Ordinary People - how the gospel is spreading
From a documentary by IBRA Mission
In the West there is an exodus away from Christianity, but all over global South there are incredible, fast-growing movements of God taking place through ordinary people. Is there something we can learn from them?
"Europe is by and large no longer Christian. The people in our neighbourhood are not willing to go to a traditional church building for multiple reasons. Cultural Christianity becomes a huge obstacle in our world. My exposure to what was happening overseas caused me to question whether I had read the Great Commission correctly. It is bringing people to Jesus very fast. When it comes from me, it goes to another person, and then the next, and the next. We had the privilege of being a part of this amazing movement, where, over a decade, it ended up creating thousands of micro-churches all led by ordinary people. There might be two people in year one but by year five we are talking about thousands."
The church has a mission. The job description is to share the gospel to those who have not yet heard. We are here to tell people about Jesus – to make disciples.
On the Swahili coast of East Africa, congregations have seen the gospel reach into entirely new Muslim settings through ordinary people. Through group conversations about the Bible and the impact of God’s Word on life, many people have come to faith and become disciples who share the gospel with people in their surroundings. Because of these ordinary people, we can see how a movement of disciples has emerged that reaches where no one has reached before.
The documentary Ordinary People follows the growth of these discipleship movements on the Swahili coast. It also visits a church in the US that is reaching people in new ways.
The 2 min trailer is here:
The documentary itself is 94 mins long and is split into the following 'chapters' for ease of access:
00:00 Opening Scene
02:35 The Church Today
05:15 Is our house built on the Rock?
10:22 How can we see the Gospel move?
15:55 What is a Disciple Making Movement?
18:51 The Church in Tanzania were sceptical
20:21 Swahili Coast
24:20 Revival in Hale
28:48 Muslims encounter Jesus Christ
35:15 Difference between DMM and traditional church
36:27 How is the Tanzanian movement reaching people
43:14 Love
45:45 Walking in the word of God
49:30 Empowering Ordinary People
51:20 From East to West
54:14 KC Underground
55:52 James Mays
58:23 Share the Hope
1:03:33 Multiplying disciple Making
1:06:44 Are our structures hindering movement?
1:08:09 Equippers of Saints
1:10:57 Testimonies of movement in Kansas City
1:15:20 Tanzania one year later
1:19:00 A nationwide denomination embraces DMM
1:20:41 Father's business
1:22:00 Thousands of Churches Planted
1:25:01 The Great Commission
1:28:11 Outro
1:32:12 End Credits
Watch the 94 min documentary:
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From a documentary by IBRA Mission, 12/08/2025