Conversations as you Go: Recent Episodes

Dave Lawton

Hearing from people who are obeying Jesus’ great commission to Go

211. Aila Tasse – Casting Vision

In this episode, Aila shares practical insights on how to cast vision for Disciple Making Movements (DMM). You’ll also hear from practitioners in the room who share different ways they inspire others to join God’s mission of making disciples.

Takeaway: As you listen, ask yourself: What is one simple next step I could use, even this week, to help others catch God’s vision for making disciples?

Several people mention the book ’21 Days to Become a Disciple Maker’ by Jim Britts and others. You can find the book here. You can also access Jim Britts’ short training videos he shared with us at one of our recent Praxeis launch gatherings here.

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In this episode, Aila Tasse draws from Scripture and his own leadership experience to explore how we can build disciple-making teams following the examples of Jesus and Paul.

Jesus prayed his team into existence, invited people into relationship, trained them through modelling and apprenticeship, sent them out together, and coached them as they learned through experience. His example reminds us that the workers, leaders and resources needed for the harvest are often already within the communities we are seeking to reach.

Aila also explores the multicultural, multi-gifted team in Acts 13. As they prayed, fasted and listened, the Holy Spirit set apart and sent Paul and Barnabas. Throughout Acts, teams were formed and redirected through dependence on the Spirit—not simply through human plans or strategies.

Building multiplying teams means inviting people into relationship, modelling disciple-making, releasing responsibility early and coaching people as they learn by doing. It also requires leaders to get out of the way and create a culture in which everybody counts, contributes and thrives. Shared vision leads to shared ownership, shared effort and shared celebration.

Finally, Aila reflects on the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2 and the importance of honouring people across cultures. God’s Kingdom celebrates diversity, bringing together people from every nation, language and background into one body.

As you listen, be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit: What will you take away from this episode and apply immediately as you build disciple-making teams in your context?

How can existing churches and emerging movement leaders work together to reach the lost?

The first generation of movement leaders often comes from local churches, as Christians catch God’s heart for the lost and begin engaging in the harvest. Rather than distancing ourselves from the existing church, Aila encourages us to graciously include and catalyse its leaders, recognising the gifts and experience they bring.

Aila shares practical insights into:

Bringing existing and emerging leaders together for training and mutual learning.
Finding “inside leaders” who understand the language, culture and relationships of the people being reached. Discovering these persons of peace who may eventually become leaders.
Engaging urban “tribes” formed around interests, communities or shared experiences.
Helping church leaders focus on forming new groups in the harvest rather than bringing people back into existing congregations.
Building coalitions around a shared Great Commission vision.

Drawing on Lifeway’s experience in Ethiopia, Aila describes how leaders from different denominations were invited into a gracious vision-casting process. With the blessing of many but not all exisiting church leaders, grassroots disciple makers began forming groups that multiplied among unreached communities.

As Aila reminds us, the language we use matters. He encouraged us to focus on equipping leaders from the bottom up, while building a shared Great Commission vision with those leading from the top down.

As you listen, consider: Who within the existing church might God be inviting you to encourage, equip and catalyse for the harvest – and which church leaders could you invite into a shared Great Commission vision?

What does church really look like—and how do new disciples discover that they are the church?

In this short episode, Aila Tasse shares why disciple making must move beyond decisions to developing communities that live out the functions of church together. Rather than bringing people to church, the goal is to see people become church.

In this episode:* Why becoming church is a slow but essential discipleship journey. * The role of leaders as community builders from the very beginning. * Helping new believers learn to care for one another, break bread, fellowship, and reach people of peace. * The importance of being faithful, patient, and trusting God to multiply through a few committed disciples. * A reminder that every culture will ultimately express church in ways that fit its local context.

An example from international student ministryLeaders in the room reflect on the challenge facing many international students who return home after coming to faith while studying overseas.

Rather than simply helping students connect into churches while abroad, they also need to discover a reproducible expression of church that they can take back to their home nations.

Some ministries estimate that 50–80% of Chinese students who come to faith while studying overseas struggle to continue following Jesus after returning home.*

Further reading on returnee student ministryThe resources below come from ministries with a more traditional approach to discipleship and integration into existing churches. While they are not written from a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) perspective, they offer valuable insights into the challenges faced by Chinese international students returning home.

Thriving Turtles (Australia) – Australian perspective and practical preparation for Chinese returnees.
https://www.thrivingturtles.org/

OMF International – “Preparing Diaspora Converts for their Return to East Asia” (Dr Stuart Bullington)
https://omf.org/preparing-diaspora-converts-for-their-return-to-east-asia/

ChinaSource – “Returnee Ministry at Home and Abroad” (Lydia S.)
https://www.chinasource.org/articles/returnee-ministry-at-home-and-abroad

In this episode, we continue listening to Aila Tasse as he trains some of our Praxeis leaders. Aila shares about the important transition from Discovery Bible Study into gatherings and groups that begin to function as church. He highlights the need for different people, with different gifts and passions, to play their part so the functions of church can emerge and multiplication can continue.

Aila Tasse shares his remarkable journey from being a Muslim-background believer and respected ministry expert to embracing disciple making movements. Along the way, God challenged his assumptions, dealt with his pride, and reshaped his understanding of church, leadership, and multiplication.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Aila moved from expert-led ministry to empowering ordinary believers.
The paradigm shifts that transformed his understanding of church and leadership.
Why discovery, obedience, and the Holy Spirit became central to movement growth.
How God expanded the vision from reaching 14 unreached people groups in northern Kenya to a regional vision for 320 UPGs across eight nations—from Sudan to Tanzania and Zambia—with over 160 UPGs now engaged and 68+ movements underway.
Why movement sustainability depends on raising multiplying leaders rather than building personal ministries.

Aila also reflects on identity, success, and what it means to faithfully finish the race by investing in the next generation of movement catalysts.

Reflection question: Where are you on your own disciple-making journey, and what is God asking you to change? What question do you need to bring to a coach or mentor as you continue to grow?

In this episode, Aila continues exploring the lifestyle of a movement leader. Through the inspiring story of Roba, a person of peace in a remote African village whose influence has now extended through more than 14 generations of disciple-makers and churches, Aila shares why movement leaders must develop every disciple into a leader.

Key Takeaways

Faithful disciples pass on what they have learned to others who will do the same (2 Timothy 2:2).
Ministry gifts are not positions, but are given to movement leaders to equip and develop others for the work of ministry.(Ephesians 4:11–12).
Effective equipping develops the head, heart, and hands.
Healthy leaders release others to become fruitful leaders themselves.
Disciple-making movements grow through observing, obeying, modelling, and multiplying.
“A seed does not grow on a tree. It grows away from the tree to become another tree—and eventually a forest.”

Scriptures

2 Timothy 2:2
1 Thessalonians 1:6–8
1 Thessalonians 2
Ephesians 4:11–12

In this episode, Aila Tasse continues to unpack the importance of modelling as a disciple-maker and movement leader. Drawing from Scripture, movement experience, and his own story, Aila begins to explore the three critical stages of Disciple Making Movements: starting movements, multiplying movements, and sustaining movements.

At the heart of each stage is leadership development, and Aila emphasises the importance of learning to model the DNA at each of these stages. He reminds us that movements are not built primarily through programs, tools, or information, but through lives that model obedience, faithfulness, service, and dependence on God. What we model is what we multiply, and what we multiply is what we sustain.

Through powerful stories of disciple-making, servant leadership, and sharing life with others, Aila encourages us to move beyond merely teaching principles and instead invite people into a lifestyle of following Jesus.

Key question: How are we modelling the life we want others to reproduce?

Aila Tasse unpacks 1 Thessalonians 2:1–13 as a foundation for modelling a lifestyle of a movement leader, drawing from both Paul’s example and his own journey in disciple-making movements. He challenges us to identify the obstacles that hinder this lifestyle and to ask how they can be overcome. He calls us to respond to Jesus’ Great Commission through a daily rhythm of listening, obeying, applying, and multiplying.

Key Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:1–13[1] You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. [2] We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. [3] For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. [4] On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. [5] You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. [6] We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. [7] Instead, we were like young children among you.
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, [8] so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. [9] Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. [10] You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. [11] For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, [12] encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. [13] And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is—the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

Three Key Questions Aila Raises1. How do we model a lifestyle of a movement leader?
Paul shows this through “how we lived among you”—a shared life, not just words. 2. What obstacles stop us from modelling this lifestyle?
Aila highlights that most barriers are internal—unbelief, disobedience, and cultural or religious systems that resist biblical disciple-making. 3. How can we overcome these obstacles?
Through honesty, accountability, patience, and obedience. Growth comes through faithfulness over time, trusting God to produce fruit.

Closing ReflectionAila calls us to respond personally: “What are the obstacles that stop us from modelling a lifestyle of a movement leader and how can we overcome these?”

We continue our series with Aila Tasse as we explore the heart of movements: multiplying our lives into the lives of others. Aila moves beyond methods and strategies and calls us back to the deeper lifestyle of a movement catalyst. Drawing from Acts 20, Philippians 3, and the life of Jesus, Aila reminds us that movements are not built through impressive resumes or polished presentations, but through authentic lives poured out into others.

“God doesn’t want to do things in other people’s lives that He has not done in our lives.”

Aila reflects on Paul’s words in Acts 20:18: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you…” The credibility of the message comes not merely from what we tell people, but from the life we live. People are not looking for something fake. They are looking for reality.

A woman’s questionAila shares a story of visiting a remote village while delivering relief food. After sharing the gospel with around 300 people gathered under a tree, the entire village responded to Jesus. But as Aila prepared to leave, a woman stopped him and asked a question that would shape the rest of his ministry:

“Who is going to remain behind and teach us about this God who loves us?”

That question broke Aila’s heart. He realised that evangelism alone was not enough. People did not only need to hear about Jesus; they needed someone to remain, disciple, and multiply their lives into others.

That night, Aila sensed God speak clearly:

“Multiply yourself into the lives of others.”

Years later, Aila returned to that same village and witnessed a thriving church meeting under the very same tree — now led by a seventh-generation leader from Aila’s own training. The movement is now spreading beyond this area into other tribes and communities because leaders had continued to multiply leaders.

Aila reminds us that Jesus Himself spent most of His ministry investing deeply into a few ordinary, broken, and even doubting people (Matthew 28:17). Yet through them, the gospel spread across the world.

Examining our own lives as movement leadersThis episode also challenges us to consider the internal obstacles that hinder movement. Often the greatest barriers are not external opposition, but the “self” within us — perhaps our fears, unbelief, experiences, pride, or comfort.

Aila leaves us with a powerful question:

What is there in my lifestyle that can hinder God’s movement?

May this episode encourage us to examine our lives and ask how we can intentionally pour ourselves into others so that disciples, leaders, and movements continue far beyond us.

What does it take not only to start a disciple-making movement, but to see it multiply and remain for generations to come?

In this episode, Aila Tasse calls us back to the heart of disciple-making: becoming before doing. Drawing again from John 15, Acts 20 and decades of experience training thousands of leaders across the nations, Aila shares why sustainable movements are ultimately “God stories” — born through abiding in Jesus, shaped by obedience, and carried forward through everyday disciples who model the life of Christ.

Aila unpacks three essential stages of movement:

Starting
Multiplying
Sustaining

He explains why the DNA present at the beginning of a movement determines what it will become generations later. “The way you start is the way you finish,” he says. If movements are not started with multiplication and sustainability in mind, they will struggle to endure.

The conversation explores:

Why every disciple is a leader in movements
How leaders are developed through modelling a lifestyle of a disciple
The danger of movements losing their DNA across generations
Why sustainability must be built in from the very beginning
The importance of preparing now for the people God will send in the future

Aila also reflects on Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, reminding us that movements survive not because of one charismatic leader, but because healthy leaders are raised, developed and released.

“If you don’t have a movement, soon God will give you one,” Aila says. “It has already been started.”

This episode is a timely challenge for anyone longing to see disciple-making movements that not only begin well — but continue multiplying for generations to come.

People sharing from a time of waiting on God in the room before Aila shared:

Luke 11:23 — “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” A call to gather with Jesus rather than scatter.
A challenge to keep asking God, “What shall I do with my gift or talent Lord?” rather than looking first to worldly solutions.
1 Kings 19:9-13 — Elijah encounters God not in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in the gentle whisper.

We’re celebrating our 200th episode of Conversations As You Go!

Thank you for being part of this journey. With more than 30,000 listens from people all around the world, we’re grateful for the way this podcast continues to encourage and equip people to go and make disciples.

In this milestone episode, we once again hear from Aila Tasse as he shares about abiding in the Vine from John 15:1-16.

This message gets to the very heart of what it means to become truly fruitful.

Don’t skim past this episode or think, “I’ve heard this before.” Instead, take time to listen carefully to what Aila is sharing and what God wants to speak to you. As we learn to abide in Jesus, we discover that lasting fruitfulness does not come through our own effort, but through the life of Jesus flowing through us.

Our prayer is that this, our 200th episode, will help us become people who are found abiding in Christ, so that the fruit we bear will be the result of His life at work in and through us.

Key questions Aila asks:

Discovery questions from John 15:1-16

What do we learn about disciple making?
What principles of Kingdom movement do we learn? (How can we apply these?)

Principles Aila identifies are:

Remain: abiding (with Jesus)
Bear fruit: starting (with the DNA you want to multiply)
Bear much fruit: multiplying
Bearing fruit that will last: sustaining

Final challenge from Aila: ‘If God expects fruit, then what am I doing to see fruit in my life?’

What does God want to prune in my life so I can bear more fruit?
What areas of my own personal life does He want me to grow in so I can abide more in Him?
What are the prayer items He wants me to take to Him so I can bear more fruit?

In this second episode with Aila Tasse, the conversation goes deeper into the mindset and character of a movement leader. Drawing mainly from Acts 20:17–32 and the early chapters of Acts, Aila reflects on dependence on God, obedience, Kingdom vision, leadership multiplication, and modelling the life of Jesus. At the heart of the episode is the conviction that disciple-making movements are sustained through developing obedient, reproducing leaders.

Key Takeaways1. Dependancy on God* John 15: “Remain in me” — movement leadership begins with dependence on God, continual prayer, and following the Holy Spirit. * Acts 1:8 gave the early church a roadmap beyond Jerusalem, but growth and internal needs distracted them from Kingdom expansion. * Acts 8:1 shows how persecution pushed the church into Judea and Samaria — God will often move His people toward obedience and mission.

Having a Kingdom Mindset* Keep the focus on the Kingdom of God, not methods, brands, or labels like “DMM” or “T4T”.
Kingdom leaders seek collaboration rather than tribalism or competition between ministries.
The vision is disciples making disciples until the whole world hears and follows Jesus.
Motivation for Movement* Habakkuk 2:14 reminds us that God desires the earth to be filled with His glory.
Movement is motivated by the Father’s heart for lost sons and daughters (Luke 15 – the prodigal son).
The mission is ultimately about God’s love for the lost, not building our own ministries.
Teaching Obedience* Focus on teaching obedience to Scripture, not just increasing knowledge.
Transformation comes through practicing what Jesus taught, not simply knowing more.
God often uses ordinary, obedient believers powerfully, regardless of education or status.
Downloading Ourselves into Others* Paul modelled transferring spiritual DNA and leadership into others (Acts 20).
“Disciple-making movement = leader development. No leaders, no movement.”
Every disciple should be developed into a reproducing disciple-maker and leader.
Taking Care of Ourselves* Acts 20:28: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock” — leaders must care for themselves as well as others.
Many movement leaders burn out because they neglect rest, sabbath, and spiritual renewal.
Healthy and sustainable movements require healthy leaders.
Other Characteristics of Movement Leaders* Movement leaders stay teachable: willing to listen, learn, obey, and grow.
They invest deeply in others, modelling the life of a disciple rather than simply teaching principles.
Collaboration and Kingdom partnership are essential for long-term multiplication.
Final Encouragement * 1 Peter 5:2–3: shepherd God’s people by being an example.
1 Thessalonians 2:7–8: Paul shared not only the gospel, but his very life.
Movement leadership is about modelling humility, grace, weakness, and faithful obedience to Jesus.

In this episode, Aila reflects on a DBS on Acts 20:17–32 (last episode) and what it means to think like a movement leader. At the core is the heart: movements belong to God, not us. As we follow Jesus’ example, we’re called to faithful stewardship—trusting that God is the one who begins, sustains, and multiplies.

1. Movements Belong to God

Like Paul, leaders prepare others even if they won’t “see the results”
We don’t own or control movements—God does
Parable of the Tenants (Matt 21:33–46): we are stewards, not owners
Holding onto what isn’t ours can lead to it being “taken away”
God can spark movement anywhere—even where it seems impossible

2. Humility & Self-Emptying (Acts 20:18–19)

“I served the Lord with great humility and with tears…” (v.19)
Pride quietly kills movements—humility sustains them
Follow Jesus’ model: daily surrender and self-emptying
Be catalysts—point to God, not ourselves
Leave no trail of personal glory; make disciples of Jesus, not of us

3. Focus on the Task (Acts 20:24)

“My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task…” (v.24)
This is a marathon, not a sprint—perseverance matters
Stay focused despite pressure, praise, or hardship
Don’t chase numbers or outcomes—trust God for fruit
Depend on God daily: fruit grows naturally, not by force

“I’ve never seen a tree that forces itself to bear fruit. Trees bear fruit naturally. But there are things that you have to do with the tree so they can bear fruit.”

In this recording, Aila Tassie isn’t just speaking; he is leading a room of Australian movement leaders through a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) on the final words of the Apostle Paul. It is a raw, interactive session where the “expert” intentionally steps back to let the community discover what it truly means to lead a movement.

What does a movement leader leave behind when they know they will never see their people again?

You’ll hear a diverse group of practitioners grappling with the “mind shift” required to move from being a professional manager of a church to an “ordinary catalyst” of a movement. It’s a conversation about tears, severe testing, and the terrifying yet beautiful act of entrusting a mission entirely to the Holy Spirit.

“Paul says, ‘You saw my life. I don’t have to tell you about my life.’ As a catalyst, I lived among you… and he was not ashamed to tell them that.” — Aila Tassie

What if the greatest threat to your mission isn’t the world outside, but the ego within?

We explore:

The Power of Tears: Why humility and vulnerability are the primary currencies of a movement.
The “Stay or Go” Tension: How to know when you’ve done enough to hand the reins over to the Spirit.
The Australian Context: Real talk from local leaders on overcoming the fear of reputation and the lure of the “Comfort Zone.”

If you’ve ever wondered if your leadership is building an institution or a movement, the answer lies in how you handle your exit.

Before God calls anyone to “go,” He first calls them to “follow.”

We often focus on the results of leadership—the numbers, the movements, and the strategies. But what if the most powerful thing a leader can do is simply unlearn everything they thought they knew? In this episode, we dive into a deep, vulnerable conversation from the Movement Leaders Weekend in Melbourne.

You’ll hear from Aila Tassie, a movement leader who has seen the Gospel multiply across nearly 180 unreached people groups, alongside Roy Moran and Dave Lawton. Together, they explore the radical “mind shift” required to move away from professionalized, knowledge-based ministry toward an intimate, ordinary walk with Jesus.

What does it mean to truly gather as a movement church today? In this episode, Roy Moran challenges the traditional “Sunday morning” legacy model, asking a vital question: what does a gathering look like that brings life but doesn’t breed dependency? Drawing from his experience transitioning a traditional congregation into a “hybrid church” strategy, Roy unpacks the gritty realities of planting multiplying, biblically flourishing communities. Whether you are wrestling with the limitations of consumer-driven religion or looking for ways to spark true disciple-making movements that reach people far from God, this conversation will push you to deeply rethink how, where, and why we meet.

Roy Moran kicks off a leaders weekend in City (last year in October 2025) with a powerful recap and vision for disciple-making movements.

He shares key insights from global movements, including:

What defines a movement (100+ churches across 4 generations)
The scale of impact through New Generations (3M+ people, 177,000 groups)
Why the gospel must not just grow—but scale

Key Themes The Father’s Heart: God is building a family—He is a lovesick Father pursuing His children * Generators > Generations: Focus on forming people who multiply * Movement Dynamics: The gospel spreads virally through relationships, not programs * Western Challenge: Many need to rediscover God’s heart—not just forgiveness, but family and mission * Simple Obedience*: Real multiplication happens when people engage Scripture and obey.

Key InsightRoy shares real stories of multiplication—from college campuses to families—showing that what’s happening globally is beginning to take root in the West.

“God has chosen to need you… to pour His truth through your life.”

Also Covered* Diffusion of innovation (20/80 principle) * Communicating without “church language” * Practical tools (including an AI DMM coach: Put this WhatsApp Number to the test: +1 816 284 8470)

PrayerRoy closes with a prayer, calling us back to the joy of the Father’s family—and the invitation to join the family business of finding those not yet home.

Final Reflection:If the gospel is meant to multiply, what would it look like in your life to see it move virally through your relationships, networks, and culture?

IntroductionIn this final episode with Roy Moran from his time with us in the Dandenong Ranges (Melbourne, 2025), we explore how to help local churches embrace Disciple Making Movements (DMM). Roy challenges our posture—calling us to humility, service, and a true Kingdom heart as we seek to empower others rather than bring ready-made solutions.

Managing the Tension Between Traditional Church and DMMCome with humility, not superiority

Don’t approach as someone who has “figured it out.”
Come with questions, not answers (e.g. “What do you dream for in this community?”)
Discover what drives people before offering anything.

Discern shared vision

If there’s no shared goal, it’s okay to move on.
Most church leaders are not ill-intentioned—they genuinely want God’s Kingdom to come but often feel constrained by existing systems.
Asking them to change everything can feel like asking them to “commit suicide” within their context—so empathy is essential.

Start Personally, Not InstitutionallyInfusion of innovation diagram Don’t wait for permission or structures—begin disciple-making in your own life. * Reach out to the lost, experiment, and live it out before trying to implement it in a church system. * Focus on function over form*.

Understanding the Innovation Gap Early adopters respond to vision; the majority responds to story and social proof*. * Don’t try to replace a church’s “complete system” with your “pieces and parts.” * Instead, humbly offer what you have and let it grow.

A Posture That Opens Doors Ask: “How can I help?”* * Avoid pushing solutions until invited. * When asked, respond gently as one without all the answers.

Plant a garden, don’t force growth

Share stories.
Offer small, relevant resources.
Look for hunger and respond to it.
Don’t overwhelm—don’t feed a baby with a firehose!

Honour always

Affirm the work already done.
Never tear down—build up.

Creating Space: “Building a Wall” Help churches create separation between traditional structures and DMM efforts. * Encourage them to release people* to make disciples. * Keep things informal and low-key—avoid over-structuring. * Start small with a committed group focused on reaching the lost.

Strategy: Quiet, Humble, Relational Go under the radar—don’t self-promote. * Stay low, honour others, and avoid drawing attention. * Under-promise and over-deliver.* * If people start promoting you—step back.

Key Quote

“The gap between vision and multiplying reality is closed by one simple thing – people and connection.”

Real movement leadership is relational, messy, and slow.
It requires vulnerability, patience, and deep investment in people—not just strategies or systems.

Final Prayer (Summary)Roy closes by praying for:

God’s power beyond our human understanding
Fruitfulness and Kingdom multiplication
Divine appointments with people ready for transformation
Courage to pursue “impossible” Kingdom dreams
Humility—even through refining and difficulty
A deep awareness of our identity as children of God

Final EncouragementAs we conclude this series with Roy:

Reflect on what you’ve heard across these episodes
Ask:
- How is God speaking to me?
- What is my response?

Take the next step—simply, humbly, and with others.

What role should organisation play in disciple-making movements? In this episode, Roy Moran explores how structure, function, and money can either fuel or hinder movements.

“The question is not the presence of structure, the question is whether the structure is being served or serving.” — Roy Moran

Form and Function in MovementsMovements are often described as organic, but every living organism has structure. Because we are created in the image of a triune God who exists in community, forming tribes, teams, and simple structures is part of our nature.

The issue is not whether movements have structure, but what the structure serves. Healthy movements keep structures lightweight and low-maintenance, designed to support disciple-making rather than replace it.

Roy highlights a key principle: Form always follows function.

Movements begin with making disciples. As disciples multiply, forms of church and leadership naturally emerge. But when people try to create the form first and then add disciple-making later, the result often struggles.

Video (played in the podcast – audio only): Roy references Buurtzorg, a healthcare organisation in the Netherlands that shows how a large organisation can operate with lightweight structures, strong values, and decentralised decision-making that empowers local teams — watch here.

The Role of Money

Money can also derail movements if it creates dependency.

“If money causes dependency, then money kills movement.”

Healthy movements emphasise local generosity and stewardship, where resources serve real needs—caring for community, enabling mission, and supporting training—without creating unhealthy dependence.

Questions to Reflect On

Are the structures around us allowing form to follow function, or are we trying to force the function to fit the form?
When it comes to money, are we strengthening mission—or unintentionally creating dependency that could stall the movement?

In this short episode, Roy Moran shares practical insights on facilitating Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) without becoming a bottleneck. He encourages leaders to be ruthless about empowering others to facilitate, allowing people to “fail forward” as they learn.

Roy explains that the simple DBS process is built around three core values: helping people hear from God, respond in obedience, and share with others. The seven DBS questions function like a simple liturgy—repeatable, memorable, and designed to keep the focus on Scripture rather than the facilitator’s teaching.

He also challenges listeners to develop deep self-awareness. Our habits from traditional church can unintentionally get in the way, so ongoing reflection and “ruthless inventory” are needed to keep giving the process away.

Reflect: How can I step back and avoid becoming a bottleneck when new Discovery Groups begin?

In this short episode, we continue our series with Roy Moran as he explains disciple-making movements in simple, everyday language. Starting with the question, “What does God want?” Roy describes how he would explain movements on the back of a napkin—beginning with who God is and His relational heart for people. Rather than starting with jargon like “DMM,” Roy shows how movements are simply the natural outcome of God at work as disciples multiply and a culture of replication takes shape.

Reflect: How would you explain disciple-making movements in everyday language?

In this episode, we continue our series with Roy Moran, focusing on how to develop a healthy, sustainable lifestyle as a disciple-maker. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Abundant life is meant to be the fruit of following and being transformed by Him — yet many of us feel tired, overextended, and constantly busy.

Indian movement leaders often say, “Busyness is the enemy of movements.” They say that being BUSY can stand for Being Under Satan’s Yoke. When we are always busy, we lose space for the most important people and the most fruitful work. Prioritising our time is not optional — it is essential.

Rethinking Productivity: The 80/20 PrincipleRoy explores the Pareto Principle — the idea that roughly 80% of our results come from 20% of our activity.

The challenge is not simply to do more, but to identify what is truly fruitful. Roy invites us to “objectify” our time — to get it out of our heads and onto paper. When we list everything we are doing and evaluate where the real fruit lies, we often discover that some activities carry disproportionate impact.

The goal is not to run faster, but to remove what is ineffective and intentionally focus on what produces lasting fruit. This is about life management that fits the spirit of movement — doing things intentionally, not accidentally. What we require is intentional systems — because systems sustain what goals alone cannot.

Whole-Life HealthThe conversation extends beyond ministry strategy into holistic living: marriage, singleness, emotional health, finances, and long-term sustainability. Roy asks, “What is the irreducible minimum in your world to be healthy and whole — so that what you are replicating is worthy of being replicated?”.

Finances: Financial health, especially for supported workers, is part of running the race well. At the same time, we will not see the Great Commission fulfilled without disciple-making in the marketplace.
Marriage, Singleness & Support: Roy and others in the room share candid reflections on navigating calling as couples and singles. Whether married or single, sustainable disciple-making requires relationships that keep us grounded and honest.

Reflection questions from this episode: * What would it look like to create a life plan that prioritises what truly matters? * What needs to shift so you can run this race with endurance for decades to come? * How can you build regular, intentional systems of reflection and assessment to maintain your long-term health, focus, and effectiveness?

Resource

In this episode, Roy references Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans — a playbook for applying design thinking to your own life.

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

In this episode, we continue listening to Roy Moran’s 2025 training with us as Praxeis leaders, exploring a critical idea: momentum comes before movement.

Roy grounds the conversation in Proverbs 27:23:

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.”

Movements can easily be treated like machines — measured by outputs, numbers, and generations. But disciple-making movements are not factories. They are about inner transformation. Jesus changes people first; multiplication follows.

Momentum Before MovementOne of Roy’s key insights:

“There is a period of momentum before there is a period of movement… We are immature in measuring momentum.”

We often try to measure movement — new groups, multiplication, generations. But in the early stages, there’s very little visible fruit. Instead of measuring outcomes, we need to measure health and obedience.

What does momentum look like?

People living with an “I will…” posture toward Jesus
Regular listening and responding to God
Obedience becoming a lifestyle
Spiritual conversations flowing naturally
Slowing down enough to hear God clearly

Before someone becomes a multiplying disciple-maker, they must first learn to simply be a disciple.

Managing the TensionThere’s an ongoing tension between:

Systematic measurement (growth, numbers), and
Organic care (knowing the condition of people’s hearts).

Roy reminds us this tension isn’t a problem to solve but a tension to manage. Healthy leadership means accepting we’ll never have everything covered. It requires walking in the Spirit, not striving for perfect balance.

People Are Not ObjectsWhen we overemphasize metrics, people can subtly become numbers. Roy urges us to remember: people are subjects, not objects. The goal is not activity but transformation.

Especially in church contexts, building momentum can take time. Tradition can slow things down. That’s why we must prioritise depth before speed.

As David Watson said:

“Go slow to go fast.”

Build quality in disciples — and the generations will come.

Key TakeawayPush movement metrics to the side in the early phase.
Learn to recognise and celebrate momentum in the internal life — Word, Spirit, obedience, passion.

Movement flows from transformation.

‘What signs of spiritual transformation might indicate that real momentum is already forming in me and in those I’m walking with — even if visible movement hasn’t appeared yet?’

In this episode, Roy continues sharing from our time together about starting apostolic teams and navigating the real challenges of collaboration.

Starting Apostolic TeamsThis builds on Roy’s previous insights about forming teams made up of different roles — including movement catalysers, DMM strategists, prayer mobilisers, learning designers, coaching cultivators, apostolic pioneers, and disciple-makers.

He describes these as different “swim lanes” — distinct expressions of gifting that allow people to run in their grace and calling while contributing to a shared mission.

Roy observes that many people from Christian backgrounds tend to be permission-seeking, whereas harvest-field people often are not. As leaders, we need to intentionally give churched believers permission — again and again — to step into and express the gifting they carry in our contexts.

Multiplying prayer Roy then shares from his Kansas City context about cultivating replicating prayer:

“It’s not about the volume but the distinctiveness of prayer [that’s focused on lostness].” – Roy
Rather than simply increasing activity, the focus is on prayer that is harvest-focused and easily reproducible.

CollaborationRoy also explores how to build teams through meaningful collaboration. He references five conditions for collective impact drawn from research out of Stanford University:

Common Agenda – A shared understanding of the problem and a shared vision for change.
Shared Measurement for Success – One of the biggest challenges in Christianity, especially when we assume we are doing the same thing but measure differently.
Mutually Reinforcing Activities – Training and mobilisation are difficult if they are not aligned with a common agenda and shared measures.
Continuous Communication – Learning to communicate consistently, not just when we are face-to-face. Creating a “campfire” platform (online) where stories and resources can be shared.
A Backbone Structure – A brand-light (or brand-bashful) organisation that exists to support and strengthen leaders rather than promote itself.

Roy concludes:

“We need to define who we are so we can defend who we are. But this allows us to collaborate more, not less… We can create tables for anybody to come. We can create tools that anybody can use. But when we create tracks for people to run on, they are very distinct.” – Roy

Be EncouragedBe provoked and encouraged as you listen to this episode — and consider what it might look like to start apostolic teams and cultivate collaboration across your city, your nation, and even the nations.

In this episode, we continue on with Roy Moran’s teaching as we look at the different roles in movements as we birth teams. It’s important to know that we cannot do it alone. Our first question after God gives us a vision is always “who?” as we seek to replicate leadership in teams. Constant sharpening and failing in movement teams is crucial. If we don’t take risks, then there’s no need for faith.

So at the start of this year as we seek to hear from God and commit to stepping out what he is saying, we begin by listening to Roy share how we can birth teams filled with different roles.

Do we something feel like this?

(Image Provided by Thinkstock. Lisa F. Young)Different roles in movementsMovement Catalyst

DMM Strategist

Prayer Mobiliser

Learning Designers

Coaching Cultivator

Apostolic Pioneer

Disciple Maker

CultureBut we also hear Roy share about culture. Even though we need to train a lot, training itself is not the answer. Instead culture is what is needed to move forward. It’s not a training problem that we have. Instead it’s a culture that we need to create.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” (Peter Drucker)

“Culture is built by language and ritual” (Roy). These are the habits that people replicate. We can’t just take the training on DBS, program it and plant it in the soil of a different type of culture and then somehow expect to see movements start.

3 ways to to plant a movement culture1. Plant disciple making inside the good soil of an existing church culture. This requires spaces where people are already completely bent towards lostness.

“Everyone has a heart for disciple making. Only few have a stomach for it” (Roy). This is because it will cost church leaders their people and their money.

Plant it alongside an existing church culture. Needs to be encouraged and fostered.
Plant it apart from an existing church culture. Release the radicals by supporting and encouraging them.

Questions to think about at the end of this episodeAre you creating team by bringing people around you?

Are these people becoming replicators?

As we race toward the end of 2025 and look ahead to 2026, many of us find ourselves taking stock — of our year, our ministry, and even our own sense of worth. How are you feeling right now? Encouraged? Tired? Discouraged? In this our episode for the year, Roy Moran brings a timely and deeply pastoral word that calls us back to what we are truly worth — not based on our activity, outcomes, or perceived success, but on what God has already declared and paid for. Roy encourages us to reflects on Romans 8:15–39. Dave will read the full passage at the end of the episode, creating space for you to reflect, pray, and give thanks as we approach Christmas.

We often don’t need more information — we need reminding. As Patrick Henry famously said, “People need to be reminded more than they need to be informed.”

Too often, our sense of worth is quietly shaped by our activity. We compare ourselves to others in the room — those with larger platforms, greater influence, or more visible disciple-making fruit — and we begin to measure ourselves accordingly. Roy names this for what it is: a deeply destructive way of living. The gospel proclaims something radically different. Every human being is worth the blood of Jesus. The most significant relationship in all eternity — the relationship between the Father and the Son — was put into question so that we could be brought into God’s family. That is the value the Father places on us.

Even if we experience extraordinary success in ministry or movement outcomes, our worth never increases. We are worth exactly what was paid on the cross — nothing more, nothing less.

Roy also challenges our learning and leadership cultures. If confession and repentance are absent — especially repentance from idols like ministry numbers, performance, or operating out of the flesh — we subtly drift back into a works-based mindset. Peace and freedom come when we remember that our worth is never on trial. It is not dependent on our effort, outcomes, or legacy.

Our identity is secure:
I am a child of the Most High.
I am precious to Him.
He will never leave me or forsake me.

Whether or not we ever see a disciple-making movement, God’s invitation remains the same: to live as beloved and faithful sons and daughters.

Romans 8:15–39 – questions for reflection

What identity does Paul highlight in Romans 8?
Spend some time in quiet contemplation before God.
Is there anything the Spirit is inviting you to confess or repent of?

May this episode help you end the year grounded in grace, identity, and the unshakeable love of the Father.

In this episode, we continue our series drawing from our training with Roy Moran and Aila Tasse. In this conversation, Roy shares the importance of focusing on the generators in disciple-making movements and reflects on several key shifts in his thinking and practice. He begins by telling parts of his own story and how he became involved in movements around the world.

Key Shifts in Roy’s Thinking & Practice1. Conversion vs. Discovery & Disciple-Making
Roy highlights the difference between aiming for a moment of conversion versus facilitating discovery through disciple-making. He notes that the “line of faith” concept has shaped much of Western thinking, yet it’s not something we actually see in the Gospels. Discovery Bible Studies—often led by those who aren’t yet followers of Jesus—play a crucial role here. 2. Faith in Function, Not Form
Instead of focusing on structures or models, Roy urges us to trust the function of disciple-making. When we start with making disciples, ekklesia—church as Jesus intended—naturally emerges. 3. Groups Over Individuals
Movements multiply through groups, not isolated individuals. Catalysts fuel multiplication, while what Roy calls “accidental diminishers” slow it down. 4. Marketers vs. Terrorists (Revolutionaries)
Roy draws a striking analogy: marketers are loud and central, while revolutionaries are subtle, quiet, and operate at the edges, identifying people who are already open to change. They are also needs-focused. He warns that our well-intended spirituality can sometimes get in the way of our humanness—and that curiosity, especially in the West, has become a lost art. 5. Learning Designers vs. Content Providers
Roy re-examines what we mean by the biblical gift of teaching. Is it merely telling? Research shows that questions, not statements, facilitate genuine learning. Movements thrive when we design ways for people to discover rather than receive information passively. 6. Leading People Toward vs. Leading Away
Catalytic leaders create processes where “it can’t happen without me, but it can’t depend on me.” This becomes a litmus test for our methods:
Can people do this themselves, and can they pass it on?

Focus on the Generators, Not the GenerationsRoy emphasizes that one of our common mistakes is focusing on generations (how many steps down the line) instead of generators—the multipliers who spark ongoing reproduction. When we cultivate generators, the generations take care of themselves.

He illustrates this with the pandemic’s “R number,” which showed how quickly a virus could spread. Christianity, he suggests, can sometimes inoculate people from the very thing it’s meant to spread—we become addicted to visible success and move on when things don’t seem to be working.

But movements don’t emerge from quick wins.
They are formed through long periods of small, consistent acts of obedience, which eventually become visible. Roy calls us back to staying faithful to the basics of disciple-making—and to keeping our eyes on the generators.

