Scott Sullivan and Robbie Norman conducted a podcast interview discussing intentional multiplication in discipleship, focusing on the fourth element of the FORMED: A Discipleship Culture Blueprint. They explored how to assess whether gospel preaching, and church culture produce multiplying disciples rather than just attendees, with Robbie sharing how First Baptist Statesboro tracks spiritual fruit through stories of transformation rather than just counting attendance numbers. The conversation covered practical steps for creating multiplying environments, including finding third-generation disciple makers and making multiplication visible through storytelling. They discussed challenges churches face when disciple-making processes break down, emphasizing the importance of having biblical, scalable, and reproducible systems. The interview concluded with practical suggestions for implementing multiplication, including highlighting disciple-making in membership classes and regularly training church members in discipleship practices.

Discipleship Multiplication Effectiveness Measurement

Scott and Robbie discussed the fourth element of the FORMED: A Discipleship Culture Blueprint, focusing on intentional multiplication. They explored how to measure the effectiveness of discipleship efforts beyond just attendance numbers, with Robbie sharing how First Baptist Statesboro tracks both metrics and stories of spiritual growth. The conversation highlighted the importance of evaluating fruit rather than just activity, and the need to identify where God is working in the church to join and support those efforts.

Church Discipleship Process Improvement

Scott and Robbie discussed how to assess and improve disciple-making processes in churches. Robbie emphasized the importance of having a biblical, scalable, and reproducible discipleship process and suggested diagnosing where people are dropping out in the process. They also discussed the need for clear communication of the process to church members. Scott highlighted the challenge of low baptism numbers in some churches and encouraged perseverance, noting that God may be working behind the scenes.

Disciple-Making Environment Evaluation Strategies

Scott and Robbie discussed evaluating disciple-making environments and preventing stagnation. Robbie shared how he identifies multiplication by looking for third-generation disciple makers, contrasting this with stagnant Sunday school classes. Scott recommended two resources for leaders seeking to implement effective discipleship strategies: the ReFocus Pathfinder revitalization plan through Rob Peters and upcoming regional cohorts launching in April 2026.

Discipleship Culture Strategy Discussion

Scott and Robbie discussed strategies for creating a discipleship culture in churches, focusing on making multiplication simple and repeatable. Robbie suggested sharing stories of multiplication through videos and social media to inspire others and emphasized the importance of lead pastors discipling others. They also discussed outreach methods, with Robbie sharing First Baptist Statesboro’s approach of leveraging everyday interactions rather than traditional visitation programs. The conversation concluded with Robbie highlighting the importance of training disciple-makers and incorporating discipleship into the new member process.

FORMED: Transformational Teaching

Scott Sullivan interviewed Jeremy Elam, Connections Pastor at Peavine Baptist Church, about the third element of the FORMED Discipleship Culture Blueprint: Transformational Teaching. They discussed how Peavine has grown from 500 to over 2,500 members over 15 years, with over 300 baptisms annually, and explored the four key components of transformational teaching: biblical authority, gospel impact, calling out the called, and measuring life change.

Jeremy shared how Peavine creates clear pathways for people to move from hearing the truth on Sundays to practicing it during the week, including their Step 1 class and community outreach initiatives like paying off $6–7 million in medical debt. They also discussed Peavine's approach to leadership multiplication through intentional identification, development, and launching of new volunteers using spiritual gifts assessments and personality profiles, rather than just recruiting for specific roles.

The conversation concluded with Jeremy explaining how they measure success through engagement metrics, people movement tracking, and sharing transformation stories during staff meetings to keep everyone focused on making multiplying disciples.

Develop and offer clear on-ramps and pathways, such as Step 1 class, serving opportunities, and community outreach, to help church members move from hearing the truth to practicing it during the week.
Maintain and update the monthly scorecard tracking volunteer movement, Step 1 class completions, and new volunteer deployment to ensure ongoing volunteer and leader development.
Provide spiritual gifts assessments, personality profiles, and one-on-one conversations to help individuals identify their God-given wiring and match them to meaningful volunteer roles.
Share stories of life transformation and vision wins regularly with staff and volunteer teams to reinforce the impact of their service and maintain focus on the mission.
The Peavine staff continues to evaluate metrics beyond attendance, such as engagement, movement from guest to member, and stories of transformation, to measure spiritual fruit and discipleship impact. They regularly discuss “vision wins” in staff meetings to keep the team focused on the main mission, celebrate stories of life change, and maintain alignment with the church vision.

Transformational Teaching and Discipleship
Scott explained the concept of transformational teaching, using the metaphor of concrete foundation building to illustrate how the Word of God refines and prepares believers to become multiplying disciples. He emphasized that transformational teaching focuses on biblical authority and gospel impact, not just information transfer.

Scott invited listeners in Georgia to join regional discipleship cohorts led by Jeremy, with more detailed discussions planned for August.

Gospel-Centered Transformational Teaching
Scott explained the importance of gospel-centered teaching, emphasizing that it transforms hearts rather than just modifying behavior. He outlined four key components of transformational teaching:

Biblical authority
Gospel impact
Calling out the called
Measuring life change
Scott concluded by discussing the need to develop a discipleship culture that reaches, connects, matures, launches, and multiplies disciples. He asked Jeremy about building a culture of personal investment in learners’ lives.

Practical Spiritual Growth Pathways
Jeremy discussed the importance of practical spiritual messages from the pulpit that filter down to small groups and one-on-one conversations, where people can take next steps in their faith journey.

He identified the challenge of connecting head knowledge with heart application, citing James’ warning about being hearers rather than doers of the Word.

Jeremy explained that Peavine Church creates clear pathways for spiritual growth through Sunday morning invitations, Step 1 classes that call people to action, and community outreach projects both inside and outside the church building.

Church Medical Debt Initiative
Jeremy shared an example of how Peavine Baptist Church paid off $6–7 million in medical debt for three counties using a $25,000 offering, with Pastor Joel announcing the initiative from the pulpit.

The church received community impact through letters sent to debtors directing them to a gospel-sharing video on the church website.

Scott emphasized the importance of including next steps in all church activities and events, then shifted the discussion to focus on leadership multiplication and volunteer development strategies.

Leader Development and Volunteer Strategy
Jeremy described his approach to identifying and developing leaders at Peavine, which involves tracking metrics like volunteer growth and completion of membership classes.

He explained his shift in mindset from focusing on meeting needs to helping individuals discover their God-given gifts and talents for fulfilling volunteer roles.

Scott emphasized the importance of calling people to purpose rather than just filling roles, referencing Jesus’ approach of calling disciples to a relational journey, and questioned whether there are easy on-ramps for people to serve at Peavine.

Church Service Involvement and Metrics
Jeremy explained that Peavine Church has different levels of service involvement, with some roles requiring formal training or code-of-conduct agreements while others have more flexible on-ramp opportunities.

He shared his experience of eliminating the six-month waiting period for new members when he became kids pastor.

The discussion then shifted to measuring spiritual transformation, where Jeremy outlined key metrics including attendance, group numbers, volunteerism, and tracking people’s movement from first-time guests to regular attendees and members.

Church Engagement and Growth Strategies
Jeremy discussed the importance of measuring engagement rather than spiritual maturity through church metrics, emphasizing that serving opportunities and sharing transformation stories are key to growing the church.

He shared an example of how telling life transformation stories to his connect card team has strengthened their spiritual growth and encouraged family members to join the church.

When asked about staff culture, Jeremy explained that focusing on living out biblical principles and agreeing on the main thing creates significant ministry wins, even when people do not fully agree on every detail.

Scott encouraged interested leaders in Georgia to sign up for the regional discipleship leader cohorts by reaching out via email to [email protected].

