Hawaii is a fitting place for a pastor like Wayne Cordeiro. One of the first things you notice about him is his smile: it glows like a Pacific sunset. But even in a paradise-like climate, people are in need of the Savior. And Cordeiro, 47, has devoted his life to helping people connect with Christ.

In 1994, he left a thriving congregation in Hilo, Hawaii, to plant New Hope Christian Fellowship O'ahu in Honolulu. During its first four years, the Foursquare church grew from 70 to more than 6,000 weekend attenders. Today it's listed as one of the fastest-growing congregations in the U.S.

New Hope was founded on the unextraordinary notion of people putting their natural gifts and passions to work for the kingdom of God. But the results have been extraordinary.

Using the concept of "fractals," Cordeiro has devised a radical yet simple model of discipleship—he calls it "doing church as a team." LEADERSHIP editors Marshall Shelley and Edward Gilbreath recently spoke to Cordeiro about his vision ...