After hearing from Roy Moran last week, in this podcast we start a series of receiving a training from Roy and Aila Tasse. Roy and Aila brought clarity and the heart of God the Father as we received their input in Melbourne recently over two weeks. In this episode, Roy shares on not falling in love with the practice of DMM but with the heart of God.

The Lovesick Father’s Heart

He asks us two questions to answer from Luke 15:20-24 (the returning of the prodigal son):

What does this tell us about the heart of this earthly father in the story?
What does this tell us about the heart of God?

“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

Our core motivation for disciple making is this: We serve a lovesick Father who is desperate to regather his family.
We need to fall in love with the problem not the solution: When we fall in love with disciple making tactics, we fail to realise that they are not what generates passion. Only a connection with the lovesick Father’s heart for his lost children will bring people passion and motivation.
Becoming part of the Father’s business: Its not as simple as saying ‘prayer starts movements’. Instead, as we grow closer to the Father’s heart for his children, we will become part of the family business.
God is generous: The reason the trinity created us is so that we could share in the life and community that they have. God is desperate to see those who have fallen out of this community to be pulled back into it.

Roy and his wife Candy, and a group of four others started Shoal Creek Community Church in 1992.

Dave speaks with Roy Moran about fresh opportunities for disciple-making and movements in Western contexts like Australia and New Zealand. Roy reflects on several key shifts that shaped his own journey:

Key Shifts Roy Made

From belief to obedience.
Jesus’ invitation “follow me” and His final command to “obey everything I have commanded you” show that disciple-making is about getting people in front of God’s Word and helping them obey and share it.
Re-gospelling.
Forgiveness is part of the gospel—but not the whole. The fuller gospel shapes how we love people as humans first, before trying to be spiritually impressive.
Seeing the gospel move away from us.
Jesus sent His disciples out. We need to make the shift of seeing the gospel move away from us rather than attracting people towards us.
Confidence in the Word and Spirit alone.
God’s Word ahas power without our explanations—especially when paired with obedience and sharing. The Spirit enables people to obey and to also share their story, not just their “faith.”
Not persuading but loving.
Disciple-making in the West requires listening, connecting, and understanding others. Then if people give God’s Word and Spirit access, He works in their lives.

Final Word of Encouragement from Roy Moran

“Jesus had a dream of bringing heaven to earth…What would it be like if we were to learn from [where movements are exploding] and begin to implement some of the strategies of multiplying disciples? I think it is possible!…I’m seeing it in my own world right now… I know it can happen here and I know it can happen with you!”

In this episode, Dave catches up with Shodankeh Johnson, an apostolic leader from Sierra Leone, well known from the Engage Africa videos. Shodankeh has seen disciples in his nation grow from just a handful to half a million. During a recent conference in America, Dave asked Shodankeh to share a word of encouragement and greeting, focusing on the need to see the passion, power, and fire of God flow through us—not just relying on the right methods. This, Shodankeh reminds us, is key for breakthrough in the West, where movements of multiplication are longed for.

Shodankeh reminds us that God is always in us, and that His reward is sure. “Yes, it can be tough, but it can be done. With God, all things are possible. He is the impossibility specialist.”

He emphasizes the importance of prayer: “Pray as if everything depends on you, and pray as if everything depends on God. God will shake the foundation of the wicked one. A time is coming when we will see rapid multiplication of disciples, churches, leaders, and groups across the western world.”

Shodankeh encourages us to be strong and courageous and never give up, quoting Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” He calls faith the currency of heaven, the foundation from which multiplication of disciples will come. This, he says, is the love language of a disciple-making movement.

He shares a stirring call to pursue the fire of God:

“In this generation, we need to pray that God will use us. The fire of God is very important. We will see this when we spend quality time in His presence. There is no rush hour with God. Be hungry for His Word and His presence. Cry out for it as you would for food and water. When you do, the fire of God will come upon your life. This is what makes the difference—not the strategies of disciple-making movements. The first disciples in Acts were ordinary people, but the presence of God and the fire in them made all the difference. Be hungry for that fire. It’s not the size of the fire, but how many fires you can light.”

Shodankeh closes by praying for the fire of God to come upon us and flow through us, empowering ordinary people to make an extraordinary impact for Christ.

This podcast we listen to a commissioning from movement leaders in third world contexts that will deeply encourage us as disciple makers and leaders.

Jesus commissioned his disciples saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). This spoke deeply into the disciples’ spirits as they started to obey his commission. It brought all of Jesus’ ministry and teaching together. It had all come to this. The disciples knew that this was what they were called to do.

In this episode you will hear a commissioning given by several movement leaders (who are remain nameless mainly due to security) from Africa and elsewhere in the world. These are the final statements from a powerful meeting of movement leaders encouraging one another.

They cover:

What is DMM (and what it is not): How movement is the multiplication of disciples and churches.
The call to go into difficult places and even suffer for Jesus.
The encouragement that we should never be satisfied: To go for the highest – nothing less than God wants to accomplish.
How the call that is for ordinary people.
The need to collaborate and network.

As you listen to each leader share and pray, be deeply encouraged and empowered in your spirit. Let these prayers become your prayers.

In this episode, Dave shares a recent message he gave to the Crossway Online Church community, reflecting on Luke 10 and the surprising power of ordinary people in God’s mission.

In Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 others — because 12 were not enough. When the 72 return, full of joyful testimonies of God at work, Jesus Himself is described as “full of joy through the Holy Spirit.”

“I praise you, Father… because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children… Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”

— Luke 10:21, 23–24

Dave reminds us that Jesus transferred the kingdom of God into the hands of ordinary disciples — people who pray, listen, obey, and go.

Story 1 — Aisha in South East AsiaAmong a large unreached people groups, Aisha was a simple housewife trained in disciple-making. As she prayed, God gave her a heart to reach her community around her. With no previous experience, she simply started where she was — in the marketplace.

Partnering with a street trader named Fani, they began selling a local delicacy — fried chicken heads — and the business grew rapidly. Immersed in the community, Misha began offering:

• Micro-loans to struggling traders

• Literacy classes for teenagers

• Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) with new friends

What began as prayerful availability has now become multiplying disciple-making groups.

Jesus leaped for joy because God reveals His kingdom through the unexpected and overlooked — the “little children.”

Story 2 — The Chicken Shop Disciple MakerIn a region of South Asia experiencing high persecution, Dave describes how one of the teams has seen over 40,000 new disciples and 2,200+ churches planted.

In the midst of this movement was a man who simply ran a local chicken shop. He learned to start Discovery Bible Studies with his neighbours.

Disciple-making is simple and reproducible. Ordinary people. Everyday places.

Story 3 — James in AfricaJames is seeing a movement among Muslim university lecturers, Muslim students, their families and the wider community. In the last 12 months alone:

• 161 new Discovery Groups have been birthed

• 99 new churches have been planted

• 11 unreached people groups have been engaged

• Groups are multiplying to the 4th generation and beyond

There is real joy and freedom from darkness, with many baptisms among those previously far from Jesus.

Photo: James’ first house churchPhoto: Discovery Bible Group on an Islamic University campusRecent baptisms through James’ ministry in AfricaResponseKey Characteristics of Ordinary Disciple Makers

• The Power of the Ordinary — Don’t compare yourself.

• The Power of Availability — Simply be available to God.

• The Power of Obedience — Listen and follow what God says.

• Birth Everything in Prayer — Movements start on our knees.

Dave ends with a call to:

• Pray

• Give to missions

• Go and participate in the Great Commission

Because the Gospel spreads not through the extraordinary, but through ordinary people who say ‘yes’ to Jesus.

You can watch Dave sharing at Crossway here

Featuring: Dave Coles, author of God on the Move: Making Disciples Among the Nations
📖 Book on Amazon
💡 Related reading: Motus Dei: The Movement of God to Disciple the Nations

This episode begins with a reading from the foreword of Dave Coles’ new book God on the Move and a conversation with the author. Dave shares his passion to give a voice to majority world movement leaders and make their stories accessible to the global church.

Some Key Features of Disciple Making Movements (DMM) Prayer & miraculous signs, empowerment of ordinary people, holistic transformation, disciples making disciples and courage & sacrifice — all hallmarks of movements God is using across the nations.

The Challenge of the UnreachedThe world is becoming more unreached, yet movements are multiplying faster than population growth among key groups. Multiplying movements bring real hope for reaching the nations.

Hope for the WestEncouraging signs of growth in unexpected places like the UK and France. God’s promise in Amos 9:13 reminds us that the harvest will overtake the sowing — even in the West.

Church in MovementsSimple, Spirit-led expressions of church — not dependent on buildings or programs — empower ordinary disciples to gather, obey, and multiply.

Community Learning CentresFrom India’s Bhojpuri movement to urban hubs, meeting community needs holistically opens doors for the gospel and creates spaces for discovery and multiplication.

What Brings Dave Coles Hope?God’s promises and presence — and seeing Muslims and others coming to faith in miraculous ways — points to the nearness of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:14).

A Word of EncouragementWe serve an amazing God! Ask Him, “What do You want me to do this week to show Your love and advance Your kingdom?” — and step out in faith.

Motus Dei: The Movement of God to Disciple the Nations

We continue our series from the Thailand 25 Gathering, hearing from a leader from South East Asia who is catalysing disciple-making movements among a large unreached people group, and from Dave, who shares practical insights on how to catalyse movements with stories from Fiji and England.

From the South East Asian LeaderHe shared about three key roles in disciple-making movements (DMM):

Disciple – doing DBS (Discovery Bible Study) together.
Facilitator – helping others become disciple-makers.
Catalyst – multiplying movement through others.

He described his personal calling as that of a Catalyst—someone Jesus sends into new places to find people of peace, help them discover Jesus, and train others to do the same.

Some key principles he highlighted:

• Follow Jesus’ plan to be sent into places where you know no one, trusting Him to lead you to people with open hearts.

• Gather and train those who respond—equip them with simple tools and resources.

• Model and multiply—invite those who have seen fruit to share at trainings and train others by example.

• Form teams from those trained—pray together, stay together, and go back to Scripture and DBS regularly.

• Coach and mentor ongoingly, repeating the process to see multiplication continue.

From Dave: How to Catalyse MovementsDave shared how catalysing begins with our relationship with God—hearing His call and being led by the Spirit.

He described five levels or roles in movement growth:

Disciple (groups of 2s and 3s)
Group leader (People of Peace, often church leaders)
Leader of groups and streams of churches that are multiplying
Regional leaders (those carrying a vision across nations or regions)
Catalysts who help multiple movements grow

Key insights from Dave’s experience:

• Everything begins in prayer—listening to God and watching for new things He is doing.

• Find catalytic leaders—local, Spirit-led people whom God is already using.

• Serve others by asking, “What does this person need?” rather than pushing your own agenda.

• Movement work is highly relational and Spirit-dependent, not just about strategy or training.

Dave reminds us that God is the one who catalyses the work—and sometimes He turns the question back to us:

“How much do you want?”

We continue our series from our international gathering in Thailand with part two of The Inner Life of a leader. In this episode, Graham (a pastor from New Zealand with over 50 years of ministry experience) and a leader from South Asia share how they nurture and sustain their inner lives as disciples and leaders.

Part 1: Graham (New Zealand) – Dealing with our questions and thoughts“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

Graham reflects on how leaders can deal with questions and negative thought patterns. He highlights the importance of bringing our questions honestly to the cross. He also shares the need for accountability in relationships and discerning God’s voice by taking every thought captive.

“We have to learn how to deal with the questions.”

Part 2: South Asian Leader – The rhythms of a disciple in the midst of persecution“You have to face these things [persecution]. These things will come.”

Speaking from his context of persecution, this fruitful leader describes how rhythms of prayer, Scripture, and fellowship sustain him. He emphasises that obedience to God’s Word is central, since we can only share with others what we are living out ourselves. He explains the MAWL principle (Model, Assist, Watch, Launch) as the way he disciples others.

Even in persecution, he testifies that the Word of God brings hope and courage. Since Jesus prepares us as his disciples for suffering from the beginning, the promise of eternal life gives hope and strength. For this leader, it is a deep source of joy to see the church multiplying under persecution—he shares that they have recently recorded 2,100 churches in their network.

Final Encouragement

Once again, we see how our inner lives are the most vital part of who we are as disciples and leaders. Be encouraged by these leaders’ words to:

Guard your heart and let God’s truth shape your inner life.
Live out rhythms of prayer, Scripture, and obedience that sustain faith—even in hardship.

Graham has written a book called ‘Demon Speak: Recognising and Overcoming the Enemy Voices in Your Life’.

We continue our series from our international gathering in Thailand.

What will take us out of the race as leaders in movements? Over the next two podcasts, we’ll be hearing from four practitioning leaders share from their perspective of what helps them go the distance as disciple makers and leaders. In this episode, we hear two powerful insights from two experienced practitioners about the inner life of a disciple and leader—the part of us that shapes everything we do. Be encouraged by the walk of others as we look at our own lives as disciples and leaders.

Part 1: Roger (New Zealand) – Personality and Leadership“Often we underestimate how much our personalities can influence our leadership.”

Roger shares how our soul or personalities and tendencies can both strengthen and slow us down as leaders. If we’re not aware, our personality can even take us out of the race.

Looking at the lives of Jesus’ disciples, Roger highlights how their different temperaments shaped their strengths—and their struggles:

• Peter – impulsive, bold and ambitious.

• James & John – ambitious, strong leadership, destructive (controlling and angry) at times, but full of zeal (can lead to burnout for some).

• Thomas – skeptical, analytical, cautious (wise but can be paralysed by doubt and overthinking) yet also deeply loyal (slow to trust).

• Philip – practical, analytical, sometimes too pragmatic.

• Andrew – quiet and relational (but can be people pleasing and compromise with shallow connections rather than speaking the truth and lifting one another up).

• Judas – calculated, controlling, desiring power (the prestige of Jesus’ movement), and ultimately led astray.

Roger challenges us with Romans 12: are we functioning out of our true spiritual gifts—or just our personality? Many leaders let their personality take over, but God calls us to live and lead from the Spirit alongside others in community and teams.

Part 2: Gabi (Eastern Europe) – Testing: God Working in the Dark“The lack of trusting is actually the lack of love.”

Gabi speaks vulnerably about walking through valley seasons as a leader. Instead of asking “why me?” she encourages us to ask: “God, what are You doing in this situation?”

Drawing from her journey, including seasons of suffering and difficulty, Gabi reminds us of Psalm 23. God meets us in the valley – in the dark. And he leads us through and encourages us to grow as people.

She encourages leaders not to give in to bitterness or fear, but to embrace the Spirit of love, power, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). Even in the darkest moments, God is at work shaping our hearts and preparing us to lead with greater depth.

TakeawayYour inner life is the most important part of who you are as a leader. Be encouraged by Roger and Gabi’s words to:

• Pay attention to your personality and how it influences your leadership.

• Allow God to meet you in the valleys, shaping your spirit rather than letting fear or bitterness take hold.

This episode will help you grow deeper as a disciple and leader who leads from the inside out.

As we continue our Thailand25 series, many of you will remember Rey from Hong Kong and how God used him to see movement among Filipina maids. In this episode, Rey continues to share the journey of seeing movement in and from Hong Kong. In July 2022, Rey pioneered Discovery Obedience Bible Studies (DOBS) in Hong Kong parks with Pilipino maids. What began as one small step of faith has now grown into multiplying disciple-making communities (DMCs) in Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, and even Japan. Rey’s obedience to the Holy Spirit has opened the door to multiplication down to third and fourth generations of disciples. His passion is clear: “We are not in the business of making believers but disciples.” You’ll be encouraged as Rey explains how God is using simple obedience, a clear disciple-making vision, and a commitment to multiplication to bring transformation from Hong Kong to the nations.

Highlights from Rey’s Journey Early Exposure to Movements + Since 2016, Rey was exposed to disciple-making movements through experiences in Israel, India, and Myanmar, which grew into a deep passion and became the focus of his Master’s thesis in Hong Kong. * From Pastor to Movement Pioneer + His church in Hong Kong adopted DMM principles—but only as a growth strategy, not a true disciple-making movement. The spark eventually faded. + 2022: Rey resigned from traditional church ministry, rejecting offers from large churches. + During quarantine, while fasting and praying, God’s answer surprised him: not to join another church, but to start doing DMM himself. + July 2, 2022: Rey launched the first DOBS group in a Hong Kong park. * Multiplication Across Nations + Hong Kong: - Now 110 active disciples. - 3 DMCs (up to 4th generation). - 201 baptisms over the last three years—monthly beach baptisms with new believers. - 20 women in training to become “DMM pastors,” preparing to return to the Philippines. + Macau: 1 group, 8 active disciples, 3 disciple-makers. + Philippines: Communities in the north, central, and the Muslim south (Mindanao). Over 100 active disciples in multiple generations. + Japan (Yokosuka, near Tokyo): Filipina women reaching out to bar owners and families. Baptisms and new groups forming into a multiplying community. * Disciple-Making Process + Rey uses DOBS (Discovery Obedience Bible Studies): Discover, Obey, Bible, Share. + He has developed different levels of scripture sets: - Seekers – discovering Jesus. - Disciples – going deeper. - Leaders – training for multiplication. * Vision & Tools + Rey always gives the vision upfront: everyone is called to be a disciple-maker. + He even draws people a simple path: Seeker → Believer → Disciple → Disciple-Maker → Leader. + Anchors everything in key Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20 (Great Commission), Matthew 22:36-39 (Great Commandment), Acts 1:8 (Need for Holy Spirit to be witnesses) and 2 Timothy 2:2 (Multiplication of disciples). + DBS format follows the 4Ws*: - Worship - Watch (share stresses) - Word (Head, Heart, Hands) - Work (commitments & sharing).

Why Listen?

Rey’s story is one of courage, obedience, and multiplication. From humble beginnings in a park in Hong Kong to movements multiplying in the Philippines and Japan, Rey’s testimony challenges us to rethink church, embrace disciple-making, and trust God’s Spirit to lead.

In this first episode from our Thailand25 gathering with movement leaders and teams from nine nations, we hear from Mike, who has seen hundreds of groups multiply in Hong Kong. He shares about modelling what you want to see multiply as a disciple maker. After all, we model what we love.

John 15:5–17“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (verse 8)

How does modelling work in John 15?
The Father models love → Jesus → disciples → others.
That’s four generations of reproduction—love expressed through obedience.

“They will not follow and imitate what you know but what you love.” (Mike)

Mike asks AIMike asks ChatGPT how to start a DMM that will flourish and spread. Chat gives a great answer—but will Chat’s answer actually start a movement? No. Because ChatGPT doesn’t love anything!

“Movements are based on love that is modelled, observed, and imitated!” (Mike)

We must learn to love God and love the lost. DMM isn’t about strategies or ideas—it flows from love. And love is nurtured through prayer. Without prayer of sacrifice, there is no love for the lost. Prayer and modelling go hand in hand: modelling how much we love God and how much we love the lost.

Stories (Man in Wheelchair and Mike’s daughters)Man in Wheelchair: Mike and Steve share Jesus with a man in a wheelchair. Soon the community around him begins to grow in faith. He invites his wider network to hear more about Jesus. Mike doesn’t think he’s doing DMM the “right way,” yet multiplication happens. One man begins a Discovery Bible Study with another new believer—and has a vision to see him become a disciple maker too. All of this starts simply because he observed and imitated Mike’s love.

Mike’s daughters: Mike’s extroverted daughter shares Jesus with someone using the beaded bracelet, just like her dad. She is imitating his love. Another time, Mike’s extremely shy daughter tells him that a “little voice” in her head is urging her to go to the park to meet a family. She obeys, meets the family, and boldly shares about Jesus with her bracelet. Love reproduces through generations.

Final Encouragement“If we are going to multiply, we have to keep praying. We have to keep loving the lost. Our modelling is not just for the people we are modelling to—it’s about them seeing how much we love God, how much we love the people around us, and how much we love sharing Jesus. They will see it. And they will not do what you know—they will do what they see you love.” (Mike)

In this episode of the Praxeis Podcast, we talk with Harvey Bishop from Melbourne, who has spent decades helping people follow Jesus and multiply disciples. He challenges us to be intentional about making disciples who are filled with the Spirit and equipped to multiply.

Harvey’s Story
At 21, Harvey cried out to God and experienced an instant transformation. Soon after, mentors showed him how to live as a disciple and make disciples. Harvey went on to serve 41 years in full-time ministry, with Power to Change and in disciple-making.

Why Disciple-Making Matters
Harvey saw many new believers fall away, which led him to focus on helping disciples grow strong and multiply. Influenced by 2 Timothy 2:2, he embraced Jesus’ call to make disciples who make disciples, training young people and international students to do the same.

How Harvey Makes Disciples
Harvey prays for people, shares his testimony, shows the cost of following Jesus, and uses Discovery Bible Studies to help people walk in the Spirit and form multiplying groups. He challenges us as disciples to be intentional, Spirit-filled, and accountable so we can pass on our faith effectively.

“Being filled with the Spirit is living the Spirit filled life. It’s about letting Jesus control everything I do.”

The Challenge
“Every Spirit-filled Christian can make disciples if they’re willing to be trained and let the Spirit guide them. There is nothing more meaningful than bringing glory to God by discipling others.”

Websites and books referred to in the podcast:

‘First Steps With God’ website: https://firststepswithgod.com

📖 ‘The Man God Uses’ (Osward J Smith)

In this episode of the DMM Podcast, we hear from Sam Turner of Northland, New Zealand, as he shares at the DMM Connect gathering. Sam tells his story of moving from traditional church leadership to embracing Disciple Making Movements (DMM). His journey leads to a deep shift—from extracting people into church programs to empowering believers to reach their own communities. In the second half, two leaders from Sam’s team, Roland and Jim, share how they are using Discovery Bible Study (DBS) in their own contexts to see multiplication.

Sam’s Journey into DMM

When Sam arrived in New Zealand, he was struck by God’s heart for a “fatherless nation.” While serving at a local church in Paparoa, Sam felt a deep dissatisfaction comparing the book of Acts with his church’s reality. This led him to a year of daily prayer, seeking breakthrough.

During this season, God gave Sam a vision of a match striking a box, igniting a fire that spread across New Zealand and beyond. The match represented a people who would stand unapologetically on God’s Word and not limit the work of the Holy Spirit.

This only deepened Sam’s longing—until he encountered the DBS tool and the book Contagious Disciple Making (Dave and Paul Watson). Applying DBS first to a men’s group, Sam saw it multiply quickly. Other groups followed, and soon the church was learning principles of simplicity, modeling, and multiplication. This marked the beginning of their transition from traditional church models to a disciple-making movement mindset.

Rethinking Church and Leadership

Over time, big questions emerged: How does DMM relate to church? What about teaching if no one person is “leading” a DBS?

Sam shares that Jesus often taught through questions—over 300 in the Gospels. Their team learned to respond with Scripture and good questions rather than top-down answers.

A major paradigm shift also occurred around evangelism. Rather than extracting people into church programs, Sam’s team began empowering believers to go, serve, and invest in others. Like Jesus in John 13:3–5, leaders are called to wash feet—not gather followers to make them “like us,” but to release them to reach their own communities.

Roland and Jim: Using DBS in Their Contexts

Roland, from a Tuvaluan background, opened his home for Bible study. What started as two families soon grew to over 40 people—so many that everyone couldn’t share. When his wife gave birth, the large meeting stopped, but what seemed like an ending actually multiplied. The big group naturally broke into 15 DBS groups meeting in homes across the community.

Jim first encountered DBS in a men’s group at Paparoa. He shares how the Holy Spirit became the true teacher, and how he wished he had this tool earlier while discipling at-risk youth with his wife. Now, Jim facilitates DBS among men, often through ManUp groups—a 10-week program for men dealing with family dysfunction, trauma, and addiction. Many of these men take DBS and pass it on to others, finding it far more effective than traditional street evangelism.

Final Encouragement for Church Leaders

Sam closes by urging church leaders to notice who God has placed on the hearts of the people they lead. For Roland, its forming communities that can multiply. For Jim, it’s reaching men who are struggling. For others, it will look different. The role of leaders is to serve, empower, and call people to see God’s bigger picture.

Watch this episode as a video here:

https://vimeo.com/1099328633?share=copy#t=2353.336

Contagious Disciple Making: Leading Others on a Journey of Discovery

Paradigm Shifts, the Power of the Holy Spirit, and How to Pray for Movements

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Vijay, co-author of Bhojpuri Breakthrough. Vijay shares paradigm-shifting insights into what leadership looks like in the context of disciple-making movements—and how the Holy Spirit and obedience to God’s Word are essential for genuine transformation in any cultural context, including the West.

🔑 Key Themes: Breakthrough leadership is upside-down.
Vijay reflects on how he learned movement leadership not from titles, but from Jesus’ own example: humble, redemptive, servant-hearted. Jesus’ approach to money, gender, the marginalized, and power becomes the pattern for movement leaders today. * Empowering others is the goal.
Leadership is not about hierarchy but about helping others grow and take responsibility.“You have many teachers but not many fathers.” – 1 Corinthians 4:15 * ‘Active theology’ leads to transformation.
Leaders must ask: “How does God’s Word apply to my context?” As people obey what they learn, the Holy Spirit humbles, convicts, and transforms. * Jesus is relevant in the West.
While many may reject church, people are still drawn to Jesus. Vijay challenges leaders to slow down, be transformed by Jesus’ words, and internalise His message.Jesus gave the Be-attitudes, not just “do-attitudes” – Matthew 5–7 * The Bible is practical and powerful.
Movements grow when people apply what they learn.“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” – Philippians 2:12 * Humility and vulnerability are leadership strengths.
Rather than hiding struggles, Vijay encourages honesty and authenticity in leadership.Jesus’ Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector – Luke 18:9–14 * The Holy Spirit shapes leaders from day one.
Self-awareness, forgiveness, mentorship, and avoiding dependency are all vital. Leaders live in daily transformation, empowered by the Spirit, even amid spiritual warfare. * Graveyards of mission can become vineyards of revival.*
The Bhojpuri movement shows God can move in the darkest places. Today, over 2,000 movements globally reflect God’s hand—not man’s strategy.

🙏 How Can We Pray? For humility and Christ-likeness under pressure
In India, persecution is intensifying. Pray believers would resist retaliation and stay centred on Christ, glorifying Him even in suffering. * For courage and endurance
Millions still need to hear the gospel. Pray for boldness amid political, financial, and family pressures. * For purity and simplicity in the Church
Wherever tradition takes over, corruption often follows. Pray that both the Indian and Australian churches return to Scripture and live it out. * For multiplication
“The fruit of the harvest becomes the seed of the next harvest.” Pray that every disciple would become a disciple-maker. * For open doors through prayer
Ask people, “What are you praying for?”* It opens a conversation. Jesus taught us that God answers prayer and does far more than we imagine.

🎧 Tune in for this deeply personal and powerful conversation about how the Spirit-led obedience of everyday people is fuelling global movements—and how you can be part of it.

📚 Resources Mentioned

Bhojpuri Breakthrough
The Movement that Keeps Multiplying
📖 Available on Amazon AU. Also available as an audiobook
Breakthrough Leadership
Insights from an Asian Movement Leader
📖 Available on Amazon AU. Also available as an e-book.

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Guest: Vijay (Coauthor with Dave Coles of Bhojpuri Breakthrough and their new book Breakthrough Leadership. This is a highly commended leadership development book for us as movement leaders)

In this first episode, Vijay shares his powerful journey from a traditional church mindset to becoming a catalyst for disciple-making movements across northern India. He unpacks key paradigm shifts and stories that have shaped his leadership and passion for transformation.

🔄 Paradigm Shifts in Leadership

From control to empowerment—loving people without agenda among the 90 million in his region.
Discipleship through godly conversation, not just conversion.
Breaking the “us and them” mindset to see everyone as fellow human beings.
Raising up ordinary people as leaders, not experts.

🙏 A Movement Rooted in Prayer

Vijay highlights the vital role of mobilizing a culture of prayer, even in the face of ongoing persecution.

🔥 Stories from the Harvest

Christian leaders continue to reach others even from prison.
No financial incentives—just wholehearted, voluntary decisions to follow Jesus.
Community in Christ stands in contrast to the isolation in modern Hindu society.

📘 About the Book: Breakthrough Leadership

Everyone is called to disciple-making, not merely church attendance.
Discipleship breaks cycles of bondage and multiplies transformation.

💬 Final Encouragement

“Who am I without my worldly status?”
Jesus met people without title or status. As his followers, we’re called to love without condemnation.

John 3:17 – “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

Discipleship is a lifelong journey of becoming like Christ.
The church is the fruit, not the focus—disciple-making is the core.
God empowers us with forgiveness—a key to personal freedom and transformation.

⚡ Takeaway Challenge

Don’t settle for being just a church member. Be an agent of transformation. Through you, God can impact families, communities—even nations.

📚 Resources Mentioned

Bhojpuri Breakthrough
The Movement that Keeps Multiplying
📖 Available on Amazon AU.
Amazon (international)
Also available as an audiobook
Breakthrough Leadership
Insights from an Asian Movement Leader
📖 Available on Amazon AU.
Amazon (international)
(Also available to read today as an e-book via Amazon)

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God is doing something historic today. As Dave shares from New Zealand, we are seeing a surge of (disciple making) movements—rapid, indigenous, multiplying streams of disciples and churches—reshaping Christianity as we know it.

What began decades ago with just a few movements is now exploding: over 115 million believers and 8.5 million new churches, with growth doubling every 3.5 years—impacting more than 1.4% of the world’s population.

These are not renewal movements within existing churches, but harvest movements among the unreached—especially in hard, persecuted places like North India, where thousands of churches now grow where there was once spiritual drought.

Movements start when God calls catalytic teams, people hungry for more, willing to shift paradigms and obey Jesus fully. They embrace discovery-based discipleship, relational gatherings, and the multiplication of leaders across generations. This could be a tipping point in global missions—a generation that could complete the Great Commission.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” — Matthew 24:14

Which generation will see this? Who will run the final lap?
There is only one task we carry to the finish line: to make disciples of all nations. Let’s live and lead like it depends on us!

📽️ You can watch this podcast here (NB: Dave shares from 33 minutes in):

https://vimeo.com/1095829360?share=copy#t=0

In this episode from the DMM Connect gathering in Northland, NZ, Keith and Joy share their journey from serving as missionaries in Thailand to how God called them to continue living on mission back home in New Zealand. They unpack how they have been able to live missionally in their own context using simple, reproducible tools.

Learning to have Spiritual Conversations (Four Quadrants)A key turning point was learning how to have spiritual conversations using the Four Quadrants (casual → meaningful → spiritual → discovery). This changed how they connected with people in their local community.

Joy reflects on John 4—Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well—and how He took this Samaritan woman on a spiritual journey as a person of peace to her community. Likewise, Keith and Joy have seen everyday people (like ‘Ruth’, a young woman from a local market) discover Jesus and share Him with others.

Jesus’ strategy when sending out his disciples Keith emphasises how engaging in the harvest as key to transformation—shifting from theory to practice, from “come” to “go.” We listen in as the room explores these 4 scriptures where Jesus sends His disciples out:

Mark 6:7–13
Luke 9:1–6
Matthew 9:36–10:16
Luke 10:1–11

These passages show that Jesus had compassion on the lost and taught His followers to beseech (or beg) God for workers—not for the harvest itself (which is already plentiful), but for more harvesters. It’s a key strategy of prayer that Jesus gave twice in the gospels. We know the Lords Prayer but this is another prayer Jesus commanded his disciples to pray.

Keith reflects on Matthew 9:35-38…

“We’ve all prayed for the harvest. But in a way, this is the wrong way to pray. Jesus is telling us the harvest is already great. What we’re imploring Him for is the workers. It’s like Jesus is healing the sick and then steps back and looks at the large crowd and realises that a different approach is needed… Even Jesus realised that it couldn’t be a one-man show. He needed a team to do what He did.”

In the group discussion, we hear reflections on how traditional models often extract people from their communities to come to church. But Jesus modeled something different: staying with those who welcome you. Like the woman at the well, insiders can reach their whole communities more effectively than outsiders can.

A final challenge

“In a culture of ‘come,’ we’ve made the lost person into the missionary (they have to leave their comfort zone to come to church). But ‘come’ is the enemy of ‘go,’ and addition is the enemy of multiplication.” – Raj (quoting those like Jim Britts)

🎥 You can view this podcast as a video too:

https://vimeo.com/1099326407

Welcome to episode 166 of the podcast. In this episode, we take you into Northland, New Zealand, where leaders like Dave, Graham, Sam, and others are wrestling with one central question: How can Discovery Bible Study (DBS) become more than a method—and instead spark a movement of disciple-making in our own context?You’ll hear stories of breakthrough, honest questions about challenges, and the shift from teaching to facilitating—from knowledge to revelation. Whether it’s with a Muslim family, a church congregation, or people in the harvest, DBS is opening hearts to the Word and multiplying impact.Let’s move beyond theory and explore how DBS can be lived out—simply, reproducibly, and powerfully—wherever you are.🎤 Dave’s Discovery of DBSDave first encountered DBS through David Watson’s work in Africa.He began applying it with a Muslim family, using simple inductive Bible study questions.Key quote: “Power of God plus the Word of God put together makes disciples that multiply.”His journey reflects a shift in mindset:From using tools to tell people what Scripture says ➝ to trusting God’s Word and Spirit to speak directly.From knowledge-based to revelation-based engagement.From teaching to facilitating.From expert-led ➝ to anyone can lead, even non-believers.Coaches must help contextualize the Scripture set (not just use Creation to Christ for every setting).Keep it simple: as easy as ABC – Ask, Bible, Commit (6–7 core questions).DBS is not just for Christians; non-Christians can also hear and obey God's Word.Retelling is key so people can pass on what they’ve heard.“This God is someone who wants to have relationship.”– Muslim man expressing his first discovery of God through DBS on Genesis 1.🙌 Sam Turner’s JourneySam shares his wrestle with DBS, particularly applying it within a church setting, then seeing it multiply outside.He describes key paradigm shifts:Getting out of the way as a teacher.Discovery leads to internal conviction, not just external teaching.In his church, they started passing the mic around after sermons, asking people to share their discoveries and applications.DBS is not about growing my church—it's about growing the Kingdom.Multiplication over addition.A challenging but catalytic question:“Who within my sphere of influence could catalyse groups?”💬 Live Group ReflectionsWhat happens when obedience is hard for Christians? One great DBS question:“How should I change my thinking or actions from this story?”Powerful moment during a DBS on Luke 24:13–49 (Road to Emmaus):A long-time Bible teacher said, “You’ve ruined me as 40 years of Bible teaching!” after experiencing DBS for the first time.Others shared how the group dynamic gave multiple “facets” of a passage—“like a diamond.”The Resurrected Jesus (living testimony) and the Scriptures work powerfully hand-in-hand in mission.💡 Reflective ChallengeAs you reflect on what you’ve heard—from internal wrestles to surprising fruit—ask yourself:How might you tweak or implement DBS with those in your own context?What shift—big or small—could you make this week to move from teaching to discovery, from addition to multiplication?Check out the video of this podcast episode here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/11766423/video/1099331027

Learning from Disciple-Making Movements in AsiaIn this episode:Scott Crawley shares insights from his experience speaking at the Praxeis Hub in Melbourne. He reflects on what he’s learning through his “classroom”—his on-the-ground experiences with teams across various cities in Asia—and how these learnings inform disciple-making and movement building in complex urban environments.Scott’s Vision & TeamScott describes his team’s pursuit of a bold vision: to see disciple-making movements emerge in 15 cities across Asia. His “classroom” is formed through real-time learning alongside others serving in diverse and often challenging urban contexts.Three Foundational Principles for Disciple-Making & MovementGod has an End Goal: God is profoundly relational — He desires sons and daughters who trust Him and align their lives with His story.In some Asian cities Scott's team is working in (with millions of people), collaboration is essential. Our individual impact is small, but together we can join God’s broader work across an entire city.It’s not just about “my ministry,” but about contributing to God’s greater purpose in the city.God Is Already at WorkThis is a liberating truth—God is present both in us and in the harvest.From Acts 17:26–27: Paul finds an altar to an “unknown god”—a reminder that God has already planted spiritual hunger in every culture.We’re not arriving with all the answers; rather, we’re joining a divine treasure hunt, discovering where God is already moving and responding with faith and curiosity.Cities Are ComplexWhile disciple-making movements (DMMs) have often thrived in rural settings, cities present unique challenges and opportunities.Urban areas are dense, relationally fluid, and full of affinity groups (people connected by shared needs, interests, or causes) and urban villages (smaller, close-knit communities).God is working through “inside leaders”—people of peace already embedded in these groups.The key questions become:Where is God already at work?Where do we see hunger and openness?What is our specific role in the “village” or affinity group we’re drawn to?Reflection QuestionWhat’s the one big thing God is whispering to you from this podcast?Who can you share it with to help you take your next step in engaging your city or context?

