From Hero Maker · Dave Ferguson & Warren Bird
For every hero, there is a hero maker.
Five practices for leaders who multiply leaders, from the pastor behind Community Christian Church, NewThing and Exponential.
Lane 1 → Lane 10
One pastor. Three hats.
Pastor, planter, movement builder
Dave Ferguson is lead pastor of Community Christian Church in metro Chicago, the visionary of NewThing, a network of multiplying churches, and president of Exponential. He writes with Warren Bird and Jon Ferguson on leadership, multiplication and everyday mission.
Lead pastor
Community Christian Church
Visionary
NewThing
President
Exponential
The five practices
From Hero Maker: what leaders do when the goal is more leaders, not a bigger stage.
01
Multiplication thinking
02
Permission giving
03
Disciple multiplying
04
Gift activating
05
Kingdom building
The reflex of a hero maker is to be a permission giver and say yes.— Dave Ferguson · Hero Maker
Themes
Hero Maker: The Five Practices of Leader Multiplication
True movement leaders do not build their own kingdoms; they invest their lives into making heroes of others. Ferguson dismantles the prevailing celebrity culture of the Western church, calling pastors to model the posture of Jesus, who told His disciples that they would do greater works than He did. A reader learns to master the five essential practices—Multiplication Thinking, Permission Giving, Disciple Multiplying, Gift Activating, and Kingdom Building—shifting their legacy from personal charisma to generational multiplication.Reproducing Ecclesiology and Level 5 Movements
Churches are hardwired by Jesus with reproductive DNA, yet over 90% of Western churches remain stuck in plateau, decline, or addition. Through decades of planting multi-site churches and leading NewThing and Exponential, Ferguson defines the trajectory toward Level 5 multiplying churches. A reader learns how to architect churches that plant churches, form regional networks, and create self-sustaining movements capable of saturating an entire geography with the presence of Jesus.The B.L.E.S.S. Framework: Everyday Missional Rhythms
Evangelism has become intimidating, programmatic, and disconnected from the natural rhythms of life. Ferguson rescues personal witness by presenting five simple, Jesus-patterned practices that anyone can integrate into their regular daily schedule. A reader discovers how to turn ordinary interactions—over coffee, at the gym, or across a backyard fence—into genuine conduits of love, moving naturally from compassionate listening into spiritual conversations.The Big Idea: Organizational Alignment and Focus
Most congregations suffer from programmatic overload, where competing departments fracture the focus of the community and dilute spiritual impact. Ferguson introduces "The Big Idea"—a discipline where the weekend sermon, small-group study questions, creative elements, and family discipleship all revolve around one single truth each week. A reader learns to declutter church calendars, eliminate organizational silos, and engineer unified environments where spiritual transformation actually takes root.Awakening the Spiritual Wanderer
Secular and deconstructing people do not need dogmatic lectures; they need a trusted guide who understands the universal awakenings of the human heart. Drawing from the Parable of the Prodigal Son and pastoral experience with thousands of seekers, Ferguson charts the five awakenings that lead people back to God. A reader learns how to walk patiently alongside friends navigating spiritual doubt, helping them recognize God's gentle pursuit amidst their life transitions.Watch the keynote
Dave on church planting, multiplication and the leaders who make it happen.