FORMED: Disciplemaking Environment
Podcast Recording Show Notes
Scott Sullivan and Matthew Gibbs
April 9, 2026

Scott Sullivan and Matthew Gibbs discussed the second element of FORMED: A Discipleship Culture Blueprint, focusing on disciple-making environments. They explored four key components using a concrete metaphor: water (Holy Spirit), sand (small groups), gravel (micro groups), and cement (personal one-on-one time with God). Matthew shared insights from Second Baptist Church in Warner Robbins, Georgia emphasizing the importance of connecting people through multiple environments rather than relying on just one. They discussed the danger of churches focusing solely on large group assemblies without intentional discipleship pathways. The conversation covered practical tips for aligning different environments, including creating intentional processes, recruiting and training leaders, and defining what biblical discipleship means. They concluded by highlighting the critical importance of pastors maintaining a strong personal walk with God and leading by example in discipleship.

Discipleship Culture Blueprint Presentation

Scott presented the second element of their Discipleship Culture Blueprint, focusing on Disciplemaking Environments. He explained that discipleship doesn't happen by accident and requires intentional environments, using concrete as an analogy with water (Holy Spirit), sand (small groups), gravel (micro groups), and cement (personal one-on-one time with God) as essential components. Scott emphasized that while many churches focus on programs and systems, the key is to create environments where people can grow spiritually through relationships and community.

Multi-Level Discipleship Environments

Scott discussed the importance of trust and personal relationships in transformation, using concrete illustrations like cement to represent a personal walk with God. He emphasized that Jesus modeled multiple discipleship environments, including large groups, small groups, micro groups, and one-on-one time with God. Scott highlighted a gap in many churches that rely on only one or two environments for discipleship and stressed the need for connecting people across multiple levels to facilitate greater life change.

Church Discipleship Engagement Strategies

Matthew discussed how church members often value what is most accessible or central to them, noting that at Second Church, about 30% of members primarily attend large gatherings. He emphasized the importance of intentionally guiding people into smaller groups and discipleship environments to move them beyond just attending services. Matthew highlighted the difference between stated values and actual practices, using Second Baptist Church's mission to help people find and follow Jesus as an example. Scott shared an illustration about people "sniffing" a meal rather than fully engaging, emphasizing the need for integrated discipleship environments that foster genuine growth and collaboration.

Intentional Discipleship Process Development

Matthew and Scott discussed the importance of intentional discipleship processes rather than relying on assumptions. Matthew emphasized that programs should form people through a connected system rather than just filling calendars, suggesting a pathway from visitor to member to growing disciple to leader and multiplier. He recommended mapping out current processes to identify gaps and redundancies, then developing a plan to address these issues over the next 30-90 days.

Ministry Environment Alignment Discussion

Matthew and Scott discussed the importance of aligning ministry environments to produce multiplying disciples rather than maintaining existing programs. Matthew emphasized that intentional, regularly evaluated environments are more likely to produce growth and multiplication, using a yard maintenance analogy to illustrate the point. They agreed on a definition of discipleship as a lifelong process where individuals mature in faith and multiply their experience. The conversation concluded with Scott asking about the importance of leadership pipelines for sustainability.

Ministry Leadership Development Strategy

Matthew discussed the importance of new leaders for ministry growth, outlining a process for recruiting, training, and developing leaders with the end goal of starting new groups within 18-24 months. He emphasized that pastors must lead by example in their personal walks with God and make disciple-making a regular part of their lives. Scott highlighted the principle that personal ministry should never outpace private devotion, and both agreed on the critical role of intentional environments and cultures in making disciples who multiply.

Key Outcomes 

Scott Sullivan and John Spencer (Discipleship Team Leader at Sherwood Baptist  Church in Albany, GA) introduced FORMED, A Discipleship Culture Blueprint, a new resource developed over 2.5 years to help Georgia Baptist churches create disciple-making cultures rather than programs. This resource addresses the core question: How do we reach new people, connect them to the church, move them to spiritual maturity,  and launch them to multiply. 

Resource Overview 

FORMED Structure: 

• Four core elements: Real Relationships, Transformational Teaching, Disciple Making Environments, and Intentional Multiplication 

• Built from dozens of pastor roundtables identifying common church struggles. • Developed by Scott Sullivan, Ray Sullivan (now Pastor at First Waycross), and PJ  Dunn (overseeing Revitalization at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board) • Will be taught through six regional cohorts led by trained leaders, including John.
 
