The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 325– Discipleship Pathway
Your church calendar is packed. Multiple Bible studies run simultaneously. Small groups meet throughout the week. Ministry teams are active. Programs fill every available time slot.
Yet something feels off.
Despite all this activity, many members can’t articulate their spiritual growth journey. Volunteers burn out. Engagement plateaus. The spiritual fruit you long to see remains elusive.
The problem isn’t a lack of programming. The issue is that your church has created a maze instead of a discipleship pathway.
Three critical signs reveal whether your church offers clear direction or overwhelming confusion. You can fix this.
Sign One: You’re Offering a Menu Instead of a Map
Picture this scenario. A relatively new member approaches you with genuine interest. They want to grow spiritually and get more involved. They ask a simple question: “How do I really engage here?”
Your response reveals everything.
If you immediately launch into an excited explanation of dozens of options, you’ve identified the problem. Women’s ministry splits into categories for working moms and stay-at-home moms. Then it divides by marital status. Age brackets create additional subdivisions. Before long, you’re describing dozens of disconnected options.
The new member’s eyes glaze over. They feel overwhelmed rather than equipped. They wanted a map but received a menu.
This reflects a fundamental shift that churches must make. Moving from being program-oriented to process-oriented changes everything. Instead of trying to have something for everyone, focus on creating a discipleship pathway for everyone.
Every program you offer should fit within a clear process for spiritual growth. When someone asks how to get connected, you shouldn’t explode with every ministry option available. Instead, provide clarity about their next step.
Here’s the test: If explaining your discipleship pathway takes more than 60 seconds, you have a maze.
A clear process might sound like this: “We believe discipleship starts with gathering, then moves to growing, and then going. You’re already gathering with us in worship. Next, we want to get you growing. Our next steps class happens quarterly, and the next one starts in three weeks. Let’s get you registered.”
Simple. Clear. Actionable.
Programs still exist in this model. However, they fuel the process rather than competing for attention. Everything fits together with purpose. Nothing exists in isolation.
This organizational shift represents significant change for most churches. Yet it yields substantially greater discipleship fruit. Clarity replaces confusion. Direction replaces overwhelm.
Sign Two: Members Can’t Name Their Next Step
Ask ten members who’ve attended your church for a year this question: “What’s your next step in spiritual growth?”
If you get ten different answers or blank stares, your discipleship pathway lacks clarity.
The root issue often lies in having no primary ministry for each step. Everything feels optional. Nothing feels essential. Members pick and choose based on convenience rather than following a progression designed for their growth.
Consider small groups as an example. Perhaps your church offers fifteen different small group options. People join based on schedule fit or topic interest. No unified framework guides their selection. When their group ends or their season of life changes, they feel lost.
This creates what we call the buffet problem. Members approach spiritual growth like a cafeteria line: “Pick whatever sounds good.” The alternative is a designed experience: “Here’s what we’ve created to help you grow.”
The difference matters tremendously.
Without a clear discipleship pathway, members lack language to describe where they are in their spiritual journey. They can’t identify what they’re missing. They don’t sense any gap in their growth.
This is where a well-designed discipleship pathway creates productive tension. When the process includes clear steps like Gather, Grow, Serve, and Share, members can identify which step they haven’t taken.
Imagine a member who regularly attends worship and participates in a small group. They’re gathering and growing. But they recognize they’re not serving or sharing. The pathway itself creates awareness of the gap.
This awareness may bring clarity to a sense they’ve had from the Holy Spirit. Conviction becomes specific rather than vague. Instead of a general sense that “there’s more,” members can identify exactly what’s missing.
When your church offers outreach teams as part of a clear “share” step in the discipleship pathway, it becomes a missing puzzle piece. Members don’t view it as one of dozens of optional ministries. They see it as a specific step they haven’t taken.
That distinction changes everything.
The narrative tension created by a clear process helps members understand what spiritual maturity looks like. They can assess their own journey. They know what comes next.
Many people struggle to discern the Holy Spirit’s leading. They wonder what God is calling them to do. Church leaders can provide clarity by organizing ministry around a defined discipleship pathway. This helps members understand what the Spirit is inviting them into.
Creating this clarity represents one of the most valuable things church leaders can do. It doesn’t replace the Holy Spirit’s work. It creates structure that helps people respond to that work.
Sign Three: You Measure Programs Instead of Progress
Here’s a revealing question: Can you answer whether people in your church are actually growing spiritually compared to last year?
Not how many attended various programs, how busy your calendar is, or how many volunteers you recruited.
Are people more spiritually mature?
Most churches can’t answer this question with confidence. They track attendance of programs, count participation, and measure busyness. But they don’t measure progress through a discipleship pathway.
This happens when churches place heavy weight on particular programs. They want one thing to do all the discipleship heavy lifting. Perhaps it’s Sunday school or small groups or a Bible study program. They assume this single program will produce mature disciples.
The alternative is letting the entire discipleship pathway work together. When the whole church does the discipleship work in a distributed fashion, it takes pressure off any single program. Each step contributes to the overall growth process.
However, measuring effectiveness requires tracking the right things.
Church management software helps tremendously here. You can track which steps people have taken in the discipleship pathway. You can answer questions like: “How many people in our church are engaged in the ‘serve’ step?”
Many churches can’t answer that question. Only attendance of various programs is tracked. They don’t monitor people’s progress through the process.
Two important questions need regular attention. First, are people engaging in the process the way you designed? Are they participating in the primary ministries you’ve identified for each step of the discipleship pathway?
Second, is the process producing the discipleship fruit you anticipated? This matters just as much as participation.
Churches should be married to the process, not specific programs. If people engage in the discipleship pathway as designed but it’s not bearing expected fruit, changes are needed. Perhaps different programs would better serve that step. Maybe the step itself needs refinement.
