What do you think?
Rate this book
Spiritual Multiplication in the Real World: Why some disciple-makers reproduce when others fail.
Why do some disciple-makers reproduce while others fail? Spiritual Multiplication in the Real World takes an in-depth look into this question and gives answers based on solid research and biblical foundations. The solutions presented are inspiring and highly practical. Best of all, the keys to fruitfulness shared are universal principles that work in the "real world." These principles will help you multiply generations of disciples, wherever you find yourself! Become A Reproducer: *Don't just make disciples. Learn to reproduce disciple-makers! *Gain an overview of the disciple-making process and how to move new believers to maturity and reproduction. *Grasp the keys to successful evangelism and multiplication in the context of a disciple-making team.
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
122 people are currently reading
607 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
April 7, 2024
I really like the beginning of this book! It is great for entering into the mission field of young adults and joining a parish. The end of the book was not particularly informative, hence the 3 star review.
Disclaimer: this is a Christian book - not Catholic - so I had to skip a handful of pages about how to plant churches. LOL like the one holy Catholic and apostolic Church isn’t already the true Bride of Christ.
Disclaimer: this is a Christian book - not Catholic - so I had to skip a handful of pages about how to plant churches. LOL like the one holy Catholic and apostolic Church isn’t already the true Bride of Christ.
September 22, 2024
Ok so my first point is that this book is not Catholic— had to skip a lot about church planting movements and individual church missions (Thankfully the Catholic Church is already missionary in her identity!!) but besides those points, I am truly the BIGGEST fan of this book. It’s easy to talk about spiritual multiplication and harder to live it and this book makes it so achievable for literally anyone! I am finding it incredibly useful + applying it to discipleships now, so I can’t even imagine how helpful it will be when I’m not doing mission full time to center my life around the biblical principle of discipleship! So many good stories and graphs for the analytical girlies such as myself.
PS it also has a lot of early FOCUS ideas and it’s very cool to circle back to their roots and creatively apply it to our ministry on college campuses + the state of evangelization in the Catholic Church!!!
PS it also has a lot of early FOCUS ideas and it’s very cool to circle back to their roots and creatively apply it to our ministry on college campuses + the state of evangelization in the Catholic Church!!!
December 26, 2020
This book was so timely for me. I've been looking for ways to improve my discipleship efforts and help build disciple-makers. Very practical, true to Scripture, and encouraging along the way. Excited to use some of what I learned to prepare for what God has planned! I would recommend this book to all Christians! It's convicting and useful in repositioning ourselves to allow God to make the most of our feeble attempts at ministry. Beautiful, beautiful book.
July 23, 2018
I had difficulty reading this book, particularly the first half. My problem was my prior association and idolization of an unhealthy discipling movement when I was a young man. I saw the damage done by elevating evangelism above other aspects of genuine discipleship, such as honesty and love. In spite of my own internal struggle in reading the book I was reminded of things I have let slip in my own walk with Jesus. While I feel his approach is lop sided instead of holistic, I do believe he has some important things to say, especially to American church folks. I appreciated very much his practical suggestions on helping people come to know Jesus and training others in sharing Jesus with the lost. I am thankful for the insights and plan to begin implementing them.
April 23, 2025
What? Oh, just my third time reading this! always a pleasure
February 8, 2024
Updating my Review (3.75 stars): I think this book has potential to create change in the American church, but it also seems difficult to implement, especially as a member. The ideals seem so high I found myself being critical. Nevertheless, I would offer this book as a potential guide to heat up a church’s zeal and vision for the Great Commission, or teach new believers a method of discipleship (in which they take the meat and spit the bones). Often times discipleship gets sadly reduced to occasional coffee chat. Enjoy my outline below!
Key Theme: Evangelism and discipleship done in a group is the most decisive contributor for success (Heb. 10:24-25);
We need like minded individuals reaching the lost together.
Elements of an effective Disciple-making Team:
1. Vision Casting from leader frequently
2. Example set by leader (Titus 2:7)
3. There are frequently offered training on how to multiply disciples (Eph 4:11-12).
4. Mentorship/ coaching is provided to members (Luke 10).
5. Small groups and Bible studies involve talking about evangelism, praying for the lost, and evangelizing together.
6. The church hosts evangelistic outreach events
7. Steadfast prayer (all throughout the Bible)
• Other Helpful Considerations:
o Retreats
o Large Vision casting events to ignite a passion.
