188. Roy Moran: Measuring Momentum Before Movement

In this episode, we continue listening to Roy Moran’s 2025 training with us as Praxeis leaders, exploring a critical idea: momentum comes before movement. Roy grounds the conversation in Proverbs 27:23: “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” Movements can easily be treated like machines — measured by outputs, numbers, and generations. But disciple-making movements are not factories. They are about inner transformation. Jesus changes people first; multiplication follows. Momentum Before Movement One of Roy’s key insights: “There is a period of momentum before there is a period of movement… We are immature in measuring momentum.” We often try to measure movement — new groups, multiplication, generations. But in the early stages, there’s very little visible fruit. Instead of measuring outcomes, we need to measure health and obedience. What does momentum look like? People living with an “I will…” posture toward Jesus Regular listening and responding to God Obedience becoming a lifestyle Spiritual conversations flowing naturally Slowing down enough to hear God clearly Before someone becomes a multiplying disciple-maker, they must first learn to simply be a disciple. Managing the Tension There’s an ongoing tension between: Systematic measurement (growth, numbers), and Organic care (knowing the condition of people’s hearts). Roy reminds us this tension isn’t a problem to solve but a tension to manage. Healthy leadership means accepting we’ll never have everything covered. It requires walking in the Spirit, not striving for perfect balance. People Are Not Objects When we overemphasize metrics, people can subtly become numbers. Roy urges us to remember: people are subjects, not objects. The goal is not activity but transformation. Especially in church contexts, building momentum can take time. Tradition can slow things down. That’s why we must prioritise depth before speed. As David Watson said: “Go slow to go fast.” Build quality in disciples — and the generations will come. Key Takeaway Push movement metrics to the side in the early phase.Learn to recognise and celebrate momentum in the internal life — Word, Spirit, obedience, passion. Movement flows from transformation. ‘What signs of spiritual transformation might indicate that real momentum is already forming in me and in those I’m walking with — even if visible movement hasn’t appeared yet?’