by Dr. Adam Grill

Welcome to Week 3 of our October series, Implementing the Real Jesus in Your Church.

If you have been following along, you know the journey we started just a few weeks ago. In Week 1, your church board or leadership team gathered to anchor themselves in Real Jesus Book 1, stripping away religious traditions and re-centering on the relational, life-transforming model of Jesus. In Week 2, those leaders rolled up their sleeves and each personally discipled two people in one-to-one mentoring relationships. By the end of Week 2, you had roughly 30 deeply engaged, spiritually awakened believers.

That was the spark. Now, in Week 3, the fire catches across the wider congregation.

The Apostle Paul captured this exact multiplication mindset when writing to his spiritual son 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).

This is the moment your church shifts from passive Sunday attendance to an active, multiplying movement of disciple-making.

The Multiplication Math: From 30 to 50+ and Beyond

Let’s look at the numbers, because God designed His kingdom to grow through multiplication, not addition.

• Week 1: 10 board/core leaders go through Real Jesus Book 1.
• Week 2: Those 10 leaders each disciple 2 people = 20 new disciples + 10 leaders = 30 engaged believers.
• Week 3: Those 20 newly discipled believers each step out and disciple 2 more people. Suddenly, 40 new people are brought into intentional mentoring relationships, bringing your active core to over 70 believers: and touching every corner of your church body.

When this happens, discipleship stops being a program run by the pastoral staff and becomes the DNA of the church culture. People are no longer waiting to be fed; they are learning how to feed others.

1. How to Roll This Out Through Existing Church Structures

Scaling a church discipleship program does not mean you need to burn down your current schedule and invent 10 new ministries. In fact, sustainable multiplication happens by infusing the Jesus model into the structures you already have.

Here is how to deploy Week 3 across your existing church ecosystem:

• Small Groups: Instead of small groups remaining inward-focused fellowship circles, encourage group leaders to use structured study materials and encourage members to pair up for weekly one-to-one mentoring. If you are wondering how to start a bible study group with this DNA, keep it centered on inductive Scripture reading and obedience.
• Sunday School Classes: Transform adult Sunday school from lecture halls into interactive tables where believers discuss how to apply the Word and practice mentoring one another.
• Youth Group & Young Adults: Equip student leaders with bite-sized discipleship materials. Young people do not want watered-down programs; they want authentic faith that they can share with their classmates.
• New Members Class: Replace administrative orientation with relational discipleship from day one. Introduce new members immediately to the expectation that following Jesus means making disciples.

2. How to Train the New Disciple-Makers

The most common fear church leaders express at this stage is: "Are our people ready to disciple others? They aren't seminary graduates!"

Remember our guiding principle: No seminary degree required. Jesus trained fishermen, tax collectors, and everyday people. He gave them His Spirit, His words, and a simple pattern to follow.

To train your new disciple-makers in Week 3:

1. Keep the Curriculum Simple: Provide a clear, biblical discipleship curriculum that focuses on foundational truths, inductive Bible study, and practical obedience.
2. Model Before You Release: Remind your new mentors that they don't have to have all the answers. They simply need to share what Jesus is teaching them right now.
3. Keep Gatherings Practical: Teach them how to lead a simple 45-minute weekly conversation using the Jesus model: checking in, reading a short passage of Scripture together, discussing what it means, and praying for application.

3. Maintaining Quality and Depth as Numbers Grow

When a church experiences sudden spiritual momentum, excitement can sometimes outpace depth. How do you ensure that quality doesn't dilute as your numbers multiply from 30 to 70 and beyond?

• Focus on Life-on-Life, Not Just Classrooms: True disciple making happens in coffee shops, living rooms, and parks over open Bibles: not just in rows on Sunday morning. Keep the relational tether strong.
• Encourage Ongoing Support: Remind mentors that they are supported by church leadership. Create brief monthly check-in huddles where group leaders and mentors can share wins, troubleshoot challenges, and pray together.
• Anchor Everything in Scripture: Keep the Bible at the center of every conversation. When people anchor their lives in the Word rather than personal opinions, spiritual depth remains rock-solid no matter how large the movement grows.

4. Keeping Everyone Aligned with the Disciple Maker App

As multiplication accelerates, church leaders often face a logistical headache: How do we keep track of who is discipling whom, and how are people progressing?

This is where technology serves the kingdom. Trying to track dozens: or hundreds: of mentoring relationships on paper or scattered text messages leads to dropped balls and lost momentum.

The Disciple Maker app was built specifically to solve this challenge for churches and believers worldwide:

• Progress Tracking: Mentors and disciples can easily track their progress through Bible-based courses and daily reading plans.
• Seamless Sharing: Lessons, study guides, and notes can be shared instantly with anyone in your mentoring chain.
• Organizational Alignment: Church leaders get clear, high-level visibility into how discipleship is spreading across the congregation, ensuring that small groups and mentors stay aligned in their teaching and vision.
• Offline Accessibility: Designed for real life: whether meeting in a busy downtown cafe or in areas with limited internet connectivity.

When your congregation is equipped with the right biblical foundation and practical digital tools, discipleship becomes organic, measurable, and unstoppable.

Take the Next Step

Are you ready to see your congregation catch fire?

Visit Disciple Maker today to explore our Bible-based courses, download our resources, and download the Disciple Maker app on Google Play or the Apple App Store to empower your church's discipleship journey.

In His Grip,
Dr. Adam Grill
Lead Expert & Founder, Disciple Maker