In this episode, we listen in on a DMM (Disciple-Making Movement) training session in North Queensland with Steve and Mel Behrens. They share their journey into DMM and what drives them: a deep heart for the lost. The Behrens are practitioners and catalysts in Far North Queensland. They’ve seen fruit among Indigenous communities, everyday Aussies in various contexts, and returned soldiers. Enjoy listening as Steve and Mel share during their recent Cairns training. A Lost DogSteve shares how he was raised in the Western Province of PNG, later moving to Australia where he met and married Mel—who also carried a strong passion for the lost. They began as youth leaders and saw some fruit, but they were discontent when comparing it to what they read in the Book of Acts. Then something shifted.Mel tells a story about searching for their lost dog in a crocodile-breeding mangrove area. In that moment, God spoke to them:“You are willing to lay your lives down to find this lost dog but what about my lost children?”That moment marked a turning point. The call of God was clear: to seek the lost. But they began asking, “What’s the best way to do this?”They soon realised that the mission wasn’t just about making disciples, but making disciple-makers. This led them to movements. They began listening to what God was already doing and found themselves needing to let go of preconceived ideas and ‘baggage’ in order to embrace DMM.Their vision now is to see movements birthed—lost people coming into the Kingdom across North Queensland, into PNG, and beyond to the nations.Passion Ignites PassionSteve explains that God’s passion ignites passion in us. Often as Christians, we feel passionate but don’t know what to do with it—and we settle. But our hearts must remain fertile. He challenges us with a reflection from the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 28:16-20):“Where is our heart at? Is it in good soil? Are we reproducing? We need to make sure the soil of our heart remains fertile…How do we make the soil [of our hearts] good again? We go to Jesus and surround ourselves with likeminded people. As a disciple-maker, this is our core.” (Steve)When Passion and Strategy Come TogetherAddition vs. MultiplicationMel shares the paradigm shift she and Steve underwent: moving from addition to multiplication of disciples. They illustrate this through a simple ‘build-up tiggy’ tag game.“There are people in our lives that even the best evangelists or preachers can’t reach. There are people in our networks who only we can ‘tag’.” (Mel)Mel explains how starting with 30 people each reaching 30 more over 30 years results in 900 people—addition. But beginning with just two people who each multiply yearly over 30 years could reach over 1 billion—multiplication.“So wherever you find yourself, maybe in a small country town or a big city, and you are lonely asking the question ‘where do I start?’… just grab someone else. Multiplication can start with two people.” (Mel)Current Reality in North QueenslandIn North Queensland, for every church that is planted, five are closing down. Steve and Mel highlight the urgency of recognising the spiritual climate. Yet Jesus didn’t just add—he multiplied. He modelled this for his disciples and commissioned them in Matthew 28:16–20. Once again they draw attention to the final soil in the Parable of the Sower—the one that multiplies. That’s the soil Jesus is calling us to be today.People of peaceLuke 10:6 shows how Jesus sent out his disciples to find ‘people of peace’. These people are the ones we are called to pour into. They are spiritually open, hungry, and ready to share. They often become gateways to entire communities.Biblical examples of people of peace include:• The Woman at the Well (John 4:1–42)• The Demoniac (Mark 5:1–20)• The Philippian Jailer (Acts 16:16–36)• Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10)• Cornelius (Acts 10)• Lydia (Acts 16:11–15, 40)• Levi (Luke 5:27–32)• Nathanael (John 1:45–51)• Man w...

In this second part of conversation with Emanuel Prinz—movement practitioner, researcher, and author of What Actually Starts Movements—we go deeper into what truly fuels lasting spiritual movements. While many focus on methods and tools, Emanuel invites us to look upstream—to the hearts and lives of the leaders God uses to spark and sustain movements.At the core of this episode are two key character traits Emanuel and his team have identified in effective movement catalysts: Hunger for God and Radical Learning. These two qualities, he argues, are not just common traits—they actually predict a leader’s growth trajectory and long-term fruitfulness.1. Hunger for GodThis is more than emotion—it’s a daily, disciplined pursuit of knowing and loving God deeply, often expressed through rich spiritual practices. It’s the foundation from which expectant faith, love, intercession, and boldness flow.2. Radical Learning This is a posture of humility and curiosity. Movement leaders actively seek feedback, embrace failure, and adapt. Their teachability enables continual growth in ministry competence and spiritual maturity—even through seasons of disappointment.Together, these traits mark a sharp contrast between catalytic leaders who continue to grow—and others who, though initially gifted, plateau or decline over time.We also explore:The depth of prayer vs. the duration of prayer—what really matters?How effective catalysts listen to God and pray with faith for fruitWhy spiritual movements are possible in any society—even in the WestThe significance of the 2.5% who are spiritually open in every communityThe importance of forming small, agile catalytic teams with trust, clarity, and complementary giftingLearning to discern the few essential things God is calling us to each day—rather than being overwhelmed by busynessEmanuel reflects on the internal battles many leaders face and the need to give greater attention to the heart of the practitioner. Looking ahead: Emanuel shares his vision to equip 50,000 catalytic leaders to reach unreached people groups and his hope for the future—rooted in the patience of the Father and the promise that the Kingdom will reach all nations.🎧 Whether you're a pioneer, leader, or simply someone longing to see God move in new ways—this episode will encourage you to slow down, go deeper, and hold onto the Father’s hand."Hold onto the Father’s hand every moment of your life. Remind yourself that the Father is with you. This is a huge confidence booster. It changes everything." – Emanuel PrinzResources of Emanuel’sCheck out Emanuel's brand new book and INSTANT #1 BESTSELLER: What Actually Starts Movements:https://www.amazon.com.au/What-Actually-Starts-Movements-Multiplication-ebook/dp/B0F5XVPLJGSee his previous title Movement Catalysts - https://www.amazon.com.au/Movement-Catalysts-Profile-apostolic-leader-ebook/dp/B0BHKY4845/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SPOQ65CAMV6P&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ndBDLQL1zWRXn8DesD5rIw.aDuCHLoNskkVeq8j0yzNn-utD8sB1rQKGlnYSEqiXkQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=movement+catalysts+emanuel+prinz&qid=1748485488&s=digital-text&sprefix=movement+catalysts+emanuel+prinz,digital-text,223&sr=1-1Subscribe to his blog and podcast - https://emanuelprinz.substack.com/You can find out more about Emanuel's ministry and his services to help boost movements at: www.catalyticleadership.info

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In this two-part series, Dave sits down with Emanuel Prinz—movement researcher, author, and experienced practitioner who has witnessed God birth a disciple-making movement in a remote part of Sudan, resulting in thousands of new believers and hundreds of churches.Emanuel is not only a pioneer on the ground but also a global researcher, having studied 147 movements worldwide, analyzing over 32,000 data points to understand what God uses to spark multiplication. The findings are captured in his latest book, What Actually Starts Movements.In This Episode (Part 1):Emanuel’s Journey to Movement WorkFrom intellectual belief to his calling to an unengaged Muslim people group in Sudan.Learning through a 'reverse-engineering' of movements: discovering how to work with key influences and then learning the 'what' and 'how' to share. Discovery Through Obedience and PrayerWrestling in prayer for clarity on God’s heart for a resistant people group.A pivotal dream that directed him to a specific region in Sudan.Vital Practices for Movement BreakthroughCompassion ministry: Meeting felt needs and changing perceptions.Radiating spirituality: Story-based Bible discovery before Discovery Bible Study (DBS) even had a name. Focusing on oral learners and inductive questions that lead to personal discovery.The Importance of the CatalystGod uses many methods, but there is a surprising consistency in the type of person He uses.Emanuel's research shifts our focus from just methods to the qualities and competencies of catalytic leaders.Movements cannot be manufactured—but we can grow into the kind of people God delights to use.“God uses different methods to start movements. Methods do matter. But it’s not just one method [that God uses]. God uses a particular kind of person”🌊 A Tipping Point in HistoryEmanuel shares these staggering global insights in the first chapter of his book:From 15,000 (1995) to 115 million new disciples involved in movements today8+ million new churchesMovements now represent 1.4% of the world’s populationGod is creating a wave in our time—the question is, how can we join Him?🙏 Final Encouragement from Emanuel“Frame your pursuit of movement as a pursuit of God. Movement is secondary. My first ambition each day is to say, ‘Father, let’s live this day together.’ Don’t resign yourself to thinking movements can’t happen where you are. Instead, ask daily, ‘Father, where are you at work and how can I join you?’”🎧 Stay Tuned for Part 2 – where Emanuel dives deeper into leadership traits, multiplication principles, and how anyone can grow into the kind of person God uses.Resources of Emanuel’s:📘 Grab the Book:Check out Emanuel's brand new book and INSTANT #1 BESTSELLER: What Actually Starts Movements:https://www.amazon.com.au/What-Actually-Starts-Movements-Multiplication-ebook/dp/B0F5XVPLJGSee his previous title: Movement Catalysts:https://www.amazon.com.au/Movement-Catalysts-Profile-apostolic-leader-ebook/dp/B0BHKY4845/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2SPOQ65CAMV6P&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ndBDLQL1zWRXn8DesD5rIw.aDuCHLoNskkVeq8j0yzNn-utD8sB1rQKGlnYSEqiXkQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=movement+catalysts+emanuel+prinz&qid=1748485488&s=digital-text&sprefix=movement+catalysts+emanuel+prinz,digital-text,223&sr=1-1Subscribe to his blog and podcast - https://emanuelprinz.substack.com/You can find out more about Emanuel's ministry and his services to help boost movements at - www.catalyticleadership.info

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In this episode, Dave reconnects with Sam Turner, a passionate disciple-maker from Northland, New Zealand. Sam shares his journey of faith, family, and a God-given vision to see New Zealand and the nations ignited for Jesus.From the UK to Western AustraliaSam’s move to Exmouth, WA, became a pivotal time of spiritual awakening (not to mention meeting his wife). He shares how a simple invitation to an Indigenous family for a meal blossomed into something deeply transformative. Sam met his German wife in WA. Married for just 3.5 years, they already had five children, including twins. Ministry isn’t just Sam’s calling—it’s a family mission.A Prodigal’s ReturnThroughout his young adults years, Sam sensed a persistent nudge from God, with a constant inner voice saying, “have more faith in me.” This quiet yet powerful prompting drew him back to Jesus. He immersed himself in Scripture—reading through the Bible multiple times in just a year—and was deeply moved by God's unwavering pursuit and faithfulness.The Move to New ZealandSam’s wife, passionate about permaculture, prompted the family’s move to NZ. Arriving with a burdened heart for what they saw as a "fatherless nation," they connected with a local church, and Sam became a pastor.Vision of the MatchboxHowever a divine dissatisfaction stirred in Sam’s heart. He had a vision: a match striking a box, igniting flames that spread across a map of New Zealand and onto other continents. God was calling him to not hinder the Spirit and to teach the Word unapologetically.Discovering DMMThrough a testimony of the power of prayer in Africa and the appearance of a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) sheet, Sam discovered the potential of Disciple Making Movements (DMM). Reading Contagious Disciple Making (by David and Paul Watson) confirmed his direction, and a team began to form.“DMM is just a word we use to describe what God is doing.” – DMM LeaderShifting ParadigmsSam emphasises that DMM is not a method but Jesus’ model which continued throughout the book of Acts. This led Sam to re-evaluate the Great Commission and how teaching must be centred on obedience to Jesus, including the making of disciple-makers.Transformation StoriesFrom drug dealers becoming disciples to gang members walking away from crime, Sam shares powerful stories of transformation. Social change follows spiritual obedience with families not just individuals being reached. Sam also shares about his 12-year-old son who began a DBS with his friends. This sparked a new ministry—Kids for Kids—led by Sam’s wife, where children are now discipling other children.Persistent DissatisfactionDespite the fruit, Sam is still hungry for more. He sees DMM as a key to global transformation and longs to see a multiplying movement across New Zealand and beyond.“Culture has moved, but the church hasn’t kept up.”Sam challenges the traditional mindset of church, calling for a return to the Spirit-led, disciple-making patterns of the New Testament.A Word of EncouragementSam leaves us with a challenge and an encouragement:“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10Reflective Questions:What desires has God placed on your heart?Who in your sphere of influence is He calling you to reach?God has prepared the works—He’s simply looking for a willing heart to say "yes".Check out more of Sam's resources by visiting his website, disciplemakingmovement.com.

In this episode, Dave catches up with Mike Porteous while connecting with the Praxeis team and disciple-makers in New Zealand. Mike is a seasoned missions and church leader who has embraced a Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) paradigm—both locally and as far afield as Zambia. He shares his journey, key insights, and encouragement to keep disciple-making simple and Spirit-led.Mike’s JourneyFrom a farming background, Mike had a powerful encounter with God at 21 that launched him into decades of mission work—from the Philippines in the '70s to serving with groups including YWAM since 1980. In the early 1990s, while on staff at what is now Gracecity Church, Mike’s hunger for real and lasting mission impact grew. Introduced to DMM through others and inspired by David and Paul Watson’s book Contagious Disciple Making, Mike knew this was a path he needed to pursue.What's Happening Now?Mike’s DMM work has expanded into Zambia through a connection with a Sri Lankan man working there. Though 90% of Zambians are churchgoers, transformation was lacking. But through simple DBS tools, real change is taking root. Today, three DBS streams are multiplying, and Mike continues coaching leaders to sustain and grow the movement.Back in New ZealandDespite initial slow traction, Mike’s persistence in starting DBS groups has led to surprising breakthroughs. One key moment came during a Sunday night training north of Auckland—attended by Sam Turner, who’s now seeing movement among gang communities. Multiplication is happening, and Sam is running far beyond what he could do himself.Key Shifts in Mike’s ThinkingDiscovery over Teaching – Moving from telling to facilitating, Mike has learned to trust God to reveal His Word through others.Simple Tools for Equipping – He’s passionate about helping people uncover their God-given purpose and equipping them with tools that multiply through simplicity.ChallengesPrayer – Building prayer teams and rhythms that moves people from a place of conviction in prayer to seeing transformation.Leadership Development – Particularly in Zambia, where structure is needed for lasting depth in an over-evangelised context.Discernment – In New Zealand, Mike is asking: Who is the Spirit highlighting to invest in?Final EncouragementMike reminds us of two things:“The key people are probably already in your orbit....We tend to complicate things. Keep it super simple.”Hear more of the stories of God moving amongst gang members in the north of New Zealand at the end of this podcast.

In this episode, Dave catches up with Roger Hayward, our Praxeis New Zealand leader, while standing atop a stunning lookout in New Zealand’s North Island. From this mountain perch, they gaze over the town of Ngaruawahia — home to one of the most significant marae in Aotearoa, Tūrangawaewae Marae — the royal residence of the Māori King and a symbolic heart of the Māori people.A shift is happeningTogether, they reflect on a wave of spiritual momentum and acceleration sweeping across New Zealand, particularly in regions like Northland. Roger shares powerful stories of movement — including within gang communities, where one leader is using Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) to help members break free from addiction and experience transformation.Cardinal Points Prayer and DMM ConnectTheir conversation also turns to the recent Cardinal Points Prayer and the upcoming DMM Connect gathering. The Cardinal Points Prayer saw the team travel to the north, south, east, and west of the nation, praying into what God is doing across the land. This weekend’s DMM Connect will bring together people from a variety of contexts.Answer to long term prayer for universitiesOne such person is a church leader from central Auckland with a heart for university students — a direct answer to long-standing prayers for the next generation. This leader has found fresh clarity through connecting with Praxeis workers and engaging with the '21 Days To Becoming a Disciple Maker' book by Jim Britts. God is stirring hearts with a call to simplicity and obedience.Catalytic leadershipDave reflects on the role of a catalyst leader like Roger — someone who doesn’t try to do everything, but instead finds and releases workers in diverse contexts. Roger speaks honestly about the challenges in New Zealand: the need to embed deeply in local culture while also carrying the heart of Jesus into every sphere. He emphasises the importance of shared language and movement DNA across diverse teams — especially in a country like New Zealand, where over 40% of Auckland’s 1.8 million residents were born overseas, with some suburbs reaching up to 80%.Roger poses the key question: how does the Gospel take root in such a mosaic of cultures? The answer lies in staying faithful to the DNA of Disciple-Making Movements — Word and Spirit. The expression may look different in prisons, among immigrants, or with students, but the foundation remains the same: the Word of God. It’s not our idea — it’s God’s. And the journey requires time, faithfulness, and perseverance.Roger offers a powerful image of scaffolding: workers coming alongside to build and support until others can carry the vision forward in their own context. Then, the scaffolding comes down. “As the Father sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21) becomes a theme echoed throughout the episode.In the final minutes, Dave and Roger share their hearts for the nations — including Japan — and call listeners to pray bigger and be ready to step into what God is doing both globally and locally.Final word of encouragement from Rog“Keep going. This journey with DMM can be tough — like climbing a mountain — but there will be plateaus where we clearly see God at work. Our God is a good Father. As He sent Jesus, so He sends us. Don’t compare yourself to others. Rest with the Father when you need to, and keep being obedient to Jesus. Comparison kills — but obedience brings life. Enjoy the journey!”

In this episode, we catch up with Steve Addison, a key voice in the global disciple-making movement (DMM) space. Steve shares compelling stories from his recent travels across movement hotspots—from Lebanon to Laos, Indonesia, and beyond. Stories from movements around the world:• Lebanon: The Story of MohammedA violent man transformed by Jesus after a dream and a divine encounter with a faithful disciple-maker who barely spoke enough of the local language. His entire family and surrounding villages are now experiencing the gospel through his transformation.• Laos: A Widow’s ObedienceAfter her husband (a movement leader) was murdered, a widow hears God say, “His call is now yours.” She now leads teams planting movements across borders, showing deep faith despite grief and persecution.• Indonesia: Facebook & the GospelInnovative use of Facebook to connect seekers to online Bible studies, eventually linking them to field workers. Many finish the course and begin meeting face-to-face—resulting in new groups and churches starting in hard-to-reach places.• Global Snapshot:With over 2,000+ known DMMs and more than 115 million people (1.4% of the global population) involved, movements are spreading globally—demonstrating that God is using ordinary people to bring extraordinary transformation.• Texas Death Row Story:Inmates, not expert chaplains, bring the gospel to fellow prisoners—like Tracy, a death row inmate who gave his life to Christ and died singing Amazing Grace. A powerful example of how disciple-making happens through everyday believers.• India–Australia Connection: Harry’s StoryA young Sikh-background believer from Melbourne now boldly shares his faith both locally and seeking to do the same with those back in India—another reminder that movements begin in the lives of transformed individuals.Key Principles: • God is moving globally through everyday people, not just professional leaders.• It’s not just about multiplication—it’s about transformation and obedience.• Movements thrive when ordinary believers faithfully love, share, and disciple others.• Focus on the next person God puts in front of you. We never graduate from disciple-making.What’s Next for Steve?Steve is working on a new book documenting case studies from movements across the world (including his next trip to a nation in Central Asia). Let’s pray for wisdom for Steve as he captures and communicates these stories like the biblical author Luke.Final Encouragement:Stay faithful to the call: make the next disciple. Jesus’ invitation still stands—“Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”Resource Mentioned:• Steve Addison’s book: “Acts and the Movement of God” — now available as an audiobook on Audible (and Spotify if you are a subscriber).

In this second episode of our Discovery by Practitioners series, we hear from disciple-makers across West Africa, particularly from French-speaking contexts, as they share how the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is catalysing movements of disciple-making.These leaders open up about the practical realities of applying DBS across cultures, languages, and contexts—always pointing back to simple obedience to the Word of God.Part One: DBS in West Africa – Leading and Multiplying with PurposeWe first hear from a West African brother who unpacks how DBS is being used both for developing leaders and for outreach.Key Takeaways:Start with relationships – Discovery begins in the context of trusted relationships, often with families.Keep groups small – (e.g. No more than 15 people). Once the group grows, it multiplies by forming new groups.Two types of DBS:Leadership DBS: For existing believers, to go deeper in discipleship.Outreach DBS: For seekers or non-believers. These groups intentionally invite others to join each week, leading to organic multiplication.“This is how groups grow—first in size, then by multiplication.”Context matters – Cultural awareness is key. For example:In West Africa, people are open to gathering in homes—something the movement can take advantage of.Language matters! Words like “challenges” might be misunderstood in some countries to mean financial struggles, so facilitators adapt their questions accordingly.“Our questions might look different on the surface, but the heart and purpose remain the same.”Time awareness – Keep sessions within one hour. Adults often struggle to stay focused beyond that. But again—context is king.Part Two: DBS in French Speaking AfricaNext, we hear from another African practitioner working in a French-speaking region. He shares how the DBS process begins after identifying a Person of Peace—someone open to God and connected in their community.Once this person is found, DBS often happens in their household or family, helping whole families discover God together.Principles of Effective DBS:Scripture is central – The Word of God is always the authority in the group.Facilitate, don’t teach – The role is to guide discovery, not to lecture.Obedience is the goal – Each study leads to:An “I will…” statement – How each person will put God’s Word into practice.A commitment to share what was learned with someone else.“If there’s no obedience step or sharing, it’s not a DBS—it’s just another Bible study.”Building Group DNA:Start with gratitude – Ask what people are thankful for.Show care – Ask about personal needs and challenges.Value participation – Ensure everyone shares, bringing dignity and inclusion.Look outward – Ask: What are the challenges in our wider community? What can we do together to respond?“We don’t just identify needs. We encourage the group itself to respond. That’s how we bring dignity and ownership to the group.”🎧 In This Episode, You’ll Discover:How DBS groups are adapted for leaders and non-believersWhy cultural language and group size matterWhat makes a group truly a DBS—and not just another Bible studyThe role of the Person of Peace in starting new discovery groups

In this first of two special episodes, we hear from disciple-makers in India and Africa who are using the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) to spark movements of obedience-based discipleship in their regions.🇮🇳 From India: Multiplication Through SimplicityWe begin with a passionate brother from India who shares why sticking to the DBS questions from Day 1 is absolutely vital. He reminds us that multiplication doesn’t happen through charisma or complexity—but through ordinary disciples faithfully using the same simple questions.🇰🇪 From Kenya: Disciple-Making Among the Swahili and MijikendaNext, we hear from Albert in Kenya, who shares how Discovery Groups are being used to reach the Swahili and Mijikenda peoples. Using Creation-to-Christ stories with non-believers and other Scripture passages with believers, Albert is seeing lives transformed as obedience becomes the focus.He walks us through the three segments of DBS:Community BuildingThe first part focuses on interaction and relationship-building. For Albert, this was key. Slowing down and letting people connect made DBS feel like a lifestyle, not just another program.Scripture EngagementThe second part involves multiple readings or retellings of the Scripture passage. Among illiterate groups, storytelling, scripture songs and skits became powerful tools to help people absorb and understand the Word.Obedience and AccountabilityThe final part is about application—how people will obey and share what they’ve learned. "The more people delay in sharing, the longer it takes to see disciples multiply.”That's why the group regathers the following week to follow up—obedience and sharing are the DNA of multiplication.“If people learn to share, then we can experience multiplication straight away.”Albert reflects honestly:“When we first started, we overlooked some of the questions—especially the sharing. We were too eager to move on. But very little multiplication happened. Now, even the illiterate and unschooled are learning to share what they’ve discovered.”🎧 Tune in to hear:Why the DBS format mattersHow simple obedience leads to multiplicationWhat’s happening on the ground in India and KenyaDon't miss this practical and inspiring look into disciple-making movements from voices on the frontlines.

In this episode, we hear from Graham Wilson, one of our “fathers in the Lord” within Praxeis. As long-time pastoral leader, Graham carries the heart and DNA of movement. As a trusted voice of wisdom and accountability, he also serves on the Praxeis Board and is part of a wider group of elders in our midst."Don't get anxious"At the conclusion of our Launch 25 gathering, Graham shared a powerful word — calling us to stay rooted in passion and trust, not weighed down by anxiety.Graham urges us to keep our hearts passionate for what God is calling us into and to resist the enemy’s attempts to fill us with worry and anxiety, which only limit us from being the gift we are meant to be.“Don’t get anxious. When you’re confronted with what God is calling you to do, remember—it’s His work.”Psalm 46Graham draws our attention to Psalm 46. “We know when we’ve taken our eyes off God, our refuge and strength, because our joy starts to dissipate.”Psalm 46[1] ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. [4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. [5] God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. [6] Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. [7] The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. [8] Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. [9] He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. [10] He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” [11] The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.’Laying down any burdens of anxiety“As I was preparing this word, I felt like worry and anxiety has been one of those rocks or stones for some of you. Give your worries to God as He commissions you forward."And he reminds us of the simple, powerful call of disciple-making:“All we have to do is passionately go after God. We don’t have to stress about the results. You can sum up DMM in one word: obey.”Let this word strengthen your heart. Keep your eyes on Jesus—both the Lion and the Lamb.🎥 A video of this episode is also available here.

In this episode, Dave once again shares at our Launch 25 gathering, this time focusing on the ‘soil’ from which God births movements—the importance of movement values and our personal calling from God. Vision - where movements always startTo begin, reflecting on movements seen in hard-to-reach areas, Dave invites an 81-year-old seasoned movement leader (unnamed for security reasons) to share his powerful experience of seeing over 40,000 churches planted across unreached regions of India. This unnamed movement leader highlights the first key characteristic of movement - a clear God-given vision. This vision begins with a personal encounter with God and the recognition that every aspect of life must be viewed from a kingdom perspective.Other movement valuesDave then dives into the DNA of movements, such as rapid multiplication, leadership development, and the central role of prayer. Dave reflects on the example of David Watson in India, where movements started in historically unreached states, and how the Discovery Bible Study became a tool for leaders to explore God’s word together.• Calling: Movements start with a personal call from God, as seen in the story of a leader in India who, after a deep personal encounter with God, saw over 100,000 churches planted through a group of men in a slum.• Team: Movements thrive when they work in teams, emphasising collaboration over individual leadership.• Multiplication: Rapid multiplication is key at all levels—churches, disciples, and leaders.• Prayer: Passionate, abundant prayer is foundational. Movements in India didn’t break through until 100,000 people were praying for them.• Obedience-Driven Discipleship: Movements emphasise obedience to God’s Word, which leads to personal and collective transformation.• Gift-Based Leadership: Leadership is function-based, not positional, empowering everyone to contribute according to their gifts.• Access Ministries: Creative approaches are used to access communities and meet needs in meaningful ways.The Three Worlds of MissionDave breaks down the three primary worlds where mission takes place:1. The Unreached World: Places like India, China, and Muslim regions where movements are taking root.2. The Christian World: Countries like Uganda, PNG, and Russia, where resistance often comes from established church systems.3. The Post-Christian World: Western nations (e.g. Europe, Australia), where mission work is harder due to secularism and cultural shifts.Three fundamental core values of movements 1. The Spirit: Movements are works of the Holy Spirit. We can't take credit for movements. It's all the Spirit turning up and working in people's lives.2. The Word of God: The Word is number one. It isn’t a commodity and we can’t slice and dice it. Jesus himself is the Word and He spoke about it being planted in us (Parable of the Sower). We are transformed if we respond in obedience to God's Word.3. Mission: If you follow Jesus, you're on mission. Jesus is God's mission and we find ourselves following him to the lost and broken. The DMM WheelDave shares about Pray, Go, Disciple and Multiply - what he calls the ‘DMM Wheel’ which has been a helpful framework for walking out the essential values of movement. Personal ChallengeDave encourages us to examine our own hearts and consider the soil of our lives. How is God calling you, and what are the obstacles or distractions that may prevent you from following His call?The episode ends with a challenge to persevere in the race God has set before us, emphasising the importance of mentorship and being shaped by God’s heart through prayer and obedience.May this talk encourage you to reflect on the deeper aspects of your heart as God invites us to join Him in bringing movements to life!

As we continue our Launch 25 series, this episode highlights four inspiring electives from four passionate disciple-makers. We begin with Brian, who reflects on two of Jesus’ parables and what they mean for us as disciple-makers. Hannah then shares how she has seen prayer multiply in her journey with Afghans. Next, Sally introduces a creative way to engage people through Discovery Dinners. Finally, Roger introduces us to Sam who takes us to New Zealand, where groups are forming among Maori communities!Elective 1: Brian – What Would I Give Everything Up For?Brian explores what it means to be treasure hunters in the Kingdom, reflecting on Jesus’ parables of the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure (Matt 13:44-46). He challenges us to consider what we are willing to give up for the sake of making disciples and reminds us that the greatest treasure is seeing lost people transformed by Jesus.“We have the opportunity to learn to love people we have never met, rather than just loving the people we’ve already met.” – BrianElective 2: Hannah – Multiplying PrayerHannah shares her journey of multiplying prayer while reaching Afghans. She encourages us in three key areas:1. Team: Pray with others who share your heart. After joining a prayer-filled disciple-making community in Melbourne, Hannah developed a lifestyle of prayer.“If we are going to multiply prayer, we first need a lifestyle of prayer ourselves.” – Hannah2. Prayer Partners: Have a support network backing you in prayer. Hannah built a team of intercessors to stand with her in prayer.3. Mobilizing Prayer: Take practical steps to multiply prayer in your context. This could be prayer walking, committing to regular prayer times, or forming new prayer partnerships. Hannah’s journey led her to pray on (or near) location for Afghanistan and later for the Afghan diaspora worldwide.Pray4AfghansHannah also shares how her Pray4Afghans prayer initiative was birthed from this prayer: “What’s it going to take to reach Afghans?”. God responded: “A people on their knees and an army of workers.” This initiative began with a three-day global prayer and fasting effort and has now grown into a monthly 24-hour prayer network, mobilising more people to step into intercession.Elective 3: Sally – Discovery DinnersSally highlights to us the importance of identifying brokenness in our communities. “Address the brokenness before you address the lostness.” – SallyFor her, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, it was a sense of purposelessness. She and her husband, Michael, started hosting what they call 'Discovery Dinners' —gatherings where people explore their life purpose through their own stories and the stories of Jesus. These dinners serve as a practical tool for both self-discovery and introducing people to Jesus, helping them connect their purpose with Him.Listen in to learn how Discovery Dinners work and click here to access some Discovery Dinner Resources to get you started.Elective 4: Roger & Sam – Starting Groups in the HarvestWe hear firsthand stories from New Zealand, where groups are forming among Maori gangs. After a training led by Roger, Sam was stirred by a divine dissatisfaction. Inspired by a prophetic vision of a global disciple-making movement, Sam searched for a model that could scale. When he encountered Discovery Bible Study (DBS) through Roger’s training, he knew he had found the answer.Sam started with his existing men’s group, and soon DBS spread throughout the church, leading to multiplication. Over time, social change began to emerge—what Sam sees as an indicator of true movement.“Who is in your sphere of influence? Stay in that community and start a discovery group!” - SamFor more insights, check out Sam’s website.“Plug into a wider DMM community. We thought we were alone, but of course, we weren’t!” - SamListen in for practical wisdom and inspiring stories from these four elec...

In this episode, we hear from Klaus Lehtimaki and Peter Nicholes at our Launch 25 gathering, where they share insights on the vital DMM (Disciple-Making Movement) principles, referred to as “Raising The Seven Sails.” These principles are based on the teachings of movement leader and author, Chris Galanos. (If you missed it, check out our previous podcast series with Chris: Megachurch to Multiplication).While we cannot create a movement on our own—since it’s ultimately the work of God—raising the sails makes space for His Spirit to fill and empower the work. Listen and be inspired and encouraged to raise your own sails for movement with others.Watch the video of this talk here.Questions for Reflection:As you listen or watch, reflect on the principles Klaus and Peter discuss, either individually or in a group, by considering these questions related to each of the Seven Sails:1. Focus on God’s Word"Honour God by being obedient to his Word or dishonour God by being disobedient."What steps are you or your team taking to engage with and learn from Scripture?How are you progressing in obeying what you discover in the Word?2. Multiply Extraordinary Prayer"Desperate prayer occurs when the vision is bigger than what we can do ourselves." How are you increasing the intensity or depth of your prayer life?What steps are you taking to multiply prayer efforts for movements?"God does nothing except through prayer." 3. Cast Vision"It's not a one person dingy, it's not a two person boat, it's a ship. You need a team to get this done." What are two ways you’ve effectively cast vision?How are you finding believers (individuals, groups, leaders, or churches) to cast vision with?"There are 'believers of peace' who are dissatisfied in our churches but they don't know the pathway." 4. Train Believers"Vision is not enough. You have to give new disciples an avenue to be trained." What key principles and simple skills are you training others in?How are you inviting people to join in training?Can you share a recent experience where you trained believers to go out and disciple others?"It's a decluttering of the old to embrace the new." 5. Go Out Among the Lost“We become truly comfortable among the lost only when we spend time with them.”Who are you praying for or engaging with in your community?How are you intentionally relating to lost people in your everyday life?What time are you dedicating to your GOAL (Going Out Among the Lost)?Can you share an example of a spiritual conversation or a time you shared the gospel?6. See Groups Start"In order to see a group start, we have to be among the lost to find the persons of peace."How do you encourage people to start a group?What core principles guide your discovery groups?What practices have helped sustain groups and guide them toward becoming churches?7. Ongoing Coaching"Training isn't enough. If you don't stay in the game by getting coached, it all dies."What coaching do you have for your own growth?How do you coach others?Who might you invite into a coaching relationship (either in a group or one-on-one)?"We have elite athletes, but where are our elite Christians?" Equip Yourself to Raise the Sails:As you apply these essential practices, you’ll be better equipped to catch the movement of God’s Spirit and navigate challenges effectively.

We continue our series from the Launch 25 gathering. This episode we hear from DMM practitioner, Jim Britts again on the four habits of a disciple-maker. This is a condensed version of four 5 minute talks by Jim that he made for us at Launch. Jim’s 4 habits are in line with our values of Pray, Go, Disciple and Multiply. As you listen, you might want to pause after each habit and look at how you can apply what Jim is sharing. You can also engage with some questions and resources below after you listen to each habit. Habit #1 - Prayer (Tool #1: Prayer Calendar) What is the difference between discipleship and disciple-making?What could we do differently when it comes to prayer? What could happen if we developed regular prayer habits focused on disciple-making?Tool #1 - Prayer Calendar: Fill in a 30 day prayer calendar with names of those who you want to pray for.What will I do in response? (What is my “I will…” statement/s?)Habit #2 - Engage (Tool #2: Four Quadrants) Where is God leading me to engage with lostness and pain?What’s stopping me from engaging with lost people?What do I need to do to have more space to engage with lost people? Tool #2 - Four Quadrants: Write the names of those you are having Casual, Meaningful, Spiritual or Discovery conversations with. What’s my “I will…” statement/s?Habit #3 - Discovery Bible Study (DBS) (Tool #3 - DBS)Jim talked about a Person of Peace. What’s a Person of Peace look like? Is there anyone in my context who might be a Person of Peace? How do I do discovery in my world? What do I need to change in the way I make disciples? Tool #3 - DBS: Questions and tips to facilitate a DBSWhat’s my “I will…” statement/s?Habit #4 - Plant (Tool #4 - Stories)Where am I in the process of forming disciple-making relationships and communities? What are the next steps I need to take? Reflect on the last four sessions, what skills do I need to develop so I can connect with people and start discovery groups? Tool #4 - Stories: Which Bible stories have impacted me that I can be ready to share?What’s my “I will…” statement/s?’Be equipped to become a disciple-maker by responding with practical steps from this episode. You could also listen or watch Jim’s videos here with others on your team or in your community. Get your copy of Jim Britt's book - 21 Days To Becoming A Disciple Maker.

In this episode, we kick off a series featuring talks from our Launch 25 gathering in Melbourne. We begin with Dave Lawton, sharing how God led him and Colleen from observing movements in India to being called to see the same happen in the Western world. Be inspired as we pray together: God—do it here!Observing Movements in IndiaDave recounts how he and Colleen witnessed movements sparking in India. They saw firsthand how catalytic leaders helped movements emerge—one example being a group of young Hindu men who, through simple obedience to Jesus, saw demons cast out and lives transformed.The Call to the WestJust as movements were exploding in India, God called the Lawtons back to Australia. Though they longed to return to where they saw God moving, His answer was clear: No.“Just as North India was once called the ‘graveyard of missions,’ today we see the Western church in decline—a graveyard that can become a fruitful vineyard.”“What God is doing over there [in places like India], He wants to do here [in the West].”How Will Movement Happen in the West?Not through big personalities, big budgets, or big buildings. Movement will happen as the Spirit of God comes, empowering ordinary people to obey His Word and step into the harvest.Right now, tens of millions are entering the Kingdom in some of the most challenging places on earth. And God wants to do the same in our Western context.The Story of Joseph from IndiaAfter Joseph and a group of Indian disciples prayed, God moved powerfully. The result? 50,000 churches planted and thousands of new believers baptised every year.When Dave and the team visited Joseph a few years ago, Joseph asked:“What’s the population of Australia? 23 million? You can do that! Go and take Australia!”What’s God Doing Across the Planet Today?“Acts has not finished.”God is moving today as He did in Acts 2, and He is calling us to pray and ask for the ‘God difference’—for His Spirit to move and send us out. Our role is to hear His voice and respond with obedience.What Will It Take?Seeing movement isn’t about theory—it requires real surrender. It will take:1. Passionate, obedient, ordinary disciples willing to lay down their lives and go.2. Breaking traditional structures so the gospel can multiply freely.The Tide Is TurningLast year, as we prayed, God spoke: “The tide is turning.”And now, we are beginning to see it—not just through us, but around us. When the tide turns, all the boats rise. But this shift will shake us. It will bring resistance, even persecution.“We have to go through what those in places like India have gone through.”Prayer (from John 20:21-22)“Jesus, when You walk into the room, we hand over the keys. We step aside and let You take charge. We don’t have what it takes—we need You to move, just as You did with Your disciples. Make us into passionate, multiplying people, ready to be sent by You. Let us feel Your breath on our face and hear You whisper, ‘As the Father sent Me, I send you. Now go!’”Listen in and be stirred to pray, God—do it here!