DISCIPLESHIP TEAM MAKING PROCESS:
I. Evangelize (FISH)
1. FIND people through joining something where you have continuous stream of people.
o Learn about their lives through questions
o If you think someone is against the Gospel, consider more time in prayer for their hearts
o If you think someone is open, moved towards step 2.
2. Create an INTEREST in the Gospel (Jn. 4:7-25, 2 Cor 5:11, 20, Ps. 35:28, 40:5, 71:15).
o Show the relevance of a relationship with Jesus to current life struggles.
o Share your personal testimony
▪ Focus on how you felt before Christ why you placed your faith in Christ and how he has changed your daily life and in your heart
o Share stories of answered prayer (Ps. 105:2)
o Pray for their needs
o Let them become immersed in a group of loving Christians (Jn. 13:35)
o Help them see they have a sin problem
3. SHARE the Gospel
o This should be done within your first few interactions, or least a discussion about your faith should come up. Statistically friendship evangelism is not as successful in actually sharing the Gospel.
4. HELP them make a decision
o Challenge after some time and find out any possible hesitations
II. Establishing (Discipling): Committing yourself to someone in their process of maturity and reproducing themselves. (5 F’s)
1. Be or find a spiritual FATHER or mother who is mature in the faith for a new convert; this can by yourself (1 Cor. 4:15-17).
o Pray for and with them (Lk 22:31-32)
o Encourage them
o Teach: Ask good questions, teach obedience, and challenge them to teach others
o Model
2. FIND them a place in the family of God (get assimilated in a community)
3. Train them to eat their own FOOD (1 Pet. 2:2)
o Uses the hand training for Bible reading. Meditation is necessary to properly employ knowledge and knowledge comes from hearing, reading, studying, and memorizing; meditation equates to your thumb being able to hold an object. Without a thumb your other fingers essentially become worthless.
o “One of the dangers of intake without meditation is that you can come become very easily puffed up” (126).
o Write all of your observations and meditations
o Delight in reading the Word is the main goal.
4. FOUNDATIONS
o McNabb recommends using a set of materials that cover eseential Christian topics that set up saints for success including: The Gospel, repentance and faith, the Lordship of Christ, water baptism, Spirit Filled life, eternal judgement, assurance of salvation, suffering, spiritual warfare, spiritual disciplines
➢ A standard set of materials creates producibility and meets the general needs of every believer; adjust wherever necessary
o Modeling and showing a disciple how to live (parenting) is just as necessary to teaching the foundations
5. FREEDOM
o Make sure believers know they have power over their sin through Jesus Christ.
III. Equipping
o I Do, we do, you do, check in
o Focus on Developing Character (1Tim 3, Titus 1)
➢ The motivation for character change will come from seeing the beauty of God
➢ If a rebuke is necessary: take the log out of your eye, help them see it through a couple of examples, encourage them to get in the word, help them apply what they learn, if necessary assign homework, be there for any failures
o For deep discipleship, find people who are FAT (faithful, available, teachable); these are the people who should get the large portion of our time.
IV. Exporting: A challenge to change our considerations for how we send laborers into the harvest.
“Laborers are like manure. It stinks when they are all piled up in one place”
1. Conviction: people must have the desire to go. People should take the course “Perspective on World Christian Movement”
2. Consecration: cultivate and motivate a world Christian Heart and Lifestyle yourself first; read, pray, and surround yourself with information about the nations
3. Community: find other people who care that you may exhorted and grow in your passion for the nations.
4. Commissioning: church leaders should be identifying faithful laborers and sending them out.
i. Everyone in the church should be involved in some form of strategic role (legal advisors, business consultants, donors, prayer team leaders
ii. Be upfront that the long term laborers should be there at minimum 3-10 years
➢ “A missionary goes where they are needed not wanted, but leaves when they are wanted and not needed.”
➢ Remind others that to serve overeseas is a privilege and God never needs us!
