Start with Disciples. Multiply into Churches.
Dave DeVries
Director of Vinia
When I was 25, my wife and I packed up everything and moved to Castaic, California, to plant Lake Hills Community Church. We were young, passionate — and if I’m honest — pretty naive.
We had a calling, but not a roadmap.
What made the difference for us was partnership. The Missionary Church Western District didn’t just send us — they surrounded us. They gave me a coach, Steve Ogne, who helped me navigate the real challenges of starting a church. And there were plenty.
Because here’s the truth: church planting is messy. It stretches you. It exposes your weaknesses. And if you try to do it alone, it will overwhelm you.
That early experience shaped a conviction that still drives me today: we don’t plant churches alone — and we don’t start with launching services. We start with making disciples.
Start with Disciples. Not Services.
Jesus never commanded us to plant churches. He commanded us to make disciples — and promised that He would build His Church.
That changes everything.
Instead of starting churches to make disciples, we start by making disciples who multiply — and those disciples become churches. That’s not just a philosophy. It’s a pattern we see again and again when movements actually take root.
It also keeps us focused on what matters most: loving obedience, not just Sunday attendance.
A Reboot for a New Season
Since 1992, the Church Multiplication Training Center (CMTC) has been equipping planters for multiplication. We’ve partnered with over 100 organizations — denominations, networks, and mission agencies — helping catalyze new works locally and globally.
But what we’re stepping into now is more than a continuation. It’s a reboot.
We’ve taken everything we’ve learned — the wins, the failures, the lessons from decades of planting — and customized it specifically for Missionary Church planters and parent churches.
This isn’t academic. It’s practical. It’s tested. And it’s built for multiplication.
A Proven Pathway (That You Don’t Walk Alone)
CMTC is not just an event — it’s a process.
We guide leaders through a clear pathway that includes:
Assessment – discerning calling, gifting, and readiness
Coaching – walking with experienced leaders who’ve been there
Training – practical tools for disciple making and church planting
Cohorts – a monthly learning community
That last piece matters more than most people realize.
Every planter and team becomes part of a cohort — a group that meets monthly to pray, encourage, challenge, and learn together. Because real growth doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in community.
We’ve seen over and over that a learning community — where leaders are honest, prayerful, and committed to growth — is one of the most powerful accelerators of fruitfulness.
And we intentionally hold two things together:
Spiritual formation (your life with Christ)
Practical multiplication (your mission in the world)
Because one without the other won’t last.
A Call to Churches: Parent, Don’t Just Grow
If you lead a church, here’s the challenge:
Don’t just grow your church — multiply it.
One of the clearest ways to do that is by parenting a new congregation. Not just funding it. Not just cheering it on. But owning it, developing leaders, and sending people.
Yes, it costs something.
But the alternative is far more costly: a church that turns inward and slowly loses its missional edge.
This June, we’re hosting a Parenting Church Boot Camp in Detroit to help you take that step. Together, we’ll help you:
Identify and develop potential planters
Build a culture of sending, not just gathering
Understand what it really means to parent a church
Create a clear, actionable plan forward
This isn’t theory. You’ll leave with next steps you can act on immediately.
A Call to Planters: Get Clarity Before You Go
If you’re sensing a call to plant, don’t guess your way forward.
Start with discernment.
We offer a free online church planter assessment designed to help you understand how God has wired you and whether church planting is your next step. It’s not about passing or failing — it’s about clarity.
Too many planters either rush in unprepared or hesitate indefinitely. This helps you move forward wisely.
Take the Next Step: Detroit Church Planters Boot Camp
Whether you’re a church leader or a potential planter, the Boot Camp in Detroit this June is your next step.
Over three days, you’ll experience:
Hands-on disciple-making training that leads to multiplication
A framework for starting churches from the ground up
A team-based environment to build real plans
A clear on-ramp into the full CMTC process
This is the front door into a 12-month journey of training, coaching, and community designed to help you move from calling to fruitfulness.
Why This Matters Now
The Missionary Church has always been about mission.
But in this moment, we must be honest: addition won’t reach our nation and the nations among us. Only multiplication will.
And multiplication doesn’t start with buildings or services.
It starts with disciples.
Disciples who obey Jesus.
Disciples who make disciples.
Disciples who form new communities of faith.
That’s how movements happen.
Take Your Step
So here’s the invitation:
Church leaders – Step into parenting a new congregation. Join us in Detroit.
Potential planters – Take the free assessment. Get clarity.
Those ready to move – Come to Boot Camp and begin the journey.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
But you do need to take a step.
Because the future of multiplication won’t be built by people who wait.
It will be built by people who start — making disciples — and trust God to build His Church.
By: Dave DeVries
Director of Vinia
