DISCIPLE MAKING MOVEMENTS

THERE ARE THREE OVERARCHING THEMES THAT HELP ONE UNDERSTAND DISCIPLE MAKING MOVEMENTS (DMM):

DISCIPLE

  • HOW GOD DESIRES TO SHAPE HIS PEOPLE INTO STRONGER DISCIPLES OF JESUS. EACH PERSON SHOULD "BE A DISCIPLE WORTH MULTIPLYING" (BADWM).

MAKING

  • HOW JESUS MADE DISCIPLES AND TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE.

MOVEMENTS

  • HOW PRINCIPLES LEAD TO A MULTIPLICATION OF NEW DISCIPLES, CHURCHES, AND LEADERS; SO THAT HIS KINGDOM ADVANCES THROUGHOUT AN ENTIRE PEOPLE, CITY, OR REGION.

TECHNICAL DEFINITION OF DMM:

DMM IS THE MULTIPLICATION OF DISCIPLES MAKING DISCIPLES AND LEADERS DEVELOPING LEADERS. THIS RESULTS IN INDIGENOUS CHURCHES PLANTING CHURCHES. THESE CHURCHES BEGIN TO SPREAD QUICKLY THROUGH A PEOPLE GROUP OR REGION AND MORE DISCIPLES ARE BORN. THESE NEW DISCIPLES AND CHURCHES BEGIN TO TRANSFORM THEIR COMMUNITIES AS THE NEW BODY OF CHRIST LIVES OUT KINGDOM VALUES. WHEN CHURCHES REPRODUCE CONSISTENTLY TO 4 GENERATIONS IN MULTIPLE STREAMS, THE PROCESS BECOMES A SELF-SUSTAINING MOVEMENT. ONCE THE FIRST CHURCHES START, MOVEMENT USUALLY REACHES 4 GENERATIONS WITHIN 3-5 YEARS. MOVEMENTS OFTEN REPRODUCE NEW MOVEMENTS AMONG NEW PEOPLE GROUPS OR REGIONS.

WITH A VISION TO SEE A SELF-SUSTAINING MOVEMENT THAT TRANSFORMS PEOPLE GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES, IT’S NECESSARY TO HAVE A MODEL THAT’S POSSIBLE TO PASS ALONG. THIS MODEL MUST BE SIMPLE, SUSTAINABLE, AND SCALABLE. DMM PROVIDES DISCIPLE MAKERS WITH ELEMENTS AND MODELS THAT FIT THIS CRITERIA. THIS FOCUS ON MULTIPLICATION AND REPRODUCIBILITY IS SEEN IN ITS MOST BASIC LEVEL IN 2 TIMOTHY 2:2, WHERE PAUL INSTRUCTS TIMOTHY:

“YOU HAVE HEARD ME TEACH THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED BY MANY RELIABLE WITNESSES. NOW TEACH THESE TRUTHS TO OTHER TRUSTWORTHY PEOPLE WHO WILL BE ABLE TO PASS THEM ON TO OTHERS” (NLT).

THE FOCUS ON MULTIPLICATION IS AT THE CORE OF EVERY ELEMENT WITHIN DMM.

DMM IS NOT A RELIGION, AN ORGANIZATION, A DENOMINATION, OR A PERSON. IT IS A STRATEGY AND A LIFESTYLE OF PRACTICING THE WAYS OF JESUS. IT’S A STRATEGY TO BECOME DISCIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES WHILE REACHING ENTIRE PEOPLE GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES; IT’S A LIFESTYLE OF PRACTICES, THAT WHEN IMPLEMENTED, LEADS TO BECOMING AN INTENTIONALLY MISSIONAL INDIVIDUAL. WHEN YOU TRULY IMPLEMENT THE PRACTICES OF A DISCIPLE MAKER, YOUR  LIFE WILL BE TRANSFORMED AND REORIENTED AROUND MAKING DISCIPLES.