The Stewardship Question

Your church is already
funding discipleship.
Do you know what it's producing?

The average church invests $85,000–$165,000 annually in formation-adjacent programming. Most of it is working against itself — not because the intent is wrong, but because the infrastructure is missing.

What you're already spending

Your discipleship budget already exists.
You just can't see it as one number.

These are not new line items. They are already in your budget — spread across six categories, funded by the tithes and offerings your congregation faithfully gives. Together they represent your church's formation investment.

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation
Curriculum, materials, small group resources
Christian Education
Sunday school, VBS, Bible study resources
Evangelism & Outreach
Campaigns, events, visitor materials
Youth & Children's Ministry
Programming, staffing, resources
Missions & Benevolence
Local and global engagement, benevolence
New Member Follow-Up
Assimilation, onboarding, welcome systems

These are not new expenses. You are already paying for discipleship outcomes. The question this page answers is whether you can see what they're producing.

The Disciple Drift Calculator

Enter your church. See your number.

Four inputs. Four outputs. This changes how you read your budget and care for your flock.

Annual Budget Your total church budget
$
Weekly Average Attendance
Annual New Visitors First-time guests per year
Members in Formation Pathway Small group, class, etc.
45%
0%National median: 45%100%
Your Disciple Drift Report
Estimated Discipleship Spend
—
What your church is already investing in formation-related programming (based on 28% of budget).
Estimated Annual Drift Cost
—
Return lost annually to the forgetting curve and the formation gap. The number most pastors never see.
People In The Gap
—
The estimated number of regular attendees and visitors slipping through your formation infrastructure this year.
Potential Net Recovery
—
Estimated net return if Multiply closes 50% of your drift gap, after the cost of the Starter plan ($9,000/yr).

"You are not adding a new cost. You are recovering return on what you already steward."

Estimates based on national research from the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, Hartford Institute for Religion Research, and Vanco Payments.

Not sure if Multiply is the right fit?
The logic behind the number

Three drivers. One hidden cost.

Disciple Drift is not a pastoral failure. It is a structural problem — and each driver has decades of research behind it.

94%
Forgotten by Wednesday
The Forgetting Curve
94% of congregation members have forgotten the sermon by Wednesday. Pastors invest 10–18 hours per week in preparation. Without reinforcement, that investment evaporates before Thursday — taking the discipleship opportunity with it.
See the research
30–40%
Lost in year one
The Newcomer Window
Churches lose 30–40% of new visitors within the first year — not because of theological conflict, but because no one noticed they drifted. Visitors contacted within 48 hours are 80–85% more likely to return.
See the research
55%
Not in a formation pathway
The Formation Gap
The median percentage of active members in a small group is 45% — meaning more than half of every congregation is not in any structured discipleship relationship. The outcome is not reaching everyone it should.
See the research
Formation outcomes from Partner Circle churches

What formation looks like
when the infrastructure holds.

These are not feature claims. They are the formation outcomes that happen when the sermon keeps working after Sunday.

60+
Weekly mid-week engagements
Washington Shores Church of Christ · Orlando, FL
Sixty moments per week the sermon kept working after Sunday — visitors cared for before they drifted, online viewers given clear next steps, stories surfacing that the congregation had never seen.
29
Testimonies captured
The Way Community · Roosevelt, NY
Twenty-nine formation outcomes that would have disappeared without a system to hold them — each one a moment God was already at work, now visible to the congregation and searchable for Sunday.
46
Gifts identified
The Way Community · Roosevelt, NY
Forty-six members matched to ministry roles they are actually ready to fill — ending the weekend volunteer scramble and replacing it with a pipeline that runs without the pastor's direct intervention.

Full case studies available for churches in the discernment process. Start with the readiness exercise →

The stewardship math

What the numbers actually say.

For a church with a $750,000 budget and 80 new visitors per year, the math is direct.

Estimated Annual Drift Cost
$168,616
Formation spend not fully producing formation outcomes.
vs
Multiply Starter Plan
$9,000
Per year. Fully managed. Tuesday delivery. No additional staff required.
18×
Potential return on investment — if Multiply closes 50% of your drift gap


"You are not being asked to add an expense. You are being asked to stop losing return on what you already steward."

Simple Pricing & Fully Managed

Ready when you are.
Start free. See what changes. Then decide.

30 Days Free
Starter
Churches finding their rhythm
$9,000 /year
or $750/month — first 30 days at no cost
"The message I preached Sunday is still working on Wednesday."
  • ✓Your message, moving twice a month?Two sermon experiences per month.
  • ✓Your church's own sermon home
  • ✓Ministry Fit member matching
  • ✓Monthly visibility into what's landing
Most Churches Choose This
Growth
Churches building momentum
$16,800 /year
or $1,400/month
  • ✓Every sermon, every week
  • ✓Testimony Library
  • ✓Welcome Lounge for visitors
Book a Strategy Call
Impact
Networks & multi-site
Custom
Quarterly or annual partnership
  • ✓Dream Chaser Kids youth discipleship
  • ✓One rhythm across every campus
  • ✓Cross-network visibility
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Ready to recover what you're already stewarding

Stop losing return
on what you already steward.

The 30-day trial is how most churches begin. The Multiply team walks with you through the first 90 days. You will not figure this out alone.

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