V. Empowering
1. Authority: Jesus has given us authority as his disciples
2. Resources: Jesus is at the right hand of God and we have his Holy Spirit
3. Motivation: Cast glorious visions
➢ New disciples should be immediately challenged to share their faith; God will use them! (Jn. 4:39, Acts 9:19-22)
➢ “The best training comes on the job as you need it, not beforehand”
VI. Miscellaneous
Counteracting Lies from Satan to those who want to make discipling teams:
“You can’t plant a church… redefining a church includes: participative Bible study and worship, obedience as the mark of success, unpaid and multiple leaders in each church, groups of 10-20 believers meeting, homes or storefronts”
“You need a building… 1000’s of church builds in Europe and America are abandoned; you need disciples who make disciples”
“Those who have little training but act right away have a far greater impact than those who are well-trained but take little action.”
The Keys for making a vision a success:
1. Deep time in the word and prayer (John 15, Ps. 1)
2. You must die to distractions (Mark 4, Mt. 6:24)
a. Identify competing visions: “Some men die by shrapnel, some die by flames, most men die inch by inch, playing silly little games” – CT Studd
3. Development of a Plan
The Keys for team Success
1. Unity of Purpose
2. Have Leaders in the group, who are able to keep the group focused on the goal of evangelism.
3. Support from Church Leadership
4. Determination (1 Cor. 15:58).
a. Expect success but failure often along the way
Key Theme: Evangelism and discipleship done in a group is the most decisive contributor for success (Heb. 10:24-25);
We need like minded individuals reaching the lost together.
Elements of an effective Disciple-making Team:
1. Vision Casting from leader frequently
2. Example set by leader (Titus 2:7)
3. There are frequently offered training on how to multiply disciples (Eph 4:11-12).
4. Mentorship/ coaching is provided to members (Luke 10).
5. Small groups and Bible studies involve talking about evangelism, praying for the lost, and evangelizing together.
6. The church hosts evangelistic outreach events
7. Steadfast prayer (all throughout the Bible)
• Other Helpful Considerations:
o Retreats
o Large Vision casting events to ignite a passion.
DISCIPLESHIP TEAM MAKING PROCESS:
I. Evangelize (FISH)
1. FIND people through joining something where you have continuous stream of people.
o Learn about their lives through questions
o If you think someone is against the Gospel, consider more time in prayer for their hearts
o If you think someone is open, moved towards step 2.
2. Create an INTEREST in the Gospel (Jn. 4:7-25, 2 Cor 5:11, 20, Ps. 35:28, 40:5, 71:15).
o Show the relevance of a relationship with Jesus to current life struggles.
o Share your personal testimony
▪ Focus on how you felt before Christ why you placed your faith in Christ and how he has changed your daily life and in your heart
o Share stories of answered prayer (Ps. 105:2)
o Pray for their needs
o Let them become immersed in a group of loving Christians (Jn. 13:35)
o Help them see they have a sin problem
3. SHARE the Gospel
o This should be done within your first few interactions, or least a discussion about your faith should come up. Statistically friendship evangelism is not as successful in actually sharing the Gospel.
4. HELP them make a decision
o Challenge after some time and find out any possible hesitations
II. Establishing (Discipling): Committing yourself to someone in their process of maturity and reproducing themselves. (5 F’s)
1. Be or find a spiritual FATHER or mother who is mature in the faith for a new convert; this can by yourself (1 Cor. 4:15-17).
o Pray for and with them (Lk 22:31-32)
o Encourage them
o Teach: Ask good questions, teach obedience, and challenge them to teach others
o Model
2. FIND them a place in the family of God (get assimilated in a community)
3. Train them to eat their own FOOD (1 Pet. 2:2)
o Uses the hand training for Bible reading. Meditation is necessary to properly employ knowledge and knowledge comes from hearing, reading, studying, and memorizing; meditation equates to your thumb being able to hold an object. Without a thumb your other fingers essentially become worthless.
o “One of the dangers of intake without meditation is that you can come become very easily puffed up” (126).
o Write all of your observations and meditations
o Delight in reading the Word is the main goal.
4. FOUNDATIONS
o McNabb recommends using a set of materials that cover eseential Christian topics that set up saints for success including: The Gospel, repentance and faith, the Lordship of Christ, water baptism, Spirit Filled life, eternal judgement, assurance of salvation, suffering, spiritual warfare, spiritual disciplines
➢ A standard set of materials creates producibility and meets the general needs of every believer; adjust wherever necessary
o Modeling and showing a disciple how to live (parenting) is just as necessary to teaching the foundations
5. FREEDOM
o Make sure believers know they have power over their sin through Jesus Christ.
