#39 Who Can Start a Movement?

John and Anna, a couple with years of ministry experience, recently shifted to movement-oriented ministry, and now ask themselves that question. “Can I start a movement?” And specifically, “How can we contribute to a movement?” They brought their questions to me – as many others have. My short answer to that couple was: “Yes, you can!”

If you have asked these questions, my answer to you is the same. Of course I have a longer answer. And in this blog I aim to give it. I will outline three possible ways to start or contribute to a movement, and point you to a personalized answer through a self-assessment.

The New Testament underpinning

Let’s start with the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, the Apostle Paul describes two essential factors in church planting: collaboration with God and the competencies of a master builder. He concludes the passage writing, “The fire will test what sort of work each one has done” (v. 13 – ESV, emphasis added). The Greek word hopoión, here translated “what sort,” means “quality or manner.” Thus Paul states that the quality of a church and movement planter’s ministry determines the outcomes: the results will either burn up or survive. And two factors determine a worker’s ministry quality: their ability to collaborate with God and their competencies.

First, Paul refers to those who build God’s church as “God’s fellow workers” (1 Cor. 3:9 – ESV), “co-workers” (NIV), or “labourers together with God” (KJV). The Greek word used for fellow workers is synergoí, the root of the English word “synergy.” Effectively catalyzing a movement results from the synergy of the human element with the divine. David Garrison (2014:255) calls it “a divine-human cooperative.” To build ministry that will last, a catalyst must be able to collaborate with God.

Second, Paul highlights the skills of a catalyst: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it” (1 Cor. 3:10 – ESV). Paul’s comparison of himself to a “skilled master builder” refers explicitly to the builder’s skills. A catalyst needs to have the right competencies to be able to build skillfully toward a movement.

MINISTRY POSSIBILITY 1: As a catalyst who starts a movement

Based on 1 Corinthians 3, the simple yet profound answer to the question “Who can start a movement?” is: The person who can. They are able to partner with God closely enough to synergize with Him, and have the abilities to do what it humanly takes to start a movement.

Catalysts can do the human part of starting a movement

My research of 147 movement catalysts found that movements are started by men and women who share in common a distinct set of qualities. Wherever a movement occurs, we find a catalyst with these characteristics. If we sat down in a coffee shop with effective catalytic leaders from rural Kenya, from an Indian metropolis, and from an Indonesian island, we would find all three of them remarkably alike in their essential traits and competencies. We would also find that they exhibit these traits and competencies significantly more strongly than non-catalysts in their cultures. I have described this in detail in my new book What Actually Starts Movements (Prinz, 2025). 

Therefore, the first answer to the question “Who can start a movement?” is: Catalysts who exhibit these catalytic qualities, and therefore can do the human part of starting a movement.

A second, related answer is…

Catalysts can collaborate with God in starting a movement

The qualities all effective catalysts share in common include walking and collaborating closely with God. These spiritual qualities include:

• Hunger for God, desiring God himself more strongly than a movement (see here for more).

• Deep Prayer, an expression of their Hunger for God (see here for more).

• Listening to God, to which God responds by giving them revelation about His plans (see here for more).

• Expectant Faith, based on what God has shown them (see here for more).

In one catalyst’s story after another, I have seen a pattern repeated. Based on their close walk with God, God leads them, in His timing, to a place and a prepared community. There they find enough people receptive and context factors conducive for them to catalyze a movement.

Therefore, the second answer to the question “Who can start a movement?” is: Catalysts who exhibit these spiritual qualities, and therefore collaborate so closely with God that in synergy with Him they start a movement.

MINISTRY POSSIBILITY 2: Join a catalyst’s team and contribute to starting a movement

A second viable possibility exists for anyone with a heart to make their lives count toward a movement. Rather than starting a new effort as leader and pioneer, one can join another aspiring catalyst, their vision and their team, and thereby contribute to starting a movement.

A catalytic team is a group of individuals joined together to catalyze a movement, possessing among them the catalytic qualities. Each team member makes invaluable contributions to catalyzing a movement. Only the combined capacity of a team and the complimentary gifting pool has everything needed to start a movement.

To identify a good team for yourself, I have used five P-Pointers as a framework. This helps people understand who they uniquely are and the contributions they can make to a team, so they join a team that is a good fit.

