What is the cost of multiplying disciples?
From Scripture we know there are real costs associated with following Jesus and inviting others to do the same. We’re daily asked to deny the desires of our flesh to take up our cross and promised troubles along the road to eternity (Luke 9:23, John 16:33). But we can trust that knowing Christ is well worth any hardships (Philippians 3:8).
In addition to the personal cost of Christianity, there is a price tag associated with making disciples of all nations—a command every believer is responsible for and the very reason East-West exists (Matthew 28-19).
Since our inception in 1993, we’ve strived to efficiently and effectively reach the unreached with the gospel of Christ by mobilizing the Church, evangelizing the lost, and equipping local believers … all working in tandem to multiply disciples and churches.
Today we strive to stretch every dollar further into the realms of the unreached, and on average it only takes us …
- 6¢ to reach one person with the gospel
- $11 to train one leader
- $101 to plant one church
These low disciple-making costs allow us to maximize the gifts of our donors … stewarding well the resources entrusted to us for the advance of the gospel in the world’s spiritually darkest places.
So what’s the impact of these dollars and how do these strategies work together?
In two years the Church among the unreached has grown dramatically through the loving labor of East-West missionaries and national partners.
Over 43 million people heard the gospel, 191,950 local believers received training in evangelism and church planting, and 32,993 churches were planted in unreached and restricted access nations.
These church planting movements are sparked by evangelism. Once people hear and respond to the gospel, they’re equipped to share their faith and plant churches.
God promises that His Word does not return void, and that’s certainly the case as these local believers search their neighborhoods for persons of peace (Isaiah 55:11).
Jesus draws people into relationship with God through His completed work on the cross and the testimonies of His followers. New house churches are planted in these areas and the cycle of multiplication continues.
The method for expanding God’s Kingdom is simple—starting with one believer’s willingness to share their faith and another’s willingness to give for the sake of the gospel.
