From Retention to Reproduction: Shifting the Culture Toward Multiplying Disciples

In so many churches, success is measured by the number of people in the pews or the programs running on the calendar, how nice and big the building is, and even how much money the church has in the bank. Even when church leaders speak of more meaningful metrics of fruitfulness, the default reverts to the institutional subconscious-like it is in the bones of the institution- and we ask, "How many showed up?" While attendance and engagement matter, Jesus didn’t call us to gather crowds—He called us to make disciples who make disciples.

A key dilemma is that many congregations want the different fruit or result of forming disciples who form disciples, the congregation rarely addresses the inner workings (also known as systems) that would lead to that new and different result.

Most churches are structured around retention rather than reproduction. We work hard to keep people connected, involved, and showing up. But we rarely ask if our ministries are forming disciples who are equipped and sent to multiply themselves in the lives of others.

It’s time for a shift.

The Problem with Retention Culture

When retention is the goal, here are some things you will notice:

• There is a focus on program attendance rather than transformation that is happening through the work of the spirit through relationships, rhythms, and revelation.

• Leadership prioritizes filling roles over developing people (allowing expedience to take the driver’s seat).

• Leaders, both local and institutional, measure success by numbers rather than fruit (have we even taken the time to discern what fruit we are seeking?)

• The culture of the church is risk avoidant in order to maintain control and comfort.

This kind of culture, even unintentionally, creates passive participants rather than active disciple-makers. It leads to burnout for existing leaders and stagnation for the body of Christ.

The Biblical Pattern of Multiplication

From the earliest days of the Church, multiplication was the norm. Jesus sent His disciples to make more disciples multiple times, but most notably in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). Paul, the apostle, trained Timothy to entrust the gospel to others who would do the same (2 Tim. 2:2). And in Acts, we see where people were sent and multiplied communities of faith across cities and regions.

Even John Wesley’s class and band meetings were designed not just to retain people in a system, but to also reproduce holiness and mission in the lives of others.

What about now?

Indicators of a Reproductive Culture

It's one thing to talk about multiplication in the faith community, but how do we lean into that understanding? Want to know if your church is leaning toward multiplication? Here are some key signs that might indicate that your church is moving this the direction of multiplying followers of Jesus:

• Apprenticeship: Leaders are training others to replace and multiply themselves. (Training not directing. Give an example to imitate, over and over. Talk it through. Allow the apprentice to practice and review it.)

• Sending language: Commissioning and release are part of your church vocabulary. (It is not just for mission teams. Bless, commission, and send all groups to their important kingdom work. Use that language to reinforce the missional identity of the church.)

• Decentralized ministry: Ministry happens in homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods, not just on campus. (Bless and empower ministry that happens in everyday life. What about the priesthood of all believers? Equip people, encourage them, and celebrate their ministry.)

• Testimonies of impact: People share stories of leading others to faith, growth, and mission. (What stories does your church tell? Do the stories reflect your church’s mission or does it reflect that your church’s lack of attendance, lack of finances, or needed repairs are the most important things your church does?)

Barriers to Reproduction in the Local Church

If reproduction is biblical and effective, why don’t we pursue it more intentionally? There are so many reasons, and if we are truly candid, there aren’t reasons-only excuses (Let's watch our toes!). Here are some barriers that are quite common:

• Staff dependency: Too much ministry is centralized in paid roles…after all, it’s their job. Well, it shouldn’t be. The role of staff should be to equip the saints for ministry, not do the ministry for the saints.

• Program inertia: Churches rely on systems that were built to attract, not reproduce. This is the set it and forget it approach. Is your church still waiting on those new people to show up?

• Fear: Leaders worry about losing control or quality if they empower others. Can I be honest? Most of the time, the quality isn’t that great. The real concern is control and comfort. Often leaders don’t like the unexpected to arise, they want to have the final say over their area, or maybe the leader is afraid that he/she might then be unnecessary (which is untrue).

• No clarity: There isn't a clear pathway for discipleship or leadership development. This is a big one. When I say big one, I mean BIG one. If we were having coffee, and I asked you about you pathway for discipleship and leader development, a handful might be able to articulate a disciple pathway-by sharing the three or four words that sum up each part. But, very few, if any, could outline a leader development pathway. So the only leaders in the church are those who are spiritual entrepreneurs or people at the wrong place at the right time (depending on how you look at it).

These are real obstacles—but they’re not insurmountable.

A Path Forward: Three Shifts Churches Must Make

1. From Teaching to Training

Teaching informs, but training forms and develops. Begin creating environments where people are not just learning about discipleship but practicing it. It's not enough to teach someone the bible. Being a disciple means that we are learning to live the truth of the bible.

Try This: Start a discipleship triad (three committed people) where members commit to both formation and multiplication.

2. From Attendance to Apprenticeship

Sometimes just showing up is a win. But in discipleship, it hardly gets anyone past the threshold. Every leader should be reproducing-meaning that every leader should be inviting other people into their leadership sphere to learn, reflect, and practice. Design ministry roles with built-in mentoring and a succession mindset. What if your meetings (staff, committee, small group or Sunday School class spent just a few minutes at every meeting simply sharing who each person is investing in?)

Try This: Ask each ministry leader to identify and begin investing in an apprentice within 30 days.

3. From Addition to Multiplication

Resist the urge to just grow bigger. Focus instead on growing deeper and sending more.

Try This: Create space in your leadership meetings to ask, “Who are we developing and sending?”

Next Steps for Those in Leadership

Here are a few actionable steps to begin shifting your culture:

1. Evaluate Your Metrics: What are you celebrating? What do you counting? How do you weigh what you count?

2. Start with a Microsystem: Begin with one or two discipling relationships where multiplication is an intentional goal. Consider how that would make your focus different.

3. Create a Simple, Reproducible Rhythm: Help people practice weekly or monthly habits (consistency is key!) that form them and can be shared with others.

4. Tell Stories of Multiplication: Use testimony to reinforce the vision. Highlight when someone takes the step to disciple or mentor someone else.

Resources for Further Exploration

• Book: Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations by Justin Irving

• Book: The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman

• Course: Multipliers: Leading Beyond Addition (Exponential Conference resource)

• Coaching: Beyond Programs and Pathways: Cultivating a Discipleship Ecosystem — a 6-session experience to help churches reframe and redesign their discipleship culture

Multiplication doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when those in leadership resist the gravity of retention and choose to invest in people who will invest in others.

Let’s move beyond retaining crowds and toward multiplying disciples of Jesus.

What’s your next move?