Megachurches: The Church of the Decade Is Real Life Ministries (Web-only Feature)

Real Life Ministries’ Disciple-Making Approach

Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho, has grown into one of the country’s largest Christian churches/churches of Christ while emphasizing relational discipleship over performance-driven ministry. Jim Putman describes the church as a “launching pad” focused on equipping people to meet community needs and make disciples. The church’s growth strategy includes leadership development, church planting, and autonomous partner churches.

• Real Life Ministries grew from four families in 1998 to an average worship attendance of 8,500.
• The church emphasizes disciple making in relational environments and serving local community needs.
• Real Life’s growth strategy includes planting churches, training leaders, and forming autonomous partner churches.

By Kent Fillinger

Real Life Ministries is currently the sixth-largest Christian church/church of Christ in the country. Started by Jim Putman with only four families in 1998 in Post Falls, Idaho, Real Life has grown to an average worship attendance of 8,500. Real Life first appeared on Christian Standard’s megachurch list in 2001 with an average attendance of 1,497.

Real Life has remained focused on “making disciples in relational environments” and resisted chasing fads or shooting for “the big show” like some other churches. “The church should not be a gathering place, but a launching pad,” said Putman, who believes the best way to accomplish that goal is through creating spaces where people can relate to each other.

The Church God Intended

Real Life places a priority on striving to be the church God designed or intended it to be. Real Life seeks to help people grow spiritually through person-to-person interactions.

Real Life has focused on the needs of its local community and determined the best ways to meet those needs. Therefore, the church has opened a thrift store, a financial planning center, food rooms, and also hosts a huge drug and alcohol recovery ministry for the community.

Putman is convinced too many church leaders are “too busy working on the show, rather than on figuring out who in their church can be raised up to meet the needs of the local community.” Putman suggests church leaders go to their local schools and police departments to identify the needs of the community, and then organize their congregation to meet those needs.

Putman said when Real Life initiated its drug and alcohol recovery program, the community started to view the church as an asset with something to offer. “We’re supposed to become uncomfortable in order to reach the community around us, and when you have this mind-set, then God brings you the people you need to accomplish it,” Putman said.

Challenges to Growth

Putman acknowledged the city of Post Falls is not very large, and he does not anticipate the church will continue to grow as quickly as in its first 12 years of existence. He said the church does not intend to keep building bigger buildings, nor to keep adding services in order to protect its staff, nor does it plan to assume an unreasonable amount of debt.

With this understanding of its challenges to growth, Real Life has already planted six churches that draw 3,000 additional attendees. And because Real Life values leadership development, the church intends to continue growing by training leaders from around the country to pursue a biblical philosophy for “doing church.”

Real Life has established several partner churches that carry its DNA, but that function as autonomous partners with local elders; this is different from the typical multisite model, which, in Putman’s view, promotes “mini-denominationalism.” Real Life follows the pattern of the book of Acts and helps its partner churches select its own elders so they can function as independent churches. Real Life views these partner churches as colaborers with them, and not as churches under its authority or control.

Putman said he has a hard time with any “personality-driven model of church” and reiterated the importance of focusing on being a “discipleship-driven church.” Real Life is committed to helping leaders emerge to be involved in the ministry, so that the church is less about any one person. This approach is not only healthier, but ensures the sustainability of the church. Putman noted that the highest attendance weekends at Real Life last year were times when he was not preaching.

Putman said every church needs to focus on making disciples—knowing who a disciple is and then releasing him to make even more disciples. “Christianity is like the flu—it’s caught person-to-person,” Putman said, adding that each church needs to create a system through which disciples are made.

Kent Fillinger is president of 3:STRANDS Consulting (www.3strandsconsulting.com).

Further Reading and Training

For more insights into the philosophy and practices of Real Life Ministries, purchase a copy of Jim Putman’s book, Church is a Team Sport: A Championship Strategy for Doing Ministry Together (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008), or attend one of the monthly “Immersion” church leadership seminars held at Real Life.

Author: Kent Fillinger

Kent Fillinger is President of 3:Strands Consulting, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Regional Vice President with Christian Financial Resources.