Tim O’Neill
National Leader, Exponential Australia
Ten SHIFTS to Birth Disciple Making Multiplication In Your Church or Plant
No. 5 Extending a Disciple Making Pathway To Become a Leadership Pathway
We need more leaders and church planters. That was the clear message that we received from the Survey of Denominational Leaders that Exponential Australia conducted in 2024.
When asked “What are the biggest obstacles you face in relation to planting more churches?” nearly all the leaders responded that they didn’t have the leaders to plant more churches. They responded that this was by far the biggest issue stopping more churches being planted.
But finding new leaders to plant churches isn’t the only problem. Many denominations and networks in Australia are facing a crisis in not having enough leaders to replace aging and retiring leaders, much less to plant new churches.
So what’s the solution? We need to take disciple making pathways beyond just making disciples and have the next stages focus on making leaders. Leaders who truly are disciples will become multipliers!
Two ways of developing a leadership pathway include:
- developing a leadership pathway within the church, and
- developing denominational or network pathways
Both approaches have advantages. More than that, they can be complimentary. Whichever approach is developed, they will work best when they are under pinned by a disciple making pathway.
Intentionality rather than complexity are key to designing a leadership pathway within a church.
Ralph Moore, who has seen literally thousands of church planters raised from the churches in the network that sprung from churches he has planted writes:
“For us, the multiplication pipeline begins with friendship evangelism, or making disciples of non-believers.
After someone accepts Christ, we draw him or her into a MiniChurch (our midweek home groups).
If they respond well, we draw them into the leadership circle of the MiniChurch. At that point, they get invited to specialized discipleship groups that are only open to MiniChurch leaders. These meetings are our closest approximation to seminary.
If a person starts three successful MiniChurches, we see them as a potential staff member or church planter. I hope you see that our pathway is very clear and organic.”
Excerpt From New to Five by Ralph Moore
QUESTION FOR REFLECTION:
What would a Leadership Pathway in your church look like?
Tim O’Neill
National Leader, Exponential Australia