5-5-5 Network

Overview

God delights to use ordinary men and women to spread the gospel, start simple churches in homes, and establish Christians in the faith. A 5-5-5 Network is a way to show how God could use you to multiply disciples and communities of faith. It’s a picture of what happens when one believer takes the Great Commission seriously and passes that mission on to others.

What Is a 5-5-5 Network?

A 5-5-5 Network is built on three simple, reproducible cycles:

  1. The 1st Five
    One believer begins by sharing the gospel with people in their network—friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors (FRANs)—until five come to faith and are baptized. These new believers are then gathered into a house church, where they regularly share the Lord’s Supper, study the Scriptures, pray, and worship together. (1 Evangelist + 5 New Believers = 6)

  2. The 2nd Five
    The leader continues reaching new people for Christ while also coaching the first five to share the gospel faithfully and consistently—helping each one lead five more people to faith and baptism. The focus of this stage is training new Christians to become evangelists themselves. (6 Evangelists + 30 New Believers = 36)

  3. The 3rd Five
    The leader keeps sharing the gospel while also coaching new believers to share their faith and training evangelists to become trainers of others. The focus of this stage is equipping people to equip others. As the original group and their disciples all reach new people, the network rapidly multiplies. By this stage, more than 200 believers are gathering in 10–20 house churches, firmly rooted in community and committed to Jesus’s mission. (36 Evangelists + 180 New Believers = 216)

At each step, disciples are gathering in homes, growing through The Discipleship Series, and being trained to evangelize, disciple, and lead. The vision is simple but powerful: if every believer shared their faith and equipped others to do the same, we could see entire communities, cities, and regions transformed by the gospel.

The Role of 5-5-5 Leaders

Network leaders (including men and women as they partner together) are:

  • Evangelists – sharing the gospel with friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.

  • Trainers of Evangelists – equipping others to share their faith.

  • Trainers of Trainers – equipping others to equip others to share their faith.

  • Shepherds of Disciples – guiding believers into community, Scripture, and obedience.

The goal is empowerment—helping others learn how to make disciples within their own networks.

Isn’t This Too Linear or Neat?

Some may look at the 5-5-5 Network and wonder, “Isn’t this too linear or neat?” In reality, every believer’s journey looks different. Some will lead many to Christ quickly, while others may see just one or two conversions over a longer period of time. In the sovereignty of God, one cycle (or new generation of believers) may take months or years, while another cycle may happen in weeks if there are mass conversions to Christ. The key is not speed or numbers but faithfulness—keeping our focus on the Great Commission by both sharing the gospel and coaching Christians to grow in their faith. At each stage, the best question to ask is: “What is my next step in advancing Jesus’s mission?”

Husbands and Wives—Developing Networks Together

Jesus calls both men and women—married and single—to actively make disciples. Group coaching helps us learn from one another, celebrate breakthroughs, and strengthen each other where we feel weak. While we contribute in different ways according to our spiritual gifts, we all share the same mission: making disciples of all nations.

  • Married Couples – Husbands and wives bring the strength of their unity into mission. One may be more gifted in meeting new people, while the other is more gifted in hospitality and prayer, but together their gifts complement one another for the good of others and the glory of God.

  • Single Men and Women – Singles bring unique freedom, energy, and perspective to disciple-making. Their flexibility often allows them to take bold steps in sharing the gospel, discipling others, and coaching new believers.

Whether married or single, men and women are called to multiply disciples together. Each believer brings different strengths, but when united in Christ’s mission, ordinary Christians can create powerful teams through whom Jesus grows his church.

Barriers and Breakthroughs

Every disciple who joins Jesus’s mission will encounter barriers. Yet in each barrier, God provides a breakthrough:

  • Feeling Inadequate – We say to ourselves, “I don’t know enough.” “It’s too late for me.” “God will need to raise up someone else to multiply the church.” Or “I’m too sinful.” Breakthrough comes when we remember the apostles were “unschooled, ordinary men,” yet they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13), and God is powerful enough to work in and through anyone for his glory.

  • Fear of Rejection – We hesitate because we fear what others will think. Ultimately, we must ask ourselves if we love God and his truth more than we value not being rejected by mere men and women. Breakthrough comes when we remember that Jesus himself was rejected, and the Holy Spirit gives us boldness to speak with clarity and wisdom (Acts 4:31). In and through the process, we trust God with the results.