Pastors. Everyone should seek the guidance of leaders under whose leadership they serve. Ideally, in collective discernment, leaders and the individual seeking their place receive the same guidance from the Spirit (Acts 13:2).

Prophecy. It is good to seek and follow any revelation from God – through the Bible, dreams, visions, impressions, or the prophetic words of others.

Personality. Knowing our unique temperament, with its strengths and weaknesses, helps identify what we can contribute. In the Global North, personality assessments are commonly used, most widely the Myers-Briggs (Kersey, 1998; www.16personalities.com) and DISC (Erikson, 2019; www.discpersonalitytesting.com). These may suit less the preferences of individuals in the Global South.

Passions. These represent any cause or particular group of people for which one has a heart, activities that give energy, and personal values. The MCORE (www.navigate4life.com) is a valuable tool to assess core motivations. It also exists in a Christian version by the name TrueCenter

(https://app.trucenter.co/users/sign_up).

Proficiencies. Spiritual gifts and other skills and competencies, both for ministry and other project work, point to one’s unique contributions. Among the many spiritual gifts self-assessments, I recommend the research-based “The 3 Colors of Your Gifts” (Schwarz, 2001; https://ncd.life/character/d/en/books/3-colors-of-your-gifts). The CliftonStrengths (formerly known as StrengthsFinder; Gallup, 2007; https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253676/how-cliftonstrengths-works.aspx) offers a broader self-assessment.

A thorough understanding of your potential contribution can help you identify a catalytic team that is a good fit. You can add significant value to such a team by joining an aspiring catalyst who possesses the catalytic qualities you lack. You may have the opportunity to contribute to starting a movement, even if you are not the primary catalyst. I encourage you to prayerfully reach out to find an aspiring catalyst whose team is a good match and where your contribution can be useful.

MINISTRY POSSIBILITY 3: Serve a movement and contribute to its growth and multiplication

Since many movements have been started by catalysts from a movement of a similar culture movement, Stan Parks and Dave Coles have popularized the concept of a movement servant (Coles & Parks, 2021:37-41). They assert, “Distant-culture workers can play a vital role in strengthening and deepening a movement, and/or in assisting a movement to expand and catalyze fresh movements among other UPGs.” (Ibid., 20-21)

For a person to determine their best place to serve an existing movement, two questions can help point them in the best direction.

(a)  “What can I do?” In other words, “What gifts, competencies, and expertise can I offer a movement?”

Answering this question for oneself and communicating the answer to movement leaders can be helpful. However, anyone considering becoming a movement servant must also ask:

(b)  “What needs to be done?” This question seeks to understand the needs of an existing movement and explore what contribution a distant-culture worker can make.

Movements don’t need or want an outsider coming with their own vision and plans. They may be helped, though, by outsiders approaching them with an offer to serve, willing to submit to the movement leader’s vision and contribute to it. (Such connections can be initiated through the 24:14 Coalition: https://2414now.net/get-involved.) Humility and strong servant-heartedness are required for anyone considering this type of ministry role.

Possibilities abound for serving existing movements. Coles and Parks (2022:21) offer a list of possibilities. The essential job criterion is “anything and everything that is needed” (Ibid.) by the movement, as assessed by its leaders. (Those wanting to serve a movement may explore possibilities via the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScT8xB1C4vn8DNligl1nayGZC9U9OWlvUDcYAcT1PIFXZ9RgQ/viewform)

By adding value to an existing movement in the posture of a servant, one can make a significant contribution to its ongoing growth and multiplication through starting new movements.

Two specific STEPS FORWARD for everyone

For all three of these ministry possibilities, we can point to two specific steps and two general directions for moving forward. First, the two steps.

1.    Pray for movement revelation

In story after story, effective catalysts have told me that at some point early in their journey God showed them He was going to use them to start a movement. They had Hunger for God, developed Deep Prayer, practiced Listening to God – and God responded. He shared with them some of His plans for them and their ministry and/or He gave them insight into His heart and plans for the people they were reaching.

Although God showed many effective catalysts, before they started a movement, that He was going to use them to start one, He doesn’t always do this. Therefore, if you seek God for such a revelation over a period of time and He does not grant it to you, this does not mean He definitely won’t use you to start a movement. If He does, however, you can confidently answer the question “Can I start a movement?” with an affirmative “Yes!” Probably no clearer answer to the question exists.

