Discipleship Pathways

A Deep Dive into Creating Sustainable Spiritual Growth

As pastors and church leaders, we know that making disciples is at the core of our mission. But how often do we stop and ask ourselves whether we truly have a plan—a sustainable, intentional strategy—for making disciples? And, more importantly, are we meeting people where they are and moving them incrementally toward spiritual maturity?

I want to unpack the Discipleship Pathways concept that we’ve been exploring at the Church Accelerator Community and dig into some of the nuances that often get overlooked. Whether you’re running a church of 50 or 5,000, the principles remain the same: discipleship doesn’t just happen; it must be intentional, strategic, and holistic.

Let’s take a closer look at what it means to create a discipleship plan that actually moves people forward on their spiritual journey.

The Importance of Knowing Where People Start

It’s tempting to focus on the end goal—mature believers thriving in their faith, deeply connected to the church, and actively serving. Having a target is mandatory. However, a discipleship plan begins with identifying where people are on their faith journey. Every church has a spectrum of spiritual stages, from those who are completely lost to those who are ready to lead others. A simple framework to think about this is using a number line:

• -10 to 0: Pre-believers, skeptics, or those disillusioned by religion.

• 0 to +3: New believers or those returning to faith after a long hiatus.

• +4 to +7: Growing believers, beginning to deepen their faith, and integrating it into everyday life.

• +8 to +10: Mature disciples, fully committed to serving others and living out their faith in leadership capacities.

Your discipleship strategy needs to address every segment on that line. Too many churches focus only on those in the middle of the spectrum, and we miss the opportunity to move those further along who are stuck or have plateaued—and those who are far from faith but ready to take their first steps.

Creating a Pathway for Each Category

Here’s where we get into the practical side of things.