The #1 Obstacle to Disciple-Making Movements in America

Why has it been so hard to catalyze DMMs in this nation?

I’ll use the fictitious couple, Ethan and Emily, to illustrate a pretty common scenario for disciples trying to pursue movements in the US:

Ethan and Emily have followed Jesus for most of their lives. They met in college, got married, and became active at Renewed City Church, a non-denominational evangelical church. Most of their friends are from church, so they mainly encounter lost people at work.

One Sunday, a missionary sent out by Renewed City shared how God multiplied thousands of disciples in India through believers sharing the gospel and finding persons of peace in line with Jesus’ commands in Luke 10. These persons of peace then led their families and friends to faith.

Ethan and Emily attended the missionary’s training during his furlough. They were moved by Scripture about God’s mission and learned simple tools for sharing the gospel and finding persons of peace. Emily shared with coworkers but saw no salvations despite a few good conversations. Ethan, working remotely, had little contact with lost people at his job (or anywhere else).

Undeterred, they joined a team prayer-walking a low-income apartment complex adopted by their church. They faithfully prayed, shared the gospel, and started discovery Bible studies. After a few months of effort, Nicole, a resident, came to Christ! Following what they learned from the missionary, they taught Nicole to share with those around her. Nicole, however, only move to the complex 18 months ago and largely focused on keeping to herself, working, and taking care of her two kids. Nicole shared with a few people but saw no fruit. Eventually, she moved away, and contact was lost.

Ethan and Emily pressed on but encountered similar struggles. They believed in God’s power to multiply but couldn’t find persons of peace like they’d heard about in India. They hit a roadblock.

What is the obstacle?

I personally relate so much to Ethan and Emily. Like them, I tried prayer walking and sharing the gospel. There were enough encouraging moments to keep me going for years, but ultimately, these efforts didn’t lead to multiplication or even long-term discipleship. It took years for me—and my team—to figure out what was missing. A missionary couple recently helped articulate the core obstacle.

Jeff and Angie, who have extensive experience starting disciple-making movements both overseas and in the U.S., stayed at my house recently. As we discussed multiplying disciples in America, they highlighted a key difference: the strength of relationships. In many other countries, movements grow quickly because people are part of large, close-knit networks where the gospel spreads naturally. In the U.S., however, social networks are often smaller and more fragmented.

As a result, the gospel struggles to multiply because the relational connections for it to flow through simply aren’t there.

Graphic showing the rise in social isolation. Source: US Surgeon General

How Bad Is the Problem?

By all accounts, this issue is getting worse. The U.S. Surgeon General recently issued a significant warning about the growing “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” in America.¹ The following trends, from the graphic above, from 2003 to 2020 (a 17-year span) illustrate just how fragmented our society has become:

• People spend far less time with friends.

• People see their extended family less often.

• Even within households, families spend less time together.

• Time spent completely alone has increased dramatically.

While the pandemic accelerated these trends, the decline in social connectedness began long before COVID-19.

What’s the Solution?

David Broodryk, a well-known catalyst and coach in the disciple-making movement world, once said, “Movements move the same way that good news, bad news, and fake news move. It’s through natural social networks; that’s how movements move.”

Broodryk’s point is spot on: church-planting movements multiply through relationships. This is as true in a lonely place like America as it is in any other country.

The challenge is that we can’t simply replicate the strategies used in highly connected places like China or India. Here, we need different tactics to address the unique relational obstacles in the U.S. While this is a significant challenge, it’s not an insurmountable one.

In future posts, I’ll explore how God is breaking down these barriers in America and how movements are overcoming the obstacle of relational fragmentation.

1. As a side note, the warning also found that lacking social connection is as bad for a person’t physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, so if you want to find a good place to focus for community transformation, try intentionally building community. You could be adding years to peoples’ lives.