From the magic kingdom to the Kingdom of God

At 100Movements, we’re convinced that movements rarely begin with grand strategies. More often, they begin with ordinary people learning to notice where the Kingdom is already at work and responding with simple faithfulness.

That’s why we’re excited to share this guest post from Steven Barr. Steven and his wife, Lucia, have spent nearly fifteen years discipling Disney Cast Members from around the world through Cast Member Church. Along the way, they’ve developed a unique perspective on disciple-making, innovation, and what it looks like to cultivate Kingdom life in everyday places.

In this reflection, Steven explores the idea of “Kingdom planting” and introduces the concept of Kingdom Catalysts—ordinary people who help the Kingdom take root through creative simplicity, relational proximity, and faithful experimentation. His insights offer an encouraging reminder that the future of movement may not depend on reaching more people, but on investing deeply in the right few.

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For almost 15 years, my wife, Lucia, and I have been walking alongside young Disney Cast Members worldwide through Cast Member Church.

One of the most important lessons we are learning as leaders is the power of creative simplicity. When the life and teachings of Jesus are explored in relational spaces like dinner tables, coffee shops, and living rooms, people with little or no previous faith background often engage in surprisingly natural ways. Simple relational environments create space for curiosity, belonging, and faith to grow organically.

This has also reshaped how we think about disciplemaking. We are discovering that discipleship often grows most naturally through intentional, relational proximity and shared life. When people explore the teachings of Jesus together within real friendships, the process becomes personal and conversational. They are not simply learning ideas together. They are walking through everyday moments together, asking honest questions, encouraging one another, and discovering how the way of Jesus takes shape in the realities of ordinary life.

Another insight shaping our work is the importance of focusing on the few rather than trying to mobilize the many. Movements often begin with a curious minority who are paying attention to where the life of the Kingdom is already stirring around them. We increasingly invest our time in identifying and mentoring what we call Kingdom Catalysts. These are people who naturally see Kingdom reality with what I often describe as holy imagination, regardless of their spiritual gifting. They can look through the keyhole of the present moment and glimpse the Kingdom possibilities on the other side. Because of this, they are often willing to take small steps of faith and respond to what God is doing within their relationships and everyday environments. As they do, expressions of Kingdom life begin to take shape naturally in the places where they live, work, and belong.

What we are discovering is that this work is best described as Kingdom planting. Kingdom planting begins by recognizing where the life of the Kingdom is already stirring within relationships, workplaces, and everyday environments. Instead of beginning with a system or structure, we are learning to cultivate simple expressions of Kingdom life where people already belong. This requires a posture of curiosity and a willingness to experiment again and again, paying attention to what brings life and where people are responding. As this happens, new expressions of faith begin to take shape individually, relationally, and communally. Many of these expressions look very different from what people might expect, yet they represent genuine Kingdom life emerging in the everyday harvest.

Within the language of mDNA, what feels most alive in our world right now is the rediscovery that Kingdom Catalysts emerge across the entire APEST spectrum. Innovation is not limited to the apostolic. Apostolic catalysts explore and create new Kingdom frontiers. Prophetic catalysts creatively help people see reality through the lens of the Kingdom. Evangelistic catalysts find innovative relational pathways to those who might never enter a church setting. Shepherding catalysts cultivate nouvelles forms of belonging in unexpected places. Teaching catalysts develop fresh ways to help people understand and live the teachings of Jesus. Across each of these gifts, Kingdom Catalysts are continually experimenting, creating, and discovering how the life of the Kingdom takes shape within ordinary relationships and everyday environments.

My encouragement to movement leaders right now is simple. Pay attention to the Kingdom Catalysts in your midst. When even a few people are encouraged to explore and experiment with specific, simple, small, and slow expressions of Kingdom life within their existing relationships, the Kingdom takes shape in places no one originally planned.

-Steven Barr