III. Equipping
o I Do, we do, you do, check in
o Focus on Developing Character (1Tim 3, Titus 1)
➢ The motivation for character change will come from seeing the beauty of God
➢ If a rebuke is necessary: take the log out of your eye, help them see it through a couple of examples, encourage them to get in the word, help them apply what they learn, if necessary assign homework, be there for any failures
o For deep discipleship, find people who are FAT (faithful, available, teachable); these are the people who should get the large portion of our time.
IV. Exporting: A challenge to change our considerations for how we send laborers into the harvest.
“Laborers are like manure. It stinks when they are all piled up in one place”
1. Conviction: people must have the desire to go. People should take the course “Perspective on World Christian Movement”
2. Consecration: cultivate and motivate a world Christian Heart and Lifestyle yourself first; read, pray, and surround yourself with information about the nations
3. Community: find other people who care that you may exhorted and grow in your passion for the nations.
4. Commissioning: church leaders should be identifying faithful laborers and sending them out.
i. Everyone in the church should be involved in some form of strategic role (legal advisors, business consultants, donors, prayer team leaders
ii. Be upfront that the long term laborers should be there at minimum 3-10 years
➢ “A missionary goes where they are needed not wanted, but leaves when they are wanted and not needed.”
➢ Remind others that to serve overeseas is a privilege and God never needs us!
V. Empowering
1. Authority: Jesus has given us authority as his disciples
2. Resources: Jesus is at the right hand of God and we have his Holy Spirit
3. Motivation: Cast glorious visions
➢ New disciples should be immediately challenged to share their faith; God will use them! (Jn. 4:39, Acts 9:19-22)
➢ “The best training comes on the job as you need it, not beforehand”
VI. Miscellaneous
Counteracting Lies from Satan to those who want to make discipling teams:
“You can’t plant a church… redefining a church includes: participative Bible study and worship, obedience as the mark of success, unpaid and multiple leaders in each church, groups of 10-20 believers meeting, homes or storefronts”
“You need a building… 1000’s of church builds in Europe and America are abandoned; you need disciples who make disciples”
“Those who have little training but act right away have a far greater impact than those who are well-trained but take little action.”
The Keys for making a vision a success:
1. Deep time in the word and prayer (John 15, Ps. 1)
2. You must die to distractions (Mark 4, Mt. 6:24)
a. Identify competing visions: “Some men die by shrapnel, some die by flames, most men die inch by inch, playing silly little games” – CT Studd
3. Development of a Plan
The Keys for team Success
1. Unity of Purpose
2. Have Leaders in the group, who are able to keep the group focused on the goal of evangelism.
3. Support from Church Leadership
4. Determination (1 Cor. 15:58).
a. Expect success but failure often along the way
February 19, 2021
This book was extremely helpful in better aligning my heart and mind with God's heart for making disciples of all nations. It exposed shortcomings in my understanding of evangelism/discipleship/missions and challenged me to view disciple making through a new perspective. Great read to learn more about what being a disciple maker looks like today.
February 8, 2025
I re-read this, just so that I can write a critique :)
April 14, 2021
This book is about the biblical basis of God’s heart for the lost and the most effective ways to accomplish disciple making as Christians. He uses scripture alongside real life results to show the best way to disciple believers at all levels of maturity.
I recommend this book to anyone who desires to learn about God’s heart for spiritual-multiplication and missions. I also recommend it for the person who wants to effectively pursue God’s plan of multiplication among believers in their lives. This will give you clear biblical model that can practically apply to your life.
I recommend this book to anyone who desires to learn about God’s heart for spiritual-multiplication and missions. I also recommend it for the person who wants to effectively pursue God’s plan of multiplication among believers in their lives. This will give you clear biblical model that can practically apply to your life.
April 29, 2021
The material in this book should be as ingrained in our Christian education as learning addition and subtraction in Elementary school— discipleship and multiplication is as basic as it gets, and yet lots of new information presented to me in this. I joined a Multiply group and we read this together. Honest opinion: join a Multiply group and read this, it’ll be way more impactful and meaningful than just buying the book and reading it by yourself https://www.launchglobal.org/missiona...
