Growth of Disciple Making Movements
Based on sub-set of movements for which we have “Begin” dates.
Generating Disciples
A disciple making movement (DMM) or church planting movement (CPM) is defined by three characteristics.
First, there are sequential generations of growth. When an original disciple or church makes a new disciple or church, that is one generation. DMM/CPM are identified when there are at least four successful direct generations. Second, the movement is dynamic and growing. Third, the DMM is greater than approximately 1,000 believers or CPM are greater than approximately 100 churches.
# of Movements in Stages
Increase in Churches Over Time
Global Fruit Ripening
A harvest is being celebrated due to research results of quantifiable disciple making movements. Sources informing the missional information community include members of networks and networks of movements. Some are quite large, in the millions, while others are quite small, numbering a few thousand.
DMM/CPM continue to grow with the number of known mature movements over 1,950 and over 1,750 pre-movements and 1,750 initial movements in 2022. And these are only what are known so far. In other words, these figures are a conservative ‘floor’, not an estimate of the ‘ceiling.’
DMM researchers estimate that there are 100+ million professing disciples due to DMM.
DMM researchers estimate that there are 100+ million professing disciples (not all baptized) due to DMM, making around 1 percent of the world part of a DMM. Additionally, researchers estimate that there are over 9 million churches emerging from or part of a CPM. Understanding that most of these churches are ‘house churches’ with an average of 14 disciples per church, there are more house churches in CPM than churches in traditional denominations.
