Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Raising Up Pastors and Church Leaders from within the Local Church

From The Forum Magazine, Winter 2025 - view the full issue here

The Vicious Cycle of Church Decline

The North American church is facing a significant and well-documented decline. Congregations are shrinking, and many churches are struggling to find their footing in an increasingly secular culture. As attendance decreases, so too does the pool of potential leaders who might feel called to serve the church. In addition, talented individuals – particularly those with leadership potential – are drawn away from ministry, often pursuing more lucrative or culturally appealing career paths, leaving a vacuum in church leadership. This decline triggers a vicious cycle: with fewer people aspiring to pastoral and church leadership roles, the church becomes even less equipped to fulfill the Great Commission. Fewer disciples are reached, fewer are nurtured, and the church continues its downward spiral. 

As the church declines, the Great Commission suffers. With fewer leaders to shepherd the flock and evangelize the world, fewer disciples are made, and the church’s ability to grow or even sustain itself diminishes. This deepens the cycle: fewer churches, fewer leaders, fewer disciples, and even more decline.

But from this troubling cycle, there is hope. In my experience, I have identified a *virtuous cycle* that moves in the opposite direction. This virtuous cycle begins with reclaiming a long-lost art within the church—disciple-making.

1. Reclaiming the Lost Art of Disciple-Making and Multiplication

At the core of the solution is a return to disciple-making, a practice that is all too often overlooked or assumed. The mandate for disciple-making comes directly from Scripture, with Jesus commissioning His followers to go into all the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).  The key activity of disciple-making is forming intentional friendships and relationships that have a particular purpose: namely, to transmit the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that the disciple understands it thoroughly and is capable of teaching others.

Yet, in many churches, the focus has shifted away from personal, one-on-one discipleship and toward more general church programs with an aim at crowd-building. While programs have their place, they are no substitute for personal, relational disciple-making.  And unfortunately, because churches have focused so much on programs, the vast majority of church members feel ill-equipped (and therefore disinclined) to personally make disciples. 

In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructs 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.” This is the model we need to reclaim. Discipleship should be personal, intentional, and replicable. The activity of disciple-making should be owned by all members of a congregation.  By investing in the spiritual growth of individuals, we are planting the seeds for future leadership. 

In our church, we advocate for a one-on-one discipleship model that follows this 2 Timothy 2:2 principle called 222Disciple. Every believer is encouraged to both be discipled and to disciple others, creating a natural multiplication of disciples. As people grow in their relationship with Christ and as they begin to disciple others, their gifts and callings start to emerge. This multiplication of disciples ultimately leads to the identification of future leaders.

2. Leadership Multiplication: Raising Up Leaders from the Harvest for the Harvest

As disciples multiply, something extraordinary happens: leaders are identified and called out from within the congregation. This identification is not forced; it happens naturally as people who are gifted in disciple-making begin to sense a deeper calling to ministry. Leadership, after all, is a natural outgrowth of discipleship.

Leadership multiplication, however, requires more than just identification; it requires intentional development. This is where churches often have faltered. Too many churches are reactive rather than proactive in developing leaders. Instead of waiting for leaders to emerge in a moment of crisis, churches need to be consistently training and equipping individuals for leadership roles.

In our ministry, we have established a partnership with Calvin Seminary and the Empower Program to offer advanced discipleship training for those who have been identified as having leadership potential. This training focuses on three key areas:

• Character: Cultivating the Christ-like character necessary for leading God’s people
• Competence: Developing the biblical, theological, and ministerial knowledge needed for effective ministry
• Craft: Learning the practical aspects of ministry, from church administration to counseling and community engagement, with a focus on creating and sustaining a movement of disciple-multiplication

By investing in the next generation of leaders through formal training and mentorship, we can ensure that the church is not only sustaining itself but is also positioned to grow and thrive in the future.

3. Church Multiplication: From Disciples to Leaders to Church Plants and Church Renewal

The natural outcome of this leadership development is church multiplication. When leaders are well-trained and equipped, they are ready to lead churches, to plant and renew congregations, and to reach new communities. Planting and renewing churches are among the most effective ways to fulfill the Great Commission because these actions place trained, passionate leaders in areas that need the Gospel.

In the last ten years, our church has planted more than 20 new churches, both in North America and overseas. These churches are led by individuals who are discipled, developed, and trained within the context of the local church. These new churches not only have reached new disciples but have also continued the cycle of multiplying disciples, multiplying leaders, and multiplying churches.  

The key to this multiplication is a focus on the Great Commission. Each of these churches is committed to making disciples who make disciples, and as a result they are growing. The virtuous cycle of multiplying disciples, multiplying leaders, and multiplying churches is self-sustaining and is rooted in the biblical model of ministry. 

The Virtuous Cycle in Action

Unlike the vicious cycle of decline, the virtuous cycle is life-giving. It begins with an intentional return to disciple-making, which naturally leads to leadership multiplication as gifted individuals sense a call to ministry. These leaders, when properly equipped, go on to plant and renew churches, which continues the work of disciple-making and leadership development. The cycle continues, not in decline, but in growth and multiplication.

A Call to Action

I am hopeful that the North American church does not have to continue in its decline. By reclaiming the lost art of disciple-making and investing in leadership development, I believe that the church can break free from the vicious cycle that is our current reality and enter into a season of growth and multiplication. The process sounds simple but is profound: multiply disciples, multiply leaders, and multiply churches.

Every church, regardless of size or location, can take steps toward this virtuous cycle. It starts with one-on-one discipleship—with individuals intentionally investing in the spiritual growth of others. From there, the Holy Spirit will call and equip leaders; and with proper training, these leaders will be ready to lead the next generation of churches.

The cycle begins with us, with each church and every believer making the decision to intentionally make and multiply disciples. From there, the future of the church is bright, and the Great Commission can be fulfilled, not just in theory but in practice.  For anyone who desires to join this virtuous cycle, training is available at www.222disciple.com.