Church Planting Isn’t the Goal

An Interview with Wayne Cordeiro

March 1, 2016

Wayne Cordeiro is known for effectively planting hundreds of churches over a long period of years, but in a recent interview with me he said, “I’m learning that Church planting isn’t the goal; discipleship is!  Church planting is actually a byproduct of biblical discipleship.” Everyone needs to let that statement soak in.

Cordeiro has shifted his focus from church planting to building up the kind of leaders that can effectively lead a ministry of any kind. He said, “The number one danger in ministry today is undertraining.” When I asked him what he is doing to raise up biblical disciples, he shared with me that his training consists of four parts.

  1. Finding the right leaders who have character, teachability, and potential.
  2. Formal training in his on-site four-year Bible college which includes theology, hermeneutics, character building, and much more.
  3. Organic face-to-face discipleship, which includes spending time together, small groups, daily devotions, journaling, mentoring, and ongoing assessment.
  4. Interns do the actual work of ministry and are then evaluated in what they do, how they do it, and the way they resolve problems. He said, “Someone asked me what I look for in young leaders. Was it skill? Competence? My answer was ‘I look at how they think. That is where it all begins.’”

Cordeiro isn’t alone in his passion for better training. Every effective church planter I’ve talked with focuses on discipleship training. The potential church planters at Ralph Moore’s church in Honolulu are involved in their small groups and training for five to seven years before they plant. Brian Bolt at City Reach Church has a year-long training school. And the list goes on.

We are learning that the heart of any future multiplication or revitalization movement in the West will begin with a re-evaluation of the importance of biblical discipleship so that nominal Christians can be transformed into followers of Jesus who make disciples. Our churches are full of nominal Christians who act more like consumers than servants. It’s time we acknowledge that fact and start raising up disciples who will take Jesus seriously and go and make disciples. That’s the only way to win back the West.


Bill Easum has a thirty-year track record of growing congregations in two denominations. His last church, which he re-started and pastored for twenty-four years, grew to be one of the largest United Methodist Churches in South Texas. His record of “evangelization” and “social justice” ministries was acknowledged by Industrial Areas Foundation in New York as one of the finest examples in North America. Since 1987 Bill has devoted his time to consulting, coaching, and speaking. Bill is the Founder and President of The Effective Church Group, formerly 21st Century Strategies.

Join Bill Easum at Exponential East where he and over 150 other speakers will focus on the conference’s theme: Becoming Five. For more on this year’s theme, you can read the FREE eBook Becoming a Level Five Multiplying Church by Exponential founders Todd Wilson & Dave Ferguson.

This article was originally published through Effective Church Group. Used with permission.

Bill Easum

Bill Easum

Bill Easum has a 30-year track record of growing congregations in two denominations. His last church, which he pastored for 24 years, grew to become the largest United Methodist Church in South Texas. Bill is the recipient of the prestigious Donald McGavran award for outstanding church leadership. Over the past 20 years, Bill has served as a consultant to congregations and denominations. He is the author of numerous best-selling books such as Church Growth HandbookHow to Reach Baby BoomersDancing With DinosaursSacred Cows Make Gourmet BurgersBeyond the Box and many more. His latest book is Effective Staffing for Vital Churches: The Essential Guide to Finding and Keeping the Right People.
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