Asking Better Questions

rwh20sept Ep.382 – Run With Horses Podcast – Asking Better Questions
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Author pages with links to all books on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCSDDVLB – James Norman Smith
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BMGW51FW – Susan Jane Smith

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The questions you ask often determine the kinds of answers you get. How do our questions impact our ability to make disciples, develop leaders and plant new churches? That’s the topic of today’s show!

Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is simple in many ways, but potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to grow, to live intentionally and to join in His mission. It’s very cool that we can do that together!
Thank you for joining me today! “If you’re new here, you can check out past episodes at runwithhorses.net. As always, I appreciate your feedback, questions, and reviews!”

**(23:00 – 0:00)* * PART 1
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Multiplication Thinking

Part 1: The Power of the Questions We Ask (Vision & Theology)

Theme: Questions reveal what we believe about God’s mission, our role, and the future.
** 1. Why Questions Matter **
Questions expose vision (or the lack of it) Show how “addition” questions limit scope vs. “multiplication” questions which expand possibilities.
Example: “How many people can I gather?” (Level 2 thinking) vs. “How many disciple-makers can I release?” (Level 4-5 thinking).
.The Five Levels of Church Mutiplication
1.subtraction 2. Plateau 3.addition 4. Reproducing 5. Multiplication
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*** 2. The Five Levels of Leadership (from Hero Maker) ***
• Level 1: I count (thinking addition, personal results).
• Level 2: I count what I do (improving programs).
• Level 3: I count what we do together (team success).
• Level 4: I count leaders I raise up (reproduction).
• Level 5: I count leaders who multiply leaders (movement/multiplication).
• Use examples of how each level asks progressively bigger questions.

*** 3. Biblical and Theological Foundation ***
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• Jesus modeled multiplication: He invested in 12 → sent 72 → great commission to all.
• Paul’s instruction to Timothy: “Entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2).
• The kingdom grows like a seed — designed for multiplication, not maintenance (parable of the mustard seed, yeast in the dough).

*** 4. Why Maintenance Mindset is Dangerous ***
• It keeps leaders in survival mode (protecting what is).
• It makes ministries inward-focused rather than kingdom-focused.
• Ultimately, it limits generational impact.

*** 5. Challenge: ***
• What questions are you currently asking in your ministry?
• Are they addition questions or multiplication questions?
• (Good interactive moment: invite participants to write down their top 2 questions they ask about ministry and assess what “level” they reflect.)

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**(00:00) END PART 1**
**(27:00 – 5:00) BEGIN PART 2*

Part 2: Asking Multiplication Questions

Leaders at every level can shift from addition to multiplication by the questions they ask.
*** 1. Shifting the Question at Every Level of Leadership***
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• Sunday school teacher: Instead of “How many kids will show up?” ask “How many kids can I equip to share their faith?”
• Deacon/volunteer leader: Instead of “How do I fill this need?” ask “Who can I invite and empower to step into leadership?”
• Pastor: Instead of “How do we grow this church?” ask “How do we plant churches and send leaders?”
• Church planter: Instead of “How do I build this church strong?” ask “How do I build this to multiply from the start?”

*** 2. Practical Multiplication Questions to Introduce***
• Who am I discipling right now?
• Who could they disciple next?
• What leaders am I raising up?
• Who in my ministry could replace me if I left tomorrow?
• What’s stopping me from giving more away?

*** 3. Tools & Practices to Reinforce Multiplication Thinking***
• Permission-giving: Start saying “You can do this” more often.
• Scorecards: Redefine success — not just how many are attending, but how many are multiplying.
• Apprenticing model: Always have someone learning beside you.

*** 4. Case Studies / Stories***
• Share short stories of multiplication in action (a teacher who trained kids to lead, a church that planted another church, a small group that reproduced).
• Highlight that multiplication is possible at every level, not just at the top.

*** 5. Closing Challenge & Vision Casting***
• Ask participants: “If every leader here multiplied themselves once in the next 2 years, what would happen in our church and community?”
• Cast vision for generational leadership: thinking in terms of “spiritual grandchildren.”
• Call them to choose one multiplication question they’ll start asking this week.

