Dear RENEW.org Network Leaders,
Join me by wrapping your mind around an important truth: fewer than 5% of churches in North America have a disciple making culture (see here). That is a sobering statistic.
Since 2010, the teams I lead have focused on helping churches change that—first by working on developing a disciple making culture at Harpeth Christian Church (my home church), by working with Jim Putman to coauthor the book DiscipleShift, and by cofounding Discipleship.org, which annually hosts the National Disciple Making Forum. In 2020, my team at Discipleship.org identified the distinctive character traits of a Church Disciple Making Culture. Then, in 2025 we followed up on the 2020 study by identifying the top disciple making churches in North America, with new findings to be released in 2026.
All that experience has gone into shaping RENEW.org’s Leadership Alignment Training for Disciple Making—a 12-month process of aligning your key leaders around theologically-rich, relationally-healthy disciple making.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW 15-MINUTE VIDEO PREVIEW OF RENEW.org’s LEADERSHIP ALIGNMENT TRAINING FOR DISCIPLE MAKING
To sign up for the LATDM, email Mike Rosser at [email protected].
This training is a 12-month training and mentoring journey where we take the lead minister/pastor and his key leaders through what it means to align everything in the local church around good theology and disciple making. The Leadership Alignment Training for Disciple Making emphasizes six critical areas of leadership alignment:
- Preparation for Alignment: Guiding all leaders into 1) a clear picture of a disciple making culture and 2) the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting as precursor practices for changing the church’s culture.
- Mission Alignment: Ensuring that all leaders are unified around the church’s disciple making mission.
- Theological Alignment: Maintaining consistency in doctrinal beliefs across the leadership team to support the mission.
- Philosophical Alignment: Harmonizing the approaches and methods used in ministry to align with the church’s mission and theology.
- Organizational Alignment: Structuring the church’s operations and leadership roles to effectively support disciple making efforts.
- Relational Alignment: Building strong, healthy relationships within the leadership team to foster trust and collaboration.
Together, these areas create a solid foundation for moving forward in a unified disciple making mission. You and your team will have hands-on guidance for 10 to 12 months so that you can effectively lead your congregation to live out the greatest mission on planet earth: being and making disciples of King Jesus.
Participants receive the RENEW.org Training Manual, monthly mentoring from a RENEW.org-trained, experienced lead minister/pastor, and disciple making curriculum.
Together, these areas create a solid foundation for church leaders to lead their congregations in fulfilling the mission of Jesus effectively and sustainably.
The process of getting your church trained and coached, through the leadership alignment model, typically takes 12 months. Meetings will be held monthly, and the senior minister/pastor will have access to a personal coach. The process will include readings for the team and simple assessments. The end result is a church that has rapidly advanced to change its culture and the church DNA around Jesus-style disciple making.
Key Elements of the Leadership Alignment Training for Disciple Making (LATDM)
- Leadership Alignment: The LATDM emphasizes the importance of aligning the leadership team with the mission of disciple making. It underscores the need for a unified vision and strategy across all levels of church leadership. This alignment is crucial for creating a consistent and effective approach to discipleship, ensuring that every leader is on the same page regarding the church’s goals and methods.
- Disciple Making Culture: The training outlines strategies for cultivating a culture of disciple making within the church. This includes theology, specific disciple making models, and practical steps for embedding disciple making into the DNA of the church, ensuring that it becomes a natural and integral part of the church’s operations. The training also highlights the role of leaders in modeling disciple making behavior and mentoring others to do the same.
- Team Development: A significant focus of the LATDM is on developing the leadership team. The training provides tools and resources to help church leaders identify and nurture the gifts and talents of their team members. By investing in the development of their leaders, churches can build a strong, capable team that is equipped to lead the disciple making mission effectively.
- Practical Tools and Resources: The LATDM provides a variety of practical tools and resources designed to help church leaders implement the principles of disciple making. These include templates for strategic planning, guides for mentoring relationships, and resources for teaching and training. The training also offers case studies and examples from other churches that have successfully implemented disciple making strategies.
- Sustainable Growth: One of the key outcomes of the LATDM is transformational individual change for the people within the church. By focusing on disciple making, churches can help the growth of people—seeing people come to faith in Christ and grow to become more and more like Christ. The training emphasizes the importance of creating systems and structures that support long-term disciple making efforts, ensuring that the church continues to grow and thrive in its mission.
Endorsements for RENEW.org’s Leadership Alignment Training for Disciple Making
“When our church leadership made the decision to lean further into disciple making, we quickly realized how much we didn’t know. As a Senior Leader passionate about making disciples, I was eager to align the entire ministry around our mission—to make disciples, better disciples, and more disciples. But I soon discovered the magnitude of the cultural and organizational shift required. It was both frustrating and discouraging to know where we wanted to go, yet not clearly see the path forward. That’s when I met Dr. Bobby Harrington and the team from RENEW.org. They introduced me to their LATDM, designed to help churches navigate the process of implementing a disciple-making culture. . . . 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 LATDM provided the roadmap, coaching, and tools we needed to move forward with confidence and unity. I would highly recommend this program to any church leader or team seeking to cultivate a disciple-making culture and align their organization around the mission of Jesus.”
—Jason Cullum, Lead Disciple Maker (Lead Pastor), Christ’s Church, Jacksonville, FL (a church with an attendance of 2500+)
“With the help of Paul Huyghebaert and the LATDM Program with RENEW.org, we are a much healthier body, our life groups are thriving, and we are moving forward to a point where making disciples is starting to drive everything we do. Thank you to Paul and your efforts at RENEW.org!
—Chris Morris, Elder, Kanawha City Church of Christ, Charleston, WV (a church with an attendance of 100+)
“Christ Community Church in Pinehurst, NC now has a clear vision of ‘Multiplying Movements of Disciple-Making and Church Planting throughout the Sandhills Region and Beyond.’ We are progressively becoming more of a sending church wherever we live, work, and play rather than one that just gathers on Sundays to worship and receive the gospel! Paul Huyghebaert’s outstanding mentorship during the LATDM Program with RENEW.org was very helpful in moving us forward to a point where making disciples is starting to drive everything we do. Thank you, RENEW.org!
—Olin Saunders, Elder, Christ Community Church, Pinehurst, NC (a church with an attendance of 1800+)