In this episode, we hear from ‘Steve,’ a DMM social media catalyst and practitioner who shared at the 2024 Nairobi Conference. Steve gives us insight into how social media can be used to find people of peace and transition from online engagement to real-life disciple-making.Steve’s journey highlights both the potential and limitations of digital disciple-making. He emphasises the importance of on-the-ground disciple-makers. His message is clear: we should use media wisely—to catalyse movements, not replace real-life discipleship.Steve’s Story & Lessons Learned“The faster that they can meet face to face, the more likely they are to multiply.”While caring for his terminally ill wife, Steve turned to social media to continue making disciples. He initially tried online Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) but soon realised that true disciple-making requires face-to-face relationships. This led him to experiment with running ads to connect with seekers and find persons of peace.One of the stories he shares is about Madonna, a young Muslim woman drawn to Jesus. However, she ultimately lacked a local disciple-maker to walk with her, underscoring the critical need for on-the-ground believers.Challenges in Using Social Media for Disciple-Making• Media doesn’t make disciples—only disciples make disciples.“It’s easier to teach a disciple-maker how to use social media than it is to teach a social media person how to make disciples.”• Broadcasting faith content isn’t enough; engagement and relationship-building are key.• Online seekers need local, Spirit-filled believers to walk with them.How Social Media to Movement Works (Finding People of Peace Online)“Yes, social media is a dark place, but we need to be shining the light of Jesus into this darkness.”1. Attracting Seekers – Media is used to attract spiritual seekers who are already on a spiritual journey.2. Identifying Seekers – When engaging with people online, the goal isn’t to convince them but to identify those who are genuinely seeking.3. Filtering Responses – Digital filterers help discern legitimate seekers through relational engagement rather than debate.4. Connecting to Face-to-Face Discipleship – Once seekers are identified, they should be connected with local disciple-makers as quickly as possible. The faster they meet in person, the more likely they are to multiply.Observations from the Most Fruitful Fields• Disciple-making happens face-to-face, not online.• Digital filterers should have bridge-building spiritual gifts. They focus on relational engagement rather than debating or convincing people.• Effective disciple-makers prioritise starting groups within existing networks of seekers.• Local, experienced, and proven disciple-makers are best suited for filtering seekers.• The focus should be on disciple-makers, not just hiring people for online or offline engagement. This is spiritual work—social media is only an access ministry. We are not making disciples online.• The most fruit often comes from the hardest places.Steve’s Vision & Next StepsSteve’s vision is to create systems, processes, and tools that anyone can use to find persons of peace online. The goal is to test, refine, and replicate these processes to train disciple-makers in DMM. The hope is to develop scalable systems that can be freely shared across the Kingdom of God.What We Need to Use Social Media for Disciple-Making• At least two committed disciple-making movement workers• Access to laptops, computers, reliable phones, and internet• A network of disciple-makers who can meet face-to-face with seekersSteve's Final Encouragement“Let’s go and take everything we have learned to the ends of the earth.”This episode challenges us to see social media not as the end goal but as a tool—one that can help find seekers and connect them with real-life disciple-makers.

In this episode, our friend and movement author Steve Addison shares powerful stories from his global travels as he researches how God is at work. One of the most remarkable movements he has encountered is happening inside maximum security prisons in Houston, Texas, where disciple-making is transforming ‘death row’ into ‘life row.’God’s Glory on ‘Death Row’In six of the fourteen prison sections, 80 out of 168 prisoners have turned to Christ, forming multiplying disciple-making groups and churches. Over the past three years, 24 men have been executed, and 20 of them were disciples of Jesus—a powerful testimony of transformation behind bars.Prisoners are putting it this way:“This isn’t death row for us—it’s life row because we have found Jesus.”So What Can We Learn?The movement in these prisons challenges us with key lessons:• Raising the Bar of Discipleship – Only those serious about change are invested in.• Baptism = Commissioning – Like Jesus’ baptism, every believer is ordained to make disciples.• Simple, Reproducible Methods – Disciple-making training and equipping at its core.• Deep Love and Generosity – A community marked by sincere love.• Partnership – Working with prison authorities to see transformation.Movement in the WestGod is starting movements in prisons, what about us on the world outside? These same principles can bring transformation anywhere.Steve’s Encouragement for UsAre we practicing simple, reproducible disciple-making like Jesus and the early church? Our identity isn’t in the results—trust God for the fruit and stay faithful in the basics of discipleship.Let’s take what’s happening in prisons as a challenge: If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.

In this episode, Dave Coles joins us to share insights from his new book, 'Living Fire'. This book tells the powerful story of Aychi and how God is sparking movements in some of the hardest places on earth. You will be inspired as you listen that God is at work in extraordinary ways. Are we willing to be part of it?'Living Fire: Advancing God’s Kingdom in Challenging Places'Get the book on AmazonGet the book via PraxeisKey highlights from the book:• The spread of the gospel in high-security regions, particularly among Muslim communities in Africa.“We are going everywhere except hell to share the gospel.” (Aychi summing up their mission)• The incredible fruitfulness of disciple-making movements (DMMs) in places where, just decades ago, the idea of such breakthroughs seemed impossible.How Are These Movements Growing?The book explores 22 key factors that ignite, accelerate and sustain these movements. Some Dave mention include:• A Healthy Dissatisfaction – A deep urgency to see the gospel spread.• Extraordinary Prayer – More than regular prayer, it’s serious, informed, and strategic.• Focusing on Relationship, Not Religion – Critical for ministry among Muslims but also relevant in post-Christian cultures.• Access Ministry – Identifying and serving the practical needs of different communities.• Showing Jesus’ Radical Love – Genuine, sacrificial love opens doors and hearts.• Holy Boldness Amidst Hardship – Persevering despite challenges to find people of peace.• Person of Peace – Finding those open to the message (and messenger) and willing to share it.• Discovery Bible Study (DBS) – Helping people discover God’s Word for themselves.The Power of ‘Hot Coals’A standout principle from the book is ‘Hot Coals’—the idea that movements grow best when those who are already living as radical disciples are sent to ignite new fires elsewhere.Aychi explains:“In our rural areas, we take a hot coal from one neighbor’s fire and bring it to another neighbor to restart a fire.”How Can We Join In?With God, all things are possible—but not always easy. The book challenges us to examine our own disciple-making journey by asking:• “How am I doing with these movement factors (principles)?”• “God, what are the practical steps I can take as I make disciples?”God delights in using His children for His mission. Whether in high-security places or our local communities, these principles apply. The call is clear: every believer is a disciple, and every disciple can make disciples.Further Reading from Dave Coles:• Bhojpuri Breakthrough – A look at one of the world’s most remarkable disciple-making movements.• Cabbages in the Desert – Stories of kingdom impact in unlikely places.

Dave speaks with Aila Tasse, author of Cabbages in the Desert, at the Nairobi DMM leaders gathering. Aila shares practical steps for catalysing movements in even the most challenging contexts.Key Highlights:• Movements are thriving globally through ordinary people living with simple faith and obedience.• In the West, Christianity is often intellectualized and individualistic, hindering relational, God-dependent disciple-making.Steps to Catalyse a Movement:1. Engage – Use spiritual mapping and prayer.2. Raise Awareness – Cast vision and train locals.3. Build & Train Teams – Equip those attempting first steps of DMM.4. Coach & Network – Connect practitioners to share insights.5. Develop Leaders – Identify and develop leaders.6. Multiply Catalysts – Equip leaders to catalyse movements.Networking (Learning and Seeing):Aila emphasises the importance of making disciples for Jesus, not organisations. Movements thrive when leaders embrace a posture of learning, depend on God, and prioritise the DNA of disciple-making over branding.Aila isn’t just learning—he’s seeing movements emerge. Out of his vision for 150 movements, he has already witnessed 69 movements take root. By sharing resources freely and focusing on empowering others, Aila has seen God’s work multiply beyond organizational boundaries.Final Encouragement:• Trust God’s timing and keep sowing seeds with simple faith and simple obedience. • Stay connected in networks and cultivate perseverance—it’s the fruit of the Spirit.• Keep going until the Lord comes back; His didn’t tell us to come, but his call remains, it is “Go.”

Dave chats with Roy Moran from New Generations in a cafe in Nairobi about the growing global impact of DMM.• Global Growth: DMM is thriving in hundreds of places, proving it can happen anywhere.• A Gospel of Life: Moving beyond forgiveness to a Gospel that generates life, helping people flourish and follow Jesus with allegiance and transformation.• Adapting Locally: Western contexts need patience and relational connection, focusing on the 'why' behind DMM practices, not just importing methods (the 'what').• Perseverance: Building trust and allowing small steps of obedience over time are essential to see breakthrough and multiplication.Roy finishes by encouraging us in the West to focus on micro-movements and measuring their “R number” (like during COVID) to assess how effectively our disciples are multiplying. If we help give and focus on people with an infection rate above 1 enough time, we will see phenomenal impact. June 2025 Global Catalyst Camp (Nairobi): Learn more and register here.

In this episode, Dave speaks with Patrick, a leader overseeing over 90 churches across 16 districts in Sierra Leone, who shares insights on developing a strategy for abundant prayer. Patrick, a disciple of Shodankeh (featured in Engage Africa videos), highlights how prayer fuels discipleship and movement growth.Building a Culture of Abundant PrayerPatrick outlines practical steps for creating a prayer-focused movement:1. Extend Daily Prayer Times: Begin with the time you are currently praying and increase gradually (e.g. 15-30 minutes).2. Weekly Intercessors Prayer: Designate intercessors for every group to pray daily.3. ‘Upper Room’ Prayer Days: Dedicate full days of uninterrupted waiting on God.4. Weekly Prayer and Fasting: Set a consistent day (e.g., Wednesday) for fasting and prayer. Start small and grow to longer durations. “Jesus told us to survive without Him, and prayer is how we do it—we move the movement through abundant prayer.”Key Elements of the Prayer StrategyStart with intercessors Prayer: Every group has intercessors connected to a regional prayer team. Regional Prayer Hubs: Weekly gatherings for intercessors to pray together.Monthly ‘Prayer Quakes’: Intense, three-day spiritual warfare prayers, inspired by Acts 4:31.• Example: Patrick is calling a “Altars Against Altars” Prayer Quake in October, calling for personal and communal fire through the Holy Spirit.Finally, Prayer Mobilisation: Calling and teaching those in the wider community (inside or outside the church) to gather and pray.Prayers Focused on Movement Goals1. Spiritual Breakthroughs: For those being discipled and their communities.2. Open Hearts: Praying for access to the people and places God has prepared for the Gospel.3. Transformation of minds: Asking God to empower us to see change and transformation through His Word and Spirit.4. More Disciple-Making Leaders: Inviting others to witness and participate in God’s transformative work.The Power of Modeling PrayerPatrick and Dave emphasise teaching prayer through example, saying, “The heart of discipleship is to model prayer.”Encouragement for the WestPatrick shares from 1 John 5:14-15, reminding listeners to have confidence in God hearing our prayers and answering us when we pray according to his will. We know DMM is God’s will. He explains how upper room prayer unlocks God’s fire and empowerment:Luke 10:19: “Behold, I give unto you power…”Luke 24:49 “Do not leave Jerusalem”Acts 1:8 “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”Final WordsPatrick challenges listeners:“God never calls us without backing us up. His backing comes through prayer. Mobilise people, create prayer hubs, and make prayer attractive. When you depend on God in prayer, you will never be disappointed.”This episode is a compelling reminder of the transformative power of prayer in disciple-making movements. Prayer is paramount, and prayer is powerful.

Dave is still in Kenya, continuing with a third discussion in this series with movement leaders gathering in Nairobi. This episode Dave speaks with Pyry Winter, a Finnish movement leader about his vision for DMM and the importance of reaching and forming community amongst affinity groups in our urban Western contexts. His insights from Europe resonate with challenges many of us face in places like Australia and New Zealand. • Pyry’s Story and DMM Journey• Being a former Lutheran pastor, Pyry was inspired by leaders like David Broodryk (248 Training) and Bill Hodgson (My Friends Training).• Pyry began discipling Christians in what he calls a church affinity group, encouraging them to grow connections with people from the harvest. He focused on equipping this group to make disciples through intentional training (My Friends) and rhythms.“Because we have freely received, freely we want to give away.” (Referring to Jesus’ words as he sent out the twelve in Matthew 10:8)• God has formed a vision for Finland in Pyry’s heart as he yearns to see his nation play a key role in fulfilling the Great Commission, contributing to God’s work across Europe.• Challenges of our urban culture in the West• Pyry addresses the reality of isolation, individualism, and the need for genuine community in our urban settings. We hear how we can’t presume that deep relationships already exist within affinity groups. There is a need to intentionally form what he calls ‘pre-church communities’ where people can belong and engage, even with their busy schedules. • Example of engaging angry young conspiracy theorists in Finland • Pyry shares an example of one of his teams engaging angry young conspiracy theorist men in Finland. He highlights how they engaged this group of outcast, broken men by: Identifying their brokenness (loneliness and lack of purpose).Recognising the lies they are believing as well as their strengths (truth-seeking).Responding by building ‘pre-church communities’ (where these young men felt like they belonged and started to be transformed by Jesus). • Word of Encouragement“Jesus is doing a new thing in the Western urban environment. He is creating new wineskins and building His church as we make disciples. A new day is coming for the West, for Finland, and Europe—for the glory of God!”

In this episode, Dave connects with Rich Robinson, leader of the Movement Leaders Collective, during his time in Nairobi, Kenya. Rich brings profound insights into pioneering leadership in Western contexts, emphasizing biblical faithfulness and cultural adaptability. His reflections inspire movement leaders to take risks and embrace new paradigms for making disciples in a rapidly changing world.Key Themes & Takeaways:• New Paradigms for Ekklesia (Church):People often resist alternative forms of church that fit today’s mission context. Rich unpacks how these “vehicles” can serve the Kingdom.• Insights from Rich’s Book, All Change:Rooted in the Gospel of Luke, Rich outlines four phases of Jesus as a leader who pioneered a movement:1. Dream (Luke 1–5): Envision a future guided by kingdom imagination.2. Discover (Luke 6–11): Coaching small groups and building discipleship.3. Design (Luke 12–22): Teaching Kingdom principles that can be contextualized.4. Deploy (Luke 22–24): Mobilizing disciples for mission.Rich’s book provides language for pioneering leaders to articulate the vision God has placed on their hearts.👉 Explore free resources: allchangejourney.com/resources👉 Get the book: Amazon Link• Western Urban Challenges:Rich explores how Western cities, with their fractured relational networks and competition for time, differ from rural contexts. He highlights how:• Urban relationships are affinity-based, not geographically based.• Missionaries need to find “people or places of peace” and experiment with connecting points (e.g. community needs, mental health, or physical care).• Western urban contexts are complex, like a Rubik’s Cube, requiring us to stop, look, and listen to God’s work.• Encouragement for us as leaders:• Acts 4:13 reminds us that ordinary people, with the presence of Jesus, can be bold leaders.• Leadership involves faithful obedience, learning from mistakes, and remaining passionate in discipleship.• Find others to share the journey with—pray, encourage, and pioneer together.Final Challenge to Listeners:“Wherever God has placed you, be a disciple, be good news, and make disciples who make disciples. You’re not alone—find your community of pioneers and step boldly into the work of the Kingdom.”📖 Scripture Highlight: Acts 4:13🎙 Guest Links:• Movement Leaders Collective• Rich Robinson’s Book: All ChangeLet’s journey together as we explore what it means to lead faithfully in complex, urban mission fields.

We reconnect with Jim Britts, author of 21 Days to Becoming a Disciple Maker, whilst both he and Dave gather in Africa with other DMM leaders. In this episode, we get an update from Jim from the States of some of the highlights happening around him with both his own community and collaborating with others. Highlights such as doing a 'push week'. Push WeekA push week is when people come together from different places and focus on the harvest for a few days. Finding and then following up people of peace for the remainder of the week is what this 'push' is all about. The week can be covered in 'live prayer' through, for example, group messaging. This is a great way to get 'unstuck' for people who want to bring together a few others to engage a particular harvest field together. Coaching - a key learn for JimBe in community for accountability, prayer and celebration. Be a coach and get coached. Coaching can happen better in smaller groups where each person commits to focusing on a few others to coach each week. Coaching needs to include a deep relationship that asks 'fathering' questions which leads people into fruitfulness. Remember as a coach, don't tell but lead people to the answer. "Breakthrough happens through coaching - when someone helps you walk through doors that they have already walked through"The phrase 'you are who you hang with' is true in DMM. So if we want to grow in disciple-making, we need to be in relationship with those who are behind, alongside and ahead of me. We can be encouraged that movements are God's work that are happening through ordinary yet humble people just like us. Word of encouragement Choosing this journey of making disciple is choosing a journey of rejection. Discouragement can come with this. Jim then asked us this question: 'Will you do disciple making only if others are doing it with you or if God brings the fruit? Or are you doing disciple-making for the rest of your life? Instead of an 'only if', we need to have an 'even if' mentality. Even if our dreams aren't met or even if everyone else walks away.

Today we have the privilege of hearing from Tom and Sophie Butler who have intentionally placed themselves in the multicultural suburb of Auburn in West Sydney. They have an awesome vision of seeing multiplying hubs established all across the city. Be blessed as you hear their heart and stories of how God has called them into DMM and how lost people around them in Sydney are being impacted by Jesus.Tom and Sophie’s storyTom and Sophie have spent almost 5 years pursuing God’s call to see disciple making movements birthed in Sydney. They share how exposure to DMM as late teenagers influenced them to follow God’s lead and start Discovery Groups with old school friends and jump into Auburn for the last two years. Jesus’ focus on discipling the lost and his unconditional love has captured their hearts to fully embrace God's vision for the nations in and beyond Sydney. Stories from and a vision for SydneyThese guys have been intentionally reaching out amongst the nations in Auburn, seeing Discovery Bible Studies start in places like a local Mosque and seeing people’s lives transformed by Jesus. Tom shares a powerful story of seeing a young Nepalese man reconciled with his father after responding to one of Jesus’ parables.Tom and Sophie are part of a team called ‘Fruitpickers’ who carry a vision of seeing catalytic teams in every urban centre of Sydney and across Australia. They dream of seeing Discovery Groups grow into simple and organic churches amongst every people and affinity group of the city and into the nations. Word of encouragementTom reflects on Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8):“Movement will take sustained effort for a long time. Jesus is asking us, ‘Will I find faith on earth when I come?’ Will we maintain faith that a movement is not only possible but it is God’s will and desire?"Sophie finishes the podcast by praying for us and says, “Don’t let the fear of making mistakes get in the way of living out the call of God on your life!” Before moving on from this podcast, allow Jesus to ask you, "Will I find faith on earth when I come?". Ask yourself, "Is fear of making mistakes creeping into my life as a disciple maker?". Pray for God to give you fresh faith to take risks in pursuing his heart for disciple making movements in your context.

In this podcast, we jump into a word of encouragement that Dave gave to the Thailand ’24 gathering with some of our international leaders. As a group, we’d just done a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) from the story of Jesus crossing the lake with his disciples, encountering and stilling a great storm and then encountering another storm of spiritual warfare when confronting the demoniac upon arrival in the Decapolis. We explore the themes of fear and faith from the reflections of this DBS found in Mark 4:35-5:41. The invitation to participate in the Great CommissionGod is in partnership with us and the whole of creation. He calls us out to "go" and be apostolic. To be 'sent ones'. However we will always confront fear as we respond to his call to "go", just like in this story. Confronting fearLike the people in the story, we will face different fears as we join in God’s work of kingdom advancement. We are called to respond with faith in Jesus who is power and authority. This story is a story of taking new ground for the kingdom of God. The storm that this story is talking about is one that comes from a response to God’s call to "go" and see the Kingdom of God advance in a new place. Faith from Spirit birthed vision in prayer ‘Faith is about prayer and hearing the voice of the Spirit and then obedience to God.’We are to listen to God’s kingdom advance plan in the place of prayer. All apostolic advancement begins in prayer. As we pray, God speaks to ‘go’. Just as God must have spoken to Jesus about going into this new gentile region, God always speaks to us about not settling for where we are right now. Vision birthed by God is always bigger than what we can handle. This is because it is God’s vision not ours.Faith is risky“Without the element of risk, there is no need for faith” (Hudson Taylor). As we step into the boat, fear always comes up against faith. Fear can cause us to withdraw. However apostolic advancement happens through our obedience and faith in Jesus, knowing his presence in ‘our boat’. Faith in Jesus' authorityWhen God calls us into new territories, we will run into spiritual powers and forces of darkness like in this story. But can put our faith in Jesus’ presence that comes and surrounds us as we obediently go, responding to Jesus’ words in the Great Commissions…“And surely I will am with you always” (Matthew 28:20)“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. (John 20:21-22)Final words of encouragement“Obey Jesus. Go where he is calling you. Let it be birthed by the Spirit. He will lead us into dark places. Don’t compare yourself to others. You have ground God has called you to. It will require you to have faith in Jesus when fear confronts you. Go, take the land God is calling you to. Expect more than what you have right now!”

We continue listening to part 2 of Rey’s case study from the Hong Kong team sharing at our Thailand 24 gathering. In this second episode Rey shares with us exciting stories of how multiplication is happening from Hong Kong back into his home country, all across the Philippines. How to be a disciple makerFind a Person of Peace (Luke 10).Bring these people into a DOBS (Discovery Obedience Bible Study). Baptise to be a disciple. Continue being part of a DOBS. Grow by being accountable in loving God Scriptures to help disciples be accountable and multiplyMatthew 28:19-20. The Great Commission keeps disciples focused on disciple making. Matthew 22:39-40. Love God (by worshipping, praying, serving, obeying and giving their ‘three Ts’: Time, Talents and Treasure). Love people (by their care, time and giving). Acts 1:8. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 2:2. What we learn from someone, pass it onto others who pass it onto others. If see the above in disciples, they will start to multiply as start DOBS. The operating system of DMMRey shares how DMM will only work if it is fully embraced. He finishes by sharing what he calls the head, heart and hands operating system of DMM: Head: we lead people to learn and remember the Bible story. Heart: we lead people to love the Lord, not the leader. Hands: we lead people to obey God. After listening to Rey, ask yourself this question: "How can the Gospel spread and multiply in my context?”*In the last episode, Rey calls a DBS a DOBS (Discovery Obedience Bible Study) since he says "there can only be movement if there is obedience".

We continue our Thailand 24 gathering series as we listen to case studies from around the world. In this episode, we listen to Ray from the Hong Kong team. In this first of two episodes, you’ll hear how God prepares a person. This includes the tests that happen in the life of a leader as they seek to embrace God’s vision for movements.

The test of ‘no evidence’We hear how God called Ray and his wife Ethel (both from the Philippines) to pioneer disciple making amongst filipino maids (foreign domestic workers) in Hong Kong. It began by being exposed to movements from around the world. However their church and community were not convinced about DMM with no obvious initial results.

DOBS in the parkAfter stepping out of traditional church leadership, Ray shares how God said to him, “Work for me, don’t work for money.” After praying and fasting, God told Ray, “If you want a church to do DMM with in Hong Kong, then why don’t you start one?”. This led to Ray starting a new ‘DOBS’ in a park. Ray calls DBS (Discovery Bible Study) a ‘DOBS’ with the O standing for Obedience.

“We cannot have DMM without obedience.”

Ray’s disciple making methods:* POP (People of People) hunting at least once a week (based on Luke 10). * DOBS as the DMM training. * Measure by baptisms: Ray’s first baptism happened at the end of the the first month of doing DOBS in the park. (Since July 2022, his team’s goal is to see baptisms by the end of each month with now 82 people being baptised.) * 4 hubs or communities have now been established across Hong Kong for training, fellowship, prayer and ‘disciple worship celebrations’. (Ray uses DOBS as the way of teaching and training.) * Home groups are also starting in people’s homes (including children participating in DOBS).

Ray’s vision“When foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong retire, everyone can bring DMM home.”

Ray and his team tells them, “First you are a missionary to Hong Kong. Then if you train well and master the DBS and DMM principles, you can go back and make disciples when you go home. And we will support you!”

God’s challenge to us, the listenerThere are many integrity tests God leads us through as he calls us. As you listen to this podcast, ask yourself this question: What’s God’s challenge to you as you hear Ray’s story?

In this episode, you will hear a particular case study coming out of India as Simon welcomes one of his leaders to shares with us.

Bible basedSimon begins by encouraging us to keep things simple. Just share the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to help us apply the Bible in our lives. If we keep things simple, multiplication of disciples, leaders and churches can happen.

Authority releasingLeaders in DMM are intentional about seeking to make another leader. Ministry without leadership cannot stand. Jesus himself created leaders that multiplied. Multiplying church happens on the back of multiplying ordinary disciples and leaders.

Start with being a discipleThere is no hierarchy in DMM, at the core, everyone is a disciple.

“If you are a good disciple, you are a good leader. If you are a good leader, you are a good pastor. If you are not a disciple, how can you be a good pastor and leader?”

Case StudyOne of Simon’s leaders shares with us how he started with 12 traditional house groups but he soon caught the vision of DMM and started to implement some of the DNA.

“I used to think, ‘I am the boss’. Now I know that God is pleased with our obedience not our knowledge. These days I am giving authority to local leaders and churches are multiplying as a result! Today we have 126 house groups with 70 leaders across 70 villages. Our vision is to reach all 700 villages in our district which consists of 1.6 million people.”

DMM methodology in India* Prayer * Sending out ordinary people * Adopting local culture * Empowering local leaders * Releasing authority to them * Multiply

Simon shares how his teams create short and long term Discovery Bible Study stories. They coach their leaders through their challenges after six months of DMM training.

“Just like human children, our leaders need to learn to eat by themselves after six months.”

Pray for IndiaSimon finishes by urging us to pray for his nation:

“In India, we have 1.4 billion people. Official statistics say that 3% are Christian however we believe that it is more like 6%. Please keep praying for us!“

We continue our Thailand gathering series and hear part one of a two part case study of what God is doing through Simon from India. Simon shares part of his journey into DMM and his current context which now sees over 2000 churches planted down to over 10 generations deep in India.

Simon’s journey into DMMWe hear how the vision of ‘ordinary’ people leading from the beginning captured Simon’s heart as he stepped out of traditional church ministry. Simon share how he was attracted to DMM because of how it is centered on obedience to God’s Word and multiplication.

Simple training and facing persecutionThese days, Simon and his team meet people where they are at and train them in DMM. They keep things really simple so that anyone can easily apply and multiply what they learn.

Persecution is an everyday challenge for Simon and his workers. Matthew 28:16-20 is what Simon uses to encourage his team when they are faced with persecution. Their response is to pray for endurance and courage since they know persecution will not stop but keep coming.

“We are not praying that persecution will stop. No, it will come. The one thing matters to us is endurance and courage.”

Challenges for DMM in IndiaFinally, Simon gives us a brief insight into the challenges he and his leaders are facing to see DMM in the Indian context. Firstly, the cultural barriers of the diverse harvest fields of India. They are seeking to continue trying to contextualize the gospel when connecting with new peoples. Secondly, the traditional church is another barrier for them.

This is our first episode of a new series from our Thailand 24 gathering. This gathering saw fruitful movement leaders come together from 15 nations. This introduction from Dave is a call to collaborate with others as we build team. Dave draws us into a reflection on the resurrection of Christ and his triumphant procession. He hear how Jesus gave the gifts of people as an establishment of his movement.

Movement Methods and StrategyMovement methods or tactics are tools in our tool belts. They include:

abundant prayer
vision birthed by God
building teams
harvest connection
groups started
churches formed
multiplication that leads to saturation

The strategy applies the methods. It is the view of saturation of a region, people group, city or state. How do we create a momentum of leaders and workers that will ‘fill the area’ with the teachings of Jesus? It includes a focus on building catalytic hubs of leaders, bound together by a common vision and strategy.

God’s gifts are peopleWhen Christ ascended on high he led a host of captives (like a Roman Caesar), and he gave gifts to men (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Psalms 68:18). The gift of God in the context of the resurrection are people. He gave gifts to men… he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers (Ephesians 4:7-12).

Word of encouragement When God wants to start a movement, he gives gifts. His gifts are people. You are that gift. That’s why you matter so much. But we are not enough. Our big task is to multiply workers. You can start … but 100 can create a saturation movement. God wants to multiply workers through you. Focus on building catalytic hubs of leaders, bound together by a common vision and strategy.

Image: Triunph(us) Caesaris (The triumph of Julius Caesar), plate 6. Andrea Andreani, fl. 1584-1610 – Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3g02830

We continue our conversation with Scott and hear him share about the kingdom of God and our participation in it as we simplify our walk with God in complex cities.

What is the kingdom?“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15).

Scott begins by giving us an overview of the kingdom of God from a biblical perspective. Drawing from Mark 1:15, Scott shares how the gospel is itself the kingdom. It is where we participate in God ruling over us.

So how do we participate in the kingdom?Scott described the kingdom of God as an upside down triangle where everyone can listen and obey God, helping others do the same. Luke 10 gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ excitement (and the disciples’ astonishment!) of how the kingdom of God is for everyone, even the unlearned and ordinary.

‘At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children….Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:21,23-24)

Culture and the kingdomScott also shares an analogy of the kingdom being like poured out wine. We need to keep in mind that our Christian culture or ‘wineskins’ are not necessary the most helpful vessels of God’s kingdom for some people.

Engaging complex cities Some keys can include:

Understanding the distinction between what is simple, complicated and complex. Cities are indeed complex systems where God wants to see his kingdom emerge.
Christianity as an ‘empire’, ruled from the centre, can easily breakdown in complex cities. However Jesus, the king of God’s kingdom, can lead each of us with his amazing creativity.
We need to stay flexible and adaptive to what can help serve us and those we lead as we all live out our relationship with God.
Finally, since our king’s character is predictable, tools like DBS (Discovery Bible Study) are helpful since they centre around the obedience to and sharing of God’s Word.

Resources to help us engage furtherCheck out Scott’s blog here.

Check out the ‘Two Four Eight’ movement website here.

Keeping it simple Scott finishes by encouraging us to keep our discipleship walk simple…

“Simply ask, ‘Am I listening, trusting and obeying God? And am I helping others do the same?’ This is all we need to do. God will guide us when we give him space…He wants sons and daughters who are living and sharing life with him. He will work the fruit out!”

We start a new series talking to disciple making leader and catalyst, Scott Crawley, as he shares on reaching cities.

Scott’s storyScott first shares a little bit of his story including how, as a broken young adult, he encountered Jesus in a vision which radically transformed his life. He then moved to Asia and wrestled with the question, ‘what is the Gospel?’ in a very different context to what he was used to in Australia. Over the next 20 years, Scott and his wife found themselves in different parts of central Asia, underprivileged parts of urban Australia and now the cities of Asia.

Vision for the cities of AsiaToday Scott and his family are caught up in God’s vision for the cities of Asia. He currently serves across five cities alongside locals who feel stuck with ‘next steps’ as they carry a vision for those who are not engaging with Jesus.

Why cities?Scott shares why focusing on cities is vital to seeing God’s vision fulfilled:

Most of the world’s population is in cities (over 55%).
Movement is happening in rural areas not urban areas. There is a clear gap when it comes to our cities.
Cities are one of the last giants to be taken down. (They are challenges since when you address one part of a city, there is so many more parts to focus on.)

So where do we begin when we seek to reach complex cities?We hear Scott begin by saying it’s always as simple as listening, trusting and obeying God. And empowering others to do the same.

He then shares to look out for people who have questions. Scott encourages us to engage with these locals by asking questions back to them! This is so we can understand how God is already working so we can partner with and serve God.

“The Holy Spirit is a much better coordinator and leader than we are. As we listen and ask people questions, we see how we can strategically serve.”Scott

Three spheres of citiesDavid Broodryk’s three spheres of cities can help with asking questions to hungry people as we begin by helping them clarify who/where they are called to.

Oikos groups
Affinity groups
Whole cities

Words encouragementScott gives us a word of exhortation as he calls us to soak in God’s vision as we read through scripture and realising that it’s not God’s wish list but his plan. Finally, he affirms us that each of us have a role to play in God’s vision. We can all be free as God’s sons and daughters as we learn to listen, trust and obey God and be part of seeing his Kingdom come.

In this episode, we have a conversation with Indian Praxeis catalyst, Rodger, exploring his story and hearing about what God is doing in northern India among the largest number of unreached people groups in the world. Rodger is engaged in church planting and community transformation efforts not only in his home state of Bihar but also across 15 other Indian states and beyond.

Holistic Approach Rodger’s approach involves a holistic transformation, focusing on more than just the spiritual lives of people. He uses the Bible and movements principles to help multiply the training of key leaders at state, regional, and village levels as they understand how to address their community’s needs.

The vision for BiharIn Bihar, the goal is to establish a church in each of the 45,000 villages. Progress has been made in 20,000 villages so far.

Catalytic ImpactDave asks us as the listeners this key question during the converstion: “What does the Gospel look like in our context as disciple makers and catalysers?”

Encouragement and Reflection

‘For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’

Habakkuk 2:14.

Rodger asks us, “Where do we stand? Are we living for ourselves or for God’s vision?”. Emphasising that taking one step, as Rodger did at the age of sixty, can lead to miracles and guide us into the next steps in fulfilling God’s vision of Habakkuk 2:14.

In this third podcast with Floyd, we continue to be challenged to “finish well”. Floyd speaks this challenge to us from a well of experience and heart. Floyd’s love for Jesus and his determination to be passionate to the end of his days speaks deeply to our hearts calling us to walk away from mediocrity and embrace our call, our God-given gifts and the opportunity to impact and influence many around us.

We are in a battle for passion. The world is out to capture your passions.

Floyd begins this message by remembering his family and the impact that his parents had on his life particularly his father. His father was a man of humility, deep passion, led a long-life of serving the gospel and he finished well.

Floyd estimates that 80-85% of spiritual leaders do not finish the race well. But what does it mean to finish well? According to Floyd it is to:

end with more passion that you began with
be true to who you are and what God has put into you
accomplish the assignment that God has for your life
be fruitful and to pass on to others who pass onto others what God has given to you.

Drawing on Paul’s final letter, 2 Timothy written whilst facing his own death, Floyd highlights some of the key parting words that Paul gave to Timothy.

Australian society could be turned upside down if the 3-4% of the evangelical/protestant believers in this country just said, “I’m going to be on fire for Jesus and no one can take that away from me.”

As you listen to Floyd, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to stir up the passion in your life. Ask God to show you if there is anything in your life that has taken the place of Jesus and caused you to become compromised. Ask God to help you to live well so that you finish well. “

…the issue isn’t will we die but will we die well.

Floyd McClung continues to share with us and in this episode he talks about what the Spirit is doing across the world and how we can respond by laying down our lives for Jesus.

Following Jesus means giving up our rights

“When we die, we know we can take our heart to heaven if we follow and love Jesus…But we can take one more thing. We can take other people with us to heaven too.”

‘For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?’ (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

The second reason to die for Jesus

“The Spirit of God is moving in our planet in a most awesome and unusual way right now in our lifetime.”

But Floyd challenges us by asking whether we will align our life to God’s Spirit by choosing to reject our western materialism and be willing to allow God to turn our lives upside down?

Jesus (the Lamb of God) is worthy of our sacrificeOur motivation to obey the Great Commission is found in Revelation 5…

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” (Rev 5:12).

If we give our lives for the Lamb of God and for the sake of the Gospel, Jesus will meet us in our hour of need as we trust him. As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “In the moment I needed the grace of God, the grace of God was there for me.”

Floyd finishes by asking us whether we would be willing to say, “I will give my life because the Lamb is worthy”.

Over the next three podcasts we will be delving back into the archives as we hear again from Floyd McClung who shared at Crossway Baptist Church on the motivation of our hearts as disciple makers.

In this first episode, Floyd focuses in on the Father heart of God. How we are to view people. This helps us view movement as not primarily a methodology but something of God’s driving heartbeat for all humanity.

“God is a loving Father and he is anxiously longing and waiting for people to return”.**

Floyd describes how the father responds to his son in Jesus’ commonly termed ‘Prodigal Son’ story (Luke 15:11-32) with his prodigal or ‘extravagant’ love.* This is God’s heart for all creation. A Father who is waiting and longing for our world.

“God isn’t storing up wrath, he is storing up love.“

Floyd shares that if we can connect with God’s heart, we can then go to others as a lover of God who cares deeply for people’s brokenness.

We hear precious and powerful stories of people encountering the Father’s love from Floyd’s mission experiences in places like Amsterdam’s red light district and amongst the poor in South Africa.

“So the reason we go into mission isn’t out of guilt or obligation, but because the Father longs to receive people.“

Tim Kellor’s book, ‘The Prodigal God’ that Floyd refers to can be found here

The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

In this episode we hearing from movement practitioner Steve Addison who has just returned from traveling overseas which included a book tour of his latest book, ‘Acts and the Movement of God’.

Emptying the tool bagSteve bravely shares with us how God wanted him to recently completely empty his ‘tool bag’ and waited on God’s lead to know what to put back in. Steve’s podcast, turning his previous books into audiobooks and writing another book (filled with movement case studies) is what Steve is looking forward to running with as he moves forward.

God shapes us through trials Steve reflects on his trips by highlighting the importance of disciple makers he met not only living out essential movement practices but allowing God to shape them internally.

“When you hit hard times, don’t see it as a distraction. Lean into them. God uses these trials to shape us and position us where he wants us. Just like the Apostle Paul.”

Going near and farWhilst in India, Steve kept hearing the same story time and time again of new disciples…

Being intentionally engagement in prayer (accompanied by signs of wonders)
Journeying through a slow discipleship process of going though the Scriptures (35 lessons from Creation to Christ).
Forming ekklesias or groups.
Multiplying the Gospel – going near and far

Opportunity to give to the persecuted church in India Dave encourages us to respond to an opportunity to give to the persecuted church in India via the Praxeis website. You can give by selecting ‘Persecuted Indian Church’ in the drop down options under ‘Support a Project’ here.

Read the book of Acts!Steve urges us to go back and read the book of Acts again as disciple makers in the West. He challenges us to ground our practices in what Jesus himself did and what the apostles continued.

“Do it (disciple making practices) because it’s right, not because it works. Go near and go far. Discover Christ in the harvest because he is there. We can’t control and receptively of the western world, but we’re still called to go!”

