What are Disciple-Making Movements? – 5 Examples From Around The World

In recent years, the concept of church planting movements or disciple-making movements (DMMs) has gained increasing attention and interest within the church. 

A disciple-making movement is a rapid multiplication of disciples that results in a new church planting movement. The goal is to reach those who have never heard the gospel and to see the church grow and multiply rapidly.

There are numerous examples of disciple-making movements around the world, and in this post, we will examine some of them.

North India House Church Movement

In the late 1990s, a CPM erupted across North India, particularly among rural Hindu communities.

Catalyzed by local evangelists trained in simple church-planting methods, this movement saw thousands of small house churches emerge within a decade. David Garrison’s Church Planting Movements highlights this as a classic case, noting its reliance on lay leadership—ordinary believers sharing the gospel without formal theological training.

Evangelism was abundant, often through storytelling and oral Bible studies suited to low-literacy populations. Prayer played a central role, with new believers forming “prayer cells” that doubled as evangelism hubs.

The movement’s rapid reproduction stemmed from its simplicity: no buildings, no paid clergy, just reproducible fellowships meeting in homes.

By 2004, estimates suggested over 100,000 new believers and thousands of house churches, though exact numbers vary.

Persecution from Hindu nationalists ironically fueled growth, as scattered believers planted new groups elsewhere. Foreign funding was minimal, preserving indigenous ownership.

Challenges included shallow discipleship in some areas, but leaders adapted by emphasizing obedience-based training, aligning with DMM principles.

China’s Underground Church Movement

China’s underground church network, peaking in the late 20th century, exemplifies a CPM under intense persecution.

Garrison documents how, after Mao’s Cultural Revolution banned religion, Christianity rebounded with astonishing speed. By the 1990s, millions had joined house churches, multiplying without centralized control. Key drivers included bold evangelism by lay believers—often women—and a focus on rapid church planting.

A single believer might start a group, train others, and see it split into new fellowships within months.

Prayer and miracles, like healings, drew converts in a culture valuing spiritual power.

The movement thrived without buildings or foreign missionaries, relying on smuggled Bibles and oral teaching. Estimates range from 50-100 million believers by the early 2000s, though state crackdowns later slowed growth.

Its resilience showcased CPM hallmarks: adaptability and local leadership.

East African Muslim-background Movement

In East Africa, a DMM took root among Muslim communities in the 2000s, as described in Jerry Trousdale’s Miraculous Movements.

Missionaries trained locals in Discovery Bible Study (DBS), where small groups explored Scripture, leading to organic conversions. Unlike traditional evangelism, DBS empowered seekers to discover faith themselves, reducing cultural friction.

New disciples immediately trained others, sparking multiplication—some areas saw dozens of groups form within a year.

Prayer and fasting were central, often preceding breakthroughs in resistant villages. By focusing on disciple-making before church planting, this movement aligned with DMM ideals, though churches eventually emerged.

Estimates suggest thousands of believers across multiple people groups, with growth fueled by insiders rather than outsiders.

Challenges included threats from Muslim leaders, yet the movement persisted through relational networks.

Southeast Asia T4T Movement

The Training for Trainers (T4T) model, developed by Ying Kai in Southeast Asia, birthed a hybrid CPM/DMM in the early 2000s.

Starting in a Chinese province, Kai trained every believer to share their faith and disciple others immediately. Within a decade, over a million baptisms and 100,000 new church starts were reported, per Steve Smith’s T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution.

The method emphasized accountability: trainees reported weekly on witnessing, discipling, and starting groups.

Simplicity—using short lessons and house meetings—enabled rapid replication across urban and rural areas. Prayer and obedience to Scripture were non-negotiable.

While critics question the depth of such explosive growth, T4T’s scalability inspired global adoption.

Its success hinged on empowering locals, not foreign missionaries.

Latin American Urban Movement

In Latin America’s urban slums, a CPM emerged in the 1990s, driven by Pentecostal fervor and lay initiative.

Garrison notes how impoverished communities embraced a gospel of hope, forming house churches that multiplied quickly. Evangelism was relational, spreading through family and neighborhood ties.

Leaders, often new converts, planted churches within weeks, fueled by passionate worship and testimonies of transformed lives. Prayer meetings doubled as outreach events, drawing curious neighbors.

By the early 2000s, hundreds of small fellowships dotted cities like Bogotá and São Paulo, with some networks claiming tens of thousands of members.

The movement thrived without institutional support, though it faced issues like syncretism and leadership burnout.

Its grassroots nature embodied CPM’s core: rapid, indigenous multiplication.

Conclusion: The Power and Promise of Multiplication Movements

The stories of Church Planting Movements (CPMs) and Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) across the globe—from the rural villages of North India to the urban slums of Latin America—reveal a striking pattern: when ordinary believers are empowered to share their faith and multiply disciples, the results can be transformative.

These five examples illustrate how rapid, indigenous movements can thrive in diverse contexts, often under conditions that might seem insurmountable.

In North India, simplicity and persecution fueled house church growth; in China, underground networks defied a repressive regime; in East Africa, Discovery Bible Studies bridged cultural divides; in Southeast Asia, T4T’s scalable training sparked a million baptisms; and in Latin America, relational evangelism turned despair into hope.

Each case underscores the core principles championed by David Garrison and others: abundant prayer, lay leadership, rapid reproduction, and a focus on obedience over institution-building.

Far from being mere pragmatic strategies, these movements reflect a biblical precedent and model, echoing God’s own nature as a multiplying God.

In Genesis 1:26, God declares His intent for humanity to “be fruitful and multiply,” a mandate that extends beyond biology to the spiritual multiplication of His image-bearers. Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the explosive growth of the early church in Acts embody this divine pattern—disciples making disciples, churches birthing churches.

Challenges like shallow discipleship or persecution, seen in these modern examples, mirror the early church’s struggles, yet God’s power prevails.

These movements thrive not because they are efficient, but because they align with His design: a kingdom that grows organically, through faithful obedience and the Spirit’s work.

They call us back to a biblical vision where multiplication is not just a method, but a reflection of God Himself.