June 30, 2026
Think Discipleship
A reflection on Real Life Ministries, small groups, and how intentional leaders, relational environments, and reproducible processes can move people from spectators to mature disciple-makers.
Articles for tag: Real Life Ministries
April 6, 2026
DiscipleShift 2026 Post Falls (November)
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.
April 6, 2026
DiscipleShift 2026 Post Falls
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.
SPOTLIGHT: Eagle Christian Church, Idaho
After 25 Years, Church Ministry Is Soaring By Rick Chromey Nestled in the heart of southwestern Idaho is a church that’s spent a quarter century serving Treasure Valley communities, from Meridian to Emmett and Boise to Caldwell. The aptly named Eagle Christian Church has spread its wings in recent years, expanding in 2019 to three campuses in Surprise Valley (east Boise), central valley (Eagle), and west valley (Nampa/Caldwell). The church also built a new administration building last year to better accommodate staff offices and leadership meetings. Founded in 1995 in Dr. Steve Crane’s living room, Eagle Christian Church started small
May 20, 2019
Changing the Scorecards
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
Worn-Out Boots and Real-Life Ministry
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
June 14, 2015
Why We Decided to Plant Churches Instead of Create Multisites
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
More than Numbers?
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
Solomon Foundation Offering Church Loans
By Jennifer Taylor The Solomon Foundation, a new church extension fund for the Christian churches and churches of Christ, launched several months ago with headquarters in Englewood, CO. Doug Crozier, formerly president of Church Development Fund (Irvine, CA), serves as chief executive officer of the new organization. Crossroads Christian Church (Grand Prairie, TX) and Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ) worked with Crozier and his team to fund the development and launch of the foundation. Leaders from Mount Pleasant Christian Church (Greenwood, IN), Real Life Ministries (Post Falls, ID), The Crossing (Quincy, IL), and Churchill Meadows Christian Church (Toronto,
December 2, 2010
Immeasurably More
By David Limiero When Bryan and Missy Meyers participated in a Stadia church planting assessment in the fall of 2009, they had a clear goal in mind””plant a church in northern Nevada in the fall of 2011. It seemed like the perfect plan. Bryan was serving as associate pastor at Hope Community Church in Reno, Nevada. Missy was the church”s preschool director. The church”s senior pastor, Bill Sherman, was solidly behind both the strategy and the timing. And Hope had just planted her first daughter church in nearby Fernley. Bryan and Missy”s church plant would be the next step in
September 28, 2010
Christian Churches, Large Churches, Growing Churches
Mark A. Taylor Congratulations to Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, the fifth largest church and the 27th fastest growing church in America. Southeast was one of 17 congregations in the fellowship of Christian churches included in the two lists, published by Outreach magazine in September. The lists were based on self-reported February and March attendance weekend attendance averages in a research project involving more than 8,000 churches, according to Outreach. LifeWay Research conducted the study. Ten of the 100 largest churches in America are among the Christian churches, including two in the top 10. (The numbers here and in the
April 11, 2010
Megachurches: The Church of the Decade Is Real Life Ministries (Web-only Feature)
Real Life Ministries’ growth reflects a focus on relational discipleship, community outreach, leadership development, and partner churches rather than a personality-driven or performance-centered model.
April 11, 2010
Megachurches: A Mega Decade
Kent Fillinger reviews a decade of megachurch growth, baptisms, leadership longevity, and sustainability challenges among Christian churches and churches of Christ from 2000 to 2009.
April 7, 2010
It”s About More Than Just Size
Mark A. Taylor reflects on megachurch growth statistics and encourages smaller churches to see opportunity, not inferiority, in their own growth and baptism potential.
October 7, 2009
Interview with Matt King
Matt King shares how grief, anger, and church hurt gave way to Christ’s forgiveness, leading him from business sales into church planting and pastoral ministry.
September 6, 2009
Salt Lake City Church Planting
Douglas J. Crozier shares how leaders came together to pursue church planting on the Wasatch Front, with a vision for new multiplying churches in Salt Lake City and beyond.
June 17, 2009
Interview with Bob Harrington
Bob Harrington explains how churches can simplify programs and structures around discipleship, leadership development, and the mission of making disciples in relational environments.
April 19, 2009
Megachurches: By the Numbers
Kent E. Fillinger and Ben Simms report 2008 growth data from megachurches and emerging megachurches, including fastest-growing churches, attendance averages, baptisms, state totals, and overall growth trends.
July 4, 2008
Interview with Jim Putman
Jim Putman explains how Real Life Ministries built a discipleship-focused church culture around small groups, intentional leaders, apprentices, coaches, and relational environments for spiritual growth.
April 13, 2008
And They Met Every Day (Almost)
Megachurches and emerging megachurches are offering worship services on multiple days and in multiple styles. Research across 113 churches suggests certain patterns—especially two service days and one or three worship styles—correlate with stronger growth.
