At the early stage of planning for multiplication, a pastor or church planter must deal with his "flesh." Western culture worships success and efficiency. We fear failure and try to avoid it at all costs. As a result, some new leaders tend to over-control, inhibiting the spontaneous leading of the Spirit through the flock.

How many churches simply keep walking in circles because they fear to try new directions? Some cling blindly to existing programs for no reason at all other than that they exist. Too often pastors support this paralyzing routine, even praising it. They fear to give the congregation the flexibility to try new things by faith, to risk failure, in order to restore their walk of faith. Let us allow the Holy Spirit, the supreme agent of change on the earth today, to lead us!

Discipleship, which is to follow Christ in service to His Kingdom in such a way that believers become like Him, is progressive. Some new believers respond immediately and make rapid progress, entering quickly into service. Progress can happen so rapidly that a man can go from being saved to being a strong leader in less than a year. God begins to prepare such persons for service in His Kingdom even before they are saved.

Others bring with them many scars from this world, which must be healed through illumination by the Holy Spirit, by repentance, and with the renewing of their mind. These folks stumble forward with fits and stops, requiring much healing before they can contribute significantly to the Kingdom. But even during this crippled stage, they can be serving in some way, and their contribution should be recognized and appreciated. They can pray for the leaders and the needs of the body, and they often will have words of encouragement for the downhearted. Some of their healing will come only as they contribute their part in the kingdom. I have a retarded brother who, despite his mental handicaps, has been quite a challenge to me. One day he asked me who would preach the gospel to people like him? His concern moved me.

Children who know Christ also need to see themselves as contributors to the Kingdom. A Jewish boy in Jesus’ times was considered a man at age twelve and was expected to carry out his religious duties in the synagogue. Some churches have no place for children to serve until after they graduate from college! Maybe that is why so many of them stray from the church. They do not see service in God’s Kingdom as a part of their life. Instead, they see church as a place where they are to be entertained and served. When the world offers better entertainment and more attractive opportunities to do things, they are seduced by it.

Our house churches sometimes hold "affirmation meetings", at which members of the congregation mention how they have seen others minister in the body. This encouragement helps to spur others to greater ministry. Little teaching is done at such meetings, but the ministry of helps, encouragement, reproof, and compassion are made more visible; otherwise they often go unnoticed.

All of us ought to keep progressing measurably in our walk with the Lord. If our children stop growing, we take them to see a doctor. Likewise those who have experienced new life in Christ ought to keep growing. Do not accept nominal growth as normal in a reproducing church.

Disciples who show progress need to be encouraged to go forward and be given more responsible ministry, on the principle that "he who is faithful in little will also be faithful with much" (Luke 19:17). Include them in your meetings when you initiate ministry, plan, and set objectives, so they will not feel like incapable underlings to the elders and paid staff. The primary goal of leadership should be to equip believers and to coordinate efforts of the members of the body for its edification and reproduction. Leaders who simply enforce rules rather than help others to minister, hinder normal reproduction.

Some churches find it hard to turn over key positions to volunteer workers. Staff members complain, "You cannot count on them." Yet other large churches enjoy an abundance of reliable volunteer workers. Why the difference? The leaders of churches with many volunteer workers do not hesitate to challenge members to loving obedience to Christ. They praise their efforts and are patient with new workers. They do not let an elite paid staff do all the work and simply lord it over their inferiors.

House churches can reproduce rapidly, thus requiring regular changes in organization and fresh relationship building. Monthly meetings of members of the entire network of churches help to maintain relationships. We also hold weekly men’s prayer meetings, women’s meetings, and youth meetings. Discipleship chains often extend from one church to another, especially when a new house church begins.

Organizing for normal, spontaneous reproduction requires flexible organization in which churches and groups are free to reproduce themselves without being tied to rules made by people who do not know what God is doing in the area. Each new church is entitled to make its own rules for its own ministry--and to make its own mistakes. For the multiplication and continued fellowship of churches and groups, the best organizational structures grow normally out of the loving relationships that develop in the process of training assistant pastors in the churches or groups.