The Global Vision For Church Planting

At [Multiply], we believe that church planting is one of the most effective ways to fulfill this mission. By multiplying churches, we create spaces where new worshipers can emerge, communities can be transformed, and the gospel can spread. Our global work is driven by the belief that God desires to bring joy-filled worshipers from every nation into His kingdom.

Our vision goes beyond simply establishing new churches. It’s about raising up local leaders who understand the unique needs of their communities. These leaders become catalysts for change, leading movements that go far beyond the initial church plant. They embody the call to make disciples of all nations, as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19-20:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

As we journey through what it looks like to spread the gospel worldwide, we invite you to walk with us, learn more about our global mission, and discover how you can play a part in it. Together, let’s work towards making His glory known throughout the earth, fulfilling God’s desire to bring the gospel to places where it has yet to be spread.

The mission: To bring worship worldwide

God’s mission to spread His glory across the nations is at the heart of everything we do. From the beginning, God’s purpose has been clear: He desires worshipers from every tribe, tongue, and nation. This vision shapes our work and drives our efforts to plant churches in communities worldwide.

In Genesis 12:1-3, God called Abraham to go and be a blessing to all nations. This foundational call reveals God’s commitment to creating a community of people dedicated to knowing and worshiping Him. Through Abraham, God declared His intention to reach the nations, and that same calling extends to us today. As followers of Christ, we are invited to share the message of Jesus with others and participate in God’s mission to make His glory known across the earth.

Theologian John Piper has said that “missions exist because worship does not.” His words are a reminder to us at [Multiply] that we are called to bring the gospel . This is the purpose of church planting: creating communities where new worshipers of Jesus can emerge, thrive, and multiply. By planting churches in regions like Rwanda, South Asia, and Mexico, we seek to bring the hope of the gospel to places that need it most. Every new church planted becomes a space for worship, discipleship, and transformation.

The Weight of Weariness: The Inside

At [Multiply], we aim to cultivate sustainable movements that multiply leaders, disciples, and churches. We believe that the power of the gospel has the potential to transform not just individuals but entire communities. Our approach to church planting includes raising up local leaders who understand the cultural context of their communities, enabling these movements to grow in a way that resonates deeply within their unique settings. We have church leaders working tirelessly to bring hope to communities through discipleship. Our leaders face unique cultural and social challenges as they share the gospel, but we are seeing families and communities being reached with practical support and the love of Christ. Each region reflects the hear of God for the nations and the way that He uses the local church to bring lasting change.

We invite you to join us in praying for our church planting partners and the communities they serve. We believe that every follower of Christ has a role to play in fulfilling the Great Commission. Whether through prayer, financial support, or volunteering, your participation makes a difference in advancing God’s kingdom. Together, let’s answer the call to bring people into the joyous purpose for which they were created. Join us as we work to make God’s glory known among the nations and build communities that worship God!

— The [multiply] team

I’m Working a Double Shift Pt. 1

Years ago, I worked as a server at TGIFriday’s and, if I’m being honest, that still may be my most favorite job of all time (currently in my call and purpose now folks. We can relax :-D). In the job title as you see, it taught me how to serve and I did that very well. The rest of the job was hard work, but it was fun, I made some lifelong friends out of some of the people I served, and most importantly it showed me the importance of serving others. For this, I am forever grateful. What I was not grateful for, however, was any time I had to work a “swing shift” or a double shift. They were long and gruesome so I happily avoided them at all costs. But there were other special shifts I wanted to work called to-go shifts. This is where you worked a normal number of tables during a regular shift, about three or four, and I would also take any to-go orders as well. It was the “easiest” way to get additional money for one shift. Sometimes it was kinda slow, maybe one to-go along with my tables. And sometimes…no. Maybe 14 to-gos with my tables. These nights were never fun. These nights felt like I was working a double shift all at once.

I appreciate these experiences now. They’ve prepared me for handling the high yield situations of life, and they’ve helped me to identify a very crucial point believers need to understand about the life we live and the opposition we face from the enemy and just from life “lif’in.” And when I look at Nehemiah chapter four, I see the perfect scenario in which all of this plays out.

