Since 2013, BEYOND has seen the movements we coach grow to over 57,000 churches and nearly half a million baptized disciples. Kent Parks, CEO of BEYOND, has said, “People are coming to faith in multiplying ways around the world. We have been praying for this for forty years, and now we are seeing it!” In each of the last four years, the number of churches within these movements has doubled.
- From 5,000 in 2016
- To 12,000 in 2017
- To 22,000 in 2018
- To 57,000 in 2019!
Why is this happening? Because God is doing it. We know this fruit is not ours—only God starts movements. But we know God delights in using His people in this task; this is why we place teams among the unreached and prayerfully prepare ourselves to participate in His work.
How do we prepare?
First, we train. Trainings range in length and intensity from our 90-minute introductory Nugget webinars (for those beginning to explore their calling), all the way to Phase 1 and Phase 2 Hub programs that can last a year or more (for those already committed to cross-cultural work). In the last six years, BEYOND workers have helped to train over 42,000 people through these initiatives.
Second, we work: We want to see people practice what they’ve learned, so we structure trainings to include implementation. We usually require people to practice what they’ve learned before they move on to subsequent training. We strive to hold ourselves accountable to be doers of the word, not just hearers.
Third, we coach. Individual training and the initial steps of practice, important as they are, aren’t enough. The most productive Disciple Making Movement (DMM) catalysts are in coaching relationships with peers and others ‘further ahead’ in the journey. Coaching circles provide the stability and accountability needed for workers to go far. Members pray together, encourage one another, identify and solve pressing problems, and experiment with new resources.
We are very excited about and thankful for all that God has been doing over the past four years. We are preparing for the additional growth we believe He will bring. However, we know much remains to be done: over 2 billion people in the world still have no access to the Gospel. We believe that God wants to use us, our partners, and many others like us all over the world, “to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20) We look forward to the day when we look back on this time and say, “That was just the beginning!”