Disciple Making Movements (DMM) is a new name for an old phenomenon. There are many terms used when it comes to missions such as Church Planting Movements (CPM), House Church Networks (HCN), Discovery Bible Study (DBS). On this page, I attempt to make things are easy to understand as possible for people who are new to all of these.
Definition: What is a Disciple Making Movement (DMM)?
A disciple Making Movement refers to an exponential replication of disciples of Jesus by disciples who make disciples to several iterations referred to as generations. Previously, they were referred to as Church Planting Movements (CPM) but more recently, they are referred to as Disciple Making Movements.
I refer to this as an old phenomenon with a new name because Disciple Making Movements can be found in the Bible. When you read the Acts of the apostles, you will see that as disciples moved away from Jerusalem, they made disciples along their paths. These disciples made other disciples and that is how the church multiplied.
Characteristics of Disciple Making Movements
One way of seeing the DMM is that it is a move of God that emphasizes, disciple-making, obedience to Jesus (Scriptures), and simple, easy to replicate church expressions.
As I have studied DMM books, DMM Videos and Articles, I have noticed 2 things.
- DMMs are not fixed in their expression. Each movement is different in its own way. This is what makes the churches replicate rapidly. They are allowed to reflect the culture of the community where they are.
- There are a few non-negotiables that you would find in all Disciple Making Movements. Here are the similar components.
- Multiplication of Disciples and groups (starts slow but increases rapidly after a few years. There are usually a few generations of these groups )
- Focus on obedience ( Scriptures is a major Focus, and everyone is expected to act on what they are learning)
- Easy to replicate expression of church (Church gatherings are in homes or free locations)
- Every disciple serves (When used in previously unreached areas, the locals are encouraged to lead the groups and the one who brought the good-news leaves after some time).
Disciple Making Movement Video (DMM – Video)
This video would help you understand Disciple Making Movements and the process involved. It’s a simple process but not necessarily easy to execute.
The Engine of Disciple Making Movements
Discovery Bible Study (DBS) or Discovery groups is the engine of Disciple Making Movements. These Discovery Groups are started to get non-believers to start following Jesus, then they get converted, water baptized, and from into churches that replicate other Discovery Groups. Since the new believers get converted by studying scriptures, they are not so intimidated by the process of helping other people like them to discover Jesus. Many times according to David Watson, many people start leading discovery groups even before they are baptized. And many times a whole group of people would get baptized together.
Disciple Making Movements – Pictorial
This image designed my Team Expansion will help those who like to see diagrams. They also have a testimony of how God did in 3 years through DMM what took 11 years using the traditional model.
When disciple making movements are misunderstood
When believers hear about DMM, some are happy that it answers some of the questions they have had. Some other people think that what DMM practitioners are saying is that all that we have been doing all these years (Over 1,500) years are wrong. No. That is not what we are saying at all.
James Forlines from Final Command Ministries wrote an article that address this very well. I think it is the beginning of a conversation we must continue to have so that we don’t overlook what God has done in previous decades. Read James article here
History of the Disciple Making Movement
From my study, the term Disciple Making Movement is more recent. Before now, the same movements were called Church Planting Movements. According to an article by Roy Moran one of the early participants and catalysts of a Disciple Making Movement in USA, David Garrison was the first to officially name the Movements as Church Planting Movements.
In the various books and materials that I have found online, these movements and the methodology of using the Discovery Bible Studies to disciple the lost to conversion has been around for about 30 years. You can read more about the history of the name Disciple Making Movements in Roy Moran’s article in here (Part 1 and Part 2)
Books that would help you know more about Disciple Making Movements
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Disciple Making Movement – Videos that inspire!
Testimony about Disciple Making Movements at the early stages in USA
Discussion with a veteran Disciple Making Movement Catalyst from India
Disciple Making Movement Websites
24:14 – A coalition of Disciple Making Movements or Church Planting Movements
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