Asking Better Questions - Moving Towards Disciple Making Multiplicationi

rwh20sept Ep.382 – Run With Horses Podcast –   Podcast: rwh.podbean.com Website: www.runwithhorses.net Youtube:  https://youtube.com/@rwhpodcast Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RWHpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwh_podcast Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RWH_podcast Author pages with links to all books on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCSDDVLB – James Norman Smith https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BMGW51FW – Susan Jane Smith

**(24:00)** The questions you ask often determine the kinds of answers you get. How do our questions impact our ability to make disciples, develop leaders and plant new churches? That’s the topic of today’s show!

Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is simple in many ways, but potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to grow, to live intentionally and to join in His mission. It’s very cool that we can do that together! Thank you for joining me today! “If you’re new here, you can check out past episodes at runwithhorses.net. As always, I appreciate your feedback, questions, and reviews!”

**(23:00 – 0:00)* *  PART 1 Run With Horses is on the radio! If you are enjoying Run With Horses, would you let someone know? Contact the radio station or leave a review on your favorite app. We want to hear from you!

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Multiplication Thinking

Part 1: The Power of the Questions We Ask (Vision & Theology)

Theme: Questions reveal what we believe about God’s mission, our role, and the future. ** 1. Why Questions Matter **  Questions expose vision (or the lack of it) Show how “addition” questions limit scope vs. “multiplication” questions which expand possibilities.  Example: “How many people can I gather?” (Level 2 thinking) vs. “How many disciple-makers can I release?” (Level 4-5 thinking). .The Five Levels of Church Mutiplication 1.subtraction 2. Plateau 3.addition 4. Reproducing 5. Multiplication . *** 2. The Five Levels of Leadership (from Hero Maker) ***  • Level 1: I count (thinking addition, personal results).  • Level 2: I count what I do (improving programs).  • Level 3: I count what we do together (team success).  • Level 4: I count leaders I raise up (reproduction).  • Level 5: I count leaders who multiply leaders (movement/multiplication).  • Use examples of how each level asks progressively bigger questions.

*** 3. Biblical and Theological Foundation *** .  • Jesus modeled multiplication: He invested in 12 → sent 72 → great commission to all.  • Paul’s instruction to Timothy: “Entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2).  • The kingdom grows like a seed — designed for multiplication, not maintenance (parable of the mustard seed, yeast in the dough).

*** 4. Why Maintenance Mindset is Dangerous ***  • It keeps leaders in survival mode (protecting what is).  • It makes ministries inward-focused rather than kingdom-focused.  • Ultimately, it limits generational impact.

***  5. Challenge: ***  • What questions are you currently asking in your ministry?  • Are they addition questions or multiplication questions?  • (Good interactive moment: invite participants to write down their top 2 questions they ask about ministry and assess what “level” they reflect.)

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**(00:00) END PART 1** **(27:00 – 5:00) BEGIN PART 2*

Part 2: Asking Multiplication Questions

 Leaders at every level can shift from addition to multiplication by the questions they ask. *** 1. Shifting the Question at Every Level of Leadership*** .  • Sunday school teacher: Instead of “How many kids will show up?” ask “How many kids can I equip to share their faith?”  • Deacon/volunteer leader: Instead of “How do I fill this need?” ask “Who can I invite and empower to step into leadership?”  • Pastor: Instead of “How do we grow this church?” ask “How do we plant churches and send leaders?”  • Church planter: Instead of “How do I build this church strong?” ask “How do I build this to multiply from the start?”

*** 2. Practical Multiplication Questions to Introduce***  • Who am I discipling right now?  • Who could they disciple next?  • What leaders am I raising up?  • Who in my ministry could replace me if I left tomorrow?  • What’s stopping me from giving more away?

*** 3. Tools & Practices to Reinforce Multiplication Thinking***  • Permission-giving: Start saying “You can do this” more often.  • Scorecards: Redefine success — not just how many are attending, but how many are multiplying.  • Apprenticing model: Always have someone learning beside you.

*** 4. Case Studies / Stories***  • Share short stories of multiplication in action (a teacher who trained kids to lead, a church that planted another church, a small group that reproduced).  • Highlight that multiplication is possible at every level, not just at the top.

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