Final words of encouragementSpeaking on our response to times of trial and testing, feeling like we have nothing left, Steve encourages us to keep pressing into God. The outcome of our ministries he says is only through knowing Christ in our weakness.

‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.’ (2 Corinthians 4:7)

“As you engage in the harvest, take Jesus at his word and expect him to be with you. This is so that when the breakthroughs do come, your identify will no longer be dependant on your own ministry success.”

We join Dave as he catches up with Brian and Klaus around a campfire to the west of Canberra moments after a time of praying over the city together.

Embracing DMM from the heartBrian shares a little of his journey towards DMM from being a legacy church leader in the sophisticated city of Canberra.

“We previously never thought about multiplying evangelism. But then we learnt that to help somebody discover God is to help them multiply.”

Brian tells us the importance of having a ‘harvest is plentiful’ perspective. God has a plan for so called ‘tough’ cities like Canberra as we pray for harvest workers to be raised up (Luke 10:2).

“Prayer has become so much more important than ever before since its about being inwardly transformed, not just learning a slick new method.”

Renewing our minds as teamsKlaus joins the conversation sharing how seeing disciple making teams form has been key. Switching from gathering in a hall to homes has allowed their church to become more loving, learning and joy filled discipling communities.

“I love the simplicity of how everyone in DMM can share God’s stories. Jesus himself shared stories to connect with the hearts and minds of such a wide range of people.”

The willingness to ‘go slow to go far’ as disciple makers, Klaus says, is vital. He says the biggest challenge is inside us as God calls us to renew of our minds to his truth. He describes how using Jim Britts’ book (‘21 Days to Becoming a Disciple Maker’) with the team is helping them embrace the habits of Pray, Go, Disciple, Multiply in a deeper way.

Multiplying everywhere through discipling hubsBrian describes their current challenge of continuing to form apostolic and multiplying hubs of disciple makers all across Canberra.

“Genuine leadership is leaders multiplying leaders. The multiplication of disciples needs to happen in every part of the operation. Catalytic leaders will multiply catalytic leaders. Movements will even multiply movements.”

Pray the edgesBefore Klaus closes the podcast in prayer, Brian finishes up by emphasising the vital roles of what he calls evolving prayer by urging us to ‘pray the edges’ as we continue to engage with the person of God’s Word.

“Everything needs to come from heaven…Every time we have seen a pioneering movement, it has been sponsored by prayer and the Word.”

We continue hearing from Jim Britts (author of the book, 21 Days to Becoming a Disciple Maker) sharing with us in this last (of three) podcast on the habits of disciple making.

Obedience – Jesus’ love languageJim shares how there is a big difference between learning something and obeying something. We reproduce who we are, not what we tell people to do. Proving our love for Jesus happens through putting his words into real practice, avoiding vagueness (an enemy of obedience).

Multiplication – pouring into less to reach moreInstead of ‘extraction evangelism’, we need to multiply the gospel through key insiders who’ll impact their existing ‘oikos’ (community). This means focusing more on these insiders who are the spiritual sharers as Paul describes in 2 Timothy…

‘And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others’. (2 Timothy 2:2)

ChurchWhat does church actually look like for Jim?

Coaching through story telling: this happens over food as people share what God is doing from everyone being intentional with prayer and spiritual conversations. The group then responds with a time of prayer. (This space also includes coaching people to take their next steps in engaging with lost people).
Discovery bible study: everyone is empowered to facilitate DBS. There’s a focus on empowering children since it’s worth the mess for the next generation.

7 Commands of Christ when becoming a church

As groups come to Christ (and so becoming a church), they are taken through ‘7 Commands of Christ’. Each week they look at different stories from the themes of Acts 2:37-47 (Repentance, Baptism, Loving one another, Prayer, Giving, Lord’s Supper and the Great Commission).

Final encouragement – be practitionersJim finishes by sharing how the most important thing for us as disciple making leaders is that we are being practitioners amongst the lost ourselves. We will reproduce only who we are, not what we tell people to do. Our very souls need this.

Purchase your copy of Jim’s book here.

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We continue our conversation with movement catalyst Jim Britts (who has just released a new book, 21 Days to Becoming a Disciple Maker).

Jim starts with some movement stories from the last few years that have come from him stepping into DMM. He shares his personal shifts to helping people come to Jesus through a disciple making process instead of starting with the sinners prayer.

We hear of the next two habits of a disciple maker as Jim reminds us that we need to move from being results to habits orientated in our disciple making.

Habit #3 – Discovery Leading people in starting DBS is vital. We need to move into disciple making relationships, walking alongside who Jim calls ‘PPOP’ (potential people of peace). By finding someone’s ‘pain point’ through spiritual conversations, Jim encourages us to offer prayer and start sharing discovery style stories.

“A message discovered is much better than a message delivered.”

Habit #4: Team Being in disciple making communities is so important for the ongoing encouragement of disciple makers. The core elements of these communities are always accountability, prayer and celebration.

“The secret sauce to becoming a disciple maker is simply being with a group of other people who all want to make disciples as well.”

Final encouragementJim finishes this episode encouraging us (from 2 Corinthians 5:17-20) that we all have been given the ministry and message of reconciliation as Jesus’ ambassadors. Therefore, disciple making is not what we do, it is the essence of who we are.

Purchase your copy of Jim’s book here.

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This episode, we begin our conversations with movement catalyst Jim Britts who has just released a new book, 21 Days to Becoming a Disciple Maker.

Jim’s storyIn 2018, after serving as a pastor for 25 years, Jim had a middle-of-the-night encounter with God who said,

“Jim, I love the story of your church but you’ve missed the whole point. I called you to make disciples that make disciples and you’re not.”

He started reading everything he could get his hands on about disciple making. This soon led Jim to discover what God was doing around the world through DMM.

He was rocked by one stat from a Gallup survey. It showed how the church in North America had shrunk by 23 percent from 1999 to 2019. This statistic was especially challenging to Jim since he had started full-time ministry in 1999.

He says, “So, on my watch 1 out of 4 people had left the church. Even though I was loving what was happening in my own ministry, I felt that the only thing that really mattered was seeing lostness being penetrated.”

In California, where Jim lives, he tells us how 65% of people are saying, “We are never going to church”.

Jim says, “In our culture, we have taught the non-Christian that they’re the missionary. If they want to find God, they have to leave their comfort zone. But the game changer for me was when I realised that the Great Commission and Gospels teach us that we are the ones who are supposed to leave our comfort zones. We were to meet these people (the 65%) where they’re at.”

“My life doesn’t look like a harvest worker!”Jim resonated with Chris Galanos’ similar discontentment and started going through his DMM training. He was struck, for example, by how he’d never made the obvious connection that Matthew 10 is a detailed description of what a harvest worker is who Jesus urges us to be praying for from the end of the previous chapter (Matthew 9:35-38). It dawned on him, “My life doesn’t look like a harvest worker!”.

Over the last five years, as Jim learned to become a disciple maker himself, others joined him as almost everything in terms of ministry for him changed. These days, generation 1 churches and generation 2 groups are being birthed!

Habits of a disciple makerJim describes how the simplest way to cast vision for DMM has been to show people the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:1-23). Despite everyone wanting to be the ‘good soil’, nine out of ten Christians say they are in the ‘too busy soil’ (amongst the thorns). Therefore, Jim encourages us that instead of focusing on the results of a disciple maker (that can easily bring discouragement), we can focus on the habits of a disciple maker.

Jim describes how his church ask each other every week, “Tell me a story about intentional prayer and intentional conversations”…

Habit #1: Intentional prayerJim tells us how the gateway habit to disciple making is intentionally praying for others. And if we want to be catalysing disciple makers, we need to be spending our time not just praying but multiplying prayer.

Some of the DMM tools for intentionally praying for others include:

The 30 day prayer calendar
The PrayerMate App
Phil Alessia’s ‘Pray for 5′ (Praying for 5 people, for 5 minutes, 5 times a week)

Habit #2: Intentional conversationsJim encourages us to not just have conversations but always have intentionality when we’re interacting with others.

A simple tool is Paul Watson’s conversation quadrants where we move from Casual > Meaningful > Spiritual > Discovery conversations. Jim says people are waiting to share deeper things with us (Meaningful). From here, we are to seek opportunities to “drip God in” (Spiritual). And look to move into sharing stories, helping people discover truth about God together (Discovery).

Final encouragementJim finishes this episode encouraging us that there are People of Peace looking for us everywhere…

When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matt 9:36). There are people in your city who are feeling like this way right now. Their life is not going well for them. They feel like they can’t help themselves and there is nobody to help them. Imagine if somebody came up to them and said, “Can I pray for you? If you could see a miracle happen in your life what would it be?”. Imagine how open they might be!

Purchase your copy of Jim’s book here.

We hear from Mike Hey again who is introduced to us by one of our leaders Jerry, who along with his wife Katie and their family, are pioneering DMM in South Australia. They are connecting with local leaders like Mike from OM who shares with us what disciple making looks like for him in Adelaide.

Sailing boats blown by the wind of the Spirit Mike starts by encouraging us with a picture: We are all building teams of disciple-makers and seeking to see them sail as small boats, catching the wind of the Spirit.

‘Jungle Bible College’Mike and Ann were trained in what Mike calls an Indian ‘Jungle Bible College’ through sacrificial prayer and key people like Victor John since the 1970s. After leaving and starting to hear of movements happening back in India, they have sought to catalyse work amongst the unreached ever since.

Adelaide, the city of the churchMike describes that church as ‘ekklesia’, with all kinds of expressions, is at the heart of DMM. He has learnt how gathering disciples of Jesus is what brings a ‘disciple making momentum’ towards a disciple making movement. Disciples are people who learn to ‘go, gather and grow’ as they engage in prayer, the Word and being led by the Spirit.

‘Beautiful Feet’ in Adelaide’s north“We were making disciples but not multiplying disciple makers.”

After returning to Adelaide, Mike shares how he and Ann started to pray and engage with others for Adelaide’s multicultural northern suburbs. Mike found that planting traditional churches in the region was far too slow and so he started a DMM ministry called ‘Beautiful Feet’.

Mike says how those who are part of this ministry are Christians from lots of churches who are seeking to simply…

Walk with Jesus.
Walk with a friend.
And walk alongside others as they make disciples who will make disciples.

Mike’s paradigm shifts and lessons learned* From outreach to ‘in-reach’: Seeing disciples made through an insider movement is key. * From addition (get them into the church) to multiplication * From gathering to grow to gathering to grow, go and scatter * Take your fishing rod (fish for people around you) but remember the Holy Spirit is weaving and casting a larger net, not us (each of us are a strand on this net). * Keep walking, the river will rise. * Stay in the mud until it clears. (Don’t jump out when it gets tough.) * Grassroots prayer leads to green shoots of life. Prayer onsite brings insight. * Its all about relationship – keep gathering to scatter (multiply).

Taking church to the parkMike shares how once a quarter, he takes an established local church into their local park to do a DBS. He then helps this church to invite everyone in their neighbourhood to a community BBQ gathering. This is where a smaller group of Christians search for People of Peace. More regular DBS and BBQs can then happen.

Mike prays for our cities and challenges us“We pray for green shoots of authentic worship to rise in every neighbourhood across our cities”

“God loves everyone and Jesus is the leader of his church in your city…We just need to catch up with what God is doing…Don’t try and get into the heart of the church, instead get right out on the margins. That’s where you can grow a life of prayer, blessing and disciple making. Multiply ‘oikos’ networks. Be attentive to God, receptive of one another, intentional to bless and innovative in all you do. Find and equip Peace Makers. Discover and walk alongside People of Peace in your sphere of influence. Join Jesus as he multiplies radiant communities of his followers. And seek to disciple nations!”

Mike finishes by asking each of us:

“What is your next step in the next 24 hours? That is most important step we take with Jesus.”

In this episode, we continue on from last week’s conversation with Dave Coles, hearing about his exciting new book release, ‘Cabbages in the Desert’, the story of Aila Tasse. A story of a young Muslim being called by Jesus to see movements birthed across East Africa. Today we continue to draw out from Dave the DMM principles of how we are going to see movements in the West.

Cabbages in the Desert is available here.

“Baheesi have you become a pastor!?”Dave shares the stories of Baheesi and Ruth that demonstrate how simple obedience by seemingly ‘insignificant’ men and women can lead to seeing movements launched. These African leaders have impressed Dave with their calm confidence and a Holy Spirit led creativity and flexibility in making disciples in tough Muslim contexts. Because movements are indigenous, the stories of these leaders show us how they start somewhere and shepherd something that God is doing.

Levels of leadership in movementsAila’s paradigm of a so called ‘leadership pyramid’, demonstrates a humble empowerment of others to form teams, hubs and networks that aren’t dependant on one leader or organisation. This ordered leadership process is not an oppressive structure. But instead it identifies where people are at and so allows various types of leaders to develop their gifts and grow.

Training through apprenticing DMM training in Africa is highly relational and hands on. Doing life together through an apprenticeship type training model.

The lifestyle of a movement leader is summarised by one leader, Albert in the book:

“You can only make disciples if you too are a disciple. That means you are a person of prayer. You’re obedient to the Word of the Lord. You’re passionate and committed to making disciples and you have patience with them through the process. And you remember that the Lord Jesus was patient with the disciples. He took time to explain the parables. To even allow them to make mistakes. Similarly you are not afraid to release your groups to go on and form their own groups.”

What’s next for Dave Coles the author? Through his upcoming books and literature, Dave seeks to continue to show us how God is working globally in creative ways amongst different people. This will include a book of another African leader working amongst Muslims in similar yet different ways. A second book (‘Leadership Breakthrough’) with Victor John will give a much needed Asian voice on leadership. These as well as a number of smaller accounts of various movement leaders from across the world.

Dave’s prayer for the West“That we would maximise everything we have been given to be like Christ and to be and spread his fragrance among all peoples.”

Dave’s final encouragement“We are privileged to hear how God is using our brothers and sisters in other contexts. But it is not just for them. There are principles that are relevant that we can also apply in our context. These stories are encouraging to our hearts but are also insightfully wise for developing strategy. It’s wonderful for us to follow Jesus and follow in the footsteps of those he is using powerfully to touch the ends of the earth.”

This is the continuation of the amazing stories of movements that are being catalysed that we’ve been hearing out of East Africa from other leaders like Justin and Wilson

You can listen to our previous podcasts with these leaders by selecting a link to the Podcast episode below:

1. Nairobi Gathering #3 – Rwanda Case Study (Justin)
1. Nairobi Gathering #7 – Wilson’s Story Pt. 1
1. Nairobi Gathering #8 – Wilson’s Story Pt. 2 – or watch Wilson’s story here.

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In this episode we are talking to Dave Coles, hearing about his exciting new book release, ‘Cabbages in the Desert: How God transformed a devout Muslim and Catalyzed Disciple Making Movements among Unreached Peoples’. This is the story of Aila Tasse from East Africa who we have been hearing from in recent podcasts (see Aila’s list of podcasts at the bottom of these show notes).

Cabbages in the Desert is now available in both a hard or soft copy here.

Dave Coles also returns to speak with us after sharing back in episode 16 about his other great book, ‘The Bhojpuri Breakthrough: A Movement that Keeps Multiplying‘.

Why another book?Dave Coles shares how ‘The Bhojpuri Breakthrough’ is a movement case study specific to just one movement that is happening amongst Hindus in India. More in depth stories of what is really happening amongst other movements, particularly amongst Muslims is needed.

Movement is never one size fits all. ‘Cabbages in the Desert‘ shares how God is involved in movements across many different contexts but with the same DNA principles of DMM.

Aila’s story is also powerful and unique since it describes a movement amongst Muslims with some identity and clarity to it. A timely case study for those who are perhaps suspicious as to whether movement is really happening amongst Muslims today.

“I don’t want to be made into a Christian”We can see a difference in the roles of an ‘inside’ compared to an ‘outside’ leader in DMM:

When Aila first heard the Gospel, his response was, “I don’t want to be made into a Christian”. However, his powerful testimony describes a slow transition to follow Jesus as a devout Muslim searching for forgiveness. In fact he initially made fun of his Christian teacher. Yet this faithful teacher was still used by God as an ‘outsider’ to impact Aila as a spiritually zealous young Muslim.

From decision making to disciple makingAila vulnerably models obedience to God’s call from his story:

Despite his existing fruitful ministry and initially criticising DMM, God encountered Aila in the back of a plane saying, “You need to listen” (to a DMM training from David Watson). Aila humbled himself and obeyed God’s clear call as God gave him the vision of seeing ‘Cabbages in the Desert’. Aila realised that God was calling him to something bigger than what he could do with his current ministry models. For example, one of the paradigm shifts Aila needed to make was from decision making to disciple making.

“Sometimes they meet under a tree”When describing the evolution of his own thinking of church, Aila mentions:

“Some people call them ‘house churches’ but in our context sometimes they meet under a tree. These are still real churches since they fit a biblical criteria of what it means to be church.” Along with his co-workers, Aila describes church as “Where the people of God are gathering”. They point to Acts 2 (vs 42-47) that describes the things the church did. These days we see a variety of models of biblical ecclesiology coming out of a variety of East African contexts and movements.

Dave Coles also illustrates the clear difference between our western culture and models of individualistic evangelism, discipleship and fellowship and the more collective culture and approach to discipleship amongst these African movements.

Word of encouragement from Dave ColesDave wants us to be encouraged that God is doing amazing things amongst Muslims and that movement DNA can be worked out in a variety of ways in many different contexts. He exhorts us to discuss, look at the pray through the DMM principles we see as we believe for God to do amazing things not just in East Africa but where any of us are working.

This is the continuation of the amazing stories of movements that are being catalysed that we’ve been hearing out of East Africa from Aila Tasse. You can listen to our previous podcasts with Aila by selecting a link to the Podcast episode below:

51 – Cabbages in the Wilderness #1
52 – Cabbages in the Wilderness #2
59 – Starting churches
87 – Nairobi Gathering #1
92 – Nairobi Gathering #6 – Aila’s Story. Or watch Aila share his story as a video here

In this episode we conclude our series from our Launch 24 program with an awesome word from Pastor Graham Wilson, one of our Praxeis board members. Graham speaks into our sense of ‘ordinariness’ and feelings of disqualification compared to the greatness of Jesus and his great commission.

“When we look back on our lives, God has been relentless about his purposes being worked out in our lives despite our own sense of ordinariness.”

Prophetic words from Launch 24“Worship me by stepping into what I’ve called you to, even if it’s messy and uncomfortable.”

“I love you and have chosen you. You might feel inadequate and that it’s impossible. But know that I love you and there’s nothing too difficult for me.”

“Be still and know that I am fighting for you.”

Fireside restorationGraham leads us into Peter’s encounter with Jesus including his great failure when he denies Jesus around a fire. In John 21, Jesus recreates the fire of Peter’s failure when he meets him beside the same lake where he first called him. It’s in this context where Jesus reinstates and also calls Peter to once again “Follow me”.

Graham asks us three questions (from John 21:15, 20-22):

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my lambs.”

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them…he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

What if Jesus is asking you, “Do you love me more than these?”. I wonder what the ‘these’ would be for you?.
Jesus follows this question saying “Then…”. What is his ‘then’ for you?’
What do you need to stop looking at in other peoples lives so you can be enabled to simply follow Jesus?

Why not listen to this word from Graham a couple of times, allowing it to feed your heart? Then think about the times when you needed Jesus to bring you around his fire of restoration. To not just be forgiven but called by him. Allow him to bring purpose, hope and destiny to your life again as his follower.

Graham’s recommended resources:

‘Receive’ song by Cyndi Ruakere: listen via Spotify here

‘Lectio 365’ daily prayer & devotion

Praying like Monks, living like Fools (Tyler Staton)

Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer

We continue our series from the Launch program with Dave sharing this episode on the power of prayer in seeing breakthrough for our cities. Be inspirited to prioritise prayer afresh as Dave calls us to be part of the ‘Pray for 8’ vision God has for our cities as we gather this Pentecost weekend (17-19 May).

Building an alter of prayerDrawing from his past frustrations and experience, Dave paints the somber picture of the spiritually dry landscape of Australia (and the west). The current reality of the continuing decline of the church in Australia should deeply disturb us as Jesus’ disciples. Our response as one fiery Indian pastor once prophesied to Dave is to ‘build an alter of prayer’.

Vision of the invasion of God’s SpiritWhile sitting in his lounge room during a season of prayer and fasting, God showed Dave a doorway and invited him to step through it. So he did and this is what he saw:

“I saw a picture of the ongoing spiritual battle (fire and raging tempest) in the heavenly realms and above this was the kingdom of God. From the battle a spiral like a tornado (the invasion of the Holy Spirit) connected directly to a small group of believers praying together on earth. There was not just one of these invasions of the Holy Spirit but many. All were connected to believers who were praying right across the globe.”

Addressing our cities’ strongholdsDave shares some miraculous stories from the city of Mumbai during his time in India. All from a group of people intentionally surrounding the city in prayer!

“We are praying for Acts 2 to happen. For an outpouring of the Spirit and for Ekklesia to start and multiply. God did this in the book of Acts in city after city through people like Paul who said, ‘From Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel…now there is no place left for me to work in these regions’ (Romans 15:19,23). This was because Paul had established multiplying hubs of discipleship. So let’s do it! Let’s go and pray for the cities. For a multiplying movement to take place.”

Our response? If you want to be part of ‘Pray for 8’ this Pentecost weekend in an Aussie capital city, contact us to find out how you can get involved!

As we listen to episodes from our Launch gathering in Melbourne, we continue the second of a two podcast series with Roger, Praxeis New Zealand leader as he shares on building teams in the West.

Roger continues sharing stories of how he has sought to see teams birthed.

Principles of forming team* We’re to expect opposition when we start teams. * How we operate as a team is what we’ll reproduce. * Teams need to have a culture of learning. * Work with what you’ve got. Don’t wait until you have what you think you need. * God’s word not our experiences is what teaches us to build teams.

Challenges we face when building teams* We’re fighting apathy and indifference. * When confronting a religious spirit we’re realising we don’t need permission for mission. * Individualism is always counter to team. We need to catch God’s vision together.

How to multiply teams?“We are to see fruit on other people’s trees”

Catalysing DMM is like scaffolding, it’s temporary and isn’t flash.
Being anonymous is key.
We know the fruit in the harvest is diverse and doesn’t grow on just one tree. So we need multiple teams for the many affinity groups around us.

What’s Jesus calling us to lay down? * Teams need to be more committed to the King’s mission and purpose than our own individual callings and gifts. Instead of recruiting, we need to allow God to engineer team formation.

Final words encouragementHow do we counter the spirit of apathy, indifference, distractions and individualism? Being obedient and staying in the game despite our weaknesses and lacks. All roads lead back to prayer. Fervent, focused, passionate, sustained prayerful workers will see teams form and multiply.

Video: To view this two part podcast as a video, click on the video below!

https://vimeo.com/930255024/7b98814cd3

Join us as we continue this series of episodes from our Launch event in Melbourne. Hear Roger, Praxeis New Zealand leader in this first of two podcasts sharing his thoughts on building teams in the West.

Building teams is crucial. If we cannot build teams, we won’t see movement. Roger will reflect over these next two podcasts about the positive experiences he has had as well as the disappointments that he has faced.

Many years ago a multiplying movement happened amongst the Maori people. It is conservatively estimated that over 50% of the Maori population became followers of Jesus. But today NZ has a similar bleak picture to Australia with steep declines in the number of people identifying as Christians.

“Kiwis still crave spirituality but not from organised religion. They have swapped church for the yoga mat.”

Roger will share and discuss some of the big questions that we have to wrestle with as we make disciples that multiply. “How did the Father send Jesus? So how does He send us? (John 21)”, “How do we raise teams across the land?.

Finally, Roger will reflect on some of the lessons that he has learnt about building multiplying, catalysing teams of disciples including:

Often see early breakthrough, but this early fruit does not necessarily multiply
Look to the relational streams & connections to build teams
Go slow to go fast

Tune in next week for the conclusion of Roger’s presentation…. Or simply watch the whole video below!

https://vimeo.com/930255024/7b98814cd3

In this episode, we will hear from Brian and Klaus from when they shared at our February Launch gathering. Brian begins by sharing the current picture in Canberra. It feels bleak as they look at the numbers of people attending church. It is an even more despairing picture when they look at the number of people actively engaging almost lost people as disciple-makers.

But God has given them a vision and has been taking the whole church on a journey, challenging their understanding of how to make disciples. He has been leading them to lay down old ways of doing things to pick up new ways that He is teaching them.

“We have to unlearn a bunch of things and we don’t even know what we gotta unlearn.”

So what has shifted?

Building focus to field focus (being where the people are)
Charismatic leader focus to ordinary people doing the work
Prayer – making prayer the priority to receive love, faith, guidance and power for the next steps (the harp and the sword)
Moving away from a sermon-focus to interactive accountability to God’s word and Spirit by all people
A greater allegiance to Jesus as King
Moving from information focus to discovery and obedience.
From a Sunday focus to being a disciple every day of the week
From being a self-serving community to an outward focused community

As you finish listening to this journey, take a few minutes to ask yourself, what are the things that you and your community need to lay down so that you can pick up the new things that God has for you? What are the bold and courageous steps that God is asking you to take?

https://vimeo.com/927840111

We catch up with Brian and Klaus from Grace Church Canberra at our Launch gathering in Melbourne to hear their journey of the paradigm shifts that they and their local church has gone through as they completely embrace DMM.

View this interview as a video here.

These guys represent the Crosslink network of more than 160 churches around Australia and have a vision as a local church of seeing the whole of Canberra reached.

They share how their journey into DMM included being struck by and influenced by people like Chris Galanos and his faith and expensive obedience steps to reach a million people in ten years.

Paradigm shifts to DMMAs seasoned pastors, Brian and Klaus tell us how they have had to lay down

A focus on numbers and a service.
Sermons, knowing preaching won’t transform people’s heart and lifestyle.
The idea of church, shifting it a smaller group, determined to follow Christ.
Their status as the key leaders where everyone depends on them.
All the tools they had acquired so they can pick up new ones.
An old lifestyle to embrace a new way of life, practicing being a disciple maker themselves.
Old goals to set new ones all about multiplication.

Brian says,

“Multiplying generations of disciples is our biggest but our most worthy challenge”.

Shifting to DBSBrian shares how he realised one day that he had been selling the scriptures short.

“If you let the scriptures do their own work, they can lift somebody from wherever they are into the presence of God”.

Ordinary peopleGrace church is one of the only churches Brian knows of in the world that have completely transitioned to everyone in the church embracing DMM. This has seen the whole church become a team of disciples makers, engaging in places like local parks and homes.

Brian says,

“We don’t want anyone sitting in the stands. We want them sitting on the bench or engaged on the field. We know that if we as a congregation of ordinary people can see some kind of movement in one part of Canberra, then this will encourage others to do it in other parts of the city.”

Final words of encouragementKlaus finishes saying,

“Ordinary people, not just evangelists, can learn to walk with Jesus one step at a time”.

Brian closes saying,

“The heart of God is for all people. He has given us as the family of God the opportunity to reach all the people who are estranged from his family. This isn’t just an event. It is a process toward a lifestyle of fruitfulness that is reproducible without any limit”.

https://vimeo.com/919113480/9f1b71c23d

We reconnect with Mike Hey at our ‘Launch 24’ gathering in Melbourne. In this episode Mike shares with us some of his history, serving with OM and highlights some of the principles of seeing DMM catalysed in a multicultural city like Adelaide.

To see this podcast as a video, click here

Seeing DMM in Adelaide Mike has a vision for Adelaide as a house of prayer for all nations. He shares how planting simple and reproducible churches starts with prayer. Mike joins with others and they pray for their neighbourhoods, asking God how they can be a blessing.

For example, on many occasions, Mike tells us how they find themselves simply asking people to the park for a BBQ. Spiritual conversations are had and some begin to invite Mike and the team into their homes where they seek to gather for DBS (Discovery Bible Study).

Mike says how one of his friends came and said, “I don’t want to take a leap of faith but I’m curious about Jesus”. After doing a DBS, he was asked what he will do with what he had learnt. In response he said, “I’m going to share this story with my friends who are gamers”. Mike encouraged him to return and tell the group how it went.

Mike says every neighbourhood of Adelaide can be a house of prayer wherever a follower of Jesus lives. Starting new churches is as simple as praying, blessing, finding a person of peace* and using the DBS to form a new community of faith.

Mike’s final encouragement“Trust that God can use you. That as you step outside your door, you can pray, “God be gracious to and bless every one on this street. Cause your face to shine on every Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Agnostic, Atheistic and even Christian who has lost their way. So we together would turn back to Jesus and follow him and be obedience and make disciples of all nations.”

*Mike defines a person of peace as someone who is receptive to God and shares what they are learning with their relational network.

Today we hear from ‘Simon’, a movement catalyst in central India. You’ll be moved to pray for India and respond afresh to the Great Commission as Simon shares how he is seeing movement amongst severe persecution.

After sharing how he got caught up in what he calls a great commission ministry, Simon shares his three main practices:

Multiply disciples
Multiply leaders
Multiply churches

These practices have produced over 8 generations of disciples around Simon amongst many streams.

Simon shares some of this perspectives on the ongoing persecution in India. He asks for our prayers for those undergoing this persecution. Yet he correspondingly also asks us to pray for the Indian believers to stay strong so new disciples and churches continue to grow and multiply.

Final word of encouragement to us:

“Pray, obey the simple things that Jesus said and go out to make disciples. Then the end will come”

This is our last episode with Stuart on his latest book, Prayer Power. Stuart encourages us to desperately seek to engage in persistent prayer and multiplying disciples.

“God doesn’t expect the impossible from us but for us to expect the impossible from him. He wants us to see the face of the nation in the next disciple we minister to.”

In this, our second last episode with Stuart, he talks about the vital importance of raising prayer support. This is for every single one of us who are making disciples (whether we are so called ‘full-time’ or ‘bi-vocational’).

Stuart refers to forming three important prayer groups:

A core group of personal prayer intercessors who pray regularly for you
A wider group of committed intercessors who are also praying frequently
And regular team prayer with those ‘on team’ with you locally

He emphasises the importance of regular and brief communication which includes how God is answering previous prayer requests.

“If you don’t have adequate prayer cover, then you are an endangered species.”

In our fourth episode with Stuart, we continue exploring his book Prayer Power.

But what about when it feels like God doesn’t answer our prayers?

Stuart shares a personal story of how he persevered in prayer for his family to come to faith. We hear how God wants us to have his best in his grace and timing, not always what and when we want it.

We can keep our faith alive by simply finding one or two other believers and pray with them.

Stuart continues to talk about persistent prayer, persecution and poverty being the three common threads of seeing explosive church growth around the world. We hear of his experience in China, seeing passionate and persevering prayer amongst desperate locals. Referring to seeing prayer at Crossway birthed, Stuart shares how starting a culture of prayer is a mixture of personal discipline and God’s grace.

In this second episode of our summer series with Dr Stuart Robinson, Stuart reflects on international revivals that were sparked by prayer. “We can work, but unless we’re working with God, its just us working. But when we pray, God works.”“The history is very clear, when God’s Spirit comes to revive an entire nation, seldom does he come to the big watering holes. He comes to the little outback places where there is just a group of little faithful people who are praying and praying."Stuart starts to share some of his own prayer experiences where he waited on and encountered God. He describes how prayer doesn’t come easily to us as humans. It starts through the habit of discipline. Describing how Jesus got up early in the morning to pray, Stuart encourages us to start our day in the same way.

For this summer series we are talking with Dr Stuart Robinson about his book, ‘Prayer Power: Changing The World Around You'.Stuart begins by giving us a little backstory of how he has come to deeply value prayer. After seeing breakthrough amongst an unreached people group (UPG) overseas, Stuart and his wife Margaret came back to Australia. They arrived carrying a personal experience of the power of prayer, seeing tens of thousands amongst this UPG coming to faith. The result was the birthing of Crossway, one of the largest churches in Australia. In this first bite-sized episode, whilst referring to the decline of the western church, Stuart speaks of one of the key factors where he sees explosive exponential growth of the church. Persistent, prevailing and persevering prayer. “If you want your work, your church, your life, your family to go and to grow, you have to take into account this factor of persevering and prevailing prayer. Unless we discover this in the west, then we’ve had it.”

This is our second podcast with Mike Hey. In this episode Dave finds out what Mike Hey tick. Dave looks at the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) and how it is connected to the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-12) with Mike. We listen to Mike's reflections on these two passages and how they have helped him to pray. Acronyms Mike lovesMike shares his 'WALK' acronym for prayer:W - waiting in his presence A - aligning with his purpose L - loved and loving K - knowing him as our Shepherd Steve Smith's last book ('Spirit Walk'), also has an acronym of 'SWAP' for prayer: S - surrender everything to prayerW - wait A- Avoid all sin P - Perceive the prompting of the Spirit Cultures eats strategy for breakfastKingdom culture starts with prayer BLESSIn the final part of the episode, Mike shares about his own 'BLESS' acronym by sharing some stories from Adelaide: B - Be the presence of Jesus (starts with prayer life)L - Listen to others (listen to their story)E - Enjoy building a relationship with others S - See God is already at workS - Show Jesus (be intentional)Word of encouragementMike finishes by referring back to Abraham sharing that we have been designed to bless. He shares how it might look like to practically connect spiritually with others in our lives.

During our next two episodes, Dave catches up with Mike Hey in Salisbury (Adelaide’s northern suburbs). Mike is a mature practitioner and is part of Operation Mobilisation’s (OM) international leadership. Brief backgroundMike shares a little of his and his wife, Ann’s background including serving with OM since the 1970’s in India. Since then they have focused on catalysing disciple making amongst unreached people groups as the director of OM’s ‘Doulos’ ship, working amongst university students and serving in Asia for ten years. IndiaMike shares his association with Victor John (co-author of ‘Bhojpuri Breakthrough’ with Dave Coles who has shared on this podcast). He describes the paradigm shift that allowed Victor to embrace a movement of now millions in an area once known as one of the hardest places for mission. One of the keys for Victor was the question: ‘Who can you share this with?’. The Australian challenge“The church has locked the light inside the building.” Mike describes how the church in Australia needs to be turned inside out as we learn to seek God together for our city:“We are not just doorkeepers at the house, we are gatekeepers to the whole city.”You’ll be inspired as you hear many stories of Mike connecting with and seeing people discipled by encouraging everyone to do three basic things - Pray, Bless and Disciple. WalkingThe idea and practice of walking is modelled by Mike as he lives by the motto: ‘Say what you do and do what you say’“You gotta walk with Jesus, walk with other friends of Jesus and together, work out how He wants you to walk in your sphere of influence.” We can disciple people by:Walking ahead (modelling)Walking beside (assisting)Walking behind (watching)Walking away (leaving)Slowing down, or 'walking' and making time for people is essential. Final encouragementMike commits to doing three things every day: Being attentive to God Being together with others (asking God “What are you sending us to do?”)Being intentional to follow those instructions And so Mike finishes this episode by encouraging us to pause, abide and listen to Jesus. It’s all about us finding our identity in Jesus and His identity in us. “Stay close to Jesus. Stay close to the cross. Step out your door and you’ll have the joy of seeing Him work through you and connect you with people. You’ll be surprised in the way he does it. Don’t rush ahead, slow down and listen.”Dave Coles previous podcast

We catch up with Phil Brown from Oikos Australia who shares about his new book release, ‘The Seven Calls of Jesus’. Phil’s storyPhil begins by giving us some insight into how he has become involved in disciple making movements. He carries a passion of seeing ordinary people empowered to creatively take the Gospel into every nook and cranny of Australia. Phil’s book‘The Seven Calls of Jesus’ looks at the simple yet profound calls Jesus made that framed his own ministry, the early church and is still deeply relevant to us today. Phil hopes many can easily access this book as a helpful disciple making training resource. It's filled with wonderful stories highlighting Phil as an active and fruitful practitioner of what he is teaching.Ekklesia - a loving community “I have a dream that people in Australia couldn’t go for more than a week before bumping into one or more fired up followers of Jesus…coming across interesting and intriguing faith communities.”Phil tells us stories and insights into what ‘ekklesia’ historically means and is looking like today in Australia. He describes how since the early church, there is still “something magic about these communities. He asked us "What’s in your hand? There are many modules to do ekklesia…hospitality and a passion for Jesus is a pretty lethal mix!”.Listening - the key to sharing We listen to Phil’s heart for people encountering Jesus. He illustrates the importance of listening to people. To ask questions, picking up on their needs. These are the keys to move into people’s worlds, engaging spiritually in prayer and Bible storying in everyday life. Words and prayer of encouragementPhil ends by sharing how the words we want to hear from Jesus in the end are, "Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21, 23). He encourages us to be faithful, leaving the results to God. To be tuned into the Spirit, being sensitised to every opportunity. Phil’s closing prayer: “May these courageous, frontline workers sense that you have brought them to the Kingdom for such a time as this.”

