True Fruitfulness : Beyond the Numbers Game
By S. Crawley
Photo by Jose Figueroa on Unsplash
"Fruitfulness" is a buzzword in the world of mission, and particularly of movement. But what does it really mean?
What is the Bible talking about when it talks about fruitfulness?
Is it the same thing that WE are talking about?
Case Studies - Ken & Keith
Recently, I've been reflecting on two friends. Both passionate followers of Jesus, both deeply committed to seeing God's Kingdom advance in their communities.
Let's call them Ken and Keith.
Ken worked tirelessly, casting vision for God's Kingdom and training lots of people to maximize the impact of strategies and methods—playing the averages to lead to more fruitfulness. His thinking was simple: if 80% won't implement what they learn, then training more people will inevitably lead to more fruitful workers.
Keith, on the other hand, shared many of the same passions but had other responsibilities to juggle—marriage, children, and a vocation he knew God had called him to pursue a vision for multiplying disciples. He wrestled with a desire to see more happen out in the harvest, but he sought God in prayer, his conviction deepened that God was asking him to focus time and energy elsewhere, so he pulled back from 'the harvest' to do so.
Who should we consider fruitful? How would Jesus evaluate their fruitfulness?
The Numbers Trap
When we talk about evangelism, "movement" or "DMM", fruitfulness is often equated with numbers of groups or numbers of disciples. These are good things!
But there is danger in over-emphasising them.
When we reduce Kingdom growth to things we can count, like how many people ‘prayed the prayer’, got baptised, started attending groups, or began leading, we condition disciples and teams to measure their value and their walk with God by how much they "produce". The pressure and burnout that follows affects not only those trying to be fruitful but also those they're discipling.
It reminds me of when I was younger and had a brief (and not very successful) stint doing door-to-door sales.
There was a lot of pressure to generate outcomes. The focus was on technique, targets, and transactions rather than authentic relationship or genuine care for the people we spoke to. Similar dynamics can emerge in outreach programs.
Is this what Jesus had in mind when He spoke about being fruitful?
Jesus on Fruitfulness
John 15:1-11 is one of the go-to passages on fruitfulness.
*~ Before continuing, take a look at the passage and form your own thoughts on what Jesus is saying ~*
In this passage, we can see that Jesus clearly desires His disciples to be fruitful.
Unfruitful branches are cut off (v2). Fruitful branches are pruned to become more fruitful (v2). The Father is glorified by fruitfulness, and fruitfulness is the mark of discipleship (v8).
But what does fruitfulness actually mean?
Jesus’ Shocking Claim in John 15
When Jesus declares "I am the true vine," His disciples didn’t just hear a gardening metaphor - they heard Him completely changing the way they understood God’s plan and their place in it.
When His Jewish listeners heard, "I am the vine and my Father is the vine-dresser", they immediately thought of the Old Testament prophets. There are repeated references to God the vine-dresser and Israel the vine and most of them are pretty sobering (and rich! Psalm 80, Jeremiah 2:4-3:5, Ezekiel 15:1-8, Ezekiel 17:1-24, Hosea 9:10-10:2, Joel 1:1-20).
What the disciples hear Jesus saying is revolutionary:
"Israel, the people descended from Abraham, is NOT the true vine—I am. Your connectedness with Me is what ultimately matters, not your ethnic heritage or religious culture."
He's declaring that those who are genuinely part of Him, the TRUE vine, will generate the fruitfulness that Israel should have produced but didn't.
If we are united with Jesus, that’s us! Which leads to the next question:
“What is the fruitfulness that Israel should have generated?”
The DNA of True Fruitfulness
The clues are woven throughout Scripture and have a consistent emphasis. Here are some key points:
At Israel's very origins in Genesis 12:1-3, God promises Abraham that through his descendants "all the families of earth shall be blessed."
This wasn't merely about numerical growth but about becoming a conduit of God's blessing to the nations.
What is “blessing”? This points back to Genesis 1-2 where people walked in trusting obedience and intimacy with the Father, at peace with each other and with Creation.
