If you had asked Candice and me 15 years ago if we’d be leading a support and launch network for micro-churches, I would have thought you were crazy.

But here we are, incredibly grateful for God leading us to this moment.

Launched into the Harvest

Back in 2010, we were stunned when a simple prayer meeting propelled us into the harvest. We began seeing hundreds, even thousands, come to Christ. Yet, we were confronted by the sobering reality that 99% of these new believers didn’t transition into church communities. This led us on a search for answers about true discipleship.

Searching for answers on Discipleship

A few years later, I was offered the role of associate pastor, and over the next five to six years, we watched a Sunday service grow from 40 to 300 people. We hosted evangelism conferences, schools, and outreach events, but despite our efforts, fewer than five new believers would regularly show up at church.

These experiences reflect a broader trend across Australia since the 1970s, where the number of Australians identifying as Christians and regularly attending church has dropped by more than 50%. We were deeply impacted by the statistics on church planting from Exponential Australia and came to the realisation that 86% of Australians have rejected our current forms of church. But that doesn’t mean they’ve rejected Jesus.

A New Approach

After much prayer and research, we were connected with movement catalysts like Troy Cooper, who have catalysed disciple-making movements in places like Haiti, South America, Florida, and California. We began experimenting with different approaches to discipleship.

Trying something new

One day, I met Heather, and after praying for her back pain, it was healed. I shared the gospel with her, and a week later, we trained her and baptised her, encouraging her to pray for others. Instead of inviting her to church, we started a group with her next to Woolworths. As a result of Heather’s connection, others came to Christ, and the microchurch has been going strong for over two years.

Taking the plunge

In 2023, we felt God leading us to take the next step. We cast vision to our community to transition from a predominantly church-based model to a launch and support network for disciple-makers and disciple-making churches. This was a painful time, and quite a few of our beautiful friends transitioned with us.

We started 2023 with around five micro-churches. Now, we train, support, and learn from 50 micro-churches across eight networks.

Amazed by God’s work

We’ve witnessed some amazing stories, like Divina launching five micro-churches in six months, and leaders like Cornelio and Salata, who are planting micro-churches from the Torres Strait to South Australia. It’s been such a joy to see people like Chad, who was once on his way to deliver drugs, now leading hundreds to Christ and launching his own disciple-making church.

The Impact

Through our efforts and training, since February 23, 2023, we’ve seen 4,759 gospel shares, 763 decisions for Christ, and 146 new believers baptised and placed in discipleship groups.

We’re also excited to partner with missionaries, such as Andy and Cathy Hillman, who recently baptised 60 people from an Indigenous community.

Reflecting on the Journey

Looking back, the contrast is truly remarkable. In five to six years, we saw fewer than five new Christians connected to a growing church, even with a large budget. But now, through our Collective operating on a shoestring budget, we’ve seen 148 new converts—a 72-fold increase in new disciples—and we believe this is only the beginning, we are believing for significant multiplication. 

Harvest time in Australia

We celebrate and honour the many incredible churches that are effectively reaching the 16%. However, there’s an urgent need to partner with existing churches and disciples to explore and implement new models that can reach the remaining 84%.

As one of the most multicultural nations in the world, Australia holds a unique and strategic position for this mission. Very grateful for the partnership and encouragement for Exponential and leaders like Tim O’Neill who are igniting vision for our nation!