Building a Thriving Church Health Ecosystem Part 3: A Multiplication Mindset
- Ian Duncum
- May 25
- 9 min read
THRIVING TOGETHER BLOG INTRO
For many years, I have shared both the pain and joys of those who work with churches. Like many of you, I have often wondered if there are better ways to thrive together and make a missional impact on our world. It’s not about trying harder; it’s about doing different things in new ways. This involves interrupting our routines and reflecting on our practices.
As a pastoral supervisor, trainer, lecturer, and consultant for churches and non-profits, I strive to provide valuable insights. I hope my posts serve as refreshing water for those planted in churches and leading denominations so we can thrive together.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Or you can reach out to me through my website: www.ianduncum.com.au.
Building a Thriving Church Health Ecosystem Part 3:
A Multiplication Mindset
Ian Duncum
A multiplication mindset is important for two reasons. Firstly, Jesus spoke about and practised multiplication (eg Mat 13:1-23, Mat 25:14-30), the disciples practiced it (eg Mat 28:19) through example, relationship-building and teaching, and it was the methodology of Paul (eg his third missionary journey established church plants in key cities such as Ephesus and Corinth that were church planting hubs in the region; "I have trailblazed a preaching of the Message of Jesus all the way from Jerusalem far into north-western Greece" (Rom 15:19 MSG) such that he could say that "there is no more pioneering work to be done in these parts" (Rom 15:23 MSG) [There is a message by me on Rom 15 titled "Fruitful Church' that unpacks the 3 elements of multiplication here]. Secondly, it appears that new church planting, while increasing to 1.6% (O'Neill, Exponential Australia Church Planting Report 2025), has not yet overtaken the rate of church closures in Australia (around 5%).
Multiplication is not a bolt‑on program; it’s a way of seeing the church. A healthy denominational ecosystem doesn’t just grow a few larger congregations—it multiplies disciples, leaders and churches in sustainable, reproducible ways. In this post I want to explore a multiplication mindset using Dave Ferguson’s “five levels” framework, and then ground it in practical steps for our context.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
1. From addition to multiplication
Most of us were trained to think in terms of addition: more attenders, more giving, more programs. Multiplication asks a different set of questions:[2][3][4][1]
· Are we making disciples who make disciples?
· Are we developing leaders who reproduce leaders?
· Are we planting churches that plant other churches?
Dave Ferguson and the Exponential team talk about five levels of church—from declining through to genuinely multiplying. You can think of it like this:[3][7][1][2]
1. Level 1 – Subtraction: declining.
2. Level 2 – Survival/plateau: holding ground.
3. Level 3 – Addition: growing, but mainly by adding to one site or congregation.
4. Level 4 – Reproducing: occasionally planting a new congregation, campus or church.
5. Level 5 – Multiplying: regularly reproducing disciples, leaders and churches that themselves do the same.[1][2][3]
The crucial move is not from Level 1 to 3 (declining to growing), but from Level 3 to 4 and 5—from growth that centres on one church to growth that sends, releases and reproduces.[4][2][3][1]
A helpful way to diagnose where we are is to take Ferguson’s basic question at each level and apply it across our denomination.
2. Level questions: where are we now?
Ferguson’s framework uses simple diagnostic questions tied to each level. Paraphrasing for our context:[2][3][1]
· Level 1–2 (declining/plateaued):“Are we willing to face reality and repent where needed?”
· Level 4 (reproducing):“Do we have a clear plan to reproduce disciples, leaders and congregations?”[1][2][3]
· Level 5 (multiplying):“Will we regularly send people and resources, even at cost to ourselves, so that other churches and movements can flourish?”[4][2][3][1]
Ferguson adds a crucial leadership question: “Do we have a multiplying plan, or just a growth plan?”[8][3][1]
At a denominational level that becomes:
· Are we designing systems that keep people in our churches, or systems that also send people out?
· Are our pipelines and scorecards set up to reward reproduction (new disciples, leaders, churches), or only retention?[2][3][4]
The encouraging news is that you don’t have to jump from Level 2 to Level 5 in one step. We move stage by stage, starting with the most basic level of multiplication: disciples who make disciples.
