years later, Buck reflects on C12’s humble beginnings: “I started simply with an idea: a small group of experienced, like-minded Christian business owners and CEOs meeting together as an invaluable asset to one another.”
Since then, C12 has become the nation’s largest network of Christian CEOs, business owners, and executives with members meeting monthly in local C12 Business Forums around the world. Built on the foundation of professionally-facilitated peer mentorship and utilizing our signature 5-Point Alignment Matrix and Business as a Ministry Frameworks, C12 equips Christian CEOs and business owners to build great businesses for a greater purpose. These forums serve as a significant growth catalyst, offering a place to learn about biblically-based, proven business best practices complemented by discussion with peers who share a desire for a balanced and faith-centered life. Members also receive one-on-one mentorship from their C12 Chair.
Evolution of C12
What started as an experiment with 32 CEOs in Florida has multiplied over 100X to 3,500+ members. In major metro cities across the United States, C12 Business Forums serve businesses with 10 to 10,000+ employees and annual revenues from $2 million to $5 billion+. In 2016, Mike Sharrow, a C12 Chair at the time, assumed leadership of the growing company. By 2018, C12 began to expand internationally, with forums launching across Brazil, Malaysia, and Singapore. Current rates of expansion project C12 to reach 5,000 members by 2025.
In honor of C12 celebrating 30 years, Buck wrote, “The joy I feel as I reflect on all our Father has done to birth and grow C12 to this point just can’t be put into words. Neither can the excitement I feel as I look toward the future He has planned for us!”
In this video, C12 founder Buck Jacobs and current C12 CEO Mike Sharrow reflect on the origin, growth, and future of C12.
New Edition: Light Shines Bright in Babylon
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of C12, we are releasing an updated edition of Buck Jacob’s classic book, A Light Shines Bright in Babylon. Buck originally published this book two years before the formation of C12 as a manifesto for Christian business leaders to join his vision and apply God’s values and principles in their businesses.
Based on the belief that God has a plan for every believer and that plan includes the business God entrusts to leaders (Eph. 2:10), Buck encourages Christians and their companies to shine brightly as God’s beacons in a dark marketplace.
God used Buck’s mentorship to supply the awakening, encouragement, and resources that Christian leaders desperately need for this journey of business stewardship. Translated into Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese, this book has impacted thousands of leaders across the world and continues to spark the formation of Business as a Ministry (BaaM) principles in readers.
As CEO and a C12 member himself, Mike pauses at this milestone to marvel at the impact of C12: “If you’ve read A Light Shines Bright in Babylon, you know just how true it is that C12 is a business that only makes sense because of God. [C12 is] a global community of peers that others have called dangerous, inspiring, and emboldening. C12 members are impacting millions of people every month, making waves by leading with generosity and courageous faith.”
Click here to read the first chapter, “A True Rollover.”
The updated edition of A Light Shines Bright in Babylon is available for purchase at the C12 Store.
At C12, we provide Christian business leaders, CEOs, and business owners with the business tools, peer advisory groups, and executive coaching they need to thrive in business and life. To learn more about C12’s approach to Christ-centered business leadership, find a C12 Business Forum near you.
About the Author
Mike Sharrow
Mike Sharrow is the CEO of C12 Business Forums, the world’s largest peer-learning organization for Christian CEOs, business owners, and executives. Under his leadership, C12 has achieved impressive growth, including a 217% increase in membership and a 262% gain in revenue. Before being named C12’s CEO in 2016, Mike held executive roles in several entrepreneurial ventures, including a financial services startup and a subsidiary startup of Walgreens. He also served as an associate pastor at Grace Point Church in San Antonio, Texas, and a C12 Principal Chair in Central Texas. Today, Mike leads the C12 headquarters team as they support nearly 200 full-time C12 Chairs to equip Christian CEOs and business owners to build great businesses for a greater purpose.
October 17, 2022