Imagine This

You’ve spent months planning a brand-new program for your church. The team is excited, the materials are ready, and the doors swing open on launch day.

Then … crickets.

Sure, a few faithful attendees show up, but the energy is flat, and engagement is minimal.

What happened?

It’s frustrating. And yet, it’s a story that repeats itself in countless churches. The problem isn’t the effort or the intention behind your programs—it’s that they often miss the people they’re meant to serve.

When the Church Takes Center Stage

Churches often default to a “church-centric” mindset where programs are created for the church’s benefit rather than the people’s growth. Programs should serve people, not the other way around.

A church-centric mindset sounds like this:

• “We’ve always done it this way.”
• “This fits our schedule.”
• “If we build it, they’ll come!”
• “I feel sure this will help people.”
• “It worked in the past.”
• “I saw it work at another church.”

But here’s the hard truth: A great program that doesn’t move people along a discipleship pathway isn’t great.

Everything your church creates should meet people where they are and inspire them to take their next best discipleship step. When programs are built for convenience, tradition, or assumption, we lose the most important ingredient of the mission—the person we hope to serve.

Shifting the Focus to People

This is where the 5 Rights Framework comes in—a simple but powerful way to create people-centered programs.

The 5 Rights Framework ensures every program serves people missionally and effectively by starting with the person, not the church. It’s invaluable for designing discipleship pathways.

The 5 Rights Framework

1. The Right Person: Understand who you’re trying to reach. Are they seekers? New believers? Lifelong disciples?
2. The Right Message: What truth do they need to hear, and how can you make it resonate?
3. The Right Time: Are you meeting them at a moment when they’re open to growth or change?
4. The Right Way: Is your delivery method accessible, engaging, and culturally relevant? Should it be digital, in person, in a group, or one-on-one?
5. The Right Next Step: What clear action can they take to deepen their faith? Every step should lead to this final point.

When you use this framework, your programs become steps toward a goal—not the end goal. They inspire discipleship rather than simply filling slots on a calendar.

(Read more about steps and programs here.)

Real Questions, Real Change

If you want to shift your church to a people-first approach, start by asking the right questions:

• Who is this program actually for?
• What are their biggest needs or struggles right now?
• How does this program help them grow in their faith?
• Are we delivering it in a way they’ll engage with?
• What’s the clear next step they’ll take after this program?

Example: A Midweek Bible Study

Imagine your church hosts a midweek Bible study with dwindling attendance. Instead of scrapping it, apply the 5 Rights Framework:

• The Right Person: Are you targeting busy parents who may need a different format?
• The Right Message: Does the content resonate with real-life struggles?
• The Right Time: Could moving it to Sunday after services or offering an online option increase engagement?
• The Right Way: Are childcare or digital resources available?
• The Right Next Step: What happens after the study ends?

By asking these questions, you’re not just tweaking the program—you’re transforming its purpose.

The Mindset Shift Churches Need

Programs should serve people, not the other way around.

When you prioritize the needs of the people God has entrusted to you, everything changes. Engagement rises, lives are transformed, and the mission moves forward.

So, here’s the challenge: What would happen if your church focused less on creating programs and more on meeting people exactly where they are?

Next Steps

Ready to start?

✅ Download the 5 Rights Assessment Worksheet to evaluate your current programs.
✅ Contact me for coaching or a workshop experience to help your church embrace a people-centered approach.
✅ Are you confident that your church is effectively making disciples? Learn more about our Discipleship Accelerator here.
✅ Take this Church Discipleship Assessment to discover the strengths and weaknesses in your current pathway.

Programs alone won’t change lives. But a people-first mission? That’s how we’ll make disciples.

One More Thing…

You’re probably aware of our Church Accelerator Community. All our Partners have unlimited access to our resource section, full of courses, frameworks, supporting documents, and our new Custom AI tools (Sermon Outline Creator, Sermon Evaluator, Small Group Question Writer, and more).

Partnership starts at ONLY $49, which gets you about $5,000 in resources. Don’t wait. Become a partner today.

Check out the Strategic Partner and Community Partner options if you’d like personalized coaching for you, a staff member, or your church. I limit the number of these options to maximize my investment in each church and pastor. Let me know if you are interested.

Leading With You,
Dr. Gavin Adams