Facing Resistance: The Outside

In life, any work with great purpose is bound to encounter opposition. Nehemiah’s story of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem exemplifies this truth. His people faced mockery, threats, and disbelief on the outside from their enemies, Sanballat and Tobiah. Both of them were excluded from being able to rebuild the wall and didn’t take that well. When they found out it was Neh (as I will now affectionately call him) who was gifted the assignment that didn’t sit well with them and they made sure to make it known how they felt. They tried to intimidate Neh and his people, as well as schmooze those in power to be able weasel their way into positions where they could usurp the power and control in the situation.

The Weight of Weariness: The Inside

If that wasn’t enough…it’s one thing to have to deal with an opponent on the outside. But then there’s the people. As they’re working on the wall, they grow weary. Fatigue settled in, and doubt began to creep among them. They voiced concerns that the task was too big, the rubble too much to handle. The fear of outside attack became a crippling element for them, hindering their ability to focus on what needed to be done to complete the wall. This feeling of exhaustion is something we all know too well—whether we’re pursuing a dream, serving our community, or simply trying to maintain faith through personal struggles. Outside influences are the worst, but I’m convinced that nothing is worst that our own voices in our head, staying with us constantly. When they encourage it’s empowering! When they discourage they are our worst enemy. Yet, Nehemiah teaches us to keep our eyes on the purpose behind the work. Even when we feel overwhelmed by the “rubble” of life, the key is to press forward with faith. God does not call us to tasks we cannot complete. When we are tired, He provides strength, and when we are uncertain, He offers clarity. We don’t need certainty when we have confidence in the abilities He gives us.

Armed for the Fight

To deal with the constant threats, Nehemiah made sure that half of his workers were always prepared to defend while the others continued to build. Each person had a sword by their side, ready to fight off any attack. This is an important lesson for us today. We are called to build something meaningful—whether it’s relationships, ministries, or careers—but we must be prepared for opposition, both external and internal. Being armed for the fight doesn’t just mean physical preparation; it means spiritual readiness. It involves prayer, wisdom, and a deep trust in God’s protection. By staying vigilant and relying on God, we can overcome whatever seeks to disrupt our progress.

Finishing Strong

What stands out most in Nehemiah’s story is that despite the many setbacks and obstacles, the people completed the wall, and in spite of the fears of the people they were able to do so in less time and with HALF the men v. 16. They worked from sunrise to sunset, day after day, refusing to give in to fear or discouragement. This reminds us that finishing strong is often less about skill and more about perseverance. When opposition grows fierce, when doubt takes root, and when exhaustion looms, we must remember the promise Nehemiah held onto: God fights for us. And when we continue the work with that assurance, we will find that what once seemed impossible can be finished in less time than we ever imagined.

God equips His people to not only start the work but to finish it well. When you’re building something of worth, remember that the opposition you face is just a reminder that the work matters. With God’s help, you will overcome it and see the completion of what He has called you to do.

— Jordan Brown

Pastor (Ministries and Outreach) [OV] Church

Partnerships

Because Multiply is a resource or accelerator organization, most of the work we do is through partnering. We partner with indigenous church leaders in areas the world-over and with individuals and churches who have a heart for supporting those indigenous churches.

But at Multiply, we don’t believe in a fundamental division between our donors and the indigenous church leaders we partner with around the world. While we may at different times play different roles, we are all a part of one vision and one calling and working towards one goal together. This idea is why we refer to ourselves as a family instead of a network or affiliation. Ultimately, we all desire to see the name of Jesus glorified in every corner of the world.

While many international missions organizations worry about the potential messiness that can occur when donors are directly connected with resource recipients, we are fighting for deep connection between family of church congregants and leaders. One reason for this is because our model encourages everyone to be on a pathway to being a mature believer. Our resources for helping people grow in their faith and become better followers, leaders, and church multipliers are freely available to everyone in local and international churches. If you are a donor to Multiply you likely care enough about the Kingdom of God to also want to work on your spiritual life. What’s more is that the Multiply programs don’t just lead donors to be followers, leaders, and an active part of growing churches but also expect the family churches to move from under-resourced churches to donors themselves. To build bridges between Mission Partners and Resource Partners, Multiply actively works to host events and trips that bring the two together. We believe that all of our partners can grow from interactions with one-another, especially our international partners. This will, of course, result in even more new churches reaching the lost!