*** 6. Sample Multiplication vs. Maintenance Questions***

Sunday School Teachers
• Maintenance: How many kids will show up this week?
• Multiplication: Which kids can I disciple so they can share their faith with others?
• Multiplication: Who could I apprentice as a future teacher?

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Deacons
• Maintenance: How do we meet the needs of our members better?
• Multiplication: Who else can we raise up to serve so more people are empowered?
• Multiplication: How do we multiply servant leaders, not just serve needs?

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Sound Booth / Tech Team
• Maintenance: How do I make sure the sound and slides run smoothly this Sunday?
• Multiplication: Who can I train so they can run sound in the future?
• Multiplication: How do we multiply tech leaders so new services, campuses, or ministries can launch equipped?

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Worship Leaders
• Maintenance: How do we sound better this Sunday?
• Multiplication: Who in the band or congregation can I mentor to lead worship in the future?
• Multiplication: How do we multiply worship leaders so that every group, gathering, or church plant has someone to lead?

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Pastors
• Maintenance: How do we grow this church bigger?
• Multiplication: How do we raise up pastors and church planters from within?
• Multiplication: Who are my “Timothys” that I’m intentionally training to multiply leaders?

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Church Planters
• Maintenance: How do I make this church strong and healthy?
• Multiplication: How do I plant in such a way that this church will plant another church within 3 years?
• Multiplication: How do I build a culture of sending from the very beginning?

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General “Every Leader” Questions
• Maintenance: How do I succeed in my role?
• Multiplication: Who am I apprenticing to take my place?
• Multiplication: Who are my spiritual grandchildren — the people being discipled by those I discipled?

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*** 7. Progression of Questions: From Addition to Multiplication***

Level 1: I Count (self-focused)
• How am I doing?
• Did I do a good job teaching / leading / serving?
• Did people like what I did today?

(Example: A sound booth worker asks, “Did I get the slides right?”)

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Level 2: I Count What I Do (program-focused)
• How many people showed up to my class, service, or ministry?
• How can I make this better for those who attend?
• Did the event/service/program run smoothly?

(Example: A Sunday school teacher asks, “How many kids are in my class this week?”)

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Level 3: I Count What We Do Together (team-focused)
• How is our team doing?
• How can we grow this ministry bigger or better together?
• How can we serve more people as a team?

(Example: A deacon asks, “How can our deacon team meet more needs this year?”)

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Level 4: I Count Leaders I Raise Up (reproduction-focused)
• Who am I apprenticing right now?
• Who could I trust to lead if I wasn’t here?
• How can I release more people into ministry and leadership?

(Example: A worship leader asks, “Who in the band can I mentor to lead a worship set?”)

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Level 5: I Count Leaders Who Multiply Leaders (movement-focused)
• Who are my spiritual grandchildren — the leaders raised up by the leaders I’ve discipled?
• How do we create a culture where leaders naturally multiply leaders?
• How can we measure success by kingdom expansion, not just local growth?

(Example: A pastor asks, “Who are the church planters being trained by the leaders I’ve already raised up?”)

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✅ Progression Summary (for a slide or handout):
• Level 1–2 questions: focus on me and my ministry.
• Level 3 questions: focus on our ministry team.
• Level 4 questions: focus on leaders I raise.
• Level 5 questions: focus on leaders who raise leaders.

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**(1:00)**
What kinds of questions are you asking? Do your answers move you toward reproduction and multiplication or do they keep you stuck in the status quo? I know what kind of questions I want to be asking!

– “Thank you for listening today!
-If you enjoyed the show you can listen to all the past shows wherever you listen to podcasts. A good place to start is at runwithhorses.net. You can also write me at [email protected] or leave a comment on the Run With Horses Podcast facebook page.
Don’t be discouraged by the challenges you face. Keep your eyes on Jesus and embrace the opportunity to grow through the trial. Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus and never stop running."
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