  • Busyness and Distraction – Daily life crowds out disciple-making. Breakthrough comes when we prioritize Jesus and his mission for our lives.

  • Spiritual Opposition – The world, our sinful nature, and the devil resist multiplication. Breakthrough comes as we put on God’s armor (Eph. 6:10–18), pressing forward in faith and obedience knowing that God is with us.

  • Fear of Failure – We fear people won’t respond positively and it will negatively impact our relationships with them. Breakthrough comes when we realize our job is to obey Jesus, not secure guaranteed outcomes. Success is faithfulness to sow the seed, and to remember that the harvest belongs to God (1 Cor. 3:6–7).

  • Lack of Mentors and Models in the Faith – Many Christians have never seen evangelism or discipleship lived out. Breakthrough comes when we receive coaching from more experienced Christians and give God time to work in and through us (2 Tim. 2:2).

God meets us at every barrier, not by removing difficulty, but by transforming us so that we are more like his Son, who persevered in his calling from God, so that we could do the same.

“But I Am Not a Leader”

One common objection deserves special attention: “I am not a leader.” There may be some truth to this, since leadership is indeed a spiritual gift. Yet we must be careful not to define leadership so narrowly that we miss what God intends to do through us. At its core, leadership is simply influencing others toward common objectives. Christian leadership, then, is the process by which God uses ordinary believers to influence people toward his purposes—calling people to turn from sin and trust in Jesus, gathering them into homes for fellowship and worship, and teaching them to know and obey God’s Word.

Influence takes many forms: initiating a gospel conversation, opening your home in hospitality, offering encouragement through prayer, or walking alongside someone in Scripture. Every believer can influence non-Christians toward knowing God through Jesus, and every believer can help fellow Christians grow deeper in their walk with him. Put simply, with the strength God provides, all of us can become more effective at helping people take their next best step toward Christ.

The Importance of Receiving Coaching and Coaching Others

The key to multiplication is coaching. Every disciple must receive coaching—growing in spiritual maturity, learning to share the gospel clearly, and practicing how to disciple others. And every disciple is also called to give coaching—passing on what they have learned to those who come after them. By faithfully working through the core areas of coaching—spiritual growth, evangelism, and discipleship—you will be strengthened in your own faith while also helping others flourish. As Paul told Timothy, “What you have heard from me…entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). In that verse we see four generations of believers—from Paul to Timothy to faithful men to others. This is the engine of a movement: disciples receiving and then multiplying through coaching.

If Not This, Then What?

Every person will give their life to something. For some, it will be career advancement, maximizing their income, or seeking entertainment. Even for Christians, it may even be respectable church activity that never results in multiplying disciples. But only one mission carries eternal weight: making disciples of all nations. If we don’t seek to multiply disciples, we will inevitably live for another mission that will distract us from Jesus’s mission for our lives. The 5-5-5 vision invites us to invest our lives in Jesus’s mission for the church.

Conclusion

The 5-5-5 model shows that movements don’t start with professionals but with ordinary Christians obeying Jesus. One believer who takes this vision seriously could impact hundreds—even thousands—within a few short years.

Imagine the impact if every believer took ownership of this mission. A single committed Christian could influence hundreds—if not thousands—of lives for Christ. The question is not whether God can use you, but whether you are willing. Will you pray, share, and disciple until God gives you your first five?

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What initial questions or comments do you have about the 5-5-5 framework? In what ways does it challenge or affirm what you’ve already believed about disciple-making?

  2. If not a 5-5-5 framework, what do most churches communicate—directly or indirectly—to new believers or to first-time guests? In other words, what is the underlying message: “Welcome, come here so that _______.”

  3. How does the 5-5-5 framework differ in what we communicate to new believers or those new to our home gatherings?

  4. What are the biggest real or perceived obstacles you face as you seek to multiply disciples? Which of the barriers listed earlier resonate most with you, and how might God help you overcome them?

  5. Why is both individual coaching and group coaching so essential in this model?

  6. Why is both receiving coaching and coaching others important for your growth and ministry?

  7. If not this vision for your life, then what? What “alternative mission” are you most tempted to live for—career, comfort, entertainment, or even church busyness? How can you intentionally resist settling for less than Jesus’s mission?

For more information about 5-5-5 networks, see Reach, Impacting Eternity, 89–103.