This week we speak with Steve Addison. Steve has recently said goodbye to his wife, Michelle, after her struggle with cancer. We catch up with Steve to not only see how he is going but to hear from him how the Gospel is true and real in the hardest of times and places. He shares what the Gospel means when we face the reality of life and death. “We made it!”Steve starts by saying how he has a deep sense of satisfaction in the goodness of God after going through the last four years of Michelle battling with cancer. When it was becoming obvious that God wasn’t going to heal Michelle, Steve shares how they both looked at each other and said “we made it!”. Michelle and Steve celebrated what God had done in and through them after their 42 years of marriage. The relevance of the Gospel As Steve reflects on his latest book, ‘Acts and the Movement of God’, we hear his deep realisation these days of the triumph of God. Despite God’s messengers in Acts facing so many hardships and suffering in Acts, God still triumphs. In the midst of the turmoil and our weaknesses, God is doing his work.Steve asks us, so what does God want from us? He wants us to trust him when it doesn’t make sense. Regardless of appearances, even unanswered prayer, God is faithful and good. In the end, Steve tells us how God’s power was not at work to heal Michelle, but it was at work to reveal himself. Sharing the Gospel with othersSteve describes the many opportunities he and Michelle have had to share the Gospel with others. For example, he would often share the secret to Michelle’s obvious positivity, saying it was her faith and hope in the resurrected Jesus. Many people then responded by sharing their own spiritual experiences. 'Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.' (2 Corinthians 1:9)Reflecting on Paul’s words, Steve encourages us that whatever hand we’re dealt, this is our opportunity to bring glory to God.Tribute to Michelle We hear of how Michelle pioneered a ministry to internationals through the integration of English conversation and Discovery Bible Studies. Life long friendships have formed from those she has discipled. Others have now continued on this ministry. Along with her family and friends, these people are the fruit and legacy of Michelle’s life that we celebrate. The season ahead?We listen to how Steve is seeking to stay active as he heads out to Greece early next year. He will be helping build a hub that is serving the surrounding regions. Steve plans to travel into these areas to help serve. Steve tells us how we will be allowing God to speak during this time as he processes Michelle’s passing and looks to the future. Final words of encouragement“Be prepared for the greatest challenges you can imagine and expect to find God in them. Expect to lean into your weakness in order to discover the glory, power and presence of God.”Steve spoke to a new disciple recently saying, “Brother, its going to be hard. And its going to be good. Because God is good.” "You can find God in any circumstance. Answered prayer. Unanswered prayer. Death. Life. The unchanging thing is the character of God revealed to us in the Lord Jesus. So make him your goal. Not a movement. A movement is the fruit of people who place him first and do his will."A tribute to Michelle has also been posted by Steve on his blog site here. You can also view Michelle's funeral online here.

We continue our conversation with Ian Kristofer in Mozambique. In this episode we hear about what Ian has been learning as he sees movement take off around him in various unreached contexts of Mozambique. Reaching the Shona“We disciple in everything”During the forming stage of seeing movement amongst the Shona people in central Mozambique, Ian shares how God refined him to make disciple that would make disciples. He encourages us to remember the ‘MAWL’ (Model, Assist, Watch and Leave) method to disciple people in any context and situation God has placed us.Through engaging with Vida (‘Life’), a local person of peace, Ian learned to share and obey Jesus whilst also helping this 18 year old discover how to do the same. From this young man, we hear of a movement being birthed through people discovering, encountering and sharing Jesus. Engaging the MakuaIan tells us the story of being invited into a Makua village after moving to northern Mozambique. After sharing God’s word through a discovery process, Ian saw this initial group grow rapidly. However it suddenly diminished due to the men who had originally welcomed Ian into their community. “The person of influence isn’t always good influence”Ian tells us how an initial person of peace is not always the person who is going to spread the gospel. Instead they might simply be the 'door opener’ into a community. However the harvest is ripe beyond this individual. “Even though a person of peace is someone of influence who is willing to receive from you and share God’s word, they aren’t always the ones who will keep sharing or have good influence.” Despite the drop off, after discipling the chief of a Makua village a number of DBS groups formed. Inside Makua leaders were even moved by God to start radically reaching out to the Yao people where movement has taken off.Movement amongst the YaoIan shares with us the story of how he and his wife Carla saw a church birthed through discipling two Yao people of peace who each had encounters Jesus. We listen to Ian tell us how the gospel spread rapidly through these two people’s encounters with Jesus. Within two years, up to 1000 people had been baptised and 50 groups were multiplying down to a fifth generation in some cases. The challenge these days is to source enough audio bibles to keep up with the growth!“We can’t and shouldn’t control a movement - instead catalysing corporate prayer is key”Ian describes how he is catalysing prayer groups through a 4 week prayer rhythm. We hear how we meets for an hour, once a week with some of his key Yao inside leaders. Ian shows them how to pray in four ways - gratefully, transparently, prophetically and with harvest focused intercession. Then after four weeks he empowers someone else in the group to be the host for the next four weeks. This monthly prayer rhythm is allowing Ian to reluctantly yet slowly step away from the group as he seeks to ‘MAWL’, this time in prayer. “We can’t and shouldn’t control a movement - instead quick delegation of leadership is key” Ian shares how as movement catalysts, we need to be empowering those who are obeying God. These are those who are already operating as elders in these new churches. For example, he tells shares now God is currently speaking to Yao inside leaders about seeing healthier marriages in their own context. Prayers and words of encouragementAmongst the background sounds of seeds falling on Ian’s roof, Ian finishes by praying for us the listener from the parable of the sower. Asking God to help us have the love, courage and obedience to walk through through all the four soils. He shares a word for those of us in distant lands asking the question, “Father is this possible?”. In reply, Jesus’ words, “Greater works than mine you will do” (John 14:12) and “Tarry…until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49) are God’s response. He encourages us to pray,

Over the next two weeks, we'll hear from Ian Kristofer, missionary and author of the book ‘Making disciples and leading others to make them’Ian’s story - from the US to AfricaIn this episode, Ian shares his story of growing up in the US. He comes to faith in Jesus through his father’s bible study and then has two radical encounters with God as a teenager. After meeting his wife Carla during college in the late 90s, his call to missions was confirmed from these encounters. Fifteen years later, after giving up the passion to play baseball and reaching the heights of a worship song writing ministry, God opened the door for the family to move to Africa in 2015. Starting off in central Mozambique working with the Shona people, God slowly started to show Ian what ministry would look like whilst Carla worked in the medical field. Ian highlights the inward shifts God needed to do to from hearing the voice of man to hearing the voice of God. The fruit of this was seen in Ian and Carla creating a school for hearing God’s voice. After relocating to a village in the north of Mozambique, God started to show Ian disciple making movement principles in the Gospels and Acts. It was at this time that Ian met 'Life', a local Muslim boy who had a miraculous encounter, and a movement was birthed. God’s heart and call to the Muslim people was also ignited in Ian.'Many are called but few are chosen' (Matt 22:14)Ian unpacks his own experience and understanding of the call of God into missions. He shares more of his own encounter and invitation to follow Jesus. Reflecting on two passages from Jesus’ prayer in John 17, Ian describes how even though everyone is called not everyone chooses to be chosen.“My prayer is not for [my disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message” (John 17:20). Ian reflects that those who the disciples would reach after the resurrection would also be called and have the same option to ‘get out of the boat’. “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do (John 17:4)”. He shares how this 'work' must be Jesus’ discipling of others over the past three years. So too are we invited to be ‘all in’ and invest ourselves in the discipling of others. We can be chosen. The definite switch between called and chosen Ian depicts with a baseball metaphor. As an ex-baseball player, he and his teammates were all called to play baseball. But not everyone was going to bat a particular position in the lineup. This player was chosen by the coach with clear directions of how to play for the team from that position. Just like a player and coach, it is our choice to listen and obey Jesus. We choose to be chosen, making the core of who we are a place of intimacy and obedience to God. Word of encouragement and prayer Ian encourages and prays for those of us who are responding to being sent by God from Isaiah 6 and Luke 5:8-10. Just as Isaiah and Peter confessed how they were sinful men, Ian prays that we too would have the courage to speak the truth of who we think we are. As we do, God will then show us who we really are - those who become 'fishers of men'. Click here to download Ian’s book as an audio book via apple books

We hear Dave’s latest sermon at Crossway Baptist Church in Melbourne. He draws from familiar themes and stories from those like Wilson and Roy Moran that we have heard recently in this podcast. Get ready to reproduce and multiply as a disciple maker. God doing a new thing - do we perceive it?Be inspired as you hear how God is doing a new thing (Isaiah 43:18-19; Mark 1:15). Dave describes how God’s kingdom is advancing today among the poor, prisoner, blind and oppressed (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19). It's happening in some of the darkest and hardest of places around the world. Movements - a turning point in modern missionsDave reflects on a turning point in modern missions when he first heard of a few movements in some of the most unreached of places in the 90s. This ripple in the pond of global mission has now turned into a wave representing 1,965 movements, 114 million new disciples and 8 million new churches. And it will become what Dave sees as a tsunami in our day.“But it can’t happen here”Where movement is now happening, the term “it can’t happen here” was repeated again and again. But in places like North India that were once termed ‘the graveyards of mission’, movements have emerged and are exploding. We can also be tempted to think God can’t move in our context today. Stories from Africa Workers in North Africa once echoed the same phrase in the 2000s - “It can happen in India but it can’t happen here”. After capturing some key movement principles from India, these same people persevered and finally discovered one Somalian person of peace in their sixteenth year of work. 40 people were baptised that year and as a result the first church was born. Today, fifteen years later, we now see over 20,000 churches emerging in Somalia. Over 30 generations deep.Dave shares Wilson’s movement story again. One that saw 11 disciples from the dark and broken places of Kampala, Uganda multiply to 5680 churches. Some of the principles these African workers learned from movements in places like India include:PrayerDisciple makingInvolving everyone from day one in the movement of GodPeople of peaceDiscovery bible studiesMultiplication (God’s idea from the very beginning - Genesis 1:26-28; also see Habakkuk 2:14)Why not Australia? Wilson says to us in Australia, “Its easy. Simply obey Jesus. Anyone can do that.” We can either join the “it can’t happen here” brigade or activate our faith and become disciples that multiply and make other disciples. Fulfilling the Great Commission by having spiritual grandchildren Dave shares one last moving story of one of his own disciples from India showing him photos of his ‘spiritual grandchildren’. This included a picture of a Nepalese ex-prostitute who encountered Jesus and is now the leader of a church in the slums of Mumbai helping those around her disciple others who disciple others. Dave says to us, “If she can do that, you and I can do that”. Movements are filled with ordinary people who have learnt Jesus’ secret of making disciples. They have at their core the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Dave highlights how this is a universal call to all of us as the church since the command finishes with Jesus saying, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. So this includes us today. Dave urges us saying, "We can’t just sit in the pews, or 4 million people would go to hell."Just as we are made to have families in the natural, so are we called to have spiritual children and grandchildren. Dave asks us, “Have we wrestled in the same way with scriptural bareness as we do with natural bareness?”God’s song for the church in the WestDave finishes by encouraging us with a prophetic word - God’s song for the church in the west: “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;break forth into singing and cry aloud,you who have not been in labor!

This is part 2 of our two part series with Chris Galanos. People of peace (in a western context)Chris shares how he came to realise the significance of the person of peace by sharing a powerful story from an access ministry his father was part of in a local US gaol. Engaging with 'PIPSY' peopleChris encourages us to join God where he is already working. Jesus tells us when we help those in need, we help him (Matthew 25:31-46). Chris sums up those in need in this passage in four groups: P - Poor (hungry or thirsty) I - International (stranger)P - Prisoner S - Sick (Some have added Youth as the Y in this 'PIPSY' people acronym)Chris shares how he has found these groups of people are often the most responsive to spiritual conversations. After all, Jesus’ call was to the poor (Luke 4:14-30). And so is ours. Multiplication moving people awayChris shares how those in the network started to expand to people from other places. His started to offer his training online. He tells us how only a small percentage of those who do the training go on to become practitioners. However, fast forward to last August and Chris is now seeing:5000 leaders engaged in the work from around the US. 1368 groups are running with several hundred in West Texas. Chris says how he started to realise how God's vision for the 1 million new disciples might be a lot broader than West Texas. He has seen this with 35 states of the US and 33 nations becoming involved. Today, Chris celebrates seeing 800 churches birthed around the world. More people are now part of the movement than were originally part of his mega church. Chris describes how Jesus' Great Commission vision for all the nations was always meant to multiply out of our control. Coaching and teams Chris shares how ongoing coaching is vital. It gives accountability and motivation to get what he calls ‘base hits’ every single week. He often asks those he coaches this question: Out of the seven elements, which do you think is the most important?His answer is number 7 - ongoing coaching. "Without it, we probably won’t do the other 6 elements.” Chris continues sharing the importance of having what he calls both 'coaching call' and local teams. The local teams are where people ‘raise the sails’ together. The broader teams are groups of likeminded people from around a country or region. This 'coaching call' group is an important team for people to belong to as they feel part of a wider vision. Iron sharpens iron in this teams. People learn from each other’s successes and challenges. What is church?Chris illustrates how we have added a lot of extra-biblical definitions to what the bible calls ‘ekklesia’. He says how we need to remember two things about church. Church is not a building or place, it is a people. Church does not need any money. Chris points to Paul's words to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 14). When a church gathers, no one person should dominate the meeting. Instead everyone participates as each person uses their gifts. Chris also refers to the example of the early church in Acts 4. He shows us how instead of leaving a Sunday gathering saying how great one person was during the service, the early church left with boldness. Word of encouragement - two or three reaching 100,000!From what those like Justin Long (a researcher from ‘Beyond’) are seeing globally with movements,“A team (focusing on multiplication) of just two or three can reach 100,000”Chris finishes this series by speaking directly to us as the listeners, “Do you have another friend or family member who is on fire? One or two others who want to go 'all in' on multiplying disciples? If you do, God can use you. Could you believe for 100,000 people as a team? God can use you as you gather a team and raise the sails together."

Chris Galanos joins the conversation over the next two episodes. In this podcast, Chris starts by sharing the challenging journey of his successful Texan megachurch in the US switching to embrace a vision for multiplication. From 10,000 to 1 million - compelled into multiplication by a God sized visionAfter reaching their ten year vision to reach 10,000 people in just eight years, Chris describes how God gave him and the church leadership a new God sized vision for the next ten years. After asking God what his vision would be for them, Chris tells us how God birthed a call for their church to reach the entire population (1 million people) of west Texas. “The movement catalysts that God seems to use are people who are willing to receive a God sized impossible vision to see a whole people, ethne, language or nation reached.” Multiplication - very different to addition“Addition brings people to you. Multiplication launches them out”Chris highlights the challenging shifts his megachurch needed to make as they leveraged everything they did to multiplying disciples during a three year transition period. The church had to be prepared to loose people at this time and many did leave. Raising the sails for movementDuring this time, the church shifted towards multiplication by focusing on seven key elements of DMM or as Chris puts it, the “raising of seven sails”:Focus on God’s Word Multiply Extraordinary Prayer Go Out Among the Lost See Groups Start Cast VisionTrain Believers Ongoing Coaching Not all smooth sailing - some of the challenges along the way...Coming and consuming to going and producing - changing a church is a massive challenge. Not everybody will go with you - paying the cost of loosing close friends. Being willing to go slow to go fast - it takes perseverance and hard work.Chris’ resources:Chris’ book - ‘Megachurch to multiplication’Check out Chris’ website - experiencelifenow.com Chris' WIGTake blog can be accessed via the website or here

Today we hear from movement catalyser and author, Cynthia Anderson who joins the conversation to share about her book, ‘The Multipliers Mindset: Thinking Differently about Discipleship’. Be equipped as you listen to Cynthia share some of the paradigm shifts needed to release God’s movement based from her own story as a disciple making practitioner. Cynthia carries a deep passion for the unreached which has seen her serve with YWAM for more than 30 years, along with her husband Todd in places like Nepal and India. We hear inspiring stories including how God first moved across an unreached valley region of Nepal. These days over 10% of this area is now reached with the gospel!The turning pointHowever Cynthia tells us about the crossroads moment in her life where she was about to give up on God’s vision for multiplication. God led her and others through a process of repentance as she saturated herself in the Gospels and the book of Acts. Faith was once again put in her heart. Cynthia says, “God loves to use ordinary and even broken people to bring his glory amongst the nations. God did it in the New Testament and he can do it again.” This was one of several mindset shifts Cynthia needed to have to see God release movement through her. Shifting what we believe about God includes...FaithCynthia describes how it is God’s desire to reach the people around us. We need to put our faith in His capacity not our efforts.ExpandCynthia tells us a great parable of the Nepali farmer that illustrates the need for us to have a God sized vision as we pray. She says, “Don’t ask God for school books when God can give a ‘Tata’ truck…God wants to do more through us that we can imagine.Shifting what we believe about others can include...BaptismBaptism "by all and for all" represents the theology of the priesthood of all believers. Cynthia describes how this is a New Testament concept comparable to the caste systems of Asia. She shares how important it is to give people a sense of ownership to baptise and therefore to also disciple and train others. WomenWe hear Cynthia refer to ‘Uncle Victor’ (a familiar movement leader in India to many of us listening) and his comments on women in leadership. “Not empowering women, is stupidity at the highest level”“Its easier to convince an Imam to come to faith than to convince some traditional pastors to allow women to do the work of ministry”She refers to her journey as a woman with an apostolic calling and hopes the biblical foundation she writes about in her book will also set other women free to also be confident in their gifting and calling. Besides, as Uncle Victor says: “Not empowering women is not only unbiblical, it also just doesn’t make sense since half of your workforce is lost.”A God sized vision of her ownThese days Cynthia specialises in training leaders to catalyse Jesus movements. Through not only her book but also her podcast, ‘Dare to Multiply’, Online Courses and other resources, she is aiming to see at least 50 new movements birthed by 2025. She tells us that there are 17 mindset shifts mentioned in her book. But Cynthia hopes everyone who reads it can make a shift in a couple of key areas (at least to start with!). She believes these paradigm shifts will make a difference in seeing fruitfulness as we get unstuck by responding to the Spirit’s activity in our lives. Pain and passionCynthia shares a final encouragement to not only remain faithful in what we are doing but to also be open to change. She finishes by saying how two things can help us change. One is pain and the other is passion. “If you feel pain of not seeing fruit, let God turn that into an openness to change…Let the pain turn into the passion of God!"You can also check out Cynthia's 'Multipliers Mindset Assessment Quiz' here

In this episode, we hear from Mary Ho, the leader of All Nations which has a special place in our hearts as Praxeis. Many of us know All Nations from Floyd McClung’s visits to us in the late 2000s. Floyd poured into us and set us up to run the race of making disciples. Listen to Mary share her story and the good things God is doing with All Nations...Mary's storyBorn in Taiwan, Mary grew up in the nations with her father serving as a diplomat. As a 17 year old international university student in the US, she describes her life as falling apart. Whilst suffering from severe depression and bulimia, Mary describes how she gave her life to Jesus through the witness of what she calls some “obnoxious Christian students”! Jesus pursued Mary by healing her from her illnesses. From this encounter, Mary would carry a vision of Jesus as the hope of the nations.As she started working for World Vision, Mary started to realise she had to be about serving the nations. It would be years later when God told her how she had been created “in the nations, for the nations”. It was Floyd who called out the leadership gift in Mary as a young mother. She and her husband soon became involved with All Nations. All NationsAfter serving as the international director of YWAM, Mary tells us how Floyd started All Nations so that disciple making movements could happen amongst unreached peoples and places. Thirty years later, All Nations is now in 45 countries, forming multiplying hubs of disciple makers. Mary says that the centre of gravity of the global church has now shifted to the Global South: “We are living in a time where God is mobilising from everywhere to everywhere. This was always God’s original intent.” She then challenges us to change the way we have often done missions:“We really should be proclaiming the gospel in a way that people are not only recipients but also 'goers' of the gospel.” Training and sending hubs:Mary has a passion to do what she calls ‘polycentric’ sending, where people are sent not only from western nations like the US, but from different training and sending hubs around the world. We have already heard in this podcast of Wilson, one example of an All Nations hub leader, who started a movement in Uganda that has spread into the nations. Diaspora peoples:One of the focuses God spoke to All Nations after the Syrian civil war was the Muslim diaspora. Mary describes how there has been great fruit as God reveals himself through dreams and visions to these Muslim people. There are stories of Muslim refugees sharing and baptising people back in their homelands. Places where it has often been difficult to send people into. Mary also highlights the strategic opportunity we have in our receiving, western (and now post-Christian) nations through both these refugee and also our international student communities. She herself came to faith as an international student in the US and is now influencing the nations. Making the Gospel accessible to all:Mary shares how DMM empowers the ordinary person to be a disciple maker. Since most of the world’s cultures are oral, she emphasises the need to use simple and reproducible way to share the gospel. Giving examples of how All Nations trains and shares with people in places like Africa and Tibet, Mary says, “What’s important is not just what we do but how we do it” Mary's word of encouragement (from 1 Corinthians 16:8-9)“The Lord honours those of us who have chosen to stay on in our Ephesus as He opens wide a door for effective work. He knows the daily oppositions that we encounter. He knows how hard it is and honours [those of us] who have chosen to stay and labour. He sees our trials and will come through for each and every one. There is victory and comfort in Christ.”Start to listen here to Floyd sharing with us back in the 2000s

In this second podcast with Wilson from Uganda, we hear of how the beginning of Wilson’s story ended up birthing not only a movement in Uganda but multiplying movements.

Watch part 1 and 2 of this interview with Wilson here:

https://vimeo.com/852884075/0a973688f8?share=copy

“Discipleship is not talking but modelling”

We hear of Wilson's personal suffering through beatings, robbery and strangulation as Wilson gave up everything as a successful banker to, as he says, “hang out with bad guys”.

What God is doing

There is now daily baptisms and over 5829 discipleship groups (up to eleven generations amongst several streams) that have multiplied from the initial group of disciples Wilson poured into.

Movements have also multiplied into remote and previously unreached people groups of Uganda and other nations. Wilson is also beginning to mobilise teams into places like Germany in the western world.

Principles of movements

The things of Jesus are so simple. Whatever we do needs to be reproducible.

Learn to be patient. Go slow to go fast.

People of peace must be identified. These people will create space, time and open their network for you.

Listen to God through prayer. Jesus instructed his disciples (in Luke 10:2-3) to pray as they go. Those who are going are the same who are praying.

Know where God is sending you and speak their language (know their culture). Don’t bring church language.

Our cities are key to reach many peoples.

Anyone can participate (for example, baptise)

Let God be in control

Wilson says,

“I see the future as being movements. Without movements, the world is going to be lost. This is because the church (as we know it) cannot grow at the same rate as the population.

We need partnerships to fulfil the Great Commission. One person cannot finish the task.

Jesus is looking for every nation, tribe and people to be represented in heaven. There are still tribes and people who are not represented before the throne. We need to see them be part of God movements which are simple, effective and reproducible.”

Over the next two episodes, you will hear Wilson’s story. It's sure to inspire and challenge you!

Click on this video to see Wilson's interview (or listen via the podcast):

https://vimeo.com/852884075/0a973688f8?share=copy

Wilson works with ‘All Nations’ in Uganda. All Nations helped birth us as Praxeis through Floyd McClung’s multiple visits over a decade ago.

Growing up in Uganda, Wilson's story begins with him finding himself caring and providing for his 22 other siblings as a young teenager after his father's death.

After discovering Jesus as a newspaper seller on the streets of Kampala, he developed a new business idea that multiplied sales. The company took note and asked Wilson to work for them at a higher level. He was soon climbing the corporate ladder. As Wilson started to pray for his city, God asked him to leave the bank he was managing, a dream he had since childhood.

Wilson obeyed God but no idea how to see his city transformed. He started to walk the streets again, meeting people from the ghettos. Connecting with a group of drug dealers through a man called ‘Ghost’, Wilson learnt from these men how to re-engage with people on the streets.

Initially starting with a core group of drug dealers, Wilson began to share about Jesus. He then learnt about disciple making, joining All Nations' training in South Africa. Returning to Uganda, Wilson was eager to start Discovery Bible Studies through this core group.

We hear of the multiple generations of disciples from the first person of peace in the group, ‘Ghost’. Discovery Groups were soon multiplying down several generations amongst the drug dealers and prostitutes across the ghettos.

Wilson finishes this first of two episodes sharing,

“Down the road (of these generations of disciples), we’ve seen God work in simple ways, transforming lives”

Dr Aila Tasse first received Jesus’ forgiveness as a teenager and is now catalysing movements across Africa. He has seen 42 movements* birthed across east Africa with over 18,000 churches being planted.

In this podcast, Aila shares his story and shares some of the keys to seeing movement happen. He finishes by encouraging us in the West to humbly pray and intentionally obey God to see him move in our context.

Aila’s journey

During Aila’s Muslim upbringing in Kenya, he started to ask "who is Allah?". He was challenged about the message of Jesus from a Christian teacher whilst Aila was dying of yellow fever and cerebral malaria. Aila soon asked Jesus to forgive his sins.

After being rejected by his Muslim family for his new faith, Aila had an encounter with God where he was asked, ‘Can cabbages grow in the dessert?’. God gave Aila a vision for 14 unreached people groups (UPGs) in Kenya. These were the cabbages God was going to grow.

Aila went back to the town where he had accepted Jesus as a teenager and started a church. Movement was birthed out of this with Aila pursuing God’s vision of doing the impossible amongst UPGs (cabbages in the dessert) ever since. Today, all 14 of these tribes of northern Kenya are now being engaged with indigenous leaders and movement being catalysed.

Aila’s vision soon expanded to include the remaining 26 UPGs across Kenya. These days, Aila catalyses teams engaging each of these tribal groups. The vision has now increased to the 320 UPGs across eastern and the horn of Africa. 157 of these groups are being engaged with 42 movements being birthed over the last three years.

The keys of these movements

Prayer - since movement is a work of God

Using scriptures through a discovery process

Multiplication comes out of obedience

God uses ordinary people

Coaching, not just training - no leaders, no movement

People of peace respond to practical love

But what about the West?

A paradigm shift is needed to believe movement can happen

Pride versus humility and hunger

Intentional obedience is the catalyst.

Aila says, "Movement is God himself moving, using ordinary and obedient people like us"

Aila defines a movement as one that consists of 100 churches down to at least 4 generations. The average movement in Aila's context is 10 generations deep.

This is part 2 of our two part podcast with Roy Moran. In this episode, Roy shares about the challenges of seeing movement in the West and finishes by sharing what hybrid church* looks like in his North American context.

Why not the West?

Roy’s gives some great insights into how we are wired as westerners:

Individualism

Much of the early DMM training that came to the West was about one-on-one evangelism and discipleship. However it was devoid of community. Teams and groups are vital to both initiate and see movement take off in the harvest.

We are people of peace

People in the West are typically not connecting cross culturally. Instead we are seeking to reach our own networks. Therefore we are often people of peace ourselves.

Programatic can be problematic

There are nuances with the DMM strategy that we can miss if we are purely programatic with it. In the west, we often want to plug slots by taking a new program (like DMM) and applying it in our context, expecting instant results.

The religious enemy

We not only face an evil enemy but also a religious enemy. Resistance is always faced from the current tradition. In our case, a Christianised environment.

‘You can cast out demons, but you can’t cast out tradition’

Allergic to failure

We don’t persevere well in the West. We presume everything will work in our time and way.

Failure is something we are deathly allergic to in the West

To learn a new methodology when another is already well in place, it requires a lot of failure. We struggle to fail and learn in the West. We need to overcome our allergy to failure by being truly impacted by the Father’s heart for the Gospel and continue to take risks and fail.

Outcomes not process

We are guilty of focusing more on DMM outcomes than on the process. There needs to be an underground phase of that nobody can see. It is like digging deep into the ground to lay a foundation for a tall building to be built on.

Hybrid church*

Roy finishes this discussion about his reflections about what he calls hybrid church*. He draws us into what he is doing and shares about the fire in the belly of so many who have a heart to reach their networks. They are starting teams and communities all around them.

He tell us to:

Get small

There needs to be a cultural shift in our churches. But we need to get small and start changing the culture by working with a few 'rebels' who are already spiritually dissatisfied.

Find people of peace...in our churches

The traditional Sunday morning service can be renamed as a ‘gathering’ instead of a church. These gatherings can actually be seen as more of an access ministry where some people of peace might come when they are searching.

Yet research still shows us that only a small percentage of people from the wider community would ever come to our Sunday gatherings.

Plant ‘biblically flouring communities’

A hybrid church model is essential to reach the larger percentage of people. The traditional church can be seen as a gasoline (petrol) engine car that is old but still works. Then there is an electric car engine that is a newer way of seeing disciples multiply. These days, as well as his Sunday gatherings, Roy focuses on planting what he is calling ‘biblically flourishing communities’.

Form teams with a target

Focusing on a particular piece of geography or a people group is vital. We can’t keep sending people out alone to make disciples without knowing their target. Teams needs to form that have a shared vision, pray regularly for the people they are focusing on and create ‘circles of accountability’ around these various people groups.

The Father's joy for ordinary people

Roy’s final word of encouragement is that each of us are vital to the Great Commission. When we take up our place in the Father’s family business, we experience a spiritual life we might have never known before.

Please note: this recording was done from a small room in Africa. The audio has been affected as you will hear by the surrounds of heavy rain on one side and a wider conference of people on the other side of the walls.

We hear from movement leader Roy Moran, the author of Spent Matches which many of us have read. In this first of two podcasts, Roy shares a little of his journey to becoming part of DMM (Disciple Making Movement). He then gives his insights into what God is doing on the earth today with some key aspects of DMM. These are namely the power of obedience in the nature of the Gospel and the need to understand God’s purpose in using ordinary people. He finishes by making DMM deeply personal.

(In the next podcast, Roy will share more about DMM in the West.)

Roy's story

Roy mentions how he always wanted to grow into a spiritual grandparent but it didn’t happen without key mentors who kept refocusing him towards DMM. Roy’s mentors were practitioners who gave away the Gospel. People like Bernard who said, "The day I enter a community is the day I begin to think how I can leave”.

Missing the power of obedience in the nature of the Gospel

Roy shares how he can purposefully miss quote the Great Commission in Matthew 28:20, saying, ‘...teaching them everything...’ and nobody notices that he has left out ‘to obey’.

Here are some comments Roy makes in regards to obedience rather than knowledge orientated discipleship:

We as the Body of Christ have conformed to this world by being captured by subject matter experts.

Jesus often teaches, ‘If you love me, do what I say’ (e.g. John 14:15). He doesn’t say ‘If you love me, know what I say’. We have allowed this sense of knowledge to overtake the application of truth…We have over swung the pendulum to being allergic to the idea of obedience to Jesus.

The Gospel is about obeying Jesus. But not in a way that we earn anything. We can’t earn his favour. But we can enjoy the benefits of being in the family that comes through obedience.

God is using ordinary people in movements today

Roy explains how movements across the world is being characterised by ordinary people being used and included by God in his mission:

A great army of ordinary people have matched up to a tactic of ‘gospelling’ that is allowing them to be set free and transformed…They defined the problem correctly; the pain of the Father’s heart that his family isn’t there. [These ordinary people] are experiencing joy as they feel and relieve that pain.

Roy describes how when we have families, they produced children that have families that have children:

Jesus has a dream of every one of his followers having spiritual grandchildren. But in most of our churches [in the West], there is only a tiny percentage of people who see this dream as normal in their spiritual journey.

Transformed by God

Roy personalises DMM to our inner worlds with this question:

How does Jesus make a difference in my life?

He suggests we are spending too long helping people being able to share their faith and not their story of how God is transforming them.

Finally, Roy closes this episode by calling us to allow the Father’s heart to break ours:

Yet we are not experiencing any of the pain on our Father’s heart. We have to sit with this until it breaks us.

This is our third Nairobi Gathering podcast. In this episode, we will hear a case study from Rwanda. Justin shares about a God movement that has been birthed in his nation.

The start of Justin’s journey

Since coming to Christ, Justin always carried a call to go from house to house and share the Gospel. Justin became the bishop of his church. He held a big vision for the Gospel to spread across his nation. But it wasn’t happening. So he started to ask the question, "What is wrong?".

Justin tells us some of the humorous anecdotes of his anointing as a leader. But then he took a great risk as he stood aside and resigned to learn about disciple making. Justin describes how he read a book asking him the question, ‘Are you a minister who make disciples?’. He started to ask himself questions like, "Are all of my people in the church disciples of Jesus or just members of my church?". These question deeply rocked Justin and started him on the journey.

Learning about DMM

After resigning, Justin started a house church. However it soon became a traditional church in his house. He says it was "like bringing in an elephant into the house - it destroyed everything!"

Learning about DMM - Intentional Prayer

Since 2010, Dr Aila Tasse has been instrumental in Justin capturing the concepts of DMM (Disciple Making Movement). Justin responded by starting to implement one of the DMM principles he had learnt, intentional prayer. After six months of praying, he came back with a New Testament concept of early church (how Jesus made disciples who multiplied). He also started with a weekly all night prayer meeting. In the process, he started to loose people that were once around him. He describes the great 'undoing' that God led him through so that he could start building as a disciple maker.

Finding the Person of Peace

Movement is about finding the Person of Peace. Movement for Justin began in 2011 when he encountered a drunkard called John Paul and another man called Augustine. These men, along with their wives, became the first core members of the movement. After seeing them baptised through DBS (Discovery Bible Study) in their home, Justin trained them to find other People of Peace. To disciple and baptise others themselves through DBS. Ordinary people like storekeepers started to baptise others, even educated engineers!

Later that year, they saw 18 churches birthed. He brought the leaders together and gathered around a map of Rwanda. It was then that they started to vision cast and move out from the cities to go back into their villages. After five years, they found themselves working in 22 districts. However problems continued…

Problems encountered

Sending people out one by one resulted in many challenges for Justin and the team. They learnt to shift to sending people out two by two as Jesus commanded in Luke 10. They now develop teams with a vision for a region.

Positions and titles became important to people as some in the movement went back to more traditional models of church. Foreigners also started to bring money into the movement. Justin describes how they needed to embrace a self supporting movement. This was done through developing small businesses and various access ministries that met the needs of people in the community.

Focus on households

Returning to the Person of Peace principle, Justin highlights how they focused on households. Every household has another household. All of the people in these households need to come to Christ, not just individuals. All through finding the Person of Peace. Justin says, "If you start lonely, you finish lonely", highlighting the importance of DBS involving group participation.

Movements birth movements

Justin shares how they have seen movements birth other movements. We listen to stories of how this has occurred amongst Muslims and the Pygmy people where they now have 165 churches down to 6 generations with nearly 500 people baptised.

This is the second podcast from the Nairobi gathering. We go wider still as we hear Stan share what God is doing around the whole world.

We have created a video (see below for password) that goes with this podcast here*. This gives a visual of all the figures you’ll be hearing.

Be deeply encouraged as God calls you afresh to buy into his big picture of what he is doing on the earth. To be part of the generation that will rise up that will run the final lap of the Great Commission race.

*After clicking on the video link https://vimeo.com/841504361 you will need to enter the Vimeo password: ‘Nairobi2’ to view.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to listen to some talks that have come straight out of the DMM (Disciple Making Movement) Global Catalyst Camp* in Nairobi, Kenya.

Today we will listen to the introduction to the whole gathering by Aila Tasse. Aila reflects about his previous struggle to believe that God would move amongst the 14 Unreached People Groups (UPGs) in his own context of Northern Kenya. He shares how he once thought, “It cannot happen here”. How faith was produced in his life.

These days, we're seeing not only movements happening amongst these 14 UPGs in Northern Kenya. But also across Eastern Africa. The very place the Catalyst Camp you'll be listening to has been gathering.

Be encouraged as you listen to Aila and others share over the coming weeks. Let faith be birthed in your heart afresh!

*This gathering of leaders from around the world have met together under the leadership of Aila Tasse. We are hearing of so many stories of movements that are happening in the hardest of places. Some are happening in UPGs that have long been fortresses to the Gospel. In some of these “impossible” places, today over 15,000 churches based around DMM are flourishing.

It truly has been an inspirational time. As we start to examine and unpack the ideas that have been presented, we are learning…

It’s really quite simple.

It’s really about obeying Jesus and what he started. The example he set to make disciples and the commands he gave live as disciples.

The wrestle of faith as we start to ask the question, “can movements actually happen in our context?”. As someone once said, “the hardest place to start a movement is right where you are”. We’re discovering that when we ask this question, faith is produced.

This week we are in for a treat as we hear from Keith in New Zealand share his story of being called into planting seeds across Asia with the vision to seeing movements. Excitingly, movement is now happening!

We hear how God called Keith and his wife Joy to Thailand after living their whole life in New Zealand until their 50s. Keith, a gifted teacher, poured himself into training people across Thailand and many parts of Asia.

These days, Keith shares how we are now seeing movement spark in Thailand amongst some of those he once trained and continues to disciple in DMM (disciple making movement). Over the past few months, mass baptisms have been seen amongst Burmese refugees near the border of Thailand and Myanmar. This is one example of a seed Keith and his wife Joy once sowed now bearing an abundance of fruit.

So we learn from Keith how it is all about God’s call. We can trust in this call, knowing it might not work out the way we might plan but God will do it his way since it was always his call.

Keith also shares about his passion for everyday, ordinary people being part of God’s kingdom. He tells us a powerful story of one humble Asian woman who never thought she’d be part of God’s work hearing about the Great Commission in Matthew 28. It was the Word of God that made her realise she was called to make disciples in the same authority that Jesus was given. Time and time again Keith has been able to bear witness to ordinary people in Asia bearing fruit like this in unexpected ways. One of the keys he learnt as he trained people was helping people discover movement principles by pointing them to Scripture.

But what about New Zealand? What about the western world? Keith shares that since returning to New Zealand, he realises that he and his wife are now locals who are called to reach their fellow local New Zealanders. He says how he is now living out the movement training he has been teaching for years. The best people to reach the local people, he says, are the local people. “Now that’s us”, Keith says.

Even though he doesn’t see himself as a gifted evangelist, Keith’s learnt to have very natural spiritual conversation with people he and his wife meet in the market near their home. They’ve learnt to share Scripture and engage people in discovery style conversations.

So the challenge in the West, according to Keith isn’t about the harvest. He reminds us that God says the harvest is plentiful in the West (Luke 10:2). Instead, our challenge as the church is to get out and engage in the harvest.

Keith ends the podcast leaving us with a word of encouragement and a prayer of how he sees that we are clearly in time of unprecedented harvest in the world today:

“God just wants us to be obedient. Then He will use us in this harvest. God can use anybody”, says Keith. “Those who have a heart to obey. God is so well pleased to use anybody. He will put faith in the hearts of the people to do his work.”