The Old Testament prophetic vine passages (above) indicate that true fruitfulness involves faithfulness to God, trusting and seeking Him, listening to Him, honouring Him in the sight of surrounding peoples, valuing His gifts, treating the poor and powerless with righteousness, and responding appropriately to His discipline.
In John 15:1-11, Jesus describes fruitfulness that:
causes us to desire and ask for the things Jesus plans to do (v7)
glorifies the Father, showing how true and good and amazing He is (v8)
proves the disciples to be Jesus' authentic followers (v8) - they reflect His character and the quality of His relationships with the Father and with people
demonstrates obedience to Jesus and receives His love (v9-10) - relationship characterised by trust, intimacy and affection
results in our participating in His joy and experiencing fullness of joy (v11) - life feels better!
True fruitfulness flows from connectedness and intimate relationship rather than religious performance.
Jesus the Messiah is the true vine, and He showed us what life looks like when lived in that kind of relationship with the Father. His death and resurrection dealt definitively with the barriers that prevented us from having that kind of relationship, and from Pentecost onward, direct and ongoing communion with the Father through the Holy Spirit has been made available to "all flesh."
Fruitfulness comes as we lean into that reality and our lives and relationships are transformed as a result.
This changes everything about how we understand and pursue fruitfulness.
Beyond the Metrics
When we think about evangelism, movement, or disciple-making movements, it's not enough to be "fruitful" in generating numbers, decisions, or measurable activities. This is not the fruitfulness Jesus emphasised.
We must be deeply concerned that we are bearing fruit through lives that continue growing toward the quality of Jesus' relationship with the Father, the quality of His relationships with people, and the quality of His life and character.
True fruitfulness is fundamentally relational and transformational, not merely statistical.
This doesn't diminish the importance of seeing people come to faith or communities of disciples multiply—these are beautiful expressions of the Kingdom's advance that come from the overflow of our relationship with the Father. When we make them the primary measure of fruitfulness, ignoring the quality of relationships, we risk creating systems that produce hollow victories and burned-out workers rather than the deep, abiding life that Jesus promises.
The Rest of the Story
Let’s return to Ken and Keith. How have things played out?
For a period of time, Ken became high-profile and widely celebrated by parts of the Body of Christ, but he burned out within a few years and withdrew from ministry. I genuinely don't know where he's at now - hopefully he's recovered and still pressing into whatever God has for him.
Keith, meanwhile, remains largely unknown beyond his immediate circles.
He continues to wrestle with obedience in the spaces where God called him, but has tried his best to remain faithful through the ordinary seasons of life. This wrestle makes him sensitive to his own brokenness and need for transformation - the journey is ongoing! In addition, he is actively leading his wife and three children toward God, 'doing church' with his aging parents, and discipling friends who are themselves discipling their own families.
The numbers in Keith's story aren't impressive by conventional standards, but he's grounded in a trusting and dependent relationship with the Father which overflows naturally into the lives of those he's called to love and serve—and then overflows from them into others' lives. There is both breadth and depth in Keith's story.
Whatever exactly we mean when we talk about fruitfulness in evangelism, movement, or urban ministry, Keith's life witnesses to an important part of the fruitfulness Jesus invites us into through John 15— faithful abiding, growing, loving and obeying. Trusting that the Father will produce the increase according to His wisdom and timing.
For Reflection
1. A Scripture - John 15:4-8
What does this passage tell us about the source and nature of true fruitfulness?
2. A thoughtful question
How does this view of fruitfulness compare with what you see in your world? What insights or questions does this topic raise for you?
3. A possible application
How do you measure fruitfulness in your life or ministry? In those you lead? Is there anything that could be adjusted in line with how Jesus describes fruitfulness in John 15?
Discipling the Urban Harvest provides practical insights and encouragement to walk with God in multiplying discipleship in an increasingly urban world - growing as children of the Father, serving the communities He has called us to, and discipling those hungry to know Him.