All these things being true, it can be helpful to have consistent language for identifying who is playing what role and any particular time. The following language helps us to do just that.

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Mission Partners

Mission Partners are members of the Family of Churches who are currently receiving help from Multiply. They are under-resourced. These are churches or organizations that are being helped with the funds given by our generous donors. At any time it may be a rural church in Africa or a Norfolk resident in the beginning stages of their church plant. Whatever stage they may be in, these Mission Partners are on the receiving end. They are busy building capacities by implementing the 3F System so that they can grow and multiply to a self-sustaining and giving capacity. Mission Partners are developed in or adopted into the Family of Churches through assessment, action plans, and applying those plans to their context.

Assess

Before being adopted into the family of churches and becoming a Mission Partner, planters and pastors are vetted extensively. Since Multiply is responsible for stewarding the funds donated from our Resource Partners we must ensure that they are the right fit for our shared goals. To this end, each potential family member is assessed in three categories: Followership, Leadership, and Multiplication. 

From the beginning of the growth process, we want to know that what is being multiplied is rooted in healthy followership of Jesus. Applicants will be assessed on their knowledge, understanding, and experience in following and leading others to follow Christ. We want to know that multipliers have a system for developing followers and that they themselves are healthy followers. 

Similarly, the leadership assessment ensures the planter or pastor candidate has a process in place for developing leaders. If they do not, [Multiply] will give access to our development pathway, designed to move leaders from leading self, to leading others, leading leaders, and leading organizations. Developing leaders who follow Jesus well and know how to develop new leaders sets the stage for multiplying followers, leaders, and churches. 

The multiplication assessment allows candidates and [Multiply] staff to align on their plans to multiply. Assessment for multiplication helps identify the needs of leaders and churches who are ready to plant new churches or send out leaders to a new context to shepherd and develop new followers and leaders. Leaders who are identified through assessment as “multipliers” not only have a plan in place for developing interns, residents, and planters/pastors, but they may also be catalysts for new [Multiply] hubs and network expansion.

Action

After assessment in Followership, Leadership, and Multiplication, candidates are given an action plan tailored to their context in each category. This action plan will identify areas of growth where the candidate needs improvement as a follower, leader, or multiplier. The action plan may have resources to study, comprehension exams to complete or simple alignment tools to help ensure an ongoing healthy partnership. Each partner who is ready to work with [Multiply] will be assigned a coach who will walk with them through the application of their action plan. 

Application

The application plan for each follower, leader, or church will vary by context. Simple Churches are largely concentrated in an international setting and will apply the action plan to their environments based on level of knowledge, understanding, and experience appropriate to their context. Like the other church models, Dura Churches will apply their action plan to develop multipliers through coaching and implementation strategies unique to [Multiply]. Prevailing model churches will be able to leverage their action plans to help their people multiply followers, leaders, and churches. Beginning with followership, our leaders develop into multipliers in any context.

Resource Partners

Resource Partners are valued members of the Multiply Family of Churches that love the Church and the mission of God and want to financially support gospel multiplication with followers, leaders, and churches throughout the nations. Resources can be gifted in a variety of ways: cash, stocks, cryptocurrency, etc. as well as in-kind through donations of cars, boats, and real estate. Planned giving options will be available in the future. Resource Partners can be individuals, churches, or organizations such as charitable foundations. Multiply and all of its work is supported 100% by donations.

These donations typically come in two (2) forms. The first is an individual donor. These are the people, mostly congregants in Family Churches, who give over and above their local church tithing to support the work of multiplying followers, leaders, and churches. The second is Family Church Donors. These are churches that have moved past the under-resourced designation. Each year we ask these churches to make a pledge to cover the full cost of the services that Multiply Central provides to them. They donate the money to Multiply in these amounts. A church that can’t cover their Ministry Capacity pledge is considered under-resourced and will be supported until such time that they become a Resource Partner themselves.   

Multiply has two programs for our resource partners.