Today Dave is sharing a great sermon he heard recently from Dave Ferguson who was speaking at Crossway Baptism Church. You can access the sermon here (or just listen to this podcast!).

Dave (Ferguson), who has helped plant over 9000 churches last year, talks about the ideas of apprenticing, hero making and kingdom building.

Jesus is asking us, “will you follow me and change the world?” (Matthew 4:19; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). But what are the missing practices in our disciple making efforts?

Dave highlights these three areas of missing practice in disciple making that he sees as he travels the western world:

Apprenticing

Dave refers to author Dallas Willard’s term ‘apprentice’ instead of disciple. Dallas uses this term since in the West, discipleship has now come to mean simply gaining more knowledge. But apprenticing is understood to be something that involves both our head and hands. John’s gospel describes Jesus as someone who spent time with his disciples (John 3:22). The greek word for this is ‘diatribo’, or as Dave puts it, ‘rubbing off’ on others. Jesus rubbed off on and catalysed a movement from just a small group of disciples. So who do we spend time our time with? Dave challenges us to name the people we are apprenticing.

Hero making

Dave tells us that another key (and missing) element of disciple making is to do everything we can to make others the heros. We need to make a shift from seeking success to seeking significance. Just like Jesus, we are to desire and see that “My fruit grows on other people’s trees” (John 14:12). Jesus knew that his disciples would take the gospel to more places and people that he ever did. So how are we going in becoming a hero maker?

Kingdom building

A lot of the church Dave says, is more interested in building their castle than God’s kingdom. Referring to Habitat For Humanity’s visionary, Millard Fuller, Dave shares how Millard’s vision was to get ‘every follower of Jesus to swing a hammer’. It was about making others the heros. The only thing that mattered for Millard in the end was kingdom building.

Dave finishes by praying for us. He asks God to reveal to each of us who are listening the names and faces of the people who we can disciple to find and follow Jesus. He prays that we would take a posture of generosity and genuine curiousity in these people. That we would release them to be who God has called them to be. He asks that we would be released from taking any credit or pride. That our sole focus would be to just see God’s kingdom advanced.

We have launched our Praxeis online training! Vicki joins the podcast to share how the training has been developed and shares its purpose.

We hear how the training is for everyone, everywhere. In fact, that’s the very reason behind it. As the network grows around us, we see the need to equip people all across the world who might not be able to meet face to face. Vicki shares how this online training can be accessed by anyone in whatever space and be done at whatever pace they need.

The contentVicki takes us through the DMM Core Course, a collection of all that we have learn as Praxeis over the last decade. From places like India and Africa to people like David Watson, we’ve taken all our learnings and want to give it away as a gift.

We hear from Vicki how we don’t feel like this training is the ‘silver bullet’. It is simply about pointing people to Jesus and the Word. Allowing God to lead and shape us as disciples and disciple makers. It’s for those who have a heart for the lost but feel confused or even scared at the thought of being a ‘disciple maker’.

The first half of the training as Vicki says, is all about God’s vision. His heart for the lost. Being caught up in Jesus’ mission and discovering afresh what it means to be a disciple that multiplies.

Throughout the course, we’re invited to discover and obey God through his Word. We listen to the Spirit through prayer. And we are equipped to practically engage with the harvest like Jesus.

Practical tools includedVicki shares in depth about how the ‘4 Column Bible Study’ is super simple tool to help people hear God’s voice themselves and apply it. She shows how this tool and the training as a whole couples both knowledge and obedience to God’s Word.

Equipping people to pray is essential as a disciple and to see movement. Vicki highlights prayer walking and mind-mapping as practical ways the trainings helps us pray personally and with others. She emphasises how each part of the course is about creating new rhythms that includes developing a rhythm of prayer into our lives.

The Discovery Bible Study, Vicki says, is a great method to help the people around us discovery Jesus. She tells us how the course will encourage people to start a Discovery Group and also reflect on how it went.

Who can do this course?Anyone! You can do it alone or as a group. The key to it is being coached along the way. Praxeis will set you up with a coach to help you reflect on the content and encourage you to step it out. A coach is simply someone who is a few steps along in the journey of making disciple who can empower you. Beyond the course, the coach also continues to help you make what you have learnt become part of your life.

How do I do the course?Visit learn.praxeis.org and that’s it! Oh apart from having an internet connection and a notebook and a pen (for those 4 column bible studies that Vicki mentioned). At the end of the course you will be able to download your own course workbook that will include your “I will…” statements (obedience steps) and the resources you learnt along the way.

How much is the course?It’s completely free

Will there be more Praxeis training online?Yes, we are developing a follow up training for those who have started Discovery Groups.

Finally, Vicki encourages us as ordinary believers to have a go at making disciples. She believes that something will shift when we all give it a crack. “We might feel ordinary”, she says, “but with God with you, you’ll become extraordinary”.

This is our second episode talking with Steve Addison about his new book, ‘Acts and the Movement of God’. You are in for a treat as Steve takes us on a journey through the book of Acts.

Themes and structure of ActsSteve explains how the God movement started in Jerusalem but how the living God was always going to expand out as Jesus said it would. Right at the beginning of Acts, we see the core elements of a God movement:

the living presence of God through the Holy Spirit to bear witness to Jesus
the living Word of God being proclaimed by all of God’s people
the core missionary task of seeing communities of disciples gather everywhere

In fact, the way Luke describes how the early church first gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2) was what Steve calls the ‘gold standard’. Disciples in community like this keep popping up for the rest of Acts.

Steve also gives us insight into who is leading the Church. He refers to major leaders like Peter. Someone who we think should have it all together. But God shakes him and turns him upside down and drags him to Cornelius’ (a Gentiles) house. So who leads the Church? The living God who is hands on. He is the one who is fulfilling his vision.

So Luke wants us to see how the mission of God keeps advancing despite human weakness. For example, Paul and Barnabas have a big fight but the living Word keeps going out in the power of the Spirit. And churches, as Luke calls them, keep on forming.

But what do we do with the final chapters of Acts?In Acts 21-28, Paul is facing hardships and imprisonment. We see how Luke wants us to not just have a history lesson of the early church but to see how God is working in the world. Especially in the weaknesses and limitations of the messengers. We are confronted with Paul’s weakness in these chapters. Luke is wanting us to focus on the limitations of Paul, the messenger, but to also focus on the glory of God. God was disrupting Paul’s world showing him how He was still at work despite Paul’s weaknesses. This ought to encourage us as disciple makers as we face many troubles and obstacles along the way.

“What if Luke is not just saying, “This is how it was”? What if he’s saying, “This is how it can be”?” Apart from going out and buying Steve’s book, Steve points us to his website where there is a great Discovery Worksheet on Acts. He encourages us to go through Acts bit by bit with others and ask some discovery questions. This will help us apply what God is teaching us as we read Acts.

Steve leaves us with a word of encouragement. To keep praying for the needs of others. Engaging people in spiritual conversations. And discerning if they are ready for the next steps of discipleship.

“Take God’s Word in the book of Acts and let it instruct and strengthen your resolve. To do what Jesus commanded. The Spirit comes upon you with power so that we would be disciple makers to the ends of the earth. Every place and every people group.”

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We have a treat these next two podcasts. Movements author and teacher, Steve Addison is sharing with us about the Book of Acts from his latest book. You can purchase ‘Acts and the movement of God’ here.

In this episode, Steve shares how he has learnt that the Book of Acts isn’t just about the Apostles or the Spirit. It is the acts of God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The WordSteve teaches us about the importance of the Word of God in movement. In Acts, we see how the spread, multiplication and growth of the Word was central.

But what is the Word? We learn how the Word of God, through the Holy Spirit, does the work in movement. Jesus is the Word (see John 1). But Jesus shows us in the Gospels that the Scriptures (the written Word) is also God’s Word. Acts highlights how many, including Luke (the author of Acts), are learning Jesus’ message and pass it on. Except for one time in Acts (Acts 20:35), the Word was for unbelievers not the church. Therefore the Word is living. It spreads virally as people learn the stories of Jesus and pass them on.

Finally, the Word also has authority. How we view and obey God’s Word will result in the rise and fall of movements, even today.

The SpiritSteve describes how the Spirit was for absolutely everybody in Acts. It’s purpose was not just to change us into Christ’s likeness and assure our salvation. For Luke, it was all about Jesus’ mission. The Spirit’s purpose was to empower everyone to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). We are all called to be Jesus’ messengers to every people group on earth. Not just the Apostles in Acts. In fact, Steve tells us how we don’t even know the names of many ordinary messengers in Acts. However they were the ones who spread the Word to new places like Antioch and Rome.

We all get to play. We are all given God’s Spirit. Making disciples is not just for the qualified. In fact, Steve points out how the qualified are either bi-paced or unravelled in Acts. The highly qualified Paul is a great example of someone who faced many hardships.

Hardship and PersecutionSteve reminds us that Jesus promises to be with us as we join him on mission (Matthew 28:20). It was Jesus who brought Steven, Paul, Silas and others through persecution and hardship in Acts. It wasn’t their own resolve that got them through, it was Jesus. Stephen endured his stoning because he saw Jesus (Acts 7:55-56). Jesus was with Paul and Silas in jail as they worshipped (Acts 16). We follow the crucified Messiah. And we share in both his death and resurrection. Reflecting on Paul’s shipwreck, Steve speaks about how Paul was able to say “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). It is through our weaknesses that God is able to reveal his glory.

In movement, we often find ourselves not being in control. Steve shares a story of ordinary believers he knows who are sharing God’s Word today in Ukraine. Because of the suffering of war around them, they are ministering the Word amongst an increasing number of hungry Ukrainians. God is being glorified as they help people discover Jesus.

Steve shares this word of encouragement to finish this episode:

“When God is ready, he can drop you into a fruitful situation. Even if it feels like things are slow going…be ready to do what Jesus has given you to do. And trust the results to Him. Because he is sovereign and Lord over history. We don’t know how the next years are going to unfold. I think we are heading for some troubling and turbulent times. So let’s be ready. Let’s be about the Master’s work as we wait for him to return.”

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This episode, we hear from our Praxeis team in Western Australia (WA). Jill, Karen and Rowan share with us what they have been up to as they strategically pray across this vast state. Learn how to take on a region in prayer where God has called you!

These guys give us some keys in how they have been not only praying across the city of Perth (WA) but the country towns of Australia’s biggest state. We hear stories of how they are engaging with people, spending time in all night prayer meetings and waking up for early morning prayer. Traveling vast distances, the team shares how they are connecting both broadly and locally as they prayer walk remote towns and pray for the schools their kids are attending.

We learn how prayer is all about God. These guys speak of being caught up in God’s heart and vision. Prayer, Rowan says is simply how we are meant to be wired. It’s being part of God’s work not our work.

What Scripture teaches us about prayerIn view of Habakkuk 1:5, Karen shares how we shouldn’t be restricted by the confines of our own imagination and expectations. But instead its God who is doing the work in our communities and he can do anything!

Jill casts a vision for not only WA, but God’s heart for the nations along the rim of the Indian Ocean. Reflecting on Psalm 46:10, Jill says, “God is doing stuff even though we might not see it…We just need to be still in prayer”.

John 15:5 is a verse that often grounds Rowan.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

(John 15:5)

He tell us how he could be going around, doing lots of things. But he is reminded by this verse that unless God’s in it, then it’s not going to bear the fruit that he wants.

Dave shares that when Jesus was in his resurrected form, he told his followers to stay until power came on them. Then they would be his witnesses (Acts 1:4,8). We know Jesus taught us to do lots of things. But we see clearly there was one thing he wanted his disciples to do in order to seeing a movement. It was to stay and pray. The book of Acts shows us how the early church stopped and prayed. God then took over. In this story, Jesus tells his disciples to prioritise prayer more than any other activity.

Final insightsFinally we hear the group share some final insights into praying for a region. From following relational lines to embracing stubborn perseverance. God essentially just wants us to sit in his presence and hear his voice. And then be willing to be brave and step out!

Who knows what God will do if we persevere in prayer!?

It is essential to multiply workers if we are to see disciple making movements (DMM). Jesus himself tells us to pray for workers to be sent into his harvest (Luke 10:2).

Aung and Gabi are both multiplying workers and starting Discovery Bible Studies (DBS). They find themselves in the war torn contexts of Myanmar and Ukraine. Despite this ‘darkness’, as Aung describes it, they share some of the breakthroughs and blockages of multiplying leaders. They both tell us how intentionally training leaders in DMM is crucial.

Aung in MyanmarAung’s shares two stories that demonstrate the need for multiplication. The first is of a gifted yet frustrated evangelist who hasn’t been able to see his many converts become disciples until he was trained by Aung. The second is how many of the larger Burmese groups around Aung only knew how to divide instead of multiply.

But paradigm shifts are happening. Aung allows people to discover from Scripture what Jesus is inviting them to do differently. He shares how he needed to learn the importance of discovery and discipleship in smaller groups himself. The pandemic (COVID-19) helped make this shift for him and others in his network as they were forced to gather for church on a smaller scale. He also highlights how getting people to practice what they are learning is key. Aung is testing the principle of discovery with both non-Christians and Christians. The results are amazing him. The Spirit is teaching both Buddhists and church leaders much better than he ever could!

Gabi in Hungary Gabi describes how vital it is to contextualise DMM training. She is doing this as she trains the Gypsy people around her. She’s remaining flexible to the way this community can apply the training. For example, she has recently been invited to continue meeting in one of the Gypsy villages. She sees how helpful applying the training in their own location will be.

Finally, Gabi and Aung speak about the challenge of seeing paradigm shifts, especially amongst traditional church leaders. Empowering everybody to lead a DBS is a difficult concept for these leaders to grasp. Gabi’s found that repeating the principles of DMM is key. Modelling how the Spirit can bring those discovery moments within the training itself is also essential.

Gabi finishes by encourages us to be led by the Spirit in stepping out and taking risks. Not letting our own expectations to bog us down. She prays that we will all see more workers raised up in the harvest around us.

We listen to Jerry and Esther share how they are engaging in spiritual conversations. Jerry is a GP obstetrician who, together with his wife Katie and children are catalyzing disciple making movement in South Australia. Jerry shares Paul Watson’s process of engaging in casual > meaningful > spiritual > discovery conversations. He also tells us how he includes his young family who he and Katie see as a vital part of their team.

Esther works amongst Persians and other central Asian Muslim people groups in Melbourne. She describes how she engages spiritually by sharing scriptures in the language and cultural context of those she connects with. She highlights the importance of relationship as she makes disciples amongst unreached people groups.

Be inspired by the stories and intentionality of these practitioners as they form team, pray and are focused on connecting spiritually with the people around them.

Today we listen to Paul King from Northern England share how he is engaging his city and starting Discovery Groups. He shares with us the spiritual condition of his nation as the church is in dramatic decline.

Paul and his wife Stella are pioneering in needy places amongst some of the poorest communities in England. Even here it can seem spiritually dry. However Paul sees it as his main job to find what he calls the 1%. Those God prepared people who are only found through abundant prayer and connecting with people widely.

Paul shares what his strategy looks like as he engages Middlesbrough. He then tells us a ‘live story’ of what it looks like to connect spiritually with people in the city. Those in whom God is already at work. We listen to how Paul seeks to establish discipleship groups by staying with the person of peace. Bringing the church to them.

Be inspired by a disciple making practitioner who is intentionally and prayerfully engaging in a western context and seeing disciples multiply around him.

Wondering how to start a Discovery Group? Listen to three fruitful practitioners in Mel, Steve (from North Queensland and PNG) and Mike (from Hong Kong). You’ll be practically equipped in learning how to start discipleship groups with lost people around you.

Here’s some keys these guys are learning as they see dozens of groups multiplying in various contexts around them:

Start and sustain it all with personal and multiplying prayer
Observe the culture
Find connection points through ‘two way hospitality’
Find and focus only on ‘People of Peace’ (those who are teachable, desperate to know God and share what they learn with others)
Connect relationally
Start ‘proto discovery bible studies’ through meaningful and spiritual conversations that lead to discovery.

Enjoy being trained by these catalysts who have seen movement take off from prayer meetings that have gone out of control!

We listen in to what God is up to through a fruitful church planter, Ben Taylor in England. You’ll be inspired by how God is multiplying disciples and churches through the powerful stories Ben shares.

Ben encourages us to keep the gift of faith we have alive since this is what God wants to grow in us the most.

As he sees demons cast out and brand new churches being started around him recently in Somerset, Ben reminds us that God’s vision is in fact a promise to us.

Finally, Ben finishes by giving us some practical steps we can take to keep our faith fresh as we pray and fast during our 40 days of prayer and fasting as a Praxeis community.

In this episode, one of our leaders, Gabi from Hungary shares about how she is multiplying leaders in Eastern Europe. Focusing on the Roma Gypsy people, Gabi and her team are being swept up in God moving powerfully amongst these people. And all in the midst of the Ukrainian war.

Since being invited to help see newly baptised gypsies discipled from Carpathia (in Ukraine), Gabi shares some of the keys and tools she’s been learning to see movement go viral and take off.

Some of the keys have been:

Training leaders to have paradigm shifts
Seeing the ‘person of peace’ as a sign from God that says “you’ve arrived”
Joining where God is already at work (in the community around the person of peace)

Gabi highlights how simplifying and contextualising the Praxeis My World* training has helped leaders shift their mindsets. The Discovery Bible Study method has also been taken and modified to fit the Roma Gypsy context.

As we listen to Gabi, we hear how a leader knows how to use and contextualise tools to help resource a movement.

Gabi ends the podcast by encourages us and praying for us. She reminds us how Jesus is the Lord of the harvest. Movement is his vision. Therefore we can be confident in him. He will show us the next steps to take. We must follow him on his terms and in his time.

to find out more about the Praxeis My World training, contact Vicki at connect@praxeis.org

In this podcast we talk to Lynda Wilson who leads us in a discussion about multiplying harvest prayer. She briefly talks about her rich history in church and prayer. Then leading us through an overview of scripture Lynda shares her journey of understanding this from a scriptural point of view. Some key pickups are

Prayer is part of the going

You multiply the harvest, you will multiply the prayer

You can’t do it alone

Prayer helped the early church with opposition and trials

Prayer isn’t seperate from discipling people

And a bunch more practical insights!

So what do we actually do once we find a person of peace? In this, our last episode of David Watson’s training, we are walked through some of the coaching and mentoring questions we can use when starting a movement. David emphasises how important it is to focus in on coaching the right people who are starting to facilitate Discovery Bible Studies (DBS).

David calls the facilitator of a group the first level of leadership in movement. He describes how all the steps of the DBS are vital to form healthy churches. It is the coaches job to develop the facilitator in the skills to form these groups through debriefing how the DBS went.

But debriefing is so much more than just coaching. Mentoring is also involved where character development takes place. David takes us through six key questions a mentor can ask. These are:

What are you doing to improve your relationship with God?
What are you doing to improve your relationship with your family?
What are you doing to improve your relationships with your community including your church?
What are you doing to understand and improve your reason that God put you here?
What are you doing to be a better employee or team member?
What are you doing to improve yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, intellectually?
Also, any problem areas?

Finally, David encourages us to give this a go. Coaching a person of peace to facilitate a DBS instead of leading a group ourselves is a big paradigm shift for many of us. We need to be willing to fail and learn from our mistakes when seeking to reach all sorts of lost people. But we need to take the first step and coach someone to start a DBS.

Resources:

David shares with us a number of counter intuitive or paradoxical statements his church planters have developed when it comes to seeing movement. These include:

Go slow to go fast
Focus on the few (or one) to win the many
Share only when and where people are ready to hear
A new / inexperienced insider is more effective than a highly trained, mature outsider
Start with creation not Christ
Its about discovery, not preaching or teaching
People learn best what they discover
Obedience is more important than knowledge
Let the lost facilitate the Discovery Bible Study
Disciple to conversion, not convert to make disciples
Prepare to spend a long time but anticipate miracle accelerations
Buildings kill church planting
Paid local leaders kill church planting
No personal evangelism so that the masses will hear
No mass evangelism so that the masses will hear
Expect the hardest places to yield the greatest results

David tells us the importance of moving on when people are not responding, remembering its not our job to convince people. He shares how Christ is the end, not the start story, highlighting how we don’t usually fall in love with a stranger.

He describes how discovery is key since people can only own what they discover. David also speaks about how all four parts of the Great Commission are necessary for replication:

Going
Making Disciples
Baptising people in churches
Teaching them to obey

Finally, David finishes this episode by challenges us to stop sinning by missing the target. We need to be aiming for God to show up and show his glory even in the hardest of places. Its often here that we will yield the greatest results!

Resource:

Engage Africa – Paradigm Shifts

David shares with us about finding People of Peace (POP) after sharing the Engage Africa ‘Person of Peace’ video. He gives us some characteristics to keep in mind when identifying POP within communities. We also hear of a story of a Person of Peace before David explains the difference between group and personal or mass evangelism.

Groups are vital when it comes to movement, however David tells us that we are likely to see 8-10 groups fail. Despite this, groups do work since they replicate more groups of disciples.

Persons of Peace are the key to seeing group evangelism. David trains using a Person of Peace game, highlighting important learnings along the way. These include how finding a Person of Peace is our single, most important prayer need we have when starting movements since it is an act of God. He also mentions how we need to be conspicuously spiritual when identifying a POP whilst connecting with a community.

Resource:

Engage Africa – Person of Peace video

This episode, David talks about the core values behind the Discovery Group process. He makes special mention of how we need to be builders of communities in our modern urban contexts since there is often a lack of community. He also emphasises the need for participation and no experts in the group for movement to happen.

Every culture, David says, has to develop its own response to love, care and worship in their own context. This allows church to form from the Discovery Group process.

If you already know about the Discovery Group process, allow David’s insights into the DNA behind it perhaps refine how we are going about starting groups around us. Something he mentions might just help you get unstuck.

Resources:

The Core Values of a Discovery Group

Engage Africa – Discovery Bible Study video

David Watson continues our summer series on starting a DMM. This episode, he starts by reflecting on the importance of prayer after showing us the ‘Prayer and Fasting’ clip from the Engage Africa video series (we recommend watching this before or after listening to this week’s episode).

Listen to David walk through one strategy of setting up a prayer network that can model prayer to others. This involves making a list of 30 people and allocate each to a day in the month. Then each day each person is contacted and is offered prayer. This is repeated each month. After a period of time each person is encouraged to ring and pray for 30 people per month too. A prayer network is rapidly formed that can contain thousands of people.

Establishing and maintaining prayer networks like this for each area that we are wanting to see movement in is our first job. However personally we also need to be praying, seeing it more and more as a lifestyle that we deeply value alongside scripture and disciple making.

Resource:

Engage Africa – Prayer and Fasting video

In this first of six episodes, we rewind the clock to April 2016 when we first had David Watson come visit Australia and train us in starting a Disciple Making Movement (DMM).

In this episode, David introduces the importance of the role of a coach in DMM. He begins by sharing with us how we need to have our favourite Christian beliefs challenged to embrace movements since everyone who wants to be a Christian is already a Christian. Our job is not to make people like our Christianity, but to help them fall in love with Jesus.

Reflecting on the average costs Western Christianity, David identifies how our role in DMM must shift so that we become coaches not players. We need to have a higher tolerance for error and releasing the need to control. People on the front edge of movements are different to those on the inside. DMM only happens if we stop trying to lead and instead begin coaching movement.

Finally, David describes how every church is essential. He hows how we can start a second track within our established churches for people keen to practice DMM principles. Others from the original track might then be inspired to join in once there is fruit.

David ends this episode by challenging us to think about what we will need to give up to see movement.

Resource:

‘Contagious Disciple Making’ – David and Paul Watson

Contagious Disciple Making: Leading Others on a Journey of Discovery

Why the incarnation is the reason that we stand in wonderment and worship!

We jump into our second podcast with Rodrick. Here we discuss how to multiply workers for the harvest field. To focus on Intentional training. This podcast is full of gold! ‘A disciple is not a disciple until they become a disciple maker’ & ‘to reach a great harvest feed you must create a great harvest force.’

I encourage you to take notes and go back over some of these comments from a proven movement leader.

Dave is speaking from India to Rodrick, an Indian movement leader who visited many of us in Australia back in 2012.

Rodrick firstly gives us an insight into what is happening across India today sharing about the spiritual darkness across much of the nation. He then dives into some of the reasons why movement is sparking. He highlights three areas:

The habit of long term prayer and fasting by exisiting believers. This models prayer to the next generation of disciples.
The Holy Spirit raising up “sons of soil” (or first generation new believers) who pray and take ownership of their own people.
The spontaneous flow of the gifts of the Holy Spirit amongst the grass-root harvest force.

Rodrick also discusses the themes of the Word of God that are being shared across the movement. These include:

Repentance from sin.
Promises of God regarding defeating the powers of darkness.

He gives insight into the western mindset of intellectual knowledge compared to experiencing God intimately. Intimacy with God, Roderick says, is what empowers.

Roderick speaks about how everyone can witness from the ‘little’ they know and have experienced. Telling others the extra details is often not helpful. Simply sharing our deliverance with others is enough. Christian witnesses are naturally super contagious.

Finally, Roderick encourages us to make the shift from being caught up in a program or relating to God in our brains to encountering God in our hearts. This he says will result in God’s anointing being increased in our lives, make us sharper and more effective.

We hear from Paul King in Middlesborough UK via a podcast done by Ben from Mission Somerset in England. As we join this podcast half way through, Paul is sharing how he is doing mission. There is so much here we can learn and be challenged to do as we listen to a sold out disciple maker share some great stories. Through the stories Paul shares, he emphasises the importance of being a 'family' and meeting each other’s needs on top of any other desire. Paul describes how their community is becoming really attractive to others. They offer an upfront spirituality which shows people how “God must be alright, since these people are alright”.

“Some people God has brought to us”, Paul says. They meet others through simply being obedient to God’s lead. One of the key learns along the way has been for Paul to open himself up to not being afraid of other people’s lifestyle choices. He has also been willing to give 12 months to a radically different ministry approach compared to what he was previously doing as a pastor.

Paul openly shares his need for financial and prayer support and some insights into kingdom giving. To partner with Paul and get in touch, check out www.libertymission.org.uk.

The podcast finishes with Paul challenging and praying for us. He urges us to stop. To offer God what we have, not worrying about what we don’t have. And ask God to multiply it.

We hear from Paul King in Middlesborough UK via a podcast done by Ben from Mission Somerset in England. As we join this podcast half way through, Paul is sharing how he is doing mission. There is so much here we can learn and be challenged to do as we listen to a sold out disciple maker share some great stories.

Paul initially saw how the Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is something that works ever since his wife, Stella, started her first Discovery Group. But Paul points out how the DBS needs to be in conjunction with loving people - something that is always costly.

He shares how they recently ran their own Tribe Time, gathering networks of people from the harvest. It all started by doing a DBS in their living room. Paul then felt led to go and pray in one of the roughest parts of Middlesborough. Paul tells the story of how he ended up sharing Jesus with the local mayor who is now reading the Bible and wanting to come and check out their next gathering!

Through the stories Paul says, he emphasiss the importance of being a 'family' and meeting each other’s needs on top of any other desire. Paul describes how this 'family' is becoming really attractive to others. They offer an upfront spirituality which shows people how “God must be alright since these people are alright”.

“Some people God has brought to us”, Paul says. They meet others through simply being obedient to God’s lead. One of the key learns along the way has been for Paul to open himself up to not being afraid of other people’s lifestyle choices. He has also been willing to give 12 months to a radically different ministry approach compared to what he was previously doing as a pastor.

Paul openly shares his need for financial and prayer support and some insights into kingdom giving. To partner with Paul and get in touch, please check out www.libertymission.org.uk.

Paul finishes by challenging and praying for us. He urges us to stop. To offer God what we have, not worrying about what we don’t have. And ask God to multiply it.

Roger joins us again to share how he has stepped back into New Zealand (NZ) amidst the many challenges facing the nation. He speaks about the key lesson of starting with a team and how thankful he is to be on mission with others.

Some of the other building blocks Roger highlights to us include the importance of perseverance and patience when it comes to seeing movement in a western and often urban context like NZ. He emphasises how God is simply requiring us to obey him. He also describes the value God has on using ordinary people (priesthood of all believers) where everyone gets to play.

Rog then gives us a special insight into what a prayer strategy has looked like as he and the team have followed God’s lead into a local town called Huntly. God has been saying to them, "the treasure is not buried very deep” in this place. They are discovering how getting God’s word as a group has been so vital. We listen to some of the stories Roger shares of the incredible welcome the team have received in this town since responding to God’s lead.

Finally, Roger encourages especially any of us who are feeling weary. To persevere as God has often spoken to him many times over the years and press into God with others and 'not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ (Galations 6:9).

This episode we have the privilege of hearing the journey of Jesus calling Roger, our Praxeis New Zealand leader, to follow him. As a young man at age 17, God launched Rog into global missions. This saw him travel the nations of Asia with YWAM. We hear how God captured Roger’s heart as he started to reveal to him what he calls God’s ‘puzzle pieces’ along the way.

Roger reflects on how one of the key missing pieces on his journey was in asking the wrong question. Instead of asking ‘how do we do church?’, Roger can now see the right question is ‘how do we make disciples?’.

You’ll be enriched by the many stories along the way that Roger shares. From nations like Japan to Scotland and back home to New Zealand. Roger shares with us the highs and lows of what it has looked like for him to respond to Jesus’ call to ‘go’.

He encourages us to keep obeying the call God has placed on our own lives. Even though there are stops and starts, God will continue to reveal the pieces of the puzzle of what he is doing. We are to simply remain dependent as we seek him and allow him to lead us and fill in the blanks along the way.

This episode we have the privilege of hearing the journey of Jesus calling Roger, our Praxeis New Zealand leader, to follow him. As a young man at age 17, God launched Rog into global missions. This saw him travel the nations of Asia with YWAM. We hear how God captured Roger’s heart as he started to reveal to him what he calls God’s ‘puzzle pieces’ along the way.

Roger reflects on how one of the key missing pieces on his journey was in asking the wrong question. Instead of asking ‘how do we do church?’, Roger can now see the right question is ‘how do we make disciples?’.

You’ll be enriched by the many stories along the way that Roger shares. From nations like Japan to Scotland and back home to New Zealand. Roger shares with us the highs and lows of what it has looked like for him to respond to Jesus’ call to ‘go’.

He encourages us to keep obeying the call God has placed on our own lives. Even though there are stops and starts, God will continue to reveal the pieces of the puzzle of what he is doing. We are to simply remain dependent as we seek him and allow him to lead us and fill in the blanks along the way.

What are the irreducible elements of movements? How can we get started? Drawing on scripture, experienced movements trainer and researcher, Stan joins Dave to answer some of these fundamental questions.

Stan begins highlighting some of the essentials of movements. Reflecting on his research of identifying 1,967 movements in the world today, Stan notices how movements often start movements. Perhaps the biggest barrier to movement he says, is the existing church and its paradigms.

But where do we start? Building a prayerful team is vital. Stan emphasises the importance of this initial group being trained and immediately training others. He lays out what he terms as 'seven core activities'. These are

Multiplying prayer Focusing on God's word Casting vision Training others Engaging with the lost Starting groupsOngoing coaching

Finally, Stan challenges us to operate from not only a truth encounter but also a power encounter approach. He warns us how comparison will always steal our joy. He urges us instead to 'lift our sails' in faithful obedience, throwing off any extra baggage. This allows God to 'blow his wind', seeing movements take off.

What are the irreducible elements of movements? How can we get started? Drawing on scripture, experienced movements trainer and researcher, Stan joins Dave to answer some of these fundamental questions.

Stan begins highlighting some of the essentials of movements. Reflecting on his research of identifying 1,967 movements in the world today, Stan notices how movements often start movements. Perhaps the biggest barrier to movement he says, is the existing church and its paradigms.

But where do we start? Building a prayerful team is vital. Stan emphasises the importance of this initial group being trained and immediately training others. He lays out what he terms as 'seven core activities'. These are

Multiplying prayer Focusing on God's word Casting vision Training others Engaging with the lost Starting groupsOngoing coaching

Finally, Stan challenges us to operate from not only a truth encounter but also a power encounter approach. He warns us how comparison will always steal our joy. He urges us instead to 'lift our sails' in faithful obedience, throwing off any extra baggage. This allows God to 'blow his wind', seeing movements take off.

We hear from Graham and Linda Wilson from New Zealand (NZ) as they gather with us for Tribe Time in Canberra. Graham and Linda carry a deep heart for prayer and global missions. They are pastoring at GraceWay Church, Hamilton NZ. Graham is also on our Praxeis board.

You’ll be greatly encouraged by listening to the wisdom and passion these guys have for the lost. They take us back into a little of their story of how God swept them up into mission, now being involved with Praxeis and DMM (Discipling Making Movement).

They both are excited about how doable DMM is for the average person. Linda shares her insights into the importance of harvest prayer and seeing it multiply. How being led by the Spirit in prayer is such a powerful way to partner with God in the harvest. She shares what this has looked like recently around Hamilton.

Graham and Linda will inspire you to persevere in prayer, never giving up. They describe how we can be confident that God will complete what he has started as we allow him to ‘take us for a ride’. Be refreshed in the excitement of being involved with God’s heart for the lost as we prayerfully obey Jesus.

We hear from Graham and Linda Wilson from New Zealand (NZ) as they gather with us for Tribe Time in Canberra. Graham and Linda carry a deep heart for prayer and global missions. They are pastoring at GraceWay Church, Hamilton NZ. Graham is also on our Praxeis board.

You’ll be greatly encouraged by listening to the wisdom and passion these guys have for the lost. They take us back into a little of their story of how God swept them up into mission, now being involved with Praxeis and DMM (Discipling Making Movement).

They both are excited about how doable DMM is for the average person. Linda shares her insights into the importance of harvest prayer and seeing it multiply. How being led by the Spirit in prayer is such a powerful way to partner with God in the harvest. She shares what this has looked like recently around Hamilton.

Graham and Linda will inspire you to persevere in prayer, never giving up. They describe how we can be confident that God will complete what he has started as we allow him to ‘take us for a ride’. Be refreshed in the excitement of being involved with God’s heart for the lost as we prayerfully obey Jesus.

Aila returns this episode as he brings a training on starting churches as we gather for ‘Tribe Time’ in Australia. Listen to Aila share stories from East Africa on some of the key principles to seeing churches birthed that can multiply disciples.

He says we need a paradigm shift. To move from focusing on the forms to the functions of church. We also need to not just engage with individuals but families to see churches start. If we begin with the vision and DNA of multiplication at the beginning, then we can expect it. In fact, Aila encourages us to create an environment for movement at the initial stages so that one can spark.

Finally, he urges us to consider what we need to stop doing when it comes to our mindset of church so we can start churches in our context.

Aila returns this episode as he brings a training on starting churches as we gather for ‘Tribe Time’ in Australia. Listen to Aila share stories from East Africa on some of the key principles to seeing churches birthed that can multiply disciples.

He says we need a paradigm shift. To move from focusing on the forms to the functions of church. We also need to not just engage with individuals but families to see churches start. If we begin with the vision and DNA of multiplication at the beginning, then we can expect it. In fact, Aila encourages us to create an environment for movement at the initial stages so that one can spark.

Finally, he urges us to consider what we need to stop doing when it comes to our mindset of church so we can start churches in our context.

Listen to Dave share on God’s vision for lostness from his second sermon at Crossway Baptist Church. Dave reflects on miraculous and inspiring stories from his and Colleen’s missionary training in Mumbai. He asks how we will respond to Jesus’ perspectives in Luke 15, describing heaven’s celebration of the lost being found. Referring to the urgency of mission in Luke 14 and 16, Jesus leaves us with a choice of either joining with heaven’s celebration of lostness or not. Get ready to surrender everything again. To be caught up in God’s heart for lostness.

Jesus' final words to His disciples were, "Go into all the world and make disciples...". More than just a statement to those present at the time, His words commission every believer throughout the ages.

This episode, we hear Dave share at Crossway Baptist (where Praxeis was birthed out of) on how Jesus left His mission in the hands of ordinary people so that every one of us gets to play a part.

Be encouraged afresh to allow Jesus and his last words form your identity as his disciple.

We hear from Steve and Mel Behrens this week. They share how they are flying in and out of indigenous communities on the Cape (Cape York, in Far North Queensland). Discovery Groups are starting that are multiplying out.

They share about how they are initially connecting into these remote places. The Behrens set up what they call 'fire-side yarns'. These are gathering where they seek to form church for the locals. They tell us how some the keys is to be really intentional when inviting people to commit to gathering. Perseverance despite opposition is also vital.

Be encouraged as you hear the Behrens' vision and some of the powerful stories of what God is doing in the lives of these spiritually hungry indigenous people.

Finally, be blessed by something very special at the end of the episode!

We hear from Steve and Mel Behrens this week. They share how they are flying in and out of indigenous communities on the Cape (Cape York, in Far North Queensland). Discovery Groups are starting that are multiplying out.

They share about how they are initially connecting into these remote places. The Behrens set up what they call 'fire-side yarns'. These are gathering where they seek to form church for the locals. They tell us how some the keys is to be really intentional when inviting people to commit to gathering. Perseverance despite opposition is also vital.

Be encouraged as you hear the Behrens' vision and some of the powerful stories of what God is doing in the lives of these spiritually hungry indigenous people.

Finally, be blessed by something very special at the end of the episode!

This is our final episode with Ralph Moore as he looks at some of the keys for multiplication in the West.

Ralph gives us a picture of how our ecclesiology (understanding of church) is what often stops multiplication. Recognising and validating simple models of church is essential. He also shares on the importance of church leadership and what qualifies someone to be a leader of a church.