Key Definitions: 

• Culture: The shared expression of beliefs, values, and rhythms that define an  organization's identity; "how it feels" rather than just mission or vision
• Disciple (Georgia Baptist definition): A committed, passionate follower of Jesus  Christ, based on 2 Timothy 2:1-7's four generations of disciples and three-word pictures (soldier, athlete, farmer) 

Critical Leadership Questions 

Three essential questions every pastor should answer: 

• Do we have a culture of discipleship, and is it working? 

• Do you have a definition of a biblical disciple for your people? 

• Does the culture and success of the ministry depend solely on you as the leader? Core Principle: "I hope so is not a strategy" - churches cannot keep running the same play if it's not helping them win. 

Real Relationships Framework 

Foundation: Jesus invited disciples into a relationship ("follow me"), not a program - discipleship happens best within relational contexts. 

The Rebar Principle:

• Like rebar tied together before concrete is poured creates tensile strength,  intentionally tied relationships provide reinforcement when storms come • Without tied relationships, ministry cracks under pressure 

• You cannot pour ministry on top of relationships you never tied together
2:00 AM Friendships: 

• Deep, loyal, hesed-type Old Testament connections that never walk away • Many mature believers lack these foundational relationships 

Sherwood Church Model 

Disciple Definition at Sherwood: 

Know Christ, Love God, Unite with Believers, Serve the World, and Entrust the Gospel - visible everywhere (classrooms, atrium, new member materials) to maintain cultural focus. 

Sherwood on Mission Class: 

• Equips members to live gospel-centered lives daily, not just share gospel facts • Most valuable component: hearing stories of others interacting with people in their  zones (work, home, neighborhood) 

• Available to share with other churches upon request 

Practical Implementation: 

• Michael Catt established Wednesday morning Cracker Barrel group with 5-6 men  who could speak candidly into his leadership 

• Prayer walking neighborhoods with an online sign-up chart tracking coverage across  Albany 

• Daily Bible reading groups (using MacArthur Daily Bible) meeting at 6:00 AM 

Overcoming Barriers to Connection 

Common Church Barriers: 

• Poor or insufficient signage around campus 

• Greeters who overwhelm rather than read people appropriately • "Holy huddles" that look inward rather than outward 

• Inadequate nursery facilities that parents don't trust 

• Inefficient processes (coffee stations, check-in) that create frustration. Key Insight: Confused people don't move; they wander - clear signage and processes are essential. 

Cultural Shift Required: 

• People want to be noticed, not just noted (Luke 19 - Jesus didn't just see  Zacchaeus, he went to his house) 

• New member classes must set expectations: "Your job as a disciple-maker is to  welcome people to your life, not just your seat." 

• Tell stories constantly - in baptisms, classrooms, social media, pulpit - to inspire and  give ideas 

Intentionality Over Randomness

Ministry Trap Warning: 

The managerial trap of settling to manage people rather than shepherd and disciple them - easier to manage groups than invest intimately in messy lives. Personal Disciplines for Leaders: 

• Start with personal abiding - "I can't lead what I don't do." 

• Distinguish between being in the Bible for your people (sermon prep) versus being in  the Bible for yourself 

• Pray specifically: "Lord, who do I invite in?" 

• Most successful ministry comes from one-on-one, one-on-two investments over time. Example: John invested ten years in a man who came hungover most mornings; now that man is leading a college ministry. 

Multiplication Mindset: 

• Invite younger leaders into discipleship groups to pass the torch • Equip them to replicate: "Now you go find some guys." 

• Story: A man moving to North Carolina took extra MacArthur Daily Bibles to start  groups there 

Practical Opportunities 

Beyond Sunday Services: 

• Partner with existing community services (food banks, deliveries) 
• Prayer walks in neighborhoods 

• Student car washes 

• Leverage natural contexts (pickleball example: introvert wife built new friendships,  led couple to church, provided support during medical crisis) 

Church Facility Design: 

North Metro Church built a massive foyer/mall effect holding 500 people, transforming culture by giving space for pre-service connection rather than herding people like cattle. 