The first is called The Harvest. The Harvest is Multiply’s global, recurring, giving community. It is composed of generous, passionate, and determined people from all around the world. Members of this community make weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly commitments to Multiply to be used as needed by the organization. These donations are absolutely crucial to the success of Multiply because they allow us to find and execute on new opportunities for church multiplication. They also give Multiply the stability to do strategic planning for vision execution on a yearly basis.

The Harvest is based on the Gospel of Matthew 9:35-38: 

35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

There is an incredible need for help from Multiply in the Global Church. The Lord has opened up tremendous opportunities and gifted us with the vision and tools to meet this incredible need. We see Multiply Harvesters as the people Jesus is speaking about in Matthew 9. They see the opportunity, that the harvest is ready and plentiful and they are determined to empower those who are reaping it for the Lord.     

Those who join The Harvest get a free T-shirt made especially for Harvest Members. They also receive regular newsletters updating them on how their funds are being used. There is no limit on how much or how little one can give through The Harvest. Every dollar is appreciated, significant, and impactful.

The second program is called Progress Giving. Progress Giving is when donated funds are allocated for specific followers, leaders, or churches on the 3F pathway. At the Resource Partner’s request, their gift will be used to multiply ongoing or future initiatives. Typically, this means a specific initiative within a church, in a specific location that is actively executing the 3F System. Resource Partners who give in this way receive several updates on the specific pathway to which they allocated funds. These updates will allow Resource Partners to follow along the pathway with the Mission Partner as they build a culture of followership, develop those followers into leaders and help those leaders multiply churches!  Project Giving is available to anyone who gives at least $500 in a single gift.  

Whether you’re a Mission Partner seeking to transform a church into all God intended it to be or you’re a Resource Partner denying yourself a dinner out one time a month to make room in your budget to be a member of The Harvest, we want you to know that you’re part of the family and together we can multiply! 

— the [multiply] team

Training: Our 3F System

INTRODUCTION

If in one sense, Ministry Capacity and centralized staff and services represents the backbone of Multiply, then Mission Capacity and the 3F Training System is the heart of the Multiply organization.

The 3F System (3FS) is a time-tested, proven approach. While it draws on many different training tools from around the world, the Multiply 3F Training System is totally unique to Multiply, Inc. 

We believe that the vision for the system was providentially developed so we could help under-resourced churches in a global context.

What is the 3F System? 

The 3F System is a collection of procedures, principles, and content that when implemented into a church or church plant results in healthy multiplication. The 3F System has three (3) main pathways: Followership, Leadership, and Multiplication. It derives its name from the three identifiers it reinforces inside of a church culture: Family, Followers, and Fields. Everything is done in the context of the Global Family of Churches. Support in all forms is showered on those churches working through the 3F process to guard from all forms of attack: physical, financial, and spiritual. While followership is a distinct phase of the 3F process it is foundational and reinforced throughout the entire process. We believe healthy followers of Jesus are both the start and end result of new or revitalized churches. It’s important to keep in mind that the common DNA of the Global Family of Churches is disciple-making that leads to multiplication. We all want to enter new fields. It is a wonderful thing for a local church to be vibrant and thriving and we are all for it! For us, at Multiply, and those that join us, this means that churches are reaching into new fields by the end of the process.

Followership

The first pathway of the 3F System is Followership. Mission Capacity partnership must start here. Why? Because if a church does not have a healthy culture of followership development, then the healthy foundation needed for multiplication has not been formed. Before we can worry about equipping leaders or multiplying churches we must make sure that the great commission is being fulfilled through the local church in a biblical way. So, the first phase of the 3F system helps everyone in the congregation (laity and leadership both) learn to be great followers of Jesus with their local leadership. Generally, great followers show deference for leadership, zeal or excitement, and mission ownership.

Leadership

The second pathway of the 3F System is Leadership. As the name suggests this phase is all about nurturing and developing leadership giftings inside the culture of followership that is already thriving. With potential leaders identified, the 3F System empowers local churches to nurture these leaders into volunteers, program leaders, teachers, deacons, elders, pastors, planters, and missionaries. While we use specific language to describe leaders in a ministry context, there is freedom to contextualize this language for each church. Our tools and resources are available to 3F partners and we consult with each one to ensure a healthy customized installation of the system.