July 9, 2025
Spiritual Multiplication is practical where Master Plan of Evangelism is theoretical.
Great foundational reading on discipleship. Perspective shaping!! Highly recommended for all believers
- 1 ⭐️ because he failed to explain how to create multiplying AND abiding communities. Which is the danger of multiplication-focused movements.
Great foundational reading on discipleship. Perspective shaping!! Highly recommended for all believers
- 1 ⭐️ because he failed to explain how to create multiplying AND abiding communities. Which is the danger of multiplication-focused movements.
November 10, 2023
2 stars because I’m an arrogant 20
November 15, 2025
This was my second time reading this book. I’m grateful, challenged, and convicted in ways by McNabb’s zeal. I also am encouraged by McNabb’s faith that God really will save sinners through his Son by means of the labors of his people. However, I think there are several underlying dangers in the book. McNabb talks very sparsely about the local church, and may even undermine its role and importance by advocating for “Disciple-Making Teams” more prominently than the New Testament-prescribed distinctives and mission of the local church. He is quick to encourage his readers to “join a Disciple-Making Team,” and, seeing as the two are not synonymous in his mind, though they may overlap, at times it seems that the “DMT” is more significant than the local church.
Secondly, I think his language of “succeeding” and “failing” in disciple-making (see even the subtitle) is harmful. Though at points, McNabb seemed to clarify that what makes a disciple-maker “succeed” was frequency of sharing, this too was sparse and lacking further clarification. His overall emphasis seemed to be on extra-biblical methods and practices that dictate whether one is a “failed disciple-maker” or “successful disciple-maker.” Further, he primarily defined “successful disciple-makers” as those who lead many people to Christ. “Failed disciple-makers” are those who don’t lead as many people to Christ. Thus, numbers and quantifiable data were presented to describe “successful” or “failed” disciple-makers. This, to me, is a dangerous way to talk, as I think it overburdens the Christian with a concern for the result, or, to be “successful,” as opposed to encouraging the Christian to be faithful, trusting salvation to belong to the Lord. Again, I am grateful for the few instances where McNabb began to clarify his intention, though I found it lacking.
Finally, though it is good and right to expect God to work wonderfully through the individual lives of his people, McNabb offers the reader a sensational expectation for what God will do through the reader specifically, namely, as he appropriates God’s promises to Abraham to multiply his seed to the reader’s own spiritual descendants. Though there may be some principle that can be applied here, nonetheless, I am hesitant to make the leap from the promises of the redemptive Abrahamic covenant to personal evangelism. I think this emphasis also risks abridging on the ordinary (yet supernaturally significant in the gospel!) life of faithfulness in the context of a local church that the Bible commends. Must a Christian relocate overseas and lead “X” amount of people to Christ to be “successful,” “faithful?” Not necessarily. Perhaps this wasn’t precisely his intent, but the book, in my judgment, leaned in this direction.
Secondly, I think his language of “succeeding” and “failing” in disciple-making (see even the subtitle) is harmful. Though at points, McNabb seemed to clarify that what makes a disciple-maker “succeed” was frequency of sharing, this too was sparse and lacking further clarification. His overall emphasis seemed to be on extra-biblical methods and practices that dictate whether one is a “failed disciple-maker” or “successful disciple-maker.” Further, he primarily defined “successful disciple-makers” as those who lead many people to Christ. “Failed disciple-makers” are those who don’t lead as many people to Christ. Thus, numbers and quantifiable data were presented to describe “successful” or “failed” disciple-makers. This, to me, is a dangerous way to talk, as I think it overburdens the Christian with a concern for the result, or, to be “successful,” as opposed to encouraging the Christian to be faithful, trusting salvation to belong to the Lord. Again, I am grateful for the few instances where McNabb began to clarify his intention, though I found it lacking.
