From Momentum to Multiplication: The Culture Shift at Grace Church
Grace Church in Erie, PA had all the signs of ministry success: Growing attendance, multi-site expansion, and a deep community impact. But Lead Pastor Derek Sanford couldn’t shake a deeper question: Are we really making disciples?
In our Discipleship That Works webinar, Derek shared Grace Church’s journey from a high-performing, program-driven model to a culture centered on people and disciple-making. Below are some key takeaways from that conversation.
Changing the Scorecard
For Derek Sanford, it wasn’t a crisis that prompted change. It was a quiet, persistent unease. Beneath the surface of visible success, something felt off. Rather than push past the “holy restlessness,” he paused. That willingness to listen became the catalyst for real transformation.
“The truth is that things can be going well while it’s being eroded underneath and nobody’s really noticing.”
Derek and his team realized that the way they were measuring success wasn’t telling the full story. Attendance, giving, and volunteer engagement had become the default metrics. But those numbers were tracking what people were doing—not who they were becoming.
So they asked harder questions:
- What kind of people are we forming?
- Are we equipping them to live out their faith beyond the church walls?
- Are lives actually being transformed?
Those questions didn’t just challenge the numbers. They reframed the goal.
Rethink the Funnel
Grace Church operated with a familiar and functional model—what Derek called the “assimilation funnel.” It was designed to attract people and mobilize them to serve. By many standards, it worked. But Jesus didn’t build his movement by assimilating crowds—he multiplied disciples.
That conviction led Grace Church to introduce a second funnel focused on equipping everyday people to become disciple-makers. The two funnels didn’t compete; they completed each other. Sunday became less of a destination and more of a launchpad. A place to begin the week on mission, not to cap it off with inspiration.
Teach Less. Train More.
“What if we devoted the same kind of energy and imagination to training people as we do to teaching people?”
The real shift came when Grace Church began cultivating training environments: spaces where the focus wasn’t just learning about God but learning to obey Him. Instead of passively receiving content, participants were actively engaging with Scripture, listening for the Holy Spirit, naming specific next steps, and holding each other accountable to live them out.
Developing a culture where people respond to God moved Grace Church toward a deeper kind of growth, defined by action, not just understanding.
Transformation Starts with Courage
Derek explained that one of the greatest challenges in leadership isn’t opposition—it’s blessing. Specifically, the blessings that come from earlier acts of obedience.
When a church experiences growth, influence, or momentum, it’s easy to cling to the systems, models, or successes that helped get you there. But holding on to the blessing can actually keep us from stepping into the next act of obedience.
“Yes, God blessed me. The blessing can’t now become the idol.”
Transformation begins with honest reflection. Ask yourself:
- What is the “holy restlessness” that you are feeling in your current leadership?
- What is one area of your ministry that you feel needs a courageous shift?
Looking to spark transformation in your own church? Evaluate the current state of your church’s disciple-making culture with our FREE Clarity Assessment.
