In my role as a Church Planter in 2011, I was working with a small congregation that started a ministry to serve specifically within our community. We looked for people in our immediate neighborhoods who could use help at their homes, and then we’d organize a day for a group of us to give them…

I used to surf. Not well, but enough to learn something that has stuck with me for decades. The small waves are where you learn to ride. Most beginners ignore them. They’re watching for the big swells, the dramatic sets that lift you ten feet and carry you all the way to shore. But you…

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton Jones sits down with Todd Wilson, co-founder and former CEO of Exponential, to talk about church growth, church planting, multiplication, and Todd’s new book, How Did We Get Here? Todd shares the story behind Exponential, the influence of Bob Buford and Leadership Network, and how the modern church planting and multiplication movements were shaped by leaders working behind the scenes to “pour gas” on what God was already doing. The conversation also turns toward one of the biggest questions facing the church today: What if our current operating system is not built for multiplication? Todd explains why the American church does not just have a church planting problem, but a disciple-making and mobilization problem. If churches want to see gospel saturation, they cannot rely only on programs, platforms, or Sunday-centered ministry. They need to mobilize everyday disciple-making missionaries. Peyton and Todd also discuss the rise of consumer-driven church models, why programs do not reproduce but disciples can, and why the next generation may need permission to build new playbooks instead of simply inheriting the old ones.

Here’s something that should stop you in your tracks. The person who told you about Jesus was told by someone else. Who was told by someone else. Who was told by someone else. Pull the thread all the way back and you’ll eventually land somewhere near the first century. Near a small group of ordinary…

It’s not about what you do-it’s about who I AM! Those words stopped me in my tracks. The spoon in my hand stopped stirring and hovered over the pot, and for a moment, the clatter of dinner prep faded away. I had been pouring my heart out to God for weeks, asking how I could…

The pastor sat alone in the office at 9 p.m. The bulletin still needed proofing. The volunteer schedule sat half-built. Three texts waited for a reply. He led everything. He owned everything. And the church still was not growing. Sound familiar? You cannot revitalize a church you are holding together by yourself. Patrick Lencioni studied…