Regenerative Disciple-Making: Cultivating a Healthier Ecosystem for Faith

In recent years, there’s been a growing movement in agriculture that offers a compelling metaphor for the church: regenerative farming.

Unlike industrial farming, which prioritizes maximum output at any cost—even if it means stripping the soil of its nutrients and disrupting the local ecosystem—regenerative farming focuses on long-term health. It still produces a harvest, but it does so by investing in the richness of the soil, protecting the surrounding environment, and contributing to the flourishing of all the life it touches.

It doesn’t just use the land—it heals it.

As I’ve reflected on this, I can’t help but draw the parallel to discipleship in the life of the church. What if our churches are operating more like industrial farms than regenerative ecosystems? What if our desire for spiritual output—attendance, programming, productivity—is actually depleting the very soil of faith we’re meant to be cultivating?

And more hopefully: what if we began to make disciples in a way that not only bore fruit, but actually enriched the lives, homes, and communities around us?

The Problem with Industrial Discipleship

The modern church has become remarkably efficient at delivering content and hosting events. With excellence in programming, creative sermons, dynamic worship, and well-oiled systems, many churches can attract crowds and run ministry like a machine. But beneath the surface, something often gets overlooked: the health of the soil.

Industrial discipleship is focused on outcomes—how many people attend, how many sign up, how many volunteer. It's fast, measurable, and scalable. But it can also be exhausting. It extracts energy from leaders and volunteers. It often prioritizes the visible fruit over the unseen roots. And it tends to create consumers rather than cultivators.

Over time, this model may leave the church looking busy but spiritually barren. People may attend but not grow. Leaders may burn out. Programs may run, but transformation lags behind.

Like industrial farming, it works—until it doesn’t.

The Vision of Regenerative Disciple-Making

Regenerative farming, by contrast, is built on the idea that health and productivity are not at odds. By investing in the health of the soil, the farm produces better crops and supports a thriving ecosystem.

This is the vision we need for discipleship.

Regenerative disciple-making prioritizes the long-term spiritual health of individuals and communities. It’s slower, yes. But it’s deeper. It’s about cultivating whole people, not just filling roles. It’s about restoring identity, not just assigning tasks. It’s about creating a spiritual culture that nurtures growth, depth, and sustainability.

In regenerative churches, discipleship is not something that happens in a class or a course alone—it is woven into the rhythms of life. It’s relational, rooted, and responsive to the Spirit. It values spiritual formation as much as strategic execution. And perhaps most importantly, it multiplies health rather than extracting effort.

Five Marks of Regenerative Disciple-Making

Here are five contrasts between industrial and regenerative disciple-making that may help your church reimagine its path forward:

Extraction vs. Cultivation

Industrial models often rely on a few people doing most of the work—extracting energy from the most faithful until they’re worn thin. Regenerative discipleship cultivates gifts in every person, helping them grow into their calling and contribute meaningfully to the body of Christ.

Efficiency vs. Ecosystem

Industrial discipleship focuses on streamlined pathways and measurable goals. Regenerative discipleship sees the church as an ecosystem—interconnected, diverse, and flourishing only when each part is healthy and working in harmony.

Production vs. Formation

One model asks, “What can you do for the church?” The other asks, “Who are you becoming in Christ?” Regenerative discipleship emphasizes spiritual formation, not just participation. Production can lead us into using people rather than developing and caring for them.

Uniformity vs. Contextual Wisdom

Industrial approaches often rely on one-size-fits-all programming. Regenerative discipleship listens to the needs of the community and the individuals within it. The best contextual wisdom comes from watching, reflecting, and seeking to understand the dynamics and interactions. Regenerative discipleship adapts and contextualizes without compromising the gospel.

Short-Term Growth vs. Long-Term Health

Regenerative models are in it for the long haul. They don’t just ask what will get results this fall—they ask what kind of people we’ll be in ten years, and how we’re cultivating the kind of soil that can sustain the harvest.

How to Begin Cultivating a Regenerative Discipleship Culture

You don’t need to overhaul everything overnight. Regenerative farming starts with small steps that restore health. The same is true for disciple-making.

Here are some ways to begin:

• Listen to the soil. What’s the condition of the spiritual soil in your church? Are people deeply rooted or spiritually depleted? Are leaders energized or exhausted?

• Plant in smaller plots. Big programs have their place, but much of the richest growth happens in smaller, relational environments. Focus groups, triads, or one-on-one coaching can produce greater fruit than we imagine.

• Rotate the fields. Just like in farming, it’s healthy to change rhythms. Offer space for rest, reflection, and sabbath. Help people find balance and avoid spiritual burnout.

• Cover the soil. Regenerative farms use cover crops to protect the soil. What practices protect and nourish the soul of your church community? Regular prayer, shared meals, storytelling, and intergenerational ministry all enrich the ecosystem.

• Compost what’s no longer fruitful. Not every program or ministry needs to continue forever. Sometimes the most life-giving thing you can do is let something die and return its nutrients to the soil for what comes next.

From Fields to Fruit

Jesus often used agricultural metaphors to describe the Kingdom of God. Seeds. Soil. Fruit. Vines. Branches. The implication was clear: healthy growth takes time, attention, and the right conditions. You can’t force transformation, but you can create the conditions for it to happen.

What would it look like for your church to be less of a factory and more of a field?

What would change if you valued depth over speed, formation over function, and relationships over results?

Regenerative disciple-making isn’t just an idealistic vision. It’s a return to the way of Jesus—the slow, deep, Spirit-led journey of transformation that produces fruit that lasts.

Let’s move beyond extracting participation and start cultivating people. Let’s tend to the soil of our communities, and trust that God will bring the harvest in His time.