The Church Multiplication Collective (CMC) has had to revamp its strategy in providing resources for church planters and multipliers because of COVID-19. In a typical year, the CMC of The Wesleyan Church (TWC) would host a Wesleyan-specific event at Exponential, “a growing community of leaders committed to accelerating the multiplication of healthy, reproducing faith communities.”
Since Exponential 2021 was canceled, the CMC developed a new strategy that included creating smaller gathering points across the country: Exponential Wesleyan Roundtables.
This free event is open to all Wesleyans, lay and clergy, and leaders can find a virtual host site to attend alongside their team. Each Exponential setting includes three sessions, multiplication leaders who are experts on advancing unity and multiplication in a church setting. Each round table will also encourage conversation and provide resources and action steps for participants to take home to their local churches.
Dr. Ed Love, director of church multiplication for TWC, has big hopes for the micro events.
“Our big hope is that we will be able to create 20+ Wesleyan host sites all across the country to serve as multiplication stimulation events,” said Love. “We hope to get 1,000-2,000 Wesleyans together to talk about multiplying believers, leaders and churches.”
Reed DeVries, who assists in church planting and multiplication at Celebrate Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said they hosted a round table on March 13. Almost 200 attended, hungry to learn more about multiplication. DeVries said Celebrate joined in so its lay and clergy could continue to be equipped in the area of multiplication.
“To become a multiplying church, your people have to get a vision of becoming disciples who disciple others who disciple others,” said DeVries. “Multiplication starts with each member taking discipleship personally. The Exponential Roundtable starts the vision and conversation of being a multiplier both individually and as a church.”
DeVries believes multiplication is most effective when everyone is on board with it.
“Multiplication is not a program that the church offers,” said DeVries. “It is an intentional decision by everyone that says we will not be an addition church, but rather will move to multiplying. Too often the church focuses on trying to make converts or church members. That is not Jesus’s command. To fulfill the great commission, we must make disciples.”
Other churches and districts are slated for future round tables. Read more about this year’s event and how to be a part of it.