Action Items 

• Georgia Baptist Mission Board Discipleship Team: Launch FORMED resource by the end of April, release four podcast episodes every two weeks for cohesive learning • Regional leaders (including John): Prepare to lead cohorts using  an overview/introduction approach (Matthew Gibb’s piece to be distributed) • Churches interested in Sherwood’s On Mission materials: Contact John Spencer at [email protected] for manual/digital copies 

Closing Principle 

"A church that is easy to attend but hard to connect in will always struggle to multiply.  Bet the farm on relationships - Jesus did."

This broadcast will help church leaders see the need to utilize church management software as part of their efforts to make disciples.

Boyd Pelley has been the Co-founder/Culture Architect at Churchteams since 2000. From 1990 to 2008 has served as discipleship, administrative and family pastor of churches in New Mexico, Nebraska, and Texas. Churchteams was born out of his passion for discipleship and team-building in the local church. Married for 37 years, he and Pam have two married, adult children who love and serve Jesus with kids of their own!

In this broadcast we discuss:

• This isn't just a broadcast for nerds.
• How church software can help you engage with a person for ministry.
• How can software be relational?
• How does a church that has never had software take its first step towards starting and building a church management software to be discipleship focused?
• Software does not replace a human relationship. It can only enhance relationships to help churches align values, processes, and data track to accomplish their mission.

Dan Williams formed Partnerships with a Purpose during the Olympics in Atlanta and Salt Lake City. He founded Sports Serve, where he devoted his time to leadership development through sports. Since 1993 Dan has been working with churches and organizations to make disciples in and through sport across North America. He is one of the founding members of the North American Sports Movement.

Chris Weldon has been married for 31 years to Debby. They have 7 children and 3 grandchildren (number 4 is due in November). Chris has been in ministry for 32 years, with 10 of those years in Seattle as a Church Planter with NAMB. The last 5.5 years as a Co-Vocational Pastor at Emerson Church, a replant of a 150-year-old church, that is positioned next to the largest sport complex in Georgia. Chris has a BA in Biblical Studies, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctorate from SEBTS.

In this episode we discuss:

• The cautions of travel sport commitments and the conflicts it creates in the local church.
• How important our world view is when making travel sport decisions.
• How anything can become an idol and specific guard rails we can utilize.
• That disciple-making can happen where you live, work and play.
• Tools to equip families who have chosen to engage in travel sports.
• The importance or seeing ourselves as “in Christ” and not defined by a sport or job.
• Who has the primary responsibility to disciple our children.
• Making disciples requires us to think creatively and keep the priority of connecting with a local church.
• How parents can know if they have crossed the line in priority.
• Mindset shifts church leaders can make to increase gospel impact.
• Three Key questions parents can ask to guide their decision whether to commit to a travel sport team.

Ken Braddy is the Director of Sunday School & Network Partnerships for Lifeway Christian Resources.  He’s been the managing director of adult ongoing Bible studies such as Bible Studies For Life, Explore The Bible, MasterWork, The Gospel Project, YOU, and more. Through his team’s work at Lifeway, they served the Bible study needs of approximately 3 million adults each week.

Matthew Gibbs has been the discipleship and evangelism pastor at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins, Georgia for the past 15 years and has served in ministry over 25 years. He is a core piece of our discipleship team serving as discipleship consultant in our east central region and one of my close trusted friends.

In this episode:

• The general purpose of Sunday morning bible study and how this can be communicated.
• How curriculum can help us achieve the purpose of bible study groups.
• Curriculum is important because our behavior grows out of what we believe.
• The pros and cons for giving your bible study leaders an option on approved curriculum vs a unified curriculum.
• Practical ideas on how to choose what curriculum to use.
• Why leaders must choose and communicate whether you have an open group vs a closed group when choosing what curriculum to use.
• Trends and cautions when choosing curriculum based bible study or sermon based studies and the benefits.
• One way to get a golf trip with Ken Braddy in the Swiss Alps!

