Most Christians want to make disciples but don't know where to start. Zúme Training — named after the Greek word for "yeast" (Matthew 13:33) — is a free online discipleship course designed for small groups of 3–12 to learn the practical skills of multiplying disciples and planting simple churches.^1
The training covers 32 concepts and skills across 20 hours of content, blending instructional videos, group discussions, hands-on exercises, and between-session challenges.^2 Topics range from foundational practices like SOAPS Bible reading and accountability groups to outward-focused skills like prayer walking, sharing your testimony, and the 3/3 group meeting pattern for simple churches.^2 The same 20 hours can be taken in three formats: the original 10-Session course (ten two-hour meetings, often weekly), a 20-Session version paced for deeper practice of each concept, or a compressed Intensive (five four-hour blocks, e.g., a weekend of Friday evening through Sunday).^3 Each format is available as an online presenter, a free downloadable PDF workbook with QR-coded video access, and editable PowerPoint/Keynote slides for offline use in low-connectivity areas.^3
No special training or permission is needed to lead — if you can click "next," you can facilitate a Zúme group.^2 Zúme was born in 2015 when a small team of movement practitioners convened a Jonathan Project Leadership Meeting and recognized that disciple-making movement principles proven overseas for 30+ years had never been made widely accessible online. The platform launched on Valentine's Day 2017 as a labor of love with no formal organization, no staff, and no paid advertising — just a volunteer community building, coaching, and funding together through Gospel Ambition, the missions nonprofit behind Disciple.Tools and Prayer.Global. All involved align with the Lausanne Covenant.^2
Field reports from the global Zúme community tell of remarkable fruit: a coach in East Africa saw trainees lead dozens to Christ and start simple churches, then recruit 50 pastors and gain access to 20 local schools for weekly Gospel sharing; in South Sudan, over 900 people gave their lives to Jesus in six months with 72 simple churches planted; and in Ghana, teams bring Zúme's tools to illiterate rural communities entirely through oral methods.^4
Why Christians Love It"I spent years faithfully attending Bible studies and church, but had somehow not understood the simple truths of disciple making that I found here in Zúme." — C^1
"These tools in Zúme are very simple. Simple things multiply. And the simple things grow." — Isaac, a Ghanaian ministry leader using Zúme in rural communities^4
"These concepts and skills transformed our church and our impact on the world." — R^1
Notable- Available in 50+ languages including Arabic, Somali, Hindi, Burmese, Kurdish, and American Sign Language^1
- iOS app available on the App Store; the Android app was previously available but has been removed from Google Play^5
- YouVersion Bible plans: accountability-group reading plans (Luke, Acts, Galatians, Matthew, Ephesians, James, and more) with over 183,000 subscribers combined on the Bible App^6
- Offline-capable: training content can be distributed via solar-powered LightStream devices in areas where internet is monitored or nonexistent^4
- Published as a book: Zúme Training: Multiplying Disciples through William Carey Publishing^7
- Featured on RightNow Media as a video training series^8
- Partnered with Global Media Outreach/Godlife to connect new online believers with discipleship training^9
- Multiplying Disciples podcast shares field stories from the global Zúme community on major podcast platforms^10
