No DMMs in the USA

From https://discipleship.org/national-study-on-disciple-making-in-usa-churches/:

NATIONAL STUDY ON DISCIPLE MAKING IN USA CHURCHES: High Aspirations Amidst Disappointing Results

SPONSORED BY DISCIPLESHIP.ORG + EXPONENTIAL 

CONDUCTED BY GREY MATTER RESEARCH

The following key points are a summary of the results from this study:

1. Fewer than 5% of churches in the US have a reproducing disciple-making culture – we champion and celebrate these churches. They are a model for other churches. But, at the same time, in light of the truth that disciple making is the core mission of the church, the study found a disappointingly low percentage of churches with a culture of and strategy for reproducing disciples and disciple makers (Level 4 and 5 churches).

2. An absence of churches reflecting viral-like disciple making movements (L5 churches) – we did not find clear examples of disciple making movements (DMM) in the US. Stated differently, we did not find in the established churches that were interviewed disciple making movement churches. These churches may exist in the USA, but they are not reflected in the data uncovered. Such churches are common in various other parts of the world. We delineate them from level 4 churches (reproducing disciples) by the level 5 viral-like features – these churches reflect a special movement of the Holy Spirit as they rapidly multiply disciples and disciple makers. We look forward to finding them in the USA.

3. Lack of commonly understood definitions – there is not a clear, compelling and commonly understood set of basic definitions for terms such as discipleship, disciple, and disciple making. This makes it very difficult to assess effectiveness within local churches and within the broader church community (consistent definitions do not prevail in Protestant churches in the USA).

4. Overestimating Impact – pastors are overly optimistic in their assessment of the disciple-making cultures present in their churches, and frequently overrating their effectiveness in discipleship and disciple making.

From page 13: “The USA lacks clearly defined examples of viral-like disciple-making movements (DMM). There are some 1,000 disciple-making movements around the world that match the following character traits. They are unique movements, reflecting a revival-like culture like that found in the early chapters of the book of Acts…"

Download the whole thing.