In my own experience, God giving me this revelation powerfully boosted my expectant faith and boldness, and strengthened my persistence. I doubt we would have seen movement breakthrough if I had not had this God-given assurance.

2.    Identify your own catalyst potential

Getting a realistic understanding of how much the catalytic qualities are developed in yourself, will help you identify your potential as a catalyst. Based on the findings of my empirical research, I have developed the “Catalyst Self-Assessment” (check it out on www.catalyticleadership.info/assessment). The self-assessment report will affirm the areas in which you are already well developed. It will also point out any gaps where your catalytic qualities should be developed more strongly, in order to become an effective catalyst. Filling out the assessment normally takes approximately 20 minutes.

Two general DIRECTIONS FORWARD for everyone

For all three paths to contribute to a movement, I propose two general directions forward.

1.    Grow in the catalytic qualities

Whether one pursues a movement as a primary catalyst, team member, or movement servant, everyone can increase their contribution and fruitfulness by growing in the catalytic qualities.

Sadly, most Christian workers do not devote much attention to their personal development. One reason is that many Christians tend to see gifting as static. A person has either received a particular gifting, or they haven’t. Some are more gifted than others. Note the passive voice—“are gifted.” We often see gifting and talent as either innate or mystically Spirit-endowed.

The New Testament however, understands a gift (Greek charisma) as any ability to give something to others, to be used in the service of others, and presents gifts as a much more dynamic reality. It clearly puts us in the driver’s seat when it comes to making the most of the talents we have been given. In the parable of the entrusted minas, Jesus challenges us to steward our talents and make the most of them (Matt. 25:14-30). Paul urges us to “seek spiritual gifts” (1 Cor. 14:1), and to “fan into flame the gift of God which is in you!” (2 Tim. 1:6). Everyone has been given a unique set of gifts, but it is up to us to develop them.

Developmental psychology tells us that the main predictor of superior performance is not innate aptitude but deliberate practice: the amount of systematic effort put into the development of a skill (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Roemer, 1993:363-404).

In order for deep change to become a reality in our lives, we first need to prioritize it. We need to develop the conviction that next to intimacy with God it matters more than anything else for a fruitful life. Second, we need to become intentional about our personal growth. It will not simply happen or somehow evolve. It happens as we take initiative, become proactive, and take practical steps. We need to pursue our personal growth in a systematic way. Our growth will happen in a haphazard fashion, if we turn our attention to it only once in a while. But it will happen when we tackle it systematically and make a plan with specific goals and a regular cadence.

Doing this can enable any one of us to grow more in the catalytic qualities. Regardless of which of the three movement-ministry paths we pursue, we can increase our contribution by growing in the catalytic qualities.

2.    Pursue a movement persistently

Once a person has prayerfully found their best role and committed to it, the only direction forward is to pursue a movement and persist till breakthrough.

For some catalysts, it takes only several months or a few years of building until they see a movement. For some I surveyed, it took up to 15 years (Prinz, 2022:85). Therefore, pursue a movement with every fiber of your heart and every step of your feet.

Then hold steady in the direction of movement and persist until you see it break through. It may take you three months, 15 years, or even longer. Just don’t ever give up! As Winston Churchill famously said: “Never, never, never give up.” And as the movement catalyst St. Paul wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up (1 Cor. 6:9 – NIV, emphasis added).

A summary roadmap

Toward action

I would love to hear back from you! What is your experience? Leave a comment below. If you prefer to private message me, you can use the contact form.

Learn more about the other Catalytic Qualities in my book Movement Catalysts. You can order your copy here.

If you found this blog helpful, who in your network would benefit from your sharing it with them?

Emanuel Prinz – Father’s Beloved & Movement Activist

References

Coles, Dave, & Parks, Stan. 2021. “Movement Servants Needed!” Mission Frontiers 43(3), 37-41.

Coles, Dave, & Parks, Stan. 2022. “Movement Servants: Helping Movements Multiply.” Mission Frontiers 44(6), 20-22.

Ericsson, K. Anders, Krampe, Ralf. T. and Tesch-Roemer, Clemens. 1993. “The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance.” Psychological Review 100(3), 363-404.

Erikson, Thomas. 2019. Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior. London: Vermilion.

Gallup. 2007. StrengthsFinder 2.0: Discover Your Strengths. Washington: Gallup Press.