We interview Ken Adams, pastor at Crossroads Church Newnan, Georgia and President of IMPACT Ministries. Carl Johnson also joins us. Carl is the pastor of leadership development at Peace Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia and serves as a contract representative for our Georgia Baptist Discipleship Team in the West Central region.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Craig Etheridge writes that US is now #3 behind India and China for the most number of people NOT professing to be Christian. 
• One specific way to win a NEW 2023 IPAD PRO!!
• A shift most churches need to make is to understand what their Win really needs to be.
• The critical need to understand the church’s marching orders and why we do what we do.
• How to FIGHT for a shift in culture.
  • Form a framily-friends & family
  • Identify and eliminate infections 
  • Give kudos (never miss an opportunity to praise leaders)
  • Hold high your core values
  • Take up for your lay and paid leaders
• William Vanderbloemen says “culture wins with everyone… every time.”
• Keys to create a mindset or programmatic shift.
• Why regular and quality leadership meetings can be THE difference in your ministry.
• Ideas to move your people from consumers to co-laborers.
• 3 thoughts to help you make the above shifts including, seek to build onramps and not cul de sacs (credit: Aaron Hulse-First Fayetteville)

Dr. Allen Jackson currently serves as both a professor and pastor. For over half of his adult ministry life, he lived on the NOBTS campus and taught, researched, and spoke in the field of youth and collegiate ministry. Over the years, his interests expanded into other fields in Christian Education and Spiritual formation including leadership, administration, developmental psychology, risk management, and a heavy investment in the next generation. He has written extensively in adolescent, collegiate, leader training, and Bible teaching areas. Allen now serves as senior pastor at Dunwoody Baptist Church in Atlanta and has been a constant source of wisdom and friendship in my life for over two decades.

Ray Sullivan III serves as the Discipleship Consultant in South Georgia for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Because conversion is the starting line, not the finish line, Ray is passionate about helping pastors and churches take their next step in developing intentional disciple-making pathways that lead converts to become fully trained disciples of Jesus. Before joining the GBMB, Ray served as lead pastor in churches throughout Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia.

In the episode:

• Learn the events and experiences that influenced each generation and why that matters as we seek to reach and retain Millennials and Gen X.
• Millennials are the largest generation in the American workforce.
• Gen X is the first generation to experience the full effects of divorce and both parents working outside the home.
• Millennials are the first generation to be fully influenced by the cell phone becoming an everyday tool.
• Gen X accounted for the majority of start-ups pre-pandemic and has incurred more debt than any other generation.
• Millennials made popular long beards, flannel, and fedoras.
• Gen X, well, they got parachute pants!
• Millennials will experience the greatest transfer of wealth in American history so helping them learn to manage money is critical.
• Gen X are caring for aging parents and local churches can offer caregiver support.
• Note the pendulum swing regarding what becomes important from one generation to the next.
• Millennials want to be involved.
• Gen X are skeptical and need to see authenticity and moral integrity.
• Listen to learn best practices churches are utilizing to engage both.

Chris Trent is the Next Gen Catalyst on our Church Strengthening team. He served as a student pastor in churches in Texas and Georgia, most recently as student pastor at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church for 14 years. 

Jenni Carter is a Statewide Next Gen Consultant on our Church Strengthening team focusing on helping churches in Kids Ministry. She has served for over 10 years with the GBMB and is nationally recognized for her efforts in VBS training and for seeing thousands of children come to faith in Christ through VBS. 

Gen Z (born years 1997-2013) is easy to focus on the negative things society says about this generation. But on this broadcast, the team has a conversation on leveraging relational authority in the lives of this generation to see God using them in the local church. 

The team discusses:  

• Why relational authority with Gen Z is different than ever before.
• How can church leaders disciple a child if their parent can't (or won't) be the spiritual leader in the home?
• What's one of the first things we can do to begin the discipleship process for kids?