Preaching Less, Training More: A Shift Toward Disciple Making

The call to preach the gospel was highly esteemed in my childhood home. I come from a family of preachers and am deeply grateful for my ministerial heritage. I enjoy preaching, and some would even say I am good at it.

As I grew more focused on Disciple Making Movements and multiplication, however, I understood something important had to change in my ministry. My calling is not simply to preach, but to multiply disciple makers and help catalyze movements among the millions who remain unreached. That work requires far more than delivering sermons. It requires training disciples until they are equipped to train others.

Letting go of my preacher role has not been easy. Preaching comes with clear perks. Standing on a stage while hundreds (or thousands) listen feels impactful. It carries the sense that something important is happening.

Yet an uncomfortable question remains: Does my preaching result in disciples who can make disciples?

Equipping or Motivating

As I evaluated, I had to admit that, for the most part, the answer was no. I motivated people, but I rarely equipped them to multiply. When we elevate the person on the stage, we unintentionally communicate that this is what faithful Christianity looks like. Instead, we must shift our focus to equipping every believer to live as a disciple maker. This requires a shift from our emphasis on the stage to one on the circle.

Longing For Greater Impact

One Sunday in Nairobi, I saw a preacher standing behind a simple wooden pulpit under a tin roof. Only a handful of people had gathered to listen. He preached passionately, his voice booming without a microphone, sweat pouring down his face.

His devotion was admirable, but I felt sadness as we drove away. I wondered how much more fruitful it might have been if he had sat with those few listeners, read Scripture together, asked questions, and listened to their insights. What if they had practiced telling a Bible story to one another so each could share it with neighbors that very week? That kind of interaction might have produced confident disciple-makers, not just attentive listeners.

Jesus’ Model Emphasized More Than Preaching

During His three years of ministry, He preached only a handful of sermons. More often, He engaged in conversations, told stories, asked questions, and demonstrated the Kingdom through action. He trained His disciples by modeling a way of life (in a close circle of relationships), not by preaching to them in the crowds alone.

Didn’t Jesus Command Us to Go and Preach?

Why do we emphasize preaching? Part of the reason is that we misunderstand what “preach” means in Scripture. In the New Testament, the Greek words translated as “preach” are better rendered as “widely proclaim,” “publicly announce,” or even “discuss.” They do not imply standing on a stage delivering a monologue.

When Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel,” He was not commanding us to craft sermons. He was calling us to boldly and broadly announce His good news everywhere. Acts 1:8 confirms this: believers are witnesses, telling people about Jesus in every place.

I am not against preaching. I am blessed by good sermons and enjoy delivering them as well. But if our preaching does not help equip others to be effective witnesses and disciple makers, we must reconsider our approach. If we want to see Disciple Making Movements flourish and disciples multiply, we will need to preach less and train more. Only then will we see lasting, multiplying fruit.

What would it look like for you to focus more energy on training instead of preaching and sermons?

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