3. Multiplying disciples: making disciples who make disciples
At the disciple level, Ferguson asks: “Am I making disciples who make disciples, or just gathering attenders?”[9][4][2]
For clarity, the term 'making disciples' can be used in two ways; helping another to come into a relationship with Christ (which appears to be the primary meaning of Mat 28:19), and helping new believers grow to maturity. While in some ways it is part of a continuous process, it should be distinguished from developing leaders (see point 4 below).
Practical, sustainable steps
a. Shift the scorecard in the local church
Instead of only counting “how many attend on Sunday?”, start asking:
o “How many people are in discipling relationships?”
b. A simple move is to have every leader (including the pastor) answer, at least yearly: “Who are your two or three?” (people you are discipling to disciple others).
c. Normalise simple, reproducible discipling tools and lifestyle
Exponential and others emphasise tools that anyone can use: simple Bible reading patterns, discovery Bible studies, and accountability questions.[10][9][4]
Example:
o A suburban church runs a six‑week “How to disciple a friend” group, not just a general course.
o Participants learn a basic pattern (read, reflect, respond, reproduce) and are asked at the end: “Who could you invite into this next?”
Michael Frost outlines his framework for missional spirituality in his widely read book Surprise the World!, which summarizes this lifestyle through the B.E.L.L.S. challenge:
B - Bless others: Commit to blessing at least three people every week, including non-Christians.
E - Eat together: Share meals with others, especially non-Christians, at least three times a week.
L - Listen to the Spirit: Spend time every week listening for the direction of the Holy Spirit.
L - Learn Christ: Spend time specifically learning about Jesus' life and teachings to center your daily actions.
S - Sent by God: Understand yourself as a missionary sent into the specific places you live, work, and play.
d. Design every group with reproduction in mind
Rather than permanent, closed groups, encourage:
o apprentices in each group;
o intentional multiplication when a group reaches a certain size;
e. That might mean slower “content depth” in the short term, but greater missional reach and ownership long term.
f. Denominational support
At ecosystem level, provide:
o simple disciple‑making frameworks churches can adopt or adapt (I have used a one year mentoring, ministry practice and training program in a number of churches with young adults and seen many move into leadership in ministry or community service);
o stories of ordinary people discipling others (not just pastors);
4. Multiplying leaders: leaders who reproduce leaders
At the leadership level, Ferguson’s question becomes: “Am I a hero, or a ‘hero maker’—someone who develops others who will do more than I can?”[10][4][2][3]
In his “Hero Maker” work he outlines practices like multiplication thinking, permission‑giving, disciple‑multiplying, gift‑activating and kingdom counting. For our purposes:[4][10]
Practical, sustainable steps
a. Everyone has an apprentice. Ferguson suggests that one of the most powerful multiplication habits is: every leader has an apprentice. That applies to:[9][2][4]
o small‑group leaders,
o kids’ and youth leaders,
o worship leaders,
o especially church planters and pastors (if pastors are not regularly meeting with key existing leaders and emerging leaders, either individually and/or in groups, they are not reflecting the ministry pattern of Jesus who spent over 50% of his ministry with the twelve [Coleman, Master Plan of Evangelism] and they cannot build the capacity of individuals or their church).
b. This can feel slow at first, but it builds capacity. A church, for instance, could require that no ministry role be held alone—every core function has an assistant or apprentice.
c. Use simple apprenticeship steps. A common pattern is:
o I do, you watch.
o I do, you help.
o You do, I help.
o You do, I watch.
o You do, someone else watches.
e. Change what you celebrate. Ferguson’s challenge is to celebrate not only who you lead, but who you release.[3][4] Imagine denominational gatherings where we’re not just recognising “long service,” but also:
o pastors who have raised up new pastors;
o churches that have sent key leaders to other congregations or plants (my experience is that God blesses those churches with even more people to train and send out!);
f. Residency and leadership pipelines. In their own context, Ferguson’s church made “leadership residents” a core multiplication metric—church planters or key leaders in training over 6–12 months.[3]
Denominationally, we can:
o encourage churches to take on at least one ministry resident every year or two (and maybe fund or part-fund that instead of throwing money at failing churches);
o provide a structured pathway (coaching, learning, peer cohort);
5. Multiplying churches: churches that plant churches
At the church level, Ferguson asks:
“Is our church only about growing this congregation, or are we also sending to start others?”[1][2][3]
Practical, sustainable steps
a. Clarify your church’s “family tree.” Ferguson talks about measuring not just your own attendance but your “family tree”: the attendance of your church plus the churches you’ve planted or helped plant.[3]
This reframes success. A church that “loses” 40 people to help plant a new congregation hasn’t failed; its family tree has grown. Denominational dashboards can reflect this by:
o counting plant attendance alongside sending‑church attendance;
o recognising the “family tree growth,” not just local numbers.[3]
b. Create a sending pipeline. Sustainable planting doesn’t mean every church plants immediately. It might look like:
o Level 2–3 churches: partner in prayer and finances with a plant or replant. The straightjacket of individualised church thinking must be broken at these lower levels - there are countless ways churches can partner at levels 1 to 3.
