April 6, 2026
DiscipleShift 2026 is a two-day hands-on training experience designed to help pastors and church leaders make disciples of Jesus through authentic relationships. The event focuses on intentional leadership, relational disciple-making, small-group environments, alignment around a common mission, and building a disciple-making culture within the church.
January 1, 2024
A church, a school system, a community, and a production company joined forces to expose the lies that lead to teen suicide.
November 1, 2023
By Jim Putman As I shared in Part 1, I am skeptical of any new view of original things. My reasons are twofold. First, when speaking about something historical in nature, eyewitnesses and their contemporaries are more likely to have it right. Second, Scripture warns that people will come seeking to change views that were once well understood. Thomas Campbell, a Restoration Movement founder, coined the phrase, “Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and where it is silent, we are silent.” It captures the spirit of Romans 14 and resonates with me. Freedom exists where Scripture is silent, but we
September 1, 2023
By Jim Putman Though I grew up a preacher’s kid—and maybe because of it—I ended up in college as an unbeliever with a drinking problem. I had rejected my parents, but they were waiting to journey with me back to Jesus. Back then, I would have said there is no God . . . that God had been “educated” out of me. I was no victim, however—I was rebellious. My father sent me research that affirmed that some scientists believed in God, even though professors had told me no reputable scientist could. Over time, I moved from “there is no
June 22, 2019
By Jerry Harris Some people we cross paths with in life leave an indelible mark. Robert Coleman is such a person for me. A few years ago, I was part of a group of leaders who were preparing the speaking lineup for that year’s Exponential conference. The focus that year was on discipleship and its relationship to church planting. Jim Putman, a preacher whose life and ministry have been devoted to relational discipleship, was chosen as a featured speaker and also selected to help write that year’s accompanying book. He and Bobby Harrington were looking for a third person to
May 20, 2019
What statistics really count in the church? Baptisms? Attendance? Or something much more vital? By Jim Putman I have been in many meetings over the years with so-called âbig dogsâ in the American Christian world . . . and I have left these gatherings feeling very dissatisfied. These meetings often sound spiritual and may even come from good hearts, but they often leave me feeling like something big was missed. The purpose of meeting usually is good: How do we win people to Jesus? Most everyone acknowledges our culture is falling apart, that many Americans are leaving the faith and
March 14, 2018
By Mel McGowan Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho, strives to meet people where they are and then walk a mile or even a lifetime alongside them. This church does not attempt to impress its community but, rather, exposes its own raw, real character to draw in “messy, ordinary people.” My company learned this firsthand when we presented a storyboard to them that included a photo of nice, new work boots, and the church leaders’ immediate pushback was that the boots wouldn’t be theirs. That’s because the shoes they walk in would be a pair of boots borrowed
March 23, 2017
By Jennifer Johnson You may know Exponential as the premier conference for church planting, but you may not know that a similar event exists for leaders focused on discipleship””and that some of the same people are behind both. Todd Wilson, founder and director of Exponential, and Bobby Harrington, lead pastor at Harpeth Christian Church in Franklin, TN, launched the National Disciple Making Forum in 2014 at Saddleback Church in Southern California as a way for disciple-making leaders around the country to learn, pray, worship, and grow together. “I wasn”t sure if I wanted to take this on, honestly,” Harrington says.
August 16, 2016
By Mark A. Taylor Here”s one more indication that Christian churches and their leaders are having an impact on America: many today are sought-after book authors. I remember a conversation with a Standard Publishing salesman two or three decades ago who said this would never happen. Christian church preachers and professors just would not be accepted in the general Evangelical world, he explained. I don”t remember all his reasons, but I thought of him when I skimmed through the latest edition of a little catalog called Pastor Resources. The 62-page digest-size booklet contains ads for everything from Christian camps to
June 15, 2015
We asked three leaders to react to Jim Putman’s article describing his church’s decision to plant churches instead of develop multisites. By Brent Storms, president, The Orchard Group (www.orchardgroup.org) ONE OF THE BIGGEST FACTORS in starting healthy churches is the quality of the lead planter. One of the characteristics of the best church planters is that they are great communicators. The only way to develop one”s communication gift is to be afforded frequent opportunities to speak and receive helpful feedback. I share Jim”s concern that the trend toward campuses that are video venues effectively reduces the opportunities younger leaders have to preach. That
June 14, 2015
By Jim Putman Our facilities were jammed. Our leaders were overextended. Our growth was stymied. We had three choices: Build larger. Create multisites. Or plant new churches. This is why we chose the third option. Eight years ago the church I lead, Real Life Ministries, was averaging 8,500 people in five weekend services. We were far past the 80 percent rule in our main services (i.e., our auditorium was beyond 80 percent full; we wouldn”t grow any larger in those services). And the times of the other services were not convenient enough to be attractive to newcomers. Our staff and
June 5, 2012
By Darrel Rowland Jim Putman readily agrees that a lengthy ministry is no guarantee of spiritual success. “Just because you”re in a place a long time doesn”t mean it”s going to be effective. You”re going to have to be the right kind of leader in a long-term ministry.” But that right kind of leader can be more effective over the long haul, he says. “I think the largest churches in the United States are led by people who”ve been there for a period of time and figured out how to make an impact, and how to grow people spiritually and
April 11, 2010
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
October 7, 2009
By Brad Dupray Matt King”s road to accepting the grace of Christ was a long and rocky one, but today God is using Matt in a powerful way as senior pastor of Valley Real Life, a Christian church serving the Spokane Valley in Eastern Washington. Before entering vocational ministry, Matt was a sales manager for a machine tool company in Spokane, traveling extensively across North America carrying out multimillion dollar transactions. In his personal life, Matt and his wife, Nona, experienced the sorrow of infertility and miscarriage, and then were joyously surprised with the birth of Ethan just five months
July 4, 2008
By Brad Dupray Jim Putman planted Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho, nine years ago with a vision of a church whose relationships would exhibit the same passion as those of New Testament Christians. Real Life has grown to weekend attendance of 8,500, with 7,600 people involved in small groups each week””all in a town of 17,000 and a county of 120,000. Jim was a three-time All-American wrestler in college and he holds degrees from Boise State University and Boise Bible College. He and his wife, Lori, have been married 20 years and are the proud parents of three
June 4, 2008
By Mark A. Taylor After reading this week”s small groups articles, you may wish we had talked to all the writers in one room at the same time. The variety in their approaches would no doubt stimulate a lively discussion about “the right way” to do small groups. Yet, in spite of any potential disagreements, several common principles are clear. According to this week”s writers, here”s how to have successful small groups: Begin with the Bible. Jim Putman, whose church involves thousands in small groups every week, says “The Bible plays a central part.” Mike Mack, who not only
March 18, 2007
Using a coaching metaphor, Jim Putman urges church leaders to equip believers for ministry and prioritize disciple-making over spectator Christianity—developing leaders from within so the whole body works together.
March 18, 2007
Jim Putman compares the church to a team and argues “winning” is defined by making disciples. He examines sobering statistics and urges leaders to return to Jesus’ relational disciple-making game plan.
January 1, 2007
Meet this year’s lineup of Christian Standard columnists—leaders and thinkers reflecting on Christian life, church ministry, Restoration Movement concerns, and the challenges of Christian leadership.
November 30, 2005
Jim Putman views the church through a coach’s eyes and argues “winning” means making disciples. He challenges leaders to return to relational discipleship and to face hard realities without giving up on the mission.
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