The Power of a Clear Route
Imagine this: Every member at Fairlane, not just the ministers, not just the seasoned believers, but every man, woman, and teen, knew exactly where they were in their spiritual journey, and exactly how to help someone else grow in theirs.
- No more guessing.
- No more hoping that the programs somehow add up to discipleship.
- No more wandering with good intentions but unclear direction.
Just as a GPS system guides a driver, showing them where they are, where they’re going, and what turns to take, but too many churches send people into their spiritual journey with no map. They give them a Bible, a smile, and maybe a t-shirt, but no direction. Even passionate believers get discouraged when they don’t know what to do next. Francis Chan captures this tension well, “as we reduce discipleship to a canned program, and so many in the church end up sidelined in a spectator mentality that delegates disciple making to pastors and professionals, ministers and missionaries. But this is not the way it’s supposed to be,” as the church turns into consumers.
A discipleship pathway is your spiritual GPS. It shows you where you are. It shows you what’s next.
And it ensures you’re not driving alone. That’s how a church-wide discipleship pathway can guide every believer toward maturity in Christ. Without such a pathway, even the most passionate people can drift or stall.
This post, the fourth in our six-part series on discipleship, lays out a simple but powerful blueprint for Fairlane: Connect → Grow → Serve → Multiply
What Is a Discipleship Pathway?
A discipleship pathway is not a program. It’s a spiritual map, a reproducible, intentional process that helps people move from where they are to where God wants them to be.
It aligns the church around a shared understanding of discipleship. It ensures every ministry has a purpose. It gives clarity to believers. And it helps avoid the two extremes: spiritual stagnation and burnout through busyness. Fairlane doesn’t need a dozen new ministries, we need one cohesive strategy where every step connects.
Step 1: Connect – Belonging Before Becoming
Discipleship begins in community, not isolation. Before people grow, serve, or lead, they must feel like they belong. The Connect step ensures that people are welcomed, seen, and known. This includes:
- Attending worship regularly
- Being personally followed up with as new guests
- Joining a relational small group or class
- Participating in entry-level gatherings (like a “Discover Fairlane” lunch)
The goal is not just attendance, but attachment. This first step helps people go from “watching” church to being the church, “So, Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service…” Ephesians 4:11–12
Step 2: Grow – Learning to Follow Jesus
Growth doesn’t happen by accident. It requires intentional environments where people can be challenged, supported, and transformed. This step includes:
- Joining a discipleship group or mentoring pair
- Studying Scripture regularly, with accountability
- Learning spiritual habits: prayer, fasting, Sabbath, giving
- Addressing emotional and relational health
A key shift here is personalized mentoring. In small, reproducible settings (2–4 people), believers can open their hearts, ask hard questions, and experience true transformation.
This is where people move from head knowledge to heart transformation. As Chan writes, “Making disciples is all about seeing people transformed by the power of God’s Word. If you want to see that happen in others, you need to be experiencing such transformation yourself.” This underscores the importance of personal growth as the foundation for multiplying mature disciples. The scriptures in Colossians 1:28 reenforces spiritual growth when it says, “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”
Step 3: Serve – Using Your Gifts for the Body
Spiritual maturity is always connected to spiritual responsibility. As people grow, they’re invited to serve, not just consume. This step helps believers identify their spiritual gifts and find a place to use them, within the church and in the world. This might include:
- Volunteering on a Sunday team (greeters, tech, kids)
- Serving in outreach or missions
- Helping with food or hospitality ministries
- Mentoring others in discipleship groups
- Leading a small group or class
But service isn’t just about tasks, it’s about identity. Every believer is a minister, not just the staff. And every role matters in the body of Christ. “…so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith…” Ephesians 4:13
Step 4: Multiply – Reproducing Disciples, Not Just Volunteers
The final step is often the most neglected, but it’s the most important. Multiplication happens when a disciple begins to make other disciples. This isn’t limited to pastors or long-time members. Every believer can:
- Start their own discipleship group
- Lead a mentoring relationship
- Equip others in their workplace or home
- Share the gospel in their circles
- Launch ministry expressions locally or online
In many churches, growth stops at serving, but Jesus called us to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). If we don’t multiply, we’ve stopped short. Multiplication is not about addition to Fairlane, but extension of the Kingdom.
Key Tools in the Pathway
To make this pathway work, we’ll need more than desire, we need structure. These tools are essential:
- Small Groups
Relational, biblical communities of 6–12 people that meet regularly for study, prayer, and care. These are essential for Connect and Grow.
- Mentoring Pairs or Triads
Same-gender discipleship relationships that go deeper into Scripture, accountability, and obedience. These fit into Grow and Multiply.
- Leadership Training
Equipping existing and emerging leaders to multiply what they know and lead healthy teams or groups.
- Digital and Hybrid Options
Making space for online or hybrid disciple-making, through Zoom groups, text mentoring, and online content, for those outside the building but within the mission field. Each of these supports the pathway, not as silos, but as steps.
Fairlane’s Next Step: Structure, Not Just Passion
We don’t lack heart at Fairlane. We’ve never lacked hunger. What we’ve lacked is alignment, a way to connect our ministries, people, and passions into one unified mission. A discipleship pathway provides that structure. It helps every team ask:
- Where does this ministry fit in the pathway?
- What’s the next step for this person?
- Are we equipping people to grow or just keeping them busy?
This blueprint gives us clarity. And clarity leads to confidence. We’re not asking for perfection, we’re asking for intentionality. Without a route, good intentions become wandering. But with a pathway, we turn moments into movement.
The Path Is Ready—Will You Walk It?
What would Fairlane look like if every person…
- Knew their next step?
- Was in a discipleship relationship?
- Served with joy and clarity?
- Reproduced their faith in others?
This is not fantasy, it’s vision. And it begins with a pathway.
We’ve named the problem. We’ve built the map.
Now it’s time to take the first step—together.
Coming Next: Culture Shift – From Attenders to Disciple-Makers
In the next post, we’ll explore what it looks like when this pathway becomes more than a plan, it becomes our culture. We’ll learn how to move from passive participation to active disciple-making across every generation and ministry.