Multiplication

When healthy followership and leadership have been cultivated in the local church, a previously under-resourced church now has a thriving congregation of equipped followers and empowered leaders. The leaders have been nurtured from within the community with a foundation of followership to produce new healthy leaders prepared to multiply new churches. Like the rest of the 3F pathways, this multiplication doesn’t happen overnight. It is crucial at the point of sending that great care is taken to do it well. For leaders who have been integral to the local community preparing to multiply, systems in that sending context must produce health, so that which is multiplied is also healthy. Head, heart, and hands assessments of leaders, pastors, and planters will allow us to ensure that multipliers are healthy followers of Jesus.

Conclusion

Different churches can successfully work through the 3F System at different speeds but on average it takes 2 years to grow from follower to leader to multiplier in the Dura Church model. Prevailing model churches can take even more time to help followers grow through the process. If it sounds like this is a significant undertaking for an under-resourced local church that’s because it is! But remember two things: 1) the 3F Training System (Mission Capacity) is just one-half of the overall partnership that a local church has with Multiply. The second half, Ministry Capacity, is concurrently developed to create the room for the 3F System to be the focus of development for the church at the appropriate time. 2) The 3F Training System comes in multiple forms that adapt to the church-model being employed at the local level whether it’s a prevailing model church or dura church.

— the [multiply] team

How We Help

HOW DOES [MULTIPLY] WORK TO BEST SUPPORT YOU?

The mission of the [Multiply] Family of Churches is to equip the churches in the family to multiply followers, leaders and churches. The way [Multiply] equips the churches is by building their capacity for mission and ministry. By “capacity building” we mean assisting in such a way that the church has the ability to “produce” healthier ministry and mission in their context. 

Each church model has varying levels of need. Some prevailing model churches have larger administrative needs, like financial, human resource, media, marketing, and legal services. [Multiply] assisting with these needs increases a church’s capacity to do ministry. When these churches need assistance in the areas of follower/leader development, internship/residency programs, international missions, church planting processes, and coaching, [Multiply] helps them increase capacity for mission.

Simple and Dura model churches typically have less administrative needs, but may require assistance with legal processes, marketing, and database management to organize people within the church. This increases their ministry capacity. In order to increase their mission capacity, simple churches within the [Multiply] family benefit from followership resources and training to multiply leaders and new churches.

We help partners become multipliers. Our partners are church planters, established churches, and donors who have a passion for growth and development. 

• Our resource partners (donors) love the church and the mission of God and want to fund gospel multiplication in followers, leaders, and churches throughout the nations. 

• Our mission partners are pastors and planters are the workers in the field multiplying followers, leaders, and churches.

You can be a multiplier by donating to, or leveraging our capacity building system.

— the [multiply] team

Our Values & Discintives

What kind of organization is multiply ?

Christian nonprofits are typically divided into two categories. Implementers and Accelerators.

Implementers are the organizations that are directly involved in planting, revitalizing, and multiplying churches. Examples of these organizations are local churches and missionary groups. 

Accelerators are organizations that are involved in resourcing church multiplication through prayer, training, tools, community development, research, finances, marketing, networking, and other means. Examples of these organizations include: church planting networks, charitable foundations, and national alliances. Accelerators help Implementers.

In this scheme, Multiply would best fit into the category of Accelerators. Our mandate is to equip - or resource - churches with the systems and training they need to become multipliers. We don’t do any of the mission work ourselves. We help followers of Jesus in the church, church leaders, and church plants do mission work. 

While Multiply best fits into the category of Accelerator, it should be noted that we see Multiply as a major evolution from what an accelerator or resource organization has been in the past. Accelerators typically only offer hands off help. They do things like hold events, coach, train, or send money but don’t jump into the fray with the ministry they are helping. Multiply goes a step further. 