Finally, though it is good and right to expect God to work wonderfully through the individual lives of his people, McNabb offers the reader a sensational expectation for what God will do through the reader specifically, namely, as he appropriates God’s promises to Abraham to multiply his seed to the reader’s own spiritual descendants. Though there may be some principle that can be applied here, nonetheless, I am hesitant to make the leap from the promises of the redemptive Abrahamic covenant to personal evangelism. I think this emphasis also risks abridging on the ordinary (yet supernaturally significant in the gospel!) life of faithfulness in the context of a local church that the Bible commends. Must a Christian relocate overseas and lead “X” amount of people to Christ to be “successful,” “faithful?” Not necessarily. Perhaps this wasn’t precisely his intent, but the book, in my judgment, leaned in this direction.
April 13, 2024
I really liked this book! He made me ponder potential roles in small groups, elder vision, power in consistency, and get more energized about the process of disciple-making. Lots of good conversations came out of this one!
We must understand what God may choose to do through us is often much greater than what God does with us. What did God do with David and Svea flood? They led one boy to Christ. But as we have seen, what God did through them was much, much more. P.38
The groups that do the best job of both keeping their members grow and multiplying disciples are the groups that meet for the express purpose of being a disciple making team. P.63
Casting vision is a process, not an event. With the world, the flesh, and satanic forces ever eager to cloud our vision, we need to hear it again and again. P.71
The church is supposed to build laborers, not hospitals. It is true that armies build hospitals and care for their people, but that’s not the principle around which they organize. P.79
We began to see that evangelism involved much more than just presenting the gospel. It was a process, not an event. We needed to learn how to engage people appropriately at different stages of the process and how to help them take the next step forward. P.95
… In Christ, they were not only free from the penalty of sin, but they were also free from the power of sin. Versus like, “so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed“ (John 8:36)” p.136
Mike understood that the gospel isn’t merely Jesus helping you escape how. He can help you escape a meaningless existence on earth, too. That’s good news and important part of the gospel! P.184
“Some men die by shrapnel
Some men die by flames
Most men die inch by inch,
playing silly little games” CT Studd p.210
We must understand what God may choose to do through us is often much greater than what God does with us. What did God do with David and Svea flood? They led one boy to Christ. But as we have seen, what God did through them was much, much more. P.38
The groups that do the best job of both keeping their members grow and multiplying disciples are the groups that meet for the express purpose of being a disciple making team. P.63
Casting vision is a process, not an event. With the world, the flesh, and satanic forces ever eager to cloud our vision, we need to hear it again and again. P.71
The church is supposed to build laborers, not hospitals. It is true that armies build hospitals and care for their people, but that’s not the principle around which they organize. P.79
We began to see that evangelism involved much more than just presenting the gospel. It was a process, not an event. We needed to learn how to engage people appropriately at different stages of the process and how to help them take the next step forward. P.95
… In Christ, they were not only free from the penalty of sin, but they were also free from the power of sin. Versus like, “so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed“ (John 8:36)” p.136
Mike understood that the gospel isn’t merely Jesus helping you escape how. He can help you escape a meaningless existence on earth, too. That’s good news and important part of the gospel! P.184
“Some men die by shrapnel
Some men die by flames
Most men die inch by inch,
playing silly little games” CT Studd p.210
December 19, 2022
A very practical & challenging book on what the Great Commission actually looks like in our lives. We can talk about it all day, but what are we actually doing, what habits are we putting into practice in order to see the Commission fulfilled?
I don’t fully agree with everything that he says, but I recognize that his intent behind the book was to be provocative, to get you to take a hard look at your life and ask challenging questions. He wants to wake us up from complacency and the lies that we have been believing about spiritual multiplication.
He relies a lot on research that he has done as well as his personal experiences. The numbers are interesting and thought-provoking.
I would highly recommend reading this with a group of like-minded individuals. The whole point of the book is to go on mission in community, not in isolation.
I don’t fully agree with everything that he says, but I recognize that his intent behind the book was to be provocative, to get you to take a hard look at your life and ask challenging questions. He wants to wake us up from complacency and the lies that we have been believing about spiritual multiplication.
He relies a lot on research that he has done as well as his personal experiences. The numbers are interesting and thought-provoking.
I would highly recommend reading this with a group of like-minded individuals. The whole point of the book is to go on mission in community, not in isolation.
July 25, 2025
“Individual laborers are not miniature bodies of Christ. When we study spiritual gifts, we quickly recognize that no believer has all of the gifts, and because of this, we need each other. However, when it comes to disciple-making, somehow we tend to think that individuals can go out and do it on their own. This is a root cause of why so many fail to reproduce.”
