Our Future Together: Understanding Mission Multiplication
Welcome to Mission Multiplication!
We’re so glad you’re part of the Alpharetta Methodist community of believers! This document shares an exciting and foundational part of our church’s future—an intentional forward movement we call Mission Multiplication. It’s a journey we’re all taking together, and it begins with our core identity.
Our vision is simple yet profound:
We are a community of faith, hope, and love helping our neighbors, the next generation, and the nations take their next steps with Jesus.
This vision is the heartbeat of everything we do. It launches us into a future built upon the strong and healthy foundation that God has graciously given us.
A Strong Foundation to Build On
By God’s grace, our church is in a season of health and strength. By most traditional measures, we are categorized by what’s known as an adding church—a vibrant, growing community you can see and feel in several ways:
- Steady Growth: We are consistently welcoming new people into our church family, creating new relationships and opportunities to connect.
- Strong, Consistent Giving: Our congregation is generous, enabling our ministries to operate with excellence and stability.
- Robust Discipleship: We have clear, effective pathways for people to grow in their faith, learn God’s Word, and become more like Jesus.
- Quality Programming: From weekend worship to our kids’ and student ministries, we strive to create excellent and impactful experiences for everyone.
Our heart for Mission Multiplication isn’t about changing what’s working—it’s about faithfully stewarding the foundation God has blessed us with and boldly asking, “What world-changing work is next?”
Our Strategy: From an “Adding” Church to a “Multiplying” One
Our aspiration is to build on our strong foundation and become what’s known as a multiplying church. The difference between an adding church and a multiplying church is more than numbers—it’s a shift in mindset from focusing primarily on our own growth to pursuing Kingdom growth.
Let’s look at the difference between “Adding” and “Multiplying” Mindsets
Adding Mindset
- Focuses on addition of people to our church
- Ministry happens AT the church
- Growth happens in one place
Multiplying Mindset
- Focuses on exponential Kingdom impact
- Mission happens THROUGH the church (church = all believers!)
- Impact happens everywhere
This isn’t a new idea—it’s rooted in the mission Jesus gave His church.
Our Biblical Calling: The Great Commission
This movement for multiplication flows directly from Jesus’ final command to His followers—our core purpose as a church:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:18–20
We fulfill this calling by equipping and empowering disciples to make disciples wherever they go. The Apostle Paul describes this model of multiplication in his letter to Timothy:
“…and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.”
— 2 Timothy 2:2
This is the practical pattern for Mission Multiplication—entrusting what we’ve learned to others who can, in turn, teach and disciple others. That’s how faith multiplies.
How We’re Getting There: Next Steps on the Journey
A big step forward can feel overwhelming, so we’re breaking it down into clear, intentional steps that align our church for the future.
Spiritual Momentum
This fall, we launched a church-wide small group study, Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer. This wasn’t just another study—it was a strategic first step to align our entire church around whole-life discipleship, bring clarity to our vision, and build spiritual momentum for what comes next.
Strategic Alignment
Our church’s transition out of the United Methodist Church gives us a unique opportunity to strengthen our Wesleyan identity and align our story and space with our mission. To help us do that, we’re partnering with PlainJoe Studios, an experienced organization that helps churches tell their stories with creativity and clarity.
Their work with us focuses on two key goals:
- Name & Story Evaluation: In November, staff and lay leaders gathered for a Personality Profile and Naming workshop. We agreed there’s no compelling reason to change our church name. However, the process brought fresh clarity to who we are, what makes us unique in our community, and the mission God has entrusted to Alpharetta Methodist Church. It also sharpened our vision for what Mission Multiplication can become in this next season. In the months ahead, we will be partnering with PlainJoe to communicate our unique story to the congregation and the community.
- Reimagined Spaces: We’ll take a fresh look at our campus—designing spaces that not only function well but also inspire connection, worship, and belonging. We want our physical environment to be a living, breathing expression of our mission.
These steps will help us communicate our story more clearly and shape our campus into a spiritually empowering hub for years to come.
In addition, our church will take time to evaluate our missional strategy and spending. This will help us better align our resources to opportunities for greater Kingdom impact.
Your Part in Our Story
You are here at a pivotal and exciting time in our church’s story. Every person has a vital role to play in Mission Multiplication. Here’s how you can join in:
- Pray and Align to the Mission: Pray for wisdom. Participate in small group discipleship like Practicing the Way. It’s the best way to grow spiritually and align your heart with our shared mission.
- Invest in the Mission: This isn’t about buildings or budgets—it’s about investing your heart, prayers, and resources in a strategy for long-term Kingdom impact.
- Live on Mission: See your involvement not just as receiving but as preparing. God has placed you in your neighborhood, workplace, and relationships for a purpose—to carry His love and hope wherever you go.
Welcome to the mission!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The church is called to build on its foundation as a strong, healthy, and growing congregation to have an even greater Kingdom impact. The purpose of Mission Multiplication is to fulfill the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18–20. This vision focuses on achieving exponential Kingdom impact and carrying out mission THROUGH and BEYOND the church, rather than just ministry AT the church. Our core mission is to “make disciples” by equipping and empowering disciples to make disciples wherever they go.
The first step is to evaluate whether there are any barriers that make it harder for people to connect with God through the church, and to improve what we already do well so we can reach more people for Jesus. To help guide this process, we have engaged PlainJoe Studios, a consulting firm experienced in helping churches clarify their name, story, and space master planning.
A consulting firm brings an outside perspective and experience gained from working with other churches on similar efforts. An external advisor can provide objective insight that often goes beyond what an internal effort can achieve. Our staff and members will work closely with the consulting firm throughout the process.
No. This initiative is designed to maximize our Kingdom impact by removing any barriers to entry, communicating more effectively who we already are, and improving what we are already doing.
We believe that continuous improvement is essential to living out our vision of being a community of faith, hope, and love helping our neighbors, the next generation, and the nations take their next steps with Jesus. While we’ve seen encouraging growth in attendance and giving since transitioning out of the United Methodist Church, we sense God calling us to make an even greater Kingdom impact in Alpharetta and beyond.
Yes. There have been several long-range planning efforts in previous years. We believe it’s healthy to periodically evaluate how we can reach more unreached people and better equip our engaged members. Past planning efforts primarily focused on solving specific facility-related needs at a given time. Mission Multiplication is broader—it includes evaluating our name, story, and space to determine whether anything may be limiting our disciple-making effectiveness.
Funding for this engagement will come from a designated reserve fund intended to support the church’s long-term needs, rather than day-to-day operations. The initial engagement with PlainJoe Studios will cost $100,000.
A task force of three laity has been assembled to help guide and oversee these efforts. This team is working closely with the Executive Pastor and other church staff.
All recommendations from PlainJoe Studios regarding name or space will be reviewed by the appropriate committees, the Leadership Team, and ultimately voted on by Church Council. There will be opportunities for congregational input and feedback to be incorporated along the way.
The process with PlainJoe Studios began in November 2025.
- November 2025: Information gathering and research coordinated by PlainJoe Studios.
- January 2026: Initial story recommendations reviewed with committees and leadership.
- February 2026: Final story recommendation voted on by Church Council.
- April 2026: Blue-sky / master plan for facilities to be reviewed with Church Council.