In this episode, Dave catches up with Mike Porteous while connecting with the Praxeis team and disciple-makers in New Zealand. Mike is a seasoned missions and church leader who has embraced a Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) paradigm—both locally and as far afield as Zambia. He shares his journey, key insights, and encouragement to keep disciple-making simple and Spirit-led.

From a farming background, Mike had a powerful encounter with God at 21 that launched him into decades of mission work—from the Philippines in the ’70s to serving with groups including YWAM since 1980. In the early 1990s, while on staff at what is now Gracecity Church, Mike’s hunger for real and lasting mission impact grew. Introduced to DMM through others and inspired by David and Paul Watson’s book Contagious Disciple Making, Mike knew this was a path he needed to pursue.

Mike’s DMM work has expanded into Zambia through a connection with a Sri Lankan man working there. Though 90% of Zambians are churchgoers, transformation was lacking. But through simple DBS tools, real change is taking root. Today, three DBS streams are multiplying, and Mike continues coaching leaders to sustain and grow the movement.

Despite initial slow traction, Mike’s persistence in starting DBS groups has led to surprising breakthroughs. One key moment came during a Sunday night training north of Auckland—attended by Sam Turner, who’s now seeing movement among gang communities. Multiplication is happening, and Sam is running far beyond what he could do himself.*

Mike reminds us of two things:

“The key people are probably already in your orbit….We tend to complicate things. Keep it super simple.”

*Hear more of the stories of God moving amongst gang members in the north of New Zealand at the end of this podcast.