From SUNDAY to EVERYDAY Discipleship with Trey Taylor
Episode Summary
Most churches pour enormous energy into the Sunday service. And Sundays matter—worshiping together, preaching God’s Word, and gathering as a family of faith. But the truth is, people spend about one hour in church and 167 hours somewhere else. The real mission fields are their workplaces, neighborhoods, schools, and homes. How can church leaders equip people for everyday discipleship?
In this episode of Reinventing Church, Derek and Danielle kick off the first of eleven church shifts: moving from Sunday to Everyday. They sit down with Trey Taylor, Lead Pastor of City Hope Church in Mobile, Alabama, to discuss how his church has transitioned from a weekend-centered, attractional model to a disciple-making culture that sends people out as everyday missionaries.
Trey shares insights from Dust: A Disciple’s Journey—a 10-week experience that has equipped over 1,500 people for real-life discipleship and commissioned them to live on mission where they work, live, learn, and play. He explains how reframing vocation as ministry is changing lives, why Sundays must remain excellent without becoming the finish line, and what tools are helping leaders multiply disciples in the process.
Also in this episode: fun reflections on our algorithms, Grace Church’s new Influencers series, and a practical leadership resource—the 1:3:1 Tool—for empowering teams while avoiding micromanagement.
LINKS & RESOURCES
SHOW NOTES
Key Insights from Dave Rhodes (Clarity House)
- The real gap isn’t just people, it’s perspective. Pastors often see life “Sunday to Sunday,” but our people live “Sunday to Monday.” The shift begins when leaders adopt the same vantage point as their congregation.
- See beyond the crowd to the “crowd cloud.” Every church member has a sphere of influence of 30–300 people. A church of 100 could impact 10,000 when leaders focus on equipping disciples to reach their own networks.
- Don’t just count attendance, measure engagement. Success isn’t how many show up, but how many show out. Mobilize your people to live as everyday missionaries where they live, work, learn, and play.
- It’s not a people problem, it’s an attention problem. We’re not short on intention, we’re short on concentration. What we give attention to determines whether our ministry focuses on filling seats or forming disciples.
- Reimagine Sunday as the starting line, not the finish line. The goal isn’t to make ministry more “relevant,” but to design it so that people are equipped to bring the gospel into their daily lives.
Key Insights from Trey Taylor (City Hope Church, Mobile, AL)
- From attraction to activation.
City Hope has moved from a weekend-driven model to a disciple-making culture built around a ten-week journey called Dust, named for the blessing “May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi.”
Mission: Walking together as we pursue the way of Jesus. - Make discipleship harder, not easier.
The modern church often tries to make discipleship easy. Jesus didn’t. Trey calls people into a demanding journey that forms spiritual muscle through daily devotion, community discussion, and obedience. - Teach people to hear God’s voice.
Dust emphasizes daily encounters with God through Scripture and reflection. Weekly gatherings are built around one question: “What did God say to you this week?” - Commission, don’t just conclude.
The Dust journey ends with a commissioning service where participants are sent to live as everyday ministers, challenged to meet needs, pray for others, and take ownership of their calling. - Outreach becomes the training ground.
Outreach events are now used to train people for mission, not just to serve others. It’s the shallow end of the pool where people learn to take initiative before launching their own ministries. - First responders mindset.
Borrowing from hurricane culture, City Hope trains believers to act as first responders to spiritual and practical needs in their own spheres. - Training over teaching.
The church’s new Training Center equips people in hands-on skills like disciple-making and leadership. Each session includes practice, not just content. Participants must do something they couldn’t do before. - Sunday excellence with less obsession.
Trey intentionally stepped back from over-programming Sundays. The focus now is meaningful worship, Spirit-led moments, and equipping people to live out their faith Monday through Saturday. - Change takes small, intentional steps.
Don’t overhaul everything overnight. Begin with simple, faithful actions that redirect your church’s energy from Sunday events to everyday mission.
Big Takeaway for Leaders
“The modern church is over-inspired and under-trained. Our job isn’t to fill rooms, it’s to fill neighborhoods with disciples.” (Derek Sanford)
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