We get deeply involved in three ways: Family, Capacity, and Systems. These are what we value and distinguish us from other resource organizations.

family

Multiply breaks from typical accelerators by partnering as a family. Churches inside church planting networks or missionary groups typically have loose affiliation with one another. At Multiply we insist on knowing and caring for one-another in a familial way. If one of us suffers we all suffer. If one of us succeeds we all succeed. We are truly in this together. This is true of how our Resource Partners are treated as well. Anyone who donates to Multiply is part of the family and deserves the transparency, information, and care due them.

capacity

Multiply’s devotion to their local church partners is shown in its offering of capacity services. This offering makes Multiply a truly unique organization. As a ministry built by experienced missiologists and pastors we understand the limitations of typical church leaders. For a church to become a  multiplying entity they must grow in capacity. Put simply, if church leaders are spending all of their time doing graphic design work, fighting legal battles, or fighting through bookkeeping frustrations they will never find the time and space to multiply followers, leaders, and churches. To create this capacity, Multiply offers a suite of services to under-resourced churches so they can finally focus on the activities that God has called them to.

Systems

Multiply is an organization that developed from the mission field. It was started by pastors and missiologists who could see how the world was changing and how local churches needed help to face those changes. By overcoming their own challenges in multiplying followers, disciples, and churches, these church leaders developed a system that could help others do the same. Because of this, Multiply has developed a hands-on approach that is unparalleled in the ministry world. Unlike many parachurch ministries that only provide training, coaching, or a curriculum, Multiply supplies an entire system for multiplication along with the corresponding assessment of the partner, action plans to be implemented, and the ensuing application and accountability for working the system.  

What MULTIPLY Is Not

Multiply is not a denomination. We do not exercise authority over any church. Our role is simply to help and resource local churches.

Multiply is not a charitable foundation. Like any organization, Multiply uses funds to help accomplish its mission. Sometimes, funds are even shared with member churches. However, raising and sharing funds is not Mutliply’s mandate. Any funds shared are only for family members and only to be used in the furthering of the Multiply mission and vision.

Multiply is not a church. Multiply facilitates interaction between churches but is not a church itself. All of the work that Multiply does is to assist local churches.

— the [multiply] team

Our Mission

What is the multiply mission?

At Multiply, we are on a mission to equip our family of churches to multiply followers, leaders and churches!

It is our sincere hope that one day we will live in a world where every church is equipped to grow and multiply. But, of course, that is not the case today. 

Very few churches will multiply their efforts to reach new people and areas. So it’s no wonder…

• Few churches today have trained leadership or a way of developing new leaders to start new ministries. 

• To make things harder, in most unchurched and under-resourced parts of the world the population is growing so fast that even the existing churches are struggling to adapt. 

• Millions of churches around the world are operating in scarcity while 99% of western missions funds go to already reached areas.

We need every church to be multiplying, but these struggling churches need our help! This is why at Multiply, we are working to deliver systems and services that give churches the capacity to multiply followers, leaders, and churches - especially those who are under-resourced.

Few ministries today are directly addressing the problem that is stopping churches from multiplying. Churches in under-resourced areas don’t have the capacity to focus on biblical activities that are at the heart of church ministry. This may be because of: government regulation, lack of finances, persecution, cultural pressures, no leadership development…but it has them stuck.

Multiply comes alongside these churches and offers two (2) things: 

1. Support services that give the local church capacity to focus on the things that matter most to the health of their church and community. Most under-resourced churches are stuck in a pattern of burnout and constantly feel overwhelmed, overloaded, and out of capacity to consider growth. To break this cycle/culture Multiply comes alongside indigenous churches to carry some of the burden for them. We use industry best-practices and time-tested processes to relieve the burden of graphic design, legal issues, bookkeeping, financial considerations, sermon research, teaching schedule design, and marketing. Whether temporary or permanent, this reprieve gives local church leadership the much needed rest and space to re-imagine their God-given call to make disciples of all nations. 

With this newfound Ministry Capacity (as we refer to it) the local church and its leadership now have the margin, energy, and ability to work with Multiply on #2.

2. Systems that build followers, leaders, and churches. Through coaching, training, and mentoring the Multiply staff delivers a comprehensive plan to local churches that ensures three (3) things:

a.) Followers of Jesus are equipped to become better followers who develop others

b.) Leaders are cultivated from the harvest of followers

c.) Churches are planted and/or infused with new healthy leaders from the harvest

We call this Mission Capacity because it greatly increases the ability of under-resourced local churches to reach people far from God and plant new churches.