Reflecting on our post-Christian culture in the West, Ralph shares how recognising simple and small forms of church is vital to see movement. He describes the pre-discipleship process of friend making as increadibly essential in seeing groups form like in Acts 2.

Finally, Ralph finishes by encouraging us that our role as leaders is to 'move people an inch closer to Jesus'. We are, as he says, in God’s great saga not to evangelise someone in a ‘hit and run’ deal. But to take time with people as we lead them to Jesus. Ralph asks us two final questions:

Who are you leading?What are you doing with your role as a leader?

This is our final episode with Ralph Moore as he looks at some of the keys for multiplication in the West.

Ralph gives us a picture of how our ecclesiology (understanding of church) is what often stops multiplication. Recognising and validating simple models of church is essential. He also shares on the importance of church leadership and what qualifies someone to be a leader of a church.

Reflecting on our post-Christian culture in the West, Ralph shares how recognising simple and small forms of church is vital to see movement. He describes the pre-discipleship process of friend making as increadibly essential in seeing groups form like in Acts 2.

Finally, Ralph finishes by encouraging us that our role as leaders is to 'move people an inch closer to Jesus'. We are, as he says, in God’s great saga not to evangelise someone in a ‘hit and run’ deal. But to take time with people as we lead them to Jesus. Ralph asks us two final questions:

Who are you leading?What are you doing with your role as a leader?

Ralph joins us again and shares with us this week about what it practically looks like to make disciples and helps us answer the question, ‘what does New Testament church look like in the West?’.

He unpacks what he calls the disciple making continuum where people are asked three simple questions:

What is God saying? What will you do about it? How can we help and pray for you?

Ralph gives us some great insights into the essentials of church by referring to ‘micro-churches’. Instead of starting with church, he urges us to allow church to emerge out of Jesus and his mission. First Christology, then missiology and finally ecclesiology.

He ends this week with three core elements of church:

Worship (for life)Communion (amongst the members)Mission (everyone has something we are doing away from our group)

You might want to listen to this episode a couple of times - its totally worth it!

Over the coming weeks we have the privilege of listening to Ralph Moore. Ralph is an American church planter and multiplier. In 1971 he started Hope Chapel in California with just 12 people. Since then up to 2500 churches have been planted through his ministry with now a quarter of a million people in churches. Ralph gives us great insight into what movement in the West looks like.

Today we will hear him share part of his early story, including his experiences as part of the Jesus Movement in the 60s and 70s. Ralph gives us a glimpse of what it looked like to be caught up in this move of God. He also shares the importance of friending people to faith and being highly accepting of the lost.

Looking back he shares how what was happening in the Jesus Movement was actually church. What was happening on Saturday nights was in many ways much bigger than what was happening on Sunday morning.

Over the coming weeks we have the privilege of listening to Ralph Moore. Ralph is an American church planter and multiplier. In 1971 he started Hope Chapel in California with just 12 people. Since then up to 2500 churches have been planted through his ministry with now a quarter of a million people in churches. Ralph gives us great insight into what movement in the West looks like.

Today we will hear him share part of his early story, including his experiences as part of the Jesus Movement in the 60s and 70s. Ralph gives us a glimpse of what it looked like to be caught up in this move of God. He also shares the importance of friending people to faith and being highly accepting of the lost.

Looking back he shares how what was happening in the Jesus Movement was actually church. What was happening on Saturday nights was in many ways much bigger than what was happening on Sunday morning.

A really great follow up podcast with Aila Tasse from Kenya as he opens up to us the importance of prayer, the role of the Spirit and forming church to see movement. He is also speaks to many of us who finds ourselves in Western contexts.

Aila shares how crucial it is to be designing our personal lives around the areas of what he calls continuous, concentrated and scheduled prayer. He then points to Acts to describe how the Spirit is the driver of movement and leads us into mission as we pray.

Aila then reveals how we need to qualify church without getting caught up in its many forms. He shares a story of how a seemingly uninterested security guard took what he heard and obeyed it back into his village. The result was four generations of churches that multiplied from Kenya into neighbouring Uganda.

Aila also shares how to see Discovery Groups become churches that multiply. He speaks about how vital it is for us to see our groups move through transition points to become church. The functions of church are more important than the numbers with baptism seen as a crucial initiation for church formation. Discovery, empowerment of ordinary people and focusing on replication are mentioned as some of the seeds to see churches multiply.

Finally Aila shares with us what he sees as keys for us in the West to see movement. He challenges us in the West that we are so often already part of many communities. We just need to be more intentional about planting the gospel. Overall, we need to either belong to a community or make a community.

As Jesus says in the Great Commission (Matthew 28), our role is to be available and obedient in his commands to ‘go’ and learn obedience. He promises to be with us and we can trust God to birth movement through simple obedience.

A really great follow up podcast with Aila Tasse from Kenya as he opens up to us the importance of prayer, the role of the Spirit and forming church to see movement. He is also speaks to many of us who finds ourselves in Western contexts.

Aila shares how crucial it is to be designing our personal lives around the areas of what he calls continuous, concentrated and scheduled prayer. He then points to Acts to describe how the Spirit is the driver of movement and leads us into mission as we pray.

Aila then reveals how we need to qualify church without getting caught up in its many forms. He shares a story of how a seemingly uninterested security guard took what he heard and obeyed it back into his village. The result was four generations of churches that multiplied from Kenya into neighbouring Uganda.

Aila also shares how to see Discovery Groups become churches that multiply. He speaks about how vital it is for us to see our groups move through transition points to become church. The functions of church are more important than the numbers with baptism seen as a crucial initiation for church formation. Discovery, empowerment of ordinary people and focusing on replication are mentioned as some of the seeds to see churches multiply.

Finally Aila shares with us what he sees as keys for us in the West to see movement. He challenges us in the West that we are so often already part of many communities. We just need to be more intentional about planting the gospel. Overall, we need to either belong to a community or make a community.

As Jesus says in the Great Commission (Matthew 28), our role is to be available and obedient in his commands to ‘go’ and learn obedience. He promises to be with us and we can trust God to birth movement through simple obedience.

We have the privilege to hear from Dr. Aila Tasse from Africa over the next two podcasts. Many of us have heard Aila share as part of the ‘Engage Africa’ training videos. Today we hear him share part of his story of seeing movements birthed in Africa.

After meeting Jesus as a Muslim teenager in northern Kenya, God soon called Aila to 14 unreached people groups (UPGs). This was through a burning bush type vision where God asked Aila, “can cabbages grow in the desert?”.

We hear from Aila how he struggled to have faith for movements amongst these people groups or ‘cabbages’. Aila describes how God had to shift some mindsets in him when it came to embracing movements. He shares how God had to tell him to ‘get out of the way’.

Since God first gave Aila a vision for northern Kenya, all 14 of these UPGs are now being engaged. Indigenous teams have been raised up for each with some seeing movement take off. This is all despite Aila once thinking “it can’t happen here”.

Fast forward to today and Aila shares how God has called him to a wider vision for East Africa. Being home to around 300 UPGs, we hear how 147 of these people groups are now being engaged with a total of 39 movements* happening.

Allow God to renew your vision of what it means to be a disciple as you listen. Aila speaks to how important it is for us to embrace Jesus’ vision to see groups of disciples established who obey his commands. He encourages us to stay intentional in obedience even when it feels like we might have failed. Jesus wants us to simply obey. We can trust God with the results.

*Aila describes a movement as at least 100 churches that go to 4 generations or more

We have the privilege to hear from Dr. Aila Tasse from Africa over the next two podcasts. Many of us have heard Aila share as part of the ‘Engage Africa’ training videos. Today we hear him share part of his story of seeing movements birthed in Africa.

After meeting Jesus as a Muslim teenager in northern Kenya, God soon called Aila to 14 unreached people groups (UPGs). This was through a burning bush type vision where God asked Aila, “can cabbages grow in the desert?”.

We hear from Aila how he struggled to have faith for movements amongst these people groups or ‘cabbages’. Aila describes how God had to shift some mindsets in him when it came to embracing movements. He shares how God had to tell him to ‘get out of the way’.

Since God first gave Aila a vision for northern Kenya, all 14 of these UPGs are now being engaged. Indigenous teams have been raised up for each with some seeing movement take off. This is all despite Aila once thinking “it can’t happen here”.

Fast forward to today and Aila shares how God has called him to a wider vision for East Africa. Being home to around 300 UPGs, we hear how 147 of these people groups are now being engaged with a total of 39 movements* happening.

Allow God to renew your vision of what it means to be a disciple as you listen. Aila speaks to how important it is for us to embrace Jesus’ vision to see groups of disciples established who obey his commands. He encourages us to stay intentional in obedience even when it feels like we might have failed. Jesus wants us to simply obey. We can trust God with the results.

*Aila describes a movement as at least 100 churches that go to 4 generations or more

Mike (from Hong Kong) catches up with us again this week. I (Dave) was meeting online with him recently and wanted to record his reflections on his time in Germany with his family.

Compared to the mostly 'non-Christian' population of Hong Kong, Mike found himself engaging with mostly 'post-Christian' Germans on this recent trip. He realised there was a whole different number of barriers to break through in this context when engaging spiritually.

Mike highlights the importance of being ready to overcome the initial defences that almost all post-Christians have towards the gospel. He shares how we can take one page out of the book of apologetics when seeking to spark spiritual conversations that lead to discovery.

He shares one story of finding a household of peace in Germany through his child's birthday party celebration. Through the example of this story and an American football anaolgy, Mike empowers us that we don't have to fear sharing with our 'post-Christian' friends when they bring up those tricky questions. We just need to spend a short period of time addressing these defensive mindsets. This will then allow people the opportunity to start a journey of discovery.

Mike finishes by praying for us to not give up on those closest friends and family members around us who we carry in our hearts. Especially those who might seem antagonistic towards God.

Get ready to allow God to speak to any fears you might have towards reaching out to those around you. Those you can see are walking away from Christianity.

As Paul says to the church in Colossae - 'walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person'.

It’s really great to have Simone Smith share some of her journey with us. Simone is from Echuca in regional Victoria, Australia.

Simone carries a God given vision for her country town. She paints a picture of how God called her to be part of his mission force. Something she didn’t expect to happen as a younger person.

Simone draws out the significance of God shifting her from what she calls egocentric prayers to catching God’s heart for the lost in prayer.

Being a young mother of four, Simone tells us how God has helped even her younger kids be actively part of praying and obeying his Word. This was a powerful insight for Simone who is now starting to see other young mums around her show hunger to pray, read and obey scripture. From being dissatisfied and frustrated in her ‘Christian bubble’, Simone highlights the breakthroughs that Bible knowledge coupled with obedience has made.

Simone also speaks about the power of practical obedience in demonstrating care towards others who need help. Answering the question within the Discovery Bible Study of ‘who can we help’ being the key. Learning to be generous by reaching out and showing tangible love is seeing lives open up all around her.

Be spurred on this week to what Simone calls a ‘riskier life’ of uncomfortable yet more fruitful obedience to Jesus.

This week we have the joy of hearing from Nazar. He is part of the Iraqi team in Sydney's western suburbs. Nazar recently shared his story with us as part of a Praxeis 'Reaching Refugees' training. He carries a vision for his own Iraqi people, especially those with disabilities.

This is a story of how Jesus has called Nazar to be his disciple. Nazar speaks openly about the challenges of being a refugee. You will hear similarities to other familiar stories like of Cornelius in Acts. Well before meeting us here in Australia, Nazar's 'prayers and gifts to the poor [back in Iraq had] come up as a memorial offering before God' (Acts 10:4).

We see how God is already powerfully at work in people of peace. These days Nazar continues to start discipling groups amongst those who Jesus called 'the least of these' from his community. His passion is that more of his own people will encounter and follow Jesus just as he has.

This is part two of our conversation with Prof Jacqualine Grey (Professor of Biblical Studies at Alphacrucis) as we continue our series on Courageous Women.

In this episode, Jacqui shares about how Jesus counter culturally treated the women of his day. We’ll see for example, how radical it would have been for Jesus to include women as his disciples. Like in the story of Mary and Martha.

The New Testament shows us how both men and women were equally valued. It would have been seen as vital that both men and women were involved in all areas of ministry and leadership in the early church. Jacqui shares how women's involvement in the New Testament church was essential if the gospel was to grow.

We also invite Jacqui to address ‘those scriptures’ that seem to limit women in some of Paul’s letters. She helps unpack some of the context behind Paul’s words to help us better understand why he said what he did.

Finally, Jacqui gives us a word of encouragement for both men and women who are called to be bold and courageous as we step into the new territory God has for us today.

We continue our series on 'Courageous Women' as we seek to affirm and encourage women on mission. We're diving deep over the next two weeks as we look at a biblical perspective on women in ministry. It's great to have Rev Prof Jacqueline Grey with us from Alphacrucis University College.

Jacqui shares some of her own background as a woman in the church who has sought to study the scriptures. She then begins to unpack some of the context women faced in New Testament times. For instance, was it normal for women to be students (disciples) during this time?

In this first of two episodes with Jacqui, we start to form a biblical basis for the value God has towards women. Looking broadly at the Old Testament, Jacqui reveals the deep significance of God including both 'male and female' in his own image.

Whether you are a man or women, you will be blessed by Jacqui's insights that she passionately shares with us over these two weeks.

Over the coming weeks we will be hearing from varioius women on mission. We will hear their stories. How they overcame difficulties and blockages.

Join us as they speak into the challenges of being in ministry and leadership. Hear how they are catalysing other women to reach out. To break through the barriers they face to follow God and his call.

We will also dive deeper into understanding a biblical basis for women in ministry and leadership as the series progresses.

We start our ‘courageous women’ podcast series this week joined by Letitia Shelton from ‘City Women’. Letitia has a remarkable story of stepping out into her community and empowering women in her city of Toowoomba (Queensland, Australia). You will be inspired by her story of how she has catalysed many into mission beyond the traditional structures of church. Letitia is a powerful voice when it comes to seeing women stepping out to become, what she calls, ‘disruptive women’.

Praxeis worker, Karen shares with us about how God is powerfully working in her home country of Sri Lanka. Karen shares of how God has changed her heart and called her and her husband, Spenser back to Sri Lanka.

As you listen, you’ll be moved by the stories. From a nation currently suffering from economic collapse. Yet hope is being planted in households. From a team of local women seeking to minister amongst the poorest of the poor in central Sri Lanka. The good news of Jesus is spreading from village to village as families comes to faith even from the sharing of dying children.

Karen shares how we can be praying for a suffering and impoverished Sri Lanka at this time. Where movement is being sparked, bringing the hope of Jesus.

Get in touch with Karen and Spenser by emailing us at connect@praxeis.org

This week we catch up with our Praxeis leader Gabi. She has been ministering amongst Gypsy refugees from Ukraine. Gabi shares how her team has been practically serving the Gypsy people since the war broke out. They have been providing emergency food relief to 177 refugee families (representing over 1000 people) across Hungary and Ukraine through the 'love project'. Listen to Gabi share of the wonderful opportunities God is opening up through this ministry amongst a desperate people.

This is part two of hearing from Wolfgang Simson. This week Wolfgang answers the question: what is the gospel? Get ready to hit 'reset' in your head and heart as Wolfgang challenges us to live by what he calls 'the constitution of the Kingdom of God'.

This week we have Wolfgang Simson from Germany share with us his powerful story and insights into church.

Coming from a Lutheran church background, Wolfgang speaks about his deep discontentment with the status quo of the Christianity around him as a young man. Carrying a passionate heart to see justice, he talks about his search for answers in communism. Finally he encounters an angel as a taxi driver one night. From then, he passionately follows Jesus, still struggling to find answers in traditional church structures. He starts learning that he needs to join in what God is doing in Muslim and then Hindu contexts.

Wolfgang confronts our religiosity as he asks us whether our church planting is helping or in fact contributing more to the problem? He has carried a strong apostolic and prophetic voice to us as the church over many years.

Get ready to be challenged. To model a type of church that is worth multiplying. To follow and obey Jesus in every area of life.

This is part two of a conversation with David Broodryk. David shares about the importance of not only lostness but also brokenness when identifying multiplying leaders. He speaks into what to look for in potential leaders. Let your faith be fuelled this week to embrace the passions God has placed on each of our hearts.

Many of us have been inspired by David Broodryk and the vision he carries. In this first of two episodes with David, we hear more about his story. David talks openly about the radical shifts that God did in his life. These include some very personal shifts of placing significance in ministry position. Or as David says, “in the work of God versus the God of the work”. David speaks about the tactical shifts that the Discovery Bible Study uncovered. The impact of David Watson and the strategic shifts he instilled. Many of these were changes God was making in some of us in Australia at the same time.

Be inspired by David as he encourages us to keep stepping out beyond our fears of failure. To take risks and even be willing to fail many times in order to see God move and change us as leaders and the world around us.

We continue to engage with what movements look like in the West. This week we hear from David Milne, a movement catalyser and coach from the 'steel city' of Wollongong, Australia. Since carrying a burden for his generation in his young adulthood, Dave has increasingly dived into participating in and studying movements.

Dave shares with us some of his learns over the years. Including the importance of seeing disciple makers belonging to a wider team. For the coaching of workers to pray and sow widely. How vital it is to journey with each other to overcome difficulties and go through paradigm shifts. These are some great insights for us to grasp from Dave who continues to empower and up-skill many across various contexts to share with others and not give up.

Be spurred on as you listen to Dave's longing for us to keep pressing into God and to maintain our focus on reaching the lost.

For this episode we have Brian Medway from Canberra share with us. Brian is a seasoned disciple making practitioner and church leader in Australia. He has carried the lost close to his heart since being transformed by Jesus as a younger man. If you find yourself in a Western context, you will be deeply encouraged by Brian to obey and share. Get ready to be challenged by Brian’s uncompromising passion for lost people. Brian confronts us with this question as believers: 'What are we willing to sacrifice in our church culture to make disciples that multiply?'

This is the second part of an interview that 'Uncle Victor' did with me (Dave). We talk with practitioners from India and Europe with the focus on movements in the West. What are the challenges of making disciples in the Western context? What is bearing fruit?

This week we listen to an interview that 'Uncle Victor' did with me (Dave). This is the first part of 2 podcasts. We talk with practitioners from India and Europe with the focus on movements in the West. What are the challenges of making disciples in the Western context? What is bearing fruit?

Listen to this powerful story as Paul King shares his story. From growing up in the estates, with an incredibly rough back ground Paul ended up in Jail, twice. Then he found Jesus and had a vision for multiplying groups in the areas he grew up in. Paul is now happily married to Stella, with a beautiful family and plants groups of disciples in the estates.

We hear from Jill Birt from Western Australia. Jill shares some recent stories of how her disciple making teams are intentionally engaging with areas of brokenness and lostness. Some of the Perth teams are learning to follow relational networks into regional areas of WA. Be inspired to take bold yet simple steps as disciple makers in engaging with the felt needs of those around us. Learn how Jesus calls us to follow him along relational lines to those who are hungry. Jill encourages us to pray the ‘BLESS’ prayer for others. A prayer strategy that is producing some exciting fruit over in the West!

Be encouraged as you listen to stories from the harvest! Ron and Paula share how they empower others to make disciples. We can all do this! Those who start groups and make disciples don't need 'deep' theological knowledge or have special training. One of the vital keys in movement is empowering everyone to 'go'. To reach relational connections and start groups right where they are. Without this incredibly important principle we won't see movement take place. You will also hear many important principles of running discovery groups (DBS). Ron and Paula invite others into their lives as they model what discipleship looks like and coach others to run discovery groups. Intentional prayer, being spiritually open and finding 'people of peace' are strategies that open communities. 'The value of one can multiply to many'. In this podcast Ron and Paula share many principles to unleash possibilities for disciple makers.

In this pod cast Steve and Mel share stories from the Cape. They share about finding a person of peace. We learn many principles as they share how they have started groups amongst the communities in far North Queensland. Looking at starting a discovery group, they talk about following relational lines and how they have listened very closely to the context. How there was immediate sharing with others within 24 hours and new groups being birthed.

Keeping things simple is the way to go! This Podcast is short and sweet. We like things short and sweet don't we! 5 simple things to do to get started in making disciples. Again we dive back into the archives and listen to Floyd McClung as he shares 5 simple ways to get started.

Francis Hoe has served ten years on the Praxeis board. Before that he was busy working in the hustle and bustle of financial investments in Singapore. In this podcast Francis shares his journey from corporate finance to prayer walking in the most surprising places. In the picture above Francis is in outback Queensland with our team there. He shares his experience of real healing as people prayed for him. Probably the line in this podcast that grabs me the most is when Francis shares where he most feels the presence of God. It might surprise and bless you.

In this podcast we are talking with Andrew Pyman, Mel Behrens and Vicki Stokes, and have an open discussion about 'what is a disciple?' Each one are great disciple makers! Instead of dealing with the strategy or method, we turn the spotlight on ourselves and our own hearts. We deal with the traditional answers of discipleship that we grew up with in Church. How did each one of us learn to become a disciple of Jesus? How do we we engage with God's word? There are some great answers such as being part of a community who values and models discipleship. We discuss how to not follow Jesus in our own strength, and being humble. How to rest with God. You will enjoy listening to these proven disciple makers who carry a vision for multiplying disciples in various mission fields. We all desire to become a disciple worth multiplying.

Our 5th holiday podcast! Here Floyd pours his heart out talking about the 6 essential characteristics of movements. What kind of disciples we are called to be? Passion oozes from his soul. His years of giving everything for God’s mission’s shines through. Everyone is called. Every place is to be reached. All are called to be missionaries. You are God’s mission force, and you can never get more called than you already are. We are signing up for what we are already apart of. Be ready to be challenged, transformed and moved, and deeply encouraged.

Welcome to the 4th holiday podcast from the archives. In this pod cast Floyd discusses models of Church. He talks about ‘Fresh expressions’ and three movement values that are transferable in many cultures, the Word, the Works and Wineskins. Of how we need to learn from where the church is exploding and how the church is to be an apostolic force today as it was in the book of Acts.

In our 3rd holiday podcast, we listen to Floyd talking about how Jesus connected with people. He identifies three kinds of people in our worlds. The crowds, the curious and the committed.

Our next Holiday podcast from the archives! In his visit with us in 2011 Floyd set the foundations! Here Floyd takes us through the structure of the Discovery Bible Study, the importance of accountability, obedience and simplicity. The ABC of a DBS or Up In Out.

Here is a link for the outline of doing a DBS

And also here

It's holidays here down under! It's the time we down tools and jump into Christmas and the summer break. So over this time we are running a series of podcasts from our archives. Floyd McClung visited us a number of times in our formation as a mission. His input was foundational. Although sadly Floyd passed away recently his voice lives on. In this podcast Floyd takes us through the parable of the sower discovery style. Make sure you read the parable (Luke chapter 8) before-hand, and stop after the podcast and ask 'what do you want me to do?'. Then commit to obey.

Meet Steve and Mel Behrens who are key leaders in the far North of Australia. They work with a broad variety of people, from immigrants, tradies and also the indigenous. We unpack 'why did you decide to go with DMM?' They also discuss how they start groups, and also give keys to plant groups amongst indigenous peoples. You will be super blessed as you listen to proven practitioners like Steve and Mel.

We continue with the theme of passion as we talk to Kelvin and Niro. We unpack how God prepares you for your call. Kelvin and Niro talk about building deeper roots too 'be' a disciple today so you can be the disciple God calls you to be tomorrow.

Today we talk with Scott and unpack a passion to 'go'. Scott and his wife Jen have laid down their Australian dream to obey Jesus' great commission. Why would they do this? This podcast un-packs passion, the willingness to sacrifice for something greater.

Today we listen to Phil Brown from the ministry of Oikos. In this podcast we ask the question 'What is Church?' Phil take us on a journey of discovery the early Church. We discuss women in leadership and ministry, making disciples, participation and grounding people deeply in faith. We need to make church simple and not more complex. Church is something everyone can do. You will be inspired and encouraged to change from 'going' to church 'being' the church right where you are.

In this podcast, we listen to a word that Jim gave as as a Praxeis community. As Covid broke out in 2020 Jim prerecorded a message for us. Jim shares his amazing story of mission. We were really blessed by his encouragement. If you have heard it before, it’s well worth listening again. If you haven’t heard it, then don’t miss out! You will be blessed.

From working on the mission field, pastoring churches Jill shares her journey as her husband Peter died in 2012. As a 60 year old widow she wondered ‘Lord what is my life going to be like now?’ Discovering God as ‘Genourous and faithful‘ in the middle of grief, Jill hung onto Jesus as God unfolded a call to being a multiplying disciple maker.

Hear how Jill shares about ‘grit’ and perseverance. Her walk with Jesus is central. Dealing with temptation to give up she shares how God walks with us through stuff, not just giving us an easy escape. She now carries a vision for multiplying disciples throughout WA. Teams are established reaching various people groups and areas.

Today we dive into one to the incredible stories of movement in the last 25 years. From the Hindu strongholds of North India the Bhojpuri Church Planting Movement began in the 1990s and continues to spread gospel light into the region of North India that has been called "the graveyard of missions."

Dave Coles is the co author with Victor John of the book 'Bhojpuri Breakthrough'. He unpacks principles of this incredible movement and how they might apply to us in the West. I hope you are inspired and want to go deeper as a result!

Many will know Stuart Robinson as a significant leader within the Aussie Church. He and his wife Margaret broke new ground as a pioneer missionary of contextualisation in South Asia. This work planted the seeds of a movement which was to grow to tens of thousands. After that he went on to be the pastor of what was to become Australia's largest Baptist Church. He is a voice well worth listening to. Now having 'retired', he has a global ministry. In this season he travels extensively into many nations. Making disciples and multiplying gospel movements amongst unreached people groups is what he lives for.

This is the third of a series of 3 podcasts with Stuart. We discuss his calling back into pastoral ministry in Australia. How do you bring transformation to church culture? The challenge of shifting culture, and multiplying disciples among Christians. If you are involved in Church ministry you will want to listen to this!

Stuart's numerous books and resources can be found at this website drstuartrobinson.com

Many will know Stuart Robinson as a significant leader within the Aussie Church. He and his wife Margaret broke new ground as a pioneer missionary of contextualisation in South Asia. This work planted the seeds of a movement which was to grow to tens of thousands. After that he went on to be the pastor of what was to become Australia's largest Baptist Church. He is a voice well worth listening to. Now having 'retired', he has a global ministry. In this season he travels extensively into many nations. Making disciples and multiplying gospel movements amongst unreached people groups is what he lives for.

This is the second of a series of 3 podcasts with Stuart. In this post Stuart shares his story seeing movement in South Asia. We discuss multiplication, contextualisation and establishing groups who grow. You will learn of the importance of the person of peace.

Stuart's numerous books and resources can be found at this website drstuartrobinson.com

Many will know Stuart Robinson as a significant leader within the Aussie Church. He and his wife Margaret broke new ground as a pioneer missionary of contextualisation in South Asia. This work planted the seeds of a movement which was to grow to tens of thousands. After that he went on to be the pastor of what was to become Australia's largest Baptist Church. He is a voice well worth listening to. Now having 'retired', he has a global ministry. In this season he travels extensively into many nations. Making disciples and multiplying gospel movements amongst unreached people groups is what he lives for.

This is the first of a series of three podcasts with Stuart. In this post we jump into his story of becoming a disciple. The early days. We learn that discipleship is not simply about knowledge but is relational. Making disciples is about prayer and the word, fellowship and mission. It rolls on the wheel of obedience. You will learn that discipleship is caught and not taught. Join us as we follow the journey of transformation. Of how God can take a kid from a poor Aussie family and transform his life through discipleship.

Stuart's numerous books and resources can be found at this website drstuartrobinson.com

We cannot have a discussion about reaching Western culture without engaging with refugees! The West has long moved past a mono-culture to a rich kaleidoscope of people groups that fill our cities. The nations have landed at our doorstep! In this podcast Lisa and Jackie share their personal journey of engaging with refugees. The ups and the downs. The opportunities and the challenges. They are actually living our their call amongst refugee communities, which gives them unique authority to share from experience.

As we began Praxeis our friend Peter Roennfeldt was very foundational. We studied the book of Acts together as we were forming team and church in the western suburbs of Melbourne. We found ourselves sitting with Peter in cafes, African restaurants and the like, reading and praying together. In this season, the story Acts and the birth of the early church became a living church planting manual for us.

Peter is unwavering in his commitment to scripture. Jesus and the early church becomes the formative model for us to learn from. It is never more relevant today as we struggle to adjust in this unusual season of COVID.

It is really worthwhile visiting Peter's website following-jesus.com. Here you will find a new equipping package for multiplying disciples. It can be can be found at this link here. He is very practical and helps us to take concrete steps today in reaching out to our neighbours. I have found Peter's material so grounded in scripture that he always stretches my mind... and practise. I hope he does the same for you.

Listen to this exciting report coming straight out the fields of Gypsy villages in Transylvania. We are hearing from Gabi Haidinger, the leader of our DMM team there, as they have focussed on this wonderful, warm and hospitable people group who face constant poverty and discrimination.

Gypsies descend from nomadic tribes in India that roamed through to Europe and the Middle East about 1000 years ago. They now live as a marginalised people, in isolated communities and villages. Struggling with often extreme poverty they live day-to-day in difficult housing on the margins of society.

The team visited this region of transylvania in Romania just before the outbreak of COVID. Being unable to return until now, they went back in nearly two year later and to their surprise people had taken the Discipleship training. Churches have been started around Discovery. Semi-illiterate people are running churches and lives are being transformed! Households are ready for baptism. They are seeing Gypsy leaders disciple others.

The context is simple, yet filled with deep spiritual hunger. The tinder is dry. The flint of the word and prayer has ignited the flame. We are looking for the raging fire to sweep through this people!

A few years ago I met Phil Alessi. Phil has a great story, of how God birthed a movement within the prison system of Indiana! The fruit of empowering 'inside' leaders to become leaders of communities is self evident. Thousands have come to Christ. In this podcast you will be blessed as we delve into principles of disciple making movements that Phil has learnt from the most surprising of places. Also, as well as the podcast you can watch Phil's story on Vimeo posted below.

If you are interested in joining us for the monthly Prison Huddle, email us at connect@praxeis.org.au

https://vimeo.com/showcase/6831756

Too many our good friend Steve Addison needs little introduction. However, if you want to learn more, or grab one of Steve’s books go to movements.net and you can find his podcast here

Steve has been studying and wrestling with the book of Acts! In this podcast, Steve takes us to the core of Acts which is the continuing mission of the risen Lord Jesus. We discuss the three foundations of Jesus’ movement, the Word of God, the Spirit and the Mission of God. These three core elements remain with us today. The book of Acts finished with God's Word unchained. It’s now our Acts 29 moment!

Stories like Jason and Myra's journey into making disciples are really important. They have grown from knowing 'about' making disciples to actually being practitioners in the game. From theory to practise. Starting as missionaries, involved in a busy communications ministry, they were challenged to move from 'packaging and broadcasting the gospel' to engaging and discipling the lost. This is what is so good about their story. There are many principles here we can learn from. We all start from our traditional answers, and learn as the Spirit leads us.

So what are the essential elements of moving from theory to Practise? Moving outside the Christian bubble, they intentionally immersed themselves in the harvest field that God had called them too. Through their kids they began building relationship with Muslim families. In this time they connected with a Praxeis hub where they lived. Church modelled in a home was both new and helpful. Through hearing stories and reading books and scriptures they had keys to move forward. Joining a community of practitioners that were living and breathing the great commission mandate of 'making disciples' proved vital for them. It's 'caught not taught'. Through prayer and more prayer, hearing God's voice they were able to move from friendship to spiritual conversation and Discovery Bible studies. We need to learn from stories like Jason and Myra's. We need many more 'workers for the harvest' (Lk10:2b) like Jason and Myra!

This week we listen to a talk I gave at our Asia Hub. I talk about movements lessons learnt from 3 seasons of life.

India - where we encountered people from the harvest coming to Christ and multiplying fast! We learnt that

The gospel in good soil multiplies (Parable of the Sower)Instantaneous multiplication (It’s fast!)It’s God’s work not oursPower encounter, prayer and the work of the Holy SpiritKey inside leaders (POP) are the best!

Season 2 we were church planting in Australia. We learnt that

The traditional church is a barrier for most non-christians in AustraliaPeople have to navigate church tradition and culture to find Jesus. Church is not ‘stage, singing and sermons’Church within movements are formed around households (oikos) and people that belong together (affinity)Discipleship is the core. Discipleship is evangelismThe gospels leaves us with one conclusion. Jesus made disciples in the harvest that multiplied If you make disciples you always get church, if you plant churches you won’t always get disciplesDon’t start with Church. Start with making disciplesThe book of ACTS is the fruit of Jesus ministry

In season 3 we focussed on Movement, DMM taking place here in Australia and the nations. some lessons we have learnt are

DBS and discovery methodologyClear Methods accelerate Movement Developing a clear strategy ofPray - Go - Disciple - MultiplyBeing driven by Core Values (Word, Spirit, Mission)The value of multiplying leaders and teamsThe importance of catalysing inside leaders, Training coaching and mentoringA saturation vision is the end goal

After farewelling Toby, we are thrilled to introduce Sue Ash, our new Praxeis Chair.

We know in Eph 4:11-12 Paul talks about the gifts God gives to help the church grow. They were apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers. The gifts God gave were ‘people gifts’. God generously gives people to help his body to grow.

Praxeis is in a new season. We are growing, and growth requires change. We are excited about the gift that Sue brings, or the gift that Sue is to Praxeis as we continue to grow.

Sue shares her own faith journey, and how she continued to follow Jesus after her husband died. Carrying depth of character and also a wealth of professional experience, Sue shares about the role of Praxeis and her own heart for the church in Australia.

The role of good governance is often poorly understood in Christian organisations. Sometimes governance is simply dismissed as unspiritual, or simply something a leader has to 'endure'. However good governance plays a vital back ground role. To use three metaphors, when governance is done well an organisation can find its wings and fly, It can build on solid foundations, it provides the skeleton and backbone for strength.

A board that seriously carries the vision and mission of Jesus to make disciples amongst all the nations is a great gift to many people who have decided that Praxeis is their ’tribe’. A good board says to those disciples who have passionately laid down their lives for Jesus and his mission ... ‘go for it, we’ve got your back’.

Welcome Sue.

Meet Mike, a great guy working in Hong Kong! Mike and his wife Alice are leaders of our Praxeis team in that great city. Listen to his story starting as a Buddhist Hawaiian to becoming a Jesus follower after reading the gospel of John chapter 3.

Becoming dissatisfied with ‘ordinary’ evangelism methods, he bumped into Grant, a movement worker who shared about disciple making movements which created hunger for more and changed Mike's paradigms! Now Mike is a disciple maker and multiplier of workers in Hong Kong.

Jesus teaching in Luke chapter 10 caused Mike to ‘Go’ in a way he had never done before. This teaching has shaped his methodology. He began to go and find God prepared people in the Harvest. We learn from Mike the power of the Word, listening to Jesus and obeying the Spirit. And importantly, how this is a continual process for all of us.

Mike shares about creating team, starting with praying for workers for the harvest and the importance of ‘desperate’ prayer. Now with over 30 DBS's in the harvest they are starting to see households being baptised.

‘We were a company of friends who became desperate for God to show up’

You will really love this podcast, and be encouraged by Mike and his infectious enthusiasm ... and more than that, you will be challenged to obey Jesus to go into the harvest in the way he commands in Luke 10.

Disciple Making Movements are growing exponentially around the globe. In hard to reach places, amongst the most unlikely scenarios, often amidst severe persecution. Currently there are well over 1000 explosive movements under way. Where are they not taking root? In the West. The Western world (Europe, North America, Australia etc) is traditionally the heartland and centre of Christianity. But the Church is in great decline in places like Europe. Increasingly the church, once the centre of culture and society, is now on the margins. The West is a unique missionary challenge as it is a Post-Christian Culture.

Much can be said here. But when I see leaders taking risks, stepping outside the normal traditions of church culture and reaching the harvest, I am all ears.

Meet Paul working in Middlesbrough in the north of England, and Ben working in Somerset, in the south of England. Both have had to step out of the church, take risks and go through the struggle of reshaping their lives internally and in practice. They are bearing fruit. I am deeply encouraged by these guys! If movements are to be birthed in the West it will be birthed by risk taking apostolic leaders like these.

You can read more about Ben's ministry here https://benandcatherine.org and here https://www.missionsomerset.co.uk

Indonesia is a great nation! 'Daly' is coaching many teams and leaders in the principles of disciple making movement throughout Indonesia. So far 4 'Hubs have been established and a number of key leaders are being developed in various ares. Around each key leader there are teams who start discovery groups.

Join us as we explore an emerging work in Indonesia. We discuss the importance of internalising the disicpleship DNA, before we try and replicate it in others. How to start where you are, and how to identify new leaders. Daly also shares with us his 6 core essentials that he trains at every level.

Indonesia is confronting a huge challenge with COVID. We are taking an offering for this need. More information can be found here.

Even though Covid has resulted in the postponement of onsite gatherings and training recently, God is doing many amazing things among the workers there.

One leader reports that there are 43 groups gathering. Amazingly some even meeting in the most dangerous of locations, amongst areas normal associated with high persecution.

Another group are seeing a movement among women. They tell the story of a woman, previously from another faith, who was doing discovery with women around her. When she met some nominal christians she was able to encourage them to also start a discovery group. This story has encouraged boldness among the team.

For security purposes names and places have been changed

Welcome to our new podcast 'Conversation as you Go'. We start this week talking with our past Chair Toby Hall.

Toby has been chair of Praxeis for 10 years, and sadly his tenure is up. We wanted to say a huge thanks to Toby for all his hard work, and also hear any input he might have.

It was a fantastic conversation with Toby, to hear his heart as we look back at what God has done, the future of the Church in the West and vision for the future.