blog
Principles of Time: Why Formation Requires Proximity
By Peyton Jones If the patterns of Jesus’s life show us how he spent time with his disciples, the principles of time explain why that time mattered. Jesus did not simply accumulate hours with people. He was not aimlessly available. His use of time was purposeful, relational, and deeply formative. Time, in Jesus’s hands, was…
Read MoreDisciple Making Drift: The Cost of Outsourcing Disciple Making to Professionals
Most Christians don’t think they’re qualified to make disciples. They assume that work belongs to someone else. Someone trained. Someone credentialed. Someone paid. Disciple making, in their mind, is the responsibility of pastors and church staff, not ordinary believers. That assumption didn’t appear out of nowhere. Over time, the church has professionalized spiritual formation. Counseling,…
Read MoreDisciple Making on the Front Lines: Leiloni in Florida
For Leiloni Holder, who lives in Florida, disciple making does not begin with a program or a prescribed pathway. It begins with presence. That posture has shaped her ministry for years, even before she had language for why it mattered. Looking back, Leiloni describes her earlier approach to disciple making in a way that will…
Read MorePre-Conference at Exponential Conference: Church Plantology
The Art and Science of Planting Churches The world has changed. The mission hasn’t. But the way we plant churches has to reckon honestly with both. That’s why, ahead of Exponential Global 2026, we’re hosting a Pre-Conference experience powered by NewBreed Training called Church Plantology: The Art and Science of Planting Churches, a two-day reset…
Read MoreTime: Where Disciples Are Formed
By Peyton Jones If disciple-making were primarily about information, Jesus could have accomplished it in months. He was the greatest teacher who ever lived. He could have delivered the Sermon on the Mount, handed out a curriculum, and sent his followers on their way. But that is not what he did. Instead, Jesus chose a…
Read MoreDisciple Making Drift: How Church Growth Metrics Hijacked Formation
We measure what matters. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves. In reality, we measure what’s visible. What’s countable. What fits neatly into a spreadsheet or a quarterly report. And over time, those measurements reflect our priorities and begin to shape them. Attendance is easy to measure. Obedience is not. Formation is slow, uneven, and…
Read MoreThe Discipology of Jesus: Why We Needed a New Word
Jesus is teaching again. A crowd has gathered—some curious, some skeptical, some hopeful. They lean in, waiting for clarity. They want answers. They want direction. They want something they can understand, agree with, and maybe even repeat to others. Jesus begins to speak. “A farmer went out to sow his seed…” And almost immediately, things…
Read MoreThe Discipology of Jesus: Why We Needed a New Word
By Peyton Jones Sometimes the hardest problems to solve are the ones we think we already understand. Discipleship is one of those words. It is familiar. Comfortable. Frequently used. And yet, despite decades of conversation, conferences, and curriculum, disciple-making remains one of the church’s most persistent struggles. We talk about it constantly, but we rarely…
Read MoreDisciple Making Drift: The Shift from “Follow Me” to “Believe This”
Jesus didn’t begin with a list of beliefs. When he stepped onto the scene, his invitation was remarkably simple: “Follow me.” Not agree with this. Not understand this. Not even believe this—at least not at first. He invited people into proximity. Into movement. Into a shared life. The disciples learned by following and changed as…
Read MoreThe Disciple-Making Dilemma Beneath Our Best Intentions
No one in church leadership thinks disciple-making is optional. Across denominations, networks, and traditions, disciple-making is one of the few things we all agree on. It shows up in mission statements. It fills conference schedules. It fuels podcasts, books, and training pipelines. If you asked a room full of pastors or ministry leaders whether making…
Read More