— the [multiply] team

Our Vision

A multiply Church in Every Under-Resourced Area of the World.

The founding vision of [Multiply] was to see a family of 40 churches multiplying followers, leaders, and churches together in Hampton Roads, Virginia by 2030. We still believe this is what God has called us to and we are working hard to reach this goal for our region!

Over the past few years God started to bring other visionary leaders to [Multiply] who had similar visions for reaching their own context. The first of these areas were India, Mexico, and Rwanda.

In light of these providential opportunities the [Multiply] Board of Directors began to prayerfully consider the role of [Multiply] in helping these indigenous organizations reach their goals. 

What resulted was an expansion of the original vision set for the Hampton Roads region alone.

Now, we believe God wants to use us to bring a healthy, reproducing, [Multiply] Family Church into every under-resourced area of the world. 

We will start by doing this in Hampton Roads by becoming a local family of 40 churches. But we won’t stop there! We will continue to partner with local churches and leaders all around the world who are interested in learning how to multiply followers, leaders, and churches in their region. We will target under-resourced areas within those regions to help churches multiply followers of Jesus. By doing this, we believe we will play a significant part in the Great Commission and ensure that followers of Jesus are maturing and multiplying everywhere there is need. 

why a multiply church?

A [Multiply] Church is a church with Ministry Capacity and Mission Capacity that is using the 3F System to multiply followers, leaders and more churches. It has a pathway for multiplication that is anchored in a culture of followership where people learn how to be followers of Jesus with their local leadership. It has a development program that trains followers to be small group leaders, volunteers, team leads, deacons, elders, church planters and more. 

A [Multiply] Church has the ability to reproduce itself as a new church expression without jeopardizing its own sustainability. Because of this, one [Multiply] Church connected to the global [Multiply] family has everything it needs to see the under-resourced in their region reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It multiplies followers as a family in every field (3F).

what is an “under-resourced area”?

An under-resourced area is any collection of neighborhood, community, town, county, or village of the world where churches need assistance becoming self-sustaining, self-sufficient, and multiplying. The area may be under-resourced economically, spiritually, emotionally, educationally, or systemically. Importantly, a [Multiply] region is not necessarily defined by population size, geographic distance, demographics, or language. Instead, it is determined by the presence or absence of healthy, multiplying, sustainable churches capable of filling their region with followers of Jesus.

— the [multiply] team

The Third Wheel

This summer, I’ve had the honor and privilege of teaching Intro to the Holy Spirit class we offer at Seapointe College (shameless plug ;-)). Here’s a bit of a cheat code/secret that some professors don’t want you to know: we love teaching our classes because it give us an opportunity to learn. Maybe it’s to re-learn things we forgot (yeah, that happens but no way we’re telling you that lol), or maybe it’s learning something we actually never knew before (Shock! I know, right?!). In our learning experience, the greatest part is that others have the opportunity of learning with and from us. Here’s a quick crash course on the Holy Spirit as we prepare to dive into John’s explanation of its testimony in the text. You’re welcome. :-D

1. When reading the Bible, always view the text “trinitarily” (basically, any time you see part of the Trinity, the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, remember them being one and the same which means when you see one doing something you see them all. Where you see God, Jesus is also present. When Jesus is doing something in the text, so is the Holy Spirit. When you see the Spirit move in Acts and other places, God is moving there as well. Hopes that makes sense.

2. As believers, we need to know the difference between “indwelling” and “in-filling” of the Spirit. If you believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross to save us of our sins, that He rose again and His Lordship is declared in the heavens until His victorious return then you have Him living inside of you in the form of Spirit! This is the indwelling of the Spirit, where it remains in you. In-filling is different in the sense that we see how the Bible shows that many were filled with the power of the Spirit and they did things like preach boldly, prophecy, perform miraculous signs and wonders and the like. Some believe that Spirit stopped doing these things when the last pages of the Bible were written. Some believe that the “gifts” of the Spirit as they’re known and very much alive and well today. Regardless of what one believes, the bottom line is simple: the Holy Spirit resides/abides in anyone who believes they’ve been saved and in Christ Jesus. And lastly…

