The modern Church is standing at a crossroads. For decades, we have poured billions of dollars into a model that prioritizes gathering a crowd over sending a movement.
Right now, across the northern hemisphere, we are facing a staggering $40 billion problem. That is the approximate amount of annual giving used to maintain an inward focus for over 300,000 churches that are essentially plateaued: not growing by making new disciples of Jesus. We are drowning in a sea of lost people while our traditional metrics tell us we’re doing "just fine" because the lights are on and the pews are partially filled.
But there is a different story being written elsewhere.
In the 1990s, there were only six documented Disciple-Making Movements (DMM) globally. By the start of 2025, that number has exploded to over 1,965 trackable movements, primarily in regions where resources are scarce but hunger for the Gospel is high. These movements are not built on high-production Sunday services; they are built on the exponential power of ordinary people following a specific, biblical pattern.
The future of the Church isn’t addition. It’s multiplication.
If you want to see your church shift from maintenance to mission, you don't need a bigger budget or a better building. You need to catalyze a movement. This shift doesn’t happen by accident: it requires three essential catalysts modeled by Jesus himself.
1. Intentional Relationships Modeled After Jesus
The first catalyst is a return to "life-on-life" discipleship. In our rush to build programs, we often forget that Jesus didn't start a program; He called twelve men to walk with Him.
Jesus’ model was built on proximity and intentionality. He told them, "Follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people" (Matthew 4:19, NIV). Note the order: relationship first, then mission. We often try to send people out before they have truly learned to follow.
In The Real Jesus: Series 1 – The Mission Begins, we explore how Jesus prioritized "the few" to reach "the many." He invested deeply in a core group, knowing that if the foundation were strong and the model was relational, it would eventually reach the ends of the earth.
To catalyze a movement in your church, you must shift your focus:
- From Crowds to Cores: Spend more time with those who are actually ready to multiply.
- From Information to Transformation: Discipleship isn't about what you know; it's about who you are becoming in Christ.
- From Classroom to Kitchen Table: The most powerful disciple-making often happens over coffee, not in a lecture hall.
2. Reproducible Systems That Empower Ordinary Believers
Movement dies when the "average" person feels unqualified to participate. If your disciple-making process requires a seminary degree or a professional platform, it will never be a movement. It will always be a bottleneck.
Catalytic movements require simple, reproducible tools that any believer can use. We see this throughout the New Testament: the Gospel spread because ordinary people: fishermen, tax collectors, and tentmakers: could explain it and pass it on.
Strategic alignment means ensuring that your systems are lean enough to be copied. In The Real Jesus: Series 2 – The Power of the Gospel, the focus is on the simplicity of the message. If the tool is too complex, the movement stops with the expert.
At Family Network, we help churches implement these "easy-to-use" systems. We believe every believer should be equipped to lead a discovery group or a simple church. When you empower the "ordinary," you unlock the "extraordinary" potential of the Great Commission.
✔ Simple Tools: Use resources that anyone can facilitate.
✔ Clear Pathways: Ensure every member knows their next step in the journey.
✔ Decentralized Leadership: Move the "power" from the stage to the streets.
3. A Multiplication Mindset: From Addition to Exponential Growth
The final catalyst is perhaps the hardest: a total shift in the way we define success.
The "Addition Mindset" asks: How many people did we attract to our building this week?
The "Multiplication Mindset" asks: How many disciple-makers did we send into the community this week?
Addition is linear. Multiplication is exponential. In a world of 8 billion people, addition will never be enough to fulfill the Great Commission. We must move from "gathering crowds" to "sending disciple-makers."
This shift requires a "vision-first" approach. You must be willing to lose people to the mission rather than hoarding them for your programs. This is the "Ripple Effect" we talk about often: a single disciple who makes another disciple, who makes another, until an entire community is transformed across generations.
As we discuss in The Real Jesus: Series 3 – The Way of the Cross, multiplication often feels like "dying" to our own ambitions for a large, comfortable church so that the Kingdom can truly expand.
Finding Your Pathway to Movement
Moving a church from a plateau to a movement is a journey, and you don't have to walk it alone. At Family Network, we meet you where you are and provide the coaching, resources, and partnership needed to shift your culture.
We provide five interconnected ministry pathways to help you move forward:
- Explore: Step into a learning environment to catch the vision for multiplication.
- Multiply: Develop a core team of disciple-makers with hands-on coaching.
- Strengthen: Gain proven systems for children’s ministry, worship, and leadership development.
- Partner: Join in deep relational and strategic alignment for global impact.
- Integrate: Move toward a multisite or campus model for full mission integration.
The Great Commission isn't a suggestion for the super-spiritual; it’s a command for the whole family of God. Whether you are a lead pastor or a passionate volunteer, you are called to be a catalyst.
The future of the Church isn’t found in better "maintenance." It’s found in the movement.
Let’s start a conversation about your church's next step.
In His Service,
Dr. Adam Grill
Founder, Family Network
High-Impact Social Clip
"The future of the Church isn't addition; it's multiplication. While 300,000 churches are plateaued, over 1,900 movements are changing the world by empowering ordinary people to follow the Jesus model. It’s time to move from gathering a crowd to sending a movement. Read the full blog: [Link]"