Very challenging. Read this as a part of a 10-week discipleship making group through my church. Still working through what this should look like in my life.
I am grateful, though, that, as the author says, God “can take even our most feeble efforts and do more with them than we ever imagined.”
Lord, rid me of my excuses and make me faithful to consistently take the next best step toward becoming like Jesus!
Very challenging. Read this as a part of a 10-week discipleship making group through my church. Still working through what this should look like in my life.
I am grateful, though, that, as the author says, God “can take even our most feeble efforts and do more with them than we ever imagined.”
Lord, rid me of my excuses and make me faithful to consistently take the next best step toward becoming like Jesus!
April 8, 2025
Second time reading this book for the Disciple Making Intensive at my church, and it’s truly just so good!! If you’re looking to learn how to make disciples of Jesus effectively, this book is for you! The only thing I slightly disagreed on was the 1:1 discipleship not being as effective as communal discipleship but I did understand where he was coming from regarding disciple making teams.
Every church and small group should embody the mission of Jesus!!
Every church and small group should embody the mission of Jesus!!
August 15, 2023
This book refreshed and challenged my perspective on what it means to be a disciple maker. God powerfully worked on my heart for the lost and unreached. McNabb does so well explaining the call, the reasoning behind the call and why the call is so important. He also gives so many practical steps in accomplishing the call, as well as numerous personal examples and stories from his own life.
I read through this book along with my disciple making team from church, and I highly recommend believers do so as well. God made me realize just how worthy and capable I am of discipling others to become disciple makers themselves. The accountability and shared vision in the group grew me immensely in my spiritual walk, and I pray that I use what I learned to grow others as well.
I read through this book along with my disciple making team from church, and I highly recommend believers do so as well. God made me realize just how worthy and capable I am of discipling others to become disciple makers themselves. The accountability and shared vision in the group grew me immensely in my spiritual walk, and I pray that I use what I learned to grow others as well.
May 22, 2024
This is a book describes what disciple-making is and how to do it. All my failures and successes in ministry so far are described in here.
Literally walks you through making disciples in every stage, not as a prescription but as a healthy and strong suggestion!
Literally walks you through making disciples in every stage, not as a prescription but as a healthy and strong suggestion!
Read
June 30, 2025I will start out by saying I do appreciate the tools discussed in this book. I strongly believe that this book helped give me more practical ways to share the gospel and encouraged me to not grow lazily in sharing especially in settings like work. I do believe some of the strategies are a bit over complicated though. I know God works in mysterious ways and I don’t want to put Him in a box, but some of the chapters I didn’t necessarily 100% agree with. This book is definitely written with solid biblical scripture and has a great backbone. I would recommend reading it but I think it would be best read with a friend/group. Just like the disciples went 2 by 2 sharing, I think this book would be best read with others too.
July 28, 2020
I love this book and it hits on a key problem I have seen in much of the church, that being the tendency to be inward or self-focused in most of what we do. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks their Christian life or small group or church is great but can't help the thought "Is this all there is to it?".
The premise of the book is that a Christian's main priority should be that which was given us in the great commission: go and make disciples of all nations and teach them everything I have commanded you. If we are teaching them everything we have been commanded then we should be teaching them to go and make disciples as well, therefore our goal should be to make disciples who make disciples. The problem is this is difficult and we have largely forgotten how to do this so Bob McNabb has given us an extremely practical "how-to" book on disciple-making in community. Others have called this book too narrow and worldly in using statistics and numbers to make its points, but I, however, very much enjoyed the pairing of Biblical passages and real-world examples and numbers to prove his concepts in terms of effectiveness. I don't believe he is saying this is the only way to do evangelism or discipleship, he is simply using the Bible and numbers to say what he has seen and believes to be the most effective.
This was the type of book for me that as I read through it immediately made me want to change how I do things. Once again, highly recommend.
