Advancing Church Growth Through Strategic Discipleship
On Saturday, 23rd August 2025, the Ado Ekiti Discipleship Conference gathered church leaders and workers from across the state to strengthen the foundations of spiritually healthy churches. The event emphasized discipleship as the key to authentic transformation and growth, equipping participants with biblical principles, leadership insights, and practical strategies for nurturing vibrant, disciple-making communities.
Participation
A total of 151 participants registered for the conference, comprising church founders, senior pastors, associate ministers, and active workers from diverse denominations.
Core Lessons
- The Value of Intentionality – Practical steps such as mentoring relationships, small-group systems, and outreach initiatives are indispensable for sustainable disciple-making.
- Discipleship as the Heart of Growth – No church can be truly healthy without prioritising discipleship. It is the process that transforms attendees into mature and fruitful believers.
- Firm Biblical Foundations – A thriving church rests on Scripture, a lifestyle of prayer, and a passion for evangelism.
- Leadership by Example – Leaders must embody discipleship personally and establish systems that support holistic spiritual development.
Conference Highlights
Welcome Charge
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Zone 11, represented by his vice, Pastor Lawrence Popoola, welcomed attendees and leaders from across the state, thanking God for the privilege of the gathering. He commended the organisers’ vision and urged participants to engage fully by listening, asking questions, and reflecting on the truths shared.
Thematic Emphasis
Under the theme “Growing a Healthy Church” the conference explored:
- The church’s primary mandate which is to make disciples, not merely attract crowds (Matthew 28:19).
- Multiplication of committed disciples as the true measurement of church growth.
- A clear distinction between Followership as passive, consumer-oriented (John 6:26) and discipleship as active, transformative. (John 8:31)
- Spectatorship, dependence without maturity (Hebrews 5:12), and shallow loyalty as characteristics of followership.
- The fact that Jesus attracted crowds but focused on a few. (Mark 3:13–14).
- Implications for Pastors and Leaders as primary disciple-makers.
- The need for pastors and leaders to shift focus from mere attendance figures to genuine life transformation and prioritise multiplication of disciples over simple numerical addition.
Engaging Workshop Sessions
The conference workshops enabled participants to:
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Share ministry experiences and practical insights from diverse contexts.
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Deepen their biblical and theological understanding of discipleship.
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Explore adaptable disciple-making strategies and address common obstacles.
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Strengthen leadership skills and develop practical action plans for sustainable discipleship.
The Ado Ekiti Discipleship Conference ended on an inspiring note, leaving participants with renewed clarity and urgency to embrace discipleship—not as a programme, but as a lifestyle and the heartbeat of ministry. Leaders were stirred to see it as the foundation for true spiritual growth and transformation, committing to return to their churches and communities as agents of revival who will reproduce disciples that disciple others. This resolve marked the beginning of a movement rooted in Scripture, nurtured through intentional relationships, and designed to impact families, churches, and communities for generations to come.