Episode 212 - How To Build A Disciple-Making Strategy That Fits Your Community with Chris Vaught

The podcast begins with an introduction to Pastor Chris Vaught, who oversees Connection Point Church in Jackson, Missouri. The church has experienced remarkable growth from about 300 at its founding in 2011 to over 3,500 in recent years, despite being located in a small community of around 14,000. Chris shares the story of how God has moved through their church, emphasizing the importance of being outward focused and community-centric. The discussion highlights the journey from a traditional church model to a vibrant, disciple-making movement.

The conversation details the church's growth, especially following COVID-19, and how strategic shifts in outreach and discipleship have led to exponential growth. After relocating to a new, more accessible campus on land purchased at a fraction of its previous cost, Connection Point significantly expanded. The church also launched a second campus in a nearby impoverished town, which quickly grew to over 400 people, demonstrating the church’s effective outreach in rural America. Throughout this journey, church leadership has remained focused on God’s grace and purpose, aiming to see Jesus receive all the credit.

A key part of their strategy involved analyzing local demographics to understand their community better. The church discovered that the average age of men and women was much younger than anticipated, with many young men seeking significance and young women longing for security. Pastor Chris and his team created archetypes—'Hungry Hunter' for men seeking purpose, and 'Hurt Hannah' for women yearning for stability—to better tailor their outreach efforts. This targeted approach transformed their messaging, programming, and discipleship focus to meet real community needs.

The church developed a clear, accessible vision for discipleship called the 'Dream Disciple,' encompassing a mind of truth, voice of hope, heart of compassion, hands of service, and feet of purpose. To implement this vision, they created small groups called 'Huddles,' modeled after sports team dynamics, which focus on Bible reading, sharing faith stories, and multiplication. Huddles have become a vital part of fostering community, leadership, and disciple-making, resulting in numerous life-change stories across all age groups, including students.

Despite rapid growth, Pastor Chris emphasizes the importance of balance between attraction ('come and see') and outreach ('go and tell'). They intentionally focus on both evangelism and discipleship, aligning all decisions with their archetypes—'Hungry Hunter' and 'Hurt Hannah.' The leadership recognizes that true discipleship involves both welcoming new believers and equipping them to reach others, integrating personal testimonies and Scripture into everyday conversations and outreach efforts.

Pastor Chris offers encouragement to other church leaders: stay humble, ask questions, and rely on biblical, simple discipleship models designed by Jesus himself. He stresses the importance of trusting the Holy Spirit’s movement and being intentional about identifying the specific community God has called the church to reach. His advice underscores the need for clarity, simplicity, and faithfulness to Scripture in leading a disciple-making movement.