3. If one does still believe in the working gifts given by the power of the Spirit, or even if you just believe that the Spirit lives and dwells within you, then trust and know that anything we do in the Spirit will always relate back to Acts 1:8…and nothing else. “You will receive power when the Spirit comes upon you…” not to show people how amazing we are, not because we’re gifted and anointed, not because we want to levitate and have Marvel powers for Jesus. We receive power so that we can go forth and be His witnesses. For no other reason do we have this power. If we try and use it for any other reason either it simply won’t work and/or we will still face judgment and find ourselves separated from the King in eternity.

Ok…now that we’ve gotten that out the way…time to actually unpack this spirit understanding of our identity in Christ. The thing John has been telling us about this entire time. Appreciate the grace and patience on the whole Holy Spirit class deal.

The Testimony of the Spirit

In the Christian journey, understanding the role of the Holy Spirit is crucial. The Spirit is not just a passive presence but an active testimony within us. According to 1 John 5:6-12, the Spirit, along with the water and the blood, testifies to the truth of Jesus Christ—His divinity, His humanity, and His redemptive work on the cross. This testimony isn't just external; it resides within every believer, confirming in our hearts the truth of God’s Word. This is the foundation of our faith, the assurance that we belong to Him, and the proof that our identity is firmly rooted in Christ.

***Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud***

So most of us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Spirit is important, that it is an imperative part of our Faith. We know that the Spirit IS God. So, knowing this, it amazes me to see how many Christians will treat the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, like a third wheel; like it’s entirely too awkward and weird to have Him moving through our lives when we actually can’t live without Him. There’s a big, slightly awkward, and kind of unpopular reason tied to why I believe this is the case. Buckle up, and allow me to explain…

The Power of Love

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13, speaks profoundly about the importance of love in the life of a believer. Even with the most extraordinary spiritual gifts—speaking in tongues, prophecy, and faith that can move mountains—without love, we are nothing. Love is the power that energizes our spiritual gifts, making them effective and impactful. It’s not enough to have the Spirit’s gifts; we must also embody the Spirit’s love. This love is not merely a feeling but an action, a commitment to live a life that reflects God’s love to a world desperately in need of Him.

And, if this wasn’t enough, I’ll ask this question as a reminder. Love is also known as what in Galatians 5:22? Oh yeah…it’s a member of a fruit of the…right…SPIRIT!! Having love is necessary to operate in the Spirit proper, and we run the risk of being a dangerous misrepresentation of the Spirit, the Gospel, and the Christian on the whole. With this understanding, let’s move forward.

The Witness of Water and Blood

John emphasizes the significance of the water and the blood as witnesses to Jesus Christ’s mission. His baptism in water and His shedding of blood on the cross both point to His divine sonship and His role as the Savior. But John doesn’t stop there. He brings it home by connecting these external witnesses to the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, who is truth, confirms the reality of Jesus’ identity and mission within us. This internal witness is what empowers us to live out our faith boldly, knowing that we are truly known and loved by God. And the reason it’s able to do so is because it, being Jesus, being God, is the only eternal source that can encourage, convict, challenge, comfort, and guide us to an ensured completion of a life that’s obedient to Him and is lived well. Not easy, no, but it is just…that…simple.

Life in the Son

The ultimate testimony, John declares, is that God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in His Son, Jesus Christ. This eternal life isn’t just a future hope; it’s a present reality for those who have the Son. To have the Son is to have life, and to have life is to have the Spirit. This life is the new identity we receive when we trust in Jesus, an identity fashioned and confirmed by the Holy Spirit. It’s a life that calls us to bear witness to the truth, to love as Christ loved, and to live by the Spirit, knowing that we are eternally secure in Him.

In this journey, the Holy Spirit is far from being a "third wheel." He is the essential presence that confirms our identity in Christ, empowers us to live out our faith, and assures us of the eternal life we have in Jesus. Let us, therefore, embrace this witness within, living lives that point others to Him, and walking in the truth and love that the Spirit imparts to us.

— Jordan Brown

Pastor (Ministries and Outreach) [OV] Church