A Simple, Effective, and Reproducible Disciple Making Model

Dear Discipleship-first Friends,

What if the biggest barrier to disciple making in your church… was overcomplication?

It’s not that people don’t want to make disciples. Many do! The problem is, they’re not sure how. They’re ready—but they need a tool they can actually use.

That’s why Principle #8 matters so much:

Disciple making must be simple, effective, and reproducible.

If the method isn’t clear, or if it takes a 45-page manual to explain, most people won’t touch it—let alone multiply it.

But when we put shovels, not spreadsheets, into people’s hands, everything changes.

What This Looks Like in Real Life

I was on a call recently with leaders from a large church. Their hearts were in the right place. They wanted to make disciples. But they didn’t have tools simple enough to hand to their people.

When they tried to launch disciple making, their members asked: What do we do? Where do we start? The desire was there. The direction wasn’t.

And this is where many churches get stuck.

We need tools that work like this:

✅ Simple enough for a 12-year-old or 80-year-old.
✅ Effective enough to help people grow and multiply.
✅ Reproducible enough that someone could turn around and lead the next group right away.

Tools That Are Working

Here are three tools I’ve personally seen multiply disciple makers:

Discovery Bible Study – A group reads Scripture and asks such as:

-What is God saying to me?

-What will I do with this information?

-Who can I share this with?

Three-Thirds Groups – A weekly format that looks back (accountability), looks up (into God’s Word), and looks ahead (action and prayer).

Trust and Follow Jesus – A simple path through Scripture used at RENEW.org that equips people to lead others.

These tools aren’t magic–but they are usable. And that’s what matters most.

Why Simplicity Unlocks Movement

The goal isn’t to reduce disciple making to a formula—it’s to lower the barrier to entry.

With simple, effective tools:

People feel confident leading.
Discipleship becomes reproducible.
Relationships and intentionality can flourish.

And when people aren’t bogged down by complexity, they can focus on what matters most: loving well, living intentionally, and pointing others to Jesus.

Want to Go Deeper?

We recently released a powerful new video on Principle #8: Simple, Effective, and Reproducible Practices—showing how tools like these are fueling real disciple making movements.

🎥 WATCH NOW – “Simple, Effective, Reproducible”
👉 https://discipleship.org/10-disciple-making-principles/

You’ll see: