Did you know that church attendance and Christian identification in Australia have dropped by 65% since the 1970s? Statistics tell us that 86-88% of Australians do not resonate with our existing church models, and less than 1% of Australian Christians will make a new disciple in their lifetime. This is more than just a concerning trend—this is a discipleship crisis.

The Heart of the Issue

Jesus’ final command was not to build bigger services, run better programs, or host more events. His final command was to go and make disciples. Yet, if we’re honest, many of our lives and Christian programs are so full that we have no margin to actually disciple anyone. We attend church, we serve, we listen to sermons—but are we truly making disciples?

If the way we are doing ministry is not producing disciple-makers, should we not stop and ask why? Are we measuring success by attendance numbers rather than transformation? Have we become so focused on gathering crowds that we have forgotten the power of investing in individuals?

Walk as Jesus Walked

Jesus’ method of discipleship was deeply personal. He spent three years intentionally investing in twelve men, and even within that group, He poured even more deeply into Peter, James, and John. The result? A movement that spread across the world, fueled by disciples who made more disciples.

Could it be that realigning around Jesus’ model of discipleship—one that prioritises intentional, relational investment in a few—would lead to the kind of multiplication we see happening in other parts of the world? In places where Christianity is thriving, the emphasis is not on attracting people to a building but on equipping believers to disciple others in everyday life.

A Needed Shift

This is one of the reasons why we’ve released an online resource that explores essential paradigm shifts needed to move from attending church to multiplying disciples. Some of the shifts we explore include:

Decisions to Disciples – Moving beyond one-time commitments to lifelong transformation. The goal is not just conversions but a life of obedience and growth in Christ.

Addition to Multiplication – Shifting from counting people to equipping disciple-makers. If every believer was equipped to make just one disciple a year, the impact would be exponential.

Multitudes to Faithful Few – Investing deeply in a few to see greater impact in the many. Instead of spreading ourselves thin, we follow Jesus’ model of deep, intentional relationships that bear fruit.

The Challenge for us all

If we truly believe in the Great Commission, then we must ask ourselves—are we actually making disciples, or are we just maintaining church as usual? What would it look like if every believer saw themselves as a disciple-maker, not just the pastor or church leader?

We believe that this shift is not just possible—it’s necessary. It starts with a willingness to step back, evaluate, and realign our lives with the mission Jesus gave us.

What do you think needs to change? How can we make discipleship central again? We’d love to hear your thoughts.