Reality – very few churches in the United States multiply. Some reproduce (4%). More people add new people, but are not reproducing or multiplying (16%). Most have plateaued or are in decline (80%). However, internationally, the story is much different. You can read more here: Smaller (much SMALLER) Churches Prevail + Bigger (much BIGGER) Churches are Needed.
Why do I bring this up?
Recently, I was corresponding with a church multiplication network leader, and asked, “What metrics do you track to assess the health of your churches?” He responded – “I would like to have a conversation about this…” That triggered a little research on my part to curate content on church multiplication and make it accessible to my people (you). Prayerfully, I want to help you make sense out of the plethora of information that you are inundated with in podcasts, blogs, and conferences – or in conversation with peers.
I invite you to reflect on a list of practices that multiplying churches demonstrate, but don’t let this list overwhelm you. Multiplication isn’t about being “perfect”; it’s about being reproducible. It starts with a shift in the heart—moving from “How do I grow my church?” to “How do I grow the Kingdom?”
I received permission to synthesize this list from “Becoming a Level 5IVE Multiplying Church Field Guide” by Todd Wilson, Dave Ferguson, with Alan Hirsch. In addition, I created a simple evaluation for your use that is available here.
The Kingdom Compass
Multiplying churches…
- Prioritize Residency: They always have interns or residents in the pipeline, specifically preparing them to be sent out within the year.
- Shift the Focus: They care more about the birth of new churches than they do about hitting their next internal attendance milestone.
- Invest “First Fruits”: They commit at least 10% of their budget to church planting and “tithe” on building funds to ensure the mission outpaces the mortgage.
- Plant Before Property: They prioritize planting an autonomous church before they ever take on land or building debt.
- Plant Before Multi-Site: They choose to send out an independent church before they launch a satellite campus of their own.
- Work a Real Plan: They don’t just have a “vision” for doubling their planting; they have a concrete, actionable strategy to make it happen.
- Send the Best: They release their first church planter before they have a massive staff, and they keep “sending” their leadership capacity away.
- Issue the Public Call: They regularly stand before the congregation and ask people to leave their seats to join a planting team.
- Celebrate the Send: They make church planting the “hero” of their stories, celebrating it publicly to inspire the whole body.
- Challenge Sacrificial Giving: They call their members to give above and beyond their normal tithe, specifically to fund new works.
- Collaborate with Networks: They don’t fly solo; they stay active in a church-planting network or denomination committed to multiplication.
If you missed it above, CLICK HERE for the self-evaluation for each practice of a multiplying church.
You are doing the hard work of a pioneer. Whether you are at a place where you can implement one of these or all eleven, your faithfulness is seen. Keep dreaming, keep sending, and keep leaning into the One who promised that He would build His church.
Dive deeper into the multiplication conversation!
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the multiplication conversation, there’s an upcoming gathering on February 21st called “Multiply So Cal” that I think you’ll really enjoy. It’s a perfect opportunity to dream and grow together. Check out the details here!
