Brian Phipps
FOUNDER ● VISIONARY ● PASTOR
Brian Phipps
Founder of Disciples Made. Helping leaders rediscover joy—and build disciple-making cultures that last.
When success wasn’t the same as fruit
In 2010, Brian and his team had grown the church’s small group ministry to over 2,500 participants. Volunteers were recruited. New attendees were being added. By most ministry metrics, it was working.
But Brian recognized a gap he couldn’t ignore: they were not developing volunteers and leaders into disciple-makers who would produce generations of disciple-makers. He admitted he didn’t know how to multiply disciples.
In September of 2010, after a successful campaign launch, Brian felt the presence of Jesus in his car— powerful enough that he pulled over and simply listened.
What he sensed was clear: multiplication is no longer optional. From that moment on, Brian decided he would figure out how to multiply disciples—or die on the hill trying.
The invitation Brian received
- Shelve everything you think you know about disciple-making
- Pray for your next step, but don’t act until you receive it
- Take the next step without questioning it
- Take notes about what worked
- Share what you learn so others can take similar steps
A simple cohort became a multiplying culture
Four months later, Brian began mentoring five new small group leaders and their apprentices through a one-year program he sketched out in under an hour. He called it Disciples Made—designed to form apprentices into thriving disciple-makers.
The aim was formation in head, hand, and heart through apprenticeship and real leadership practice.
Five months into that year, the results were staggering: those leaders weren’t simply leading groups well—they were being transformed into missionaries who owned the mission of multiplying disciples.
What happened next
- Transformation stories created immediate demand for more groups
- New groups started—men and women alike
- Generations of leaders began leading leaders
- By 2014, multiple churches in the Kansas City area launched their own groups
Leaving local to serve the wider Church
In 2018, Brian left his post in the local congregation to found Disciples Made as a 501(c)3. Since then, the ministry has grown into an ecosystem of language, strategy, and best practices that help churches establish disciple-making cultures.
Today, Brian continues to lead the team and Board of Directors toward a 2040 vision: equipping 70,000 disciple-makers to help 2,000,000 friends live more Fully Alive.
Books That Shape Leaders and Multiply Disciples
Find Your Place (with Rob Wegner)
A guide to discerning personal calling through three signals: Gifts, Passions, and Stories—supported by a free GPS assessment and Disciples Made experiences.
Learn more →Fully Alive
An invitation to rediscover the beauty and power of being a disciple of Jesus—formation that fuels mission and multiplication.
Learn more →Breaking the Addition Addiction
The first four chapters are now available as a preview inside the free Leader Space on the Fully Alive app. The full book is scheduled for release later this year.
This book addresses the quiet frustrations many leaders carry:
- Why growth in attendance doesn’t always lead to growth in maturity
- Why volunteers stay busy but rarely become disciple-makers
- Why small groups multiply activity but not influence
- Why leaders feel exhausted even when the metrics look strong
Breaking the Addition Addiction offers a practical roadmap for shifting from systems that add to cultures that multiply—so churches can build disciple-making environments that reproduce.
Join the Free Leader Space to access the preview →Clarity, formation, and cultures that reproduce
Brian equips leaders to build disciple-making cultures that last—not by adding more programs, but by forming people in character and calling so multiplication becomes normal.
- Rediscover joy and hope in ministry leadership
- Shift from addition-focused systems to multiplication-focused cultures
- Develop leaders who become spiritual influencers
- Build reproducible pathways for disciple-making and leadership development
Invite Brian to help your leaders multiply disciples
If this story resonates—and you want your leaders to build a disciple-making culture that lasts—let’s connect. Speaking, coaching, and consulting are available for churches, networks, and leadership teams.
Want to explore the Disciples Made ecosystem? Visit DisciplesMade.com →