The premise of the book is that a Christian's main priority should be that which was given us in the great commission: go and make disciples of all nations and teach them everything I have commanded you. If we are teaching them everything we have been commanded then we should be teaching them to go and make disciples as well, therefore our goal should be to make disciples who make disciples. The problem is this is difficult and we have largely forgotten how to do this so Bob McNabb has given us an extremely practical "how-to" book on disciple-making in community. Others have called this book too narrow and worldly in using statistics and numbers to make its points, but I, however, very much enjoyed the pairing of Biblical passages and real-world examples and numbers to prove his concepts in terms of effectiveness. I don't believe he is saying this is the only way to do evangelism or discipleship, he is simply using the Bible and numbers to say what he has seen and believes to be the most effective.
This was the type of book for me that as I read through it immediately made me want to change how I do things. Once again, highly recommend.
June 26, 2023
To all my FOCUS friends, I would HIGHLY encourage reading this resource!! It uses sometimes different but other times extremely similar language to the Missionary Discipleship Roadmap and expands further upon it, giving some awesome lives practicals and call-outs! It was very affirming to hear what we’re already taught to do in FOCUS does work in this group’s 30 years of experience, and I’ll definitely be implementing some ideas from this that I hadn’t heard explicitly stated before.
Only 4 stars though since it says some sketchy stuff throughout (esp the end) in relation to not needing authority from anyone except Christ to go and start churches (the Catholic view being that we need the blessing and commissioning of a Bishop to be on mission in any location)
Only 4 stars though since it says some sketchy stuff throughout (esp the end) in relation to not needing authority from anyone except Christ to go and start churches (the Catholic view being that we need the blessing and commissioning of a Bishop to be on mission in any location)
April 14, 2025
There is a good balance of vision casting and practical application in this book! Overall I would recommend! It challenges the way we often practice discipleship in the American church and gives biblical examples of discipleship, evangelism and multiplication.
Something that challenged me was the question McNabb offered: “Do you believe that God wants to multiply your life?” I can’t answer this with a resounding yes. I know God’s plan is to multiply his disciples across the world but do I live for God to use me in this? Do I pray unto this end?
Something that challenged me was the question McNabb offered: “Do you believe that God wants to multiply your life?” I can’t answer this with a resounding yes. I know God’s plan is to multiply his disciples across the world but do I live for God to use me in this? Do I pray unto this end?
May 22, 2024
Loved it. If you are looking for a practical guidebook, a “how to” (if you will), on the Great Commision, this is it! GO & MAKE DISCIPLES. But, how?! You might ask. This book helps you put wings & the plane & soar. We read this book with our disciple making team & discussed a chapter a week. Let me tell you, being in a group where the focus is evangelism & discipleship, it changes you! Give this book a shot. You won’t regret it. The Holy Spirit used it mightily to move in my life!
July 4, 2025
Best book on evangelism and discipleship I have read! It was extremely practical, was derived from years of real experience and showed how I can be doing so much more spiritual multiplication in the midst of an already busy life. Let’s go intentionally share Jesus and disciple believers as a lifestyle, not only when opportunities present themselves.
August 1, 2025
Finally finished the book that set the tone for my disciple-making group last spring. Being on the other side, I can clearly see how the principles introduced in this book made all the difference in reaching people. That group was one of the most transformational experiences of my time in college, and the lessons I learned set an incredible precedent for how I want to live my life going forward. This is a must read for any Christian
June 20, 2020
This book laid out for me that world evangelization IS POSSIBLE in our lifetime!!
November 22, 2021
The premise of this is helping Christ-followers learn how to effectively make disciples. “Why do some disciple-makers reproduce when others fail?”
McNabb walks through the multiplication cycle: Potential Disciple, New Disciple, Growing Disciple, and Multiplying disciple to look at universal practices and principles to bring about multiplication.
Helpful and practical.
McNabb walks through the multiplication cycle: Potential Disciple, New Disciple, Growing Disciple, and Multiplying disciple to look at universal practices and principles to bring about multiplication.
Helpful and practical.
July 23, 2025
EVERYONE should readdd!!! Seriously so good and practical and just loved it!! Feel like it put words to the dreams and visions and experiences and frustrations I’ve felt before in seeking to make disciples!! there is truly nothing greater to live for than making disciples who make disciples
April 10, 2023
Okay wow. I read this for DMI and can confidently say it changed my faith. It’s so practical and Biblically sound!! It breaks down how Jesus did ministry and the vision of spiritual multiplication that’s evident throughout the entire Bible!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews