What Sets Apart the Most Fruitful Disciple Making Movement Leaders in the U.S.?
Lessons from those who have multiplied churches at least 3 generations
I originally wrote this case study in 2020 after interviewing some of the most fruitful DMM/CPM practitioners in America. I did this to summarize my learnings and to share with friends, but it has been just sitting in my Google Drive for several years, so I wanted to migrate it to this Substack. I’ve done more research since this that eventually culminated in my book Movements in America, which you should pick up if you haven’t. These principles are still relevant all these years later, so I hope you are blessed by this research!
Why This Study Matters
In hopes of spurring on church planting movement (CPM) work in the United States, I interviewed the most fruitful leaders I know—those who have seen genuine multiplication. My goal was to discover the common principles that set them apart from their co-laborers in other networks.
It’s rare to find people who have started churches that have started churches that have started churches. Therefore, this study focuses on five networks of simple churches in the U.S. that have reached at least third-generation (3G) church multiplication.
Abiding, Biblical Principles, and Tools
Every leader I interviewed emphasized—without exception—that abiding in Christ and prayer are the foundation of their work. In fact, they frequently brought this up unprompted. Some spent the majority of our conversations describing how they teach their leaders to abide.
Their approaches varied:
Retreats focused on intimacy with Jesus—helping participants grow in their love for Him and their identity in Christ.
Frequent corporate prayer and fasting, fueling both their own hearts and the work.
Training disciples to listen and obey—equipping them to hear from God and follow Him step by step throughout their daily lives.
After abiding, biblical principles came next in importance. Every leader agreed that while tools are valuable, principles carry greater weight. However, they all use simple tools to equip new believers and laborers before introducing them to deeper biblical principles. Tools empower people to share the gospel and obey Jesus quickly—leading to an abundance of seed sowing, which is critical for reaching multiplication.
Interestingly, tools evolved over time in every network. Leaders didn’t hold tools rigidly but allowed them to be adapted as the movement spread. However, one leader offered a caution: Americans tend to tweak tools too quickly. He advised only changing tools when expanding into new cultural contexts or when hitting significant barriers.
Even with modifications, every network consistently relied on core tools like:
A gospel presentation
Discipleship lessons
The three-thirds process1
Other simple, reproducible methods for starting and multiplying churches.
Commitment to a Cause
2Multiplying churches demands unwavering commitment. None of the leaders I interviewed divided their time between CPM work and other ministry activities. For them, disciple-making is simply a normal part of following Jesus, not a separate task they fit into their weekly schedule. Their focus was singular.
This commitment also meant they were deeply rooted in their local context. None of the catalytic leaders traveled extensively during the critical period between starting their work and reaching third-generation church. On average, this took 1.5 to 3 years.
A notable (and uncomfortable) pattern emerged:
None of the leaders regularly attended both a legacy church and their simple church.
In fact, few (if any) of their network’s leaders remained part of a legacy church.
Why?
Time constraints—Bi-vocational laborers didn’t have time for both.
Divided allegiance—Leaders found that being involved in both hindered fully embracing the vision of multiplication.
Though difficult to accept, every leader agreed that separating from legacy church structures was necessary for multiplication.
The Role of Event Trainings
In CPM efforts across the U.S., event trainings are a common tool for catalyzing new works. These events typically take place in churches, where participants receive basic training on sharing the gospel and making disciples.
However, the networks I studied had mixed experiences with event trainings:
Some didn’t use them at all, already knowing leaders they could immediately train.
Others held frequent event trainings to identify potential leaders willing to do the work.
Interestingly, those who used event trainings agreed that their primary purpose wasn’t training—it was leader identification. The real work of discipleship happened afterward, as the trainers invested in the few participants who proved willing to share the gospel and make disciples.
Several leaders grew disillusioned with event trainings due to low yield. One interviewee now avoids them, preferring instead to personally walk with individuals who express interest. However, because he can only do this locally, he still uses event trainings when working with people further away.
Leadership Development
All five networks placed high priority on leadership development. They intentionally set aside time to invest in their emerging leaders.
Common practices included:
Bi-annual or quarterly gatherings—times of cross-pollination, prayer, and problem-solving among leaders.
Weekly or monthly leadership communities—providing ongoing training, accountability, and equipping.
Coaching relationships—regular one-on-one or small group coaching for skill sharpening and encouragement.
Vocational vs. Bi-Vocational Missionaries
Nearly every 3G network I studied was initially catalyzed by 1-3 vocational missionary families (singles or couples). These vocational leaders typically started the first church and trained the initial wave of disciples.
As the work multiplied, bi-vocational leaders emerged and became the primary (or exclusive) leaders of the new churches. This shift from vocational to bi-vocational leadership was consistent across the networks.
Why 3G and Not 4G?
You may be wondering why I focused on third-generation churches (3G) instead of the more common CPM metric of fourth-generation (4G). The reason is simple: there aren’t enough 4G networks in the U.S. to form meaningful conclusions. The sample size would be too small.
However, I did observe a key difference between 3G and 4G networks:
4G networks thrive in homogenous, highly connected populations.
Examples include colleges, prisons, and military bases, where relational networks are naturally larger and better connected.
In contrast, most American contexts suffer from high levels of social isolation and weak relational ties, making it harder for churches to reach fourth-generation multiplication.
Since originally writing this case study, I’m happy to say that a lot more networks have gotten to 4G, so praise the Lord for what He has done over the last few years!
Key Takeaways
Through this study, it became clear that the most fruitful CPM leaders in the U.S. share several distinct characteristics:
Deep abiding in Christ through prayer and intimacy.
Flexible use of tools—prioritizing biblical principles while allowing tools to adapt.
Singular focus on disciple-making without divided ministry commitments.
Intentional leadership development, prioritizing long-term investment.
Bi-vocational leadership driving multiplication after initial vocational catalysts.
If we want to see greater church multiplication in America, we must learn from these leaders. Their singular focus, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to Jesus and His mission offer a roadmap for the rest of us.
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The Three Thirds may be the most universally used tool amongst the networks in this study. It is the one tool that I would strongly suggest using if you want to get to multiplication
This section title is taken from the book Movements That Changed The World: 5 Keys to Spreading the Gospel by Steve Addison
Stephen, if you would like to know my full thoughts on prevailing-model churches in movements in America, you can read my book because I write case studies of churches multiplying in different expressions and I dedicated a section to prevailing-model churches. What I wrote in this post and in the book is based on examining trends from hundreds of churches and groups as they apply biblically-based principles on multiplication.
Thanks for sending the link. I like to learn from what other people are doing and look forward to digging into their case study.
Hey Roger,
The notion that "commitment to the cause" must mean separating from "legacy church structures" (and implicitly, exclusively planting 8-15 person-size churches) is, I think, likely the most significant hindrance to CPM strategy in the U.S.
It sounds like you are familiar with David Broodryk's stuff on the differences between Rural/Urban on communal needs.
And yet, in terms of tool readjustment, it seems to me like 8-15 person living-room churches are the last tool that "movement" folks are willing to reconsider. The result is a culturally rigid binary = 8-15 person-sized living-room churches (good) or the "legacy" church (bad).
It's been really helpful for me to become familiar with (and get to visit with) Steve Atkerson's church near Atlanta. (https://ntrf.org/intentionally-small-congregations-the-advantages-of-house-churches/). Their vision of "neither micro nor mega" is, I think, a very helpful corrective to what most CPM strategy gets wrong in our context. Just one example of a creative tool adjustment while retaining much of the values that house churches seek to uphold.
I'm convinced that many more simple, smaller, participatory, discipleship-centered churches could be planted/sustained/multiplied if "movement practitioners" would reconsider their rigidity around church-size.