o Level 4–5 churches: send teams and resources to plant every few years, while also coaching other planters.[1][2][3]
c. The key is that every church can have a part in multiplication, suited to their stage.
d. Start with reproducing micro‑expressions. Not every multiplication step is a fully independent church plant. In some contexts, sustainable steps include:
o starting an additional congregation time‑slot in a different demographic;
o planting a simple congregation in a nearby town, school or aged‑care facility;
e. These can be done with smaller teams and budgets, particularly when disciple‑making and leader‑multiplication are already embedded.
f. Plan for second‑generation plants. The big mindset shift is to plant with the grandchildren in mind. When you plant a new church, ask up front:
o “When will this church be ready to plant its own?”
g, Use multisite hubs as a base for further planting. Sites have an 80% five year survivability rate against 50% for a greenfield plant.
h. Denominationally, you can set the expectation (not as pressure, but as vision) that healthy plants will, in time, plant again—moving us from one‑off projects to a multiplying ecosystem.[5][6][3]
6. Sustainable multiplication: avoiding burnout and fragility
For many pastors, “multiplication” sounds like “do more, with less, faster.” That is not the invitation. The New Testament pattern is: deep discipleship and shared leadership leading to outward movement.[11][12][6]
A sustainable multiplication ecosystem will:
· Honour limits – recognising that some congregations are in recovery and need renewal before they can reproduce.
· Pace expectations – for instance, a church might commit to multiply a key ministry team every 12–24 months, not every quarter.
· Strengthen systems – governance, finances, pastoral care—so that sending doesn’t collapse the sending church.[6][11][5]
· Provide denominational scaffolding – coaching, peer learning, conflict support, and appropriate financial backing.
Ferguson emphasises that multiplying churches pay attention not only to numeric metrics but to health gauges—relational, physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of leaders. In other words, we want leaders worth multiplying, not just more leaders.[13][9]
7. A few next steps for our ecosystem
If we’re serious about a multiplication mindset across our denominations, some concrete denominational moves could be:
1. Invite churches to name their current level (1–5) using a simple self‑assessment, then choose one multiplication step appropriate to that level.[1][2][3]
2. Shift the scorecard at denominational gatherings: tell stories and show data about disciple‑making relationships, apprentices, residents and plants—not just Sunday attendance.[4][2][3]
3. Build a simple leadership residency pathway churches can plug into, so that more congregations can host and send planters and key leaders without reinventing the wheel.[2][3]
4. Normalise sending by blessing and supporting churches that release people and resources—so pastors are not penalised, practically or psychologically, for obedience to the Great Commission.[4][3]
Multiplication thinking is not about empire‑building; it is about kingdom‑building. We are not simply trying to grow “our” churches, but to join God in growing his church—in many locations, through many leaders, across generations.[9][2][4]
If we can help our churches to make disciples who make disciples, develop leaders who reproduce leaders, and plant churches that plant churches, we will, in conjunction with other ecosystem elements and by God’s grace, see church health flourish in denominations, and impact many lives across our land. [11][5][10][1][2][4][3]
Sources
© 2026 Ian Duncum. All rights reserved. I sometimes use AI tools to support my ideas and writing. No reproduction without written permission. Rev Dr Ian Duncum is a trained and accredited church consultant with over 20 years of experience with non-profit enterprises and churches across several denominations. This includes denominational leadership in church health, church planting, consultancy training, and adjunct lecturing & research in the tertiary education sector. An accredited minister with a track record of growing churches, Ian trains church consultants, facilitates training for ministers and leaders, and supervises pastors and other leaders. Ian can be contacted at ian@ianduncum.com.au.
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