Navigator colleague Denny Holbert has written a lovely article on his ministry, similar to mine, of helping pastors have an effective disciple-making ministry. I commend Pastoring Pastors: Cultivating a Culture of Disciplemaking in its entirety. For this blog, I just want to highlight his action steps:

Practical Steps for Pastors to Prioritize Disciplemaking

To help pastors make disciplemaking their church’s heartbeat, I guide them through these actionable steps:

1. Model It First – A disciplemaking culture starts with leadership. If pastors don’t intentionally disciple a few people, their churches won’t follow suit. I challenge them to invest deeply in a few, just as Jesus did.
2. Focus on Relationships Over Programs – Churches often mistake events for disciplemaking. I help pastors shift from running programs to fostering intentional relationships that lead to transformation.
3. Equip Others to Lead – Disciplemaking shouldn’t rest solely on the pastor’s shoulders. I encourage pastors to train and release leaders who will multiply the work.
4. Measure What Matters – Many churches track attendance and giving but fail to measure spiritual multiplication. I help pastors assess disciplemaking progress—who is growing, who is discipling others, and how the culture is shifting.
5. Make It Simple and Reproducible – Overcomplicating disciplemaking kills momentum. I work with pastors to create a process that’s clear, sustainable, and easy to replicate.

They’re all good, but I really like #4, “Measure what matters.” I wrote most recently about measurement on February 12, 2025: What Gets Measured Gets Managed. Denny suggests we count:

• Who is growing?
• Who is discipling others?
• How is the culture shifting?

The first two, especially, seem simple and doable. We should be able to identify folks who are growing, not just in increasing knowledge through Bible studies, but increasing in their discipleship skills. And then, those folks should be helping others do the same. I wrote about this recently in How To Help the Flock?

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 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. (2 Timothy 2.1, 2, NIV)