You’re likely reading this because you care about making disciples. Would you like to know what the most effective disciple making churches in North America actually do?
New Research Revealing the 7 Practices That Multiply Disciples
The North American Church faces a stark challenge: The 5 Percent Problem.
In 2020, my team at Discipleship.org released results from a National Study on church disciple making cultures. The findings were alarming: just under 5% of churches have cultures rooted in Jesus-style disciple making.
That means 95% of our churches lack this foundation. In practice:
- Life-on-life disciple making isn’t the core mission.
- Pastors and leaders aren’t personally practicing relational disciple making.
- Members aren’t equipped to become disciples who make disciples.
As one friend quipped: “Our churches have adopted the functional mission of going into all the world and making more church attenders, baptizing them in the name of programs, and teaching them to volunteer a few times a month.”
We knew some leaders and churches were bucking this trend, so in late 2024 we launched an 18-month, in-depth investigation to identify North America’s top disciple making churches (including in Canada). Our goal: uncover their practices to equip leaders everywhere.
We interviewed hundreds of leaders, analyzed data, consulted practitioners on multiplying churches, and heard stories of both heartbreak and hope.
The result? My teams at Discipleship.org and RENEW.org identified the game-changing insights for every leader:
- We identified 9 top churches and networks excelling in disciple making.
- We distilled their key practices into 7 clear, transferable practices.
- We compiled a book filled with leadership questions so you can apply the research to your own team.
What Leaders are Saying about 7 Practices of Disciple Making Churches:
“Harrington takes us back to the discipleship of Jesus to draw a simple, yet clear picture of what discipleship can look like for each of us in our various contexts. Brilliantly illustrated by real examples from real life, The 7 Practices of Disciple Making Churches showcases the heart of discipleship and breaks it down into several actionable models. Christians today will be better equipped to disciple the church tomorrow with this book in their hands.” —Kyle Idleman, senior pastor Southeast Christian Church and bestselling author of Every Thought Captive
“The authors have put gasoline on the fire of the Great Commission. This book comes from practitioners, not consultants.” —Jim Putman, author, pastor, and leader at the Relational Discipleship Network
“A valuable tool for anyone serious about developing a disciple-making culture.” —Jeff Vanderstelt, author and executive director, Saturate
2 Ways to Learn More
1. See RENEW.org Preconference at SpireConference (September 29 – Mt. Carmel, IN)
SpireConference is an annual conference to equip healthy growing churches, and this year’s SpireConference (Sept 29, Mt. Carmel, IN) features a RENEW.org Preconference on Disciple Making. Come early and spend focused time unpacking these 7 Practices of Disciple Making Churches. You’ll leave with clear next steps you can take home to your leadership team.
Register now! Use Promo Code: Renew2026 for a 50% discount. This code is valid for both the Pre-Conference and the Main Conference (register separately for each).
2. Sign up for RENEW.org Leadership Alignment Training for a Disciple Making Church
A core practice of disciple making churches is leadership alignment around good theology and disciple making.
I want to encourage you to look into the Leadership Alignment Training (LAT) for a Disciple Making Church for your church—a 12-month process of aligning your key leaders around theologically-rich, relationally-healthy disciple making.
Jason Cullum of Christ’s Church, Jacksonville, FL, worked with us to lead his team through the alignment process. For a sixty-minute video overview, click HERE. Here is Jason’s two-sentence summary:
“Could we have gotten there on our own? Maybe—but it would likely have taken years, with unnecessary frustration, confusion, and division along the way. The Leadership Alignment Training provided the roadmap, coaching, and tools we needed to move forward with confidence and unity.”
If you want to learn more about RENEW.org’s Leadership Alignment Training (LAT) for a Disciple Making Church, email [email protected].
Thanks, and I hope to connect with you either at this year’s SpireConference or through the LAT for a Disciple Making Church.