Many churches confuse busyness with effectiveness. They optimize for programming rather than transformation. A full calendar doesn’t guarantee spiritual growth. High attendance numbers don’t automatically produce mature disciples.
The key distinction is measuring progress rather than just programs. Are people moving through the discipleship pathway? Are they growing in spiritual maturity? Is the process producing disciples who make disciples?
These are different leadership questions than simply tracking attendance. They require different systems and different thinking. Signs that you lack a true discipleship pathway include focusing solely on participation metrics rather than transformation outcomes.
The Fix: Three Essential Steps
The good news is that moving from a maze to a discipleship pathway follows a clear process.
First, define three to five clear steps. Common frameworks include gather, grow, serve, and share. Or connect, grow, serve, and go. The specific language matters less than having defined steps that create a progression.
These steps should describe the journey from wherever someone is to becoming a mature disciple who makes disciples. Each step should be distinct and necessary. Together, they should form a complete path.
Second, establish primary ministries for each step. Choose one main environment for each step of your discipleship pathway. This doesn’t mean you can only have one ministry per step. But you need to identify the primary way people will engage with that step.
For the “grow” step, your primary ministry might be small groups. In the “serve” step, perhaps it’s ministry team involvement. For the “share” step, maybe it’s outreach teams.
These primary ministries become the answer when someone asks about their next step. They’re the core of your discipleship pathway.
Third, ruthlessly prune everything else. Secondary ministries can serve as on-ramps or deep dives. They help people enter the discipleship pathway or go deeper in specific areas. But everything that doesn’t fit into your pathway structure needs evaluation.
If a program doesn’t serve the discipleship pathway, sunset it. This is perhaps the hardest step. Every program has advocates. Every ministry served someone at some point. But maintaining programs that don’t serve your discipleship pathway creates the maze problem.
Pruning requires courage. It demands saying no to good things to say yes to great things. It means accepting that you can’t do everything.
The goal is simple: Anyone should be able to ask, “How do I grow here?” and receive a clear answer in one sentence.
“We have a four-step discipleship pathway: gather, grow, serve, and share. You’re gathering with us now. Your next step is our upcoming growth track class.”
That clarity transforms everything.
Making the Transition
Moving from a maze of programs to a clear discipleship pathway represents significant organizational change. Most churches need help navigating this transition.
The shift requires more than just reorganizing programs. It demands rethinking how you communicate about spiritual growth, how you recruit volunteers, and how it affects resource allocation.
Leadership alignment is essential. Your entire team must understand and embrace the discipleship pathway. They need to communicate it consistently. Everyone should be able to explain it in 60 seconds or less.
Member education matters too. People who’ve attended your church for years may be comfortable with the maze. They know how to navigate it. Introducing a clear discipleship pathway requires helping them understand why this change matters.
Show them how the pathway serves their growth. Help them identify where they are in the process. Guide them toward their next step.
The transition takes time. You can’t reorganize everything overnight. Start by defining your steps. Identify primary ministries. Begin communicating the pathway. Gradually sunset programs that don’t fit.
Throughout the process, keep the end goal in mind: making disciples who make disciples. Every decision should serve that mission. Every program should support that process.
Tools and Resources
Strategic planning around your discipleship pathway provides the foundation for this work. Having outside help can accelerate the process and prevent common pitfalls.
Working with a Malphurs Group Certified Guide who understands this transition can make the difference between successful implementation and frustrating false starts. Guides help churches simplify, clarify, and strengthen their ministries around a clear discipleship pathway.
Many churches also benefit from the Healthy Churches Toolkit, designed specifically for this work. These resources provide frameworks, templates, and step-by-step processes for developing your discipleship pathway. They help you move from abstract concepts to concrete implementation.
The investment in proper planning and guidance pays dividends. Rather than years of trial and error, you can learn from churches that have successfully made this transition. You can avoid common mistakes and implement proven strategies.
From Maze to Map
The difference between a maze and a discipleship pathway comes down to clarity.
A maze offers countless options with no clear direction. People wander. They get lost. They feel overwhelmed. Many give up entirely.
A discipleship pathway provides a clear route. People know where they are. They can see their next step. They understand the destination. The process creates momentum rather than confusion.
Your church doesn’t need more programs. It needs a clearer process.
You don’t need something for everyone. You need a discipleship pathway for everyone.
The good news is that you can make this shift. Churches of every size and context have successfully moved from mazes to maps. They’ve created clarity around spiritual growth. They’ve organized their ministries to serve a defined discipleship pathway.
The result is healthier churches. Less staff burnout. More engaged members. Clearer paths for spiritual growth. Better stewardship of resources. And ultimately, more disciples who make disciples.
That’s the goal. That’s what your church exists to accomplish.
Start today by evaluating where you are. Do you have a maze or a discipleship pathway? Can your members name their next step? Can you explain your process in 60 seconds?
If not, it’s time to make a change. Define your steps. Establish primary ministries. Prune ruthlessly.
The clarity you create will transform your church’s ability to make disciples who make disciples. That’s worth every bit of effort the transition requires.
Also check out:
How to Build a Discipleship Pathway
How to Assess the Effectiveness of Ministries
Developing a Discipleship Pathway for Kids and Students
Signs of Unhealthy Church Growth: 4 Red Flags Every Pastor Should Know
Watch this episode on YouTube!
A.J. Mathieu is the President of the Malphurs Group. He is passionate about helping churches thrive and travels internationally to teach and train pastors to lead healthy disciple-making churches. A.J. lives in the Ft. Worth, Texas area, enjoys the outdoors, and loves spending time with his wife and two sons. Click here to email A.J.
