7d • General discussion
Why We Do What We Do
Recent church research cited by disciple-making organizations reports:
- Fewer than 5% of U.S. churches have a true reproducing disciple-making culture (where disciples make disciples consistently).
If applied to the 370,000 estimate:
0.05 \times 370,000 = 18,500
That means approximately:
- ~18,500 churches may be functioning as true disciple-making churches
- ~351,500 churches may gather people but are not multiplying disciples in a measurable way
The bigger issue: attendance ≠ discipleship
A lot of churches are strong at:
- gathering crowds
- weekend services
- events
- programs
But many struggle with:
- personal mentoring
- accountability
- leadership multiplication
- sending disciples to make disciples
That’s why many ministry leaders describe the American church as having a discipleship gap—lots of churches, but relatively few intentionally building disciple-makers.
A simple way to say it
If you’re teaching or speaking on this, a concise statement would be:
The United States has roughly 370,000 churches, but research suggests fewer than 5% are effectively making reproducing disciples—meaning only about 18,500 churches may be doing discipleship the way Jesus modeled it.
3
6 comments
Why We Do What We Do
powered by
skool.com/discipleship-team-builder-4874
Helping believers follow Jesus, grow as leaders, and make disciples through authentic community and accountability.
Suggested communities
Powered by