The Discipleship Pathway
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 2:42
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said.
Matthew 4:19
At Local, we believe discipleship is not just a class, it’s a way of life.
Discipleship is not information without transformation. It’s not simply learning about Jesus, it’s learning to follow Him.
Because the invitation of Jesus was never just: “Study Me.” It was: “Follow Me.”
That means discipleship is more than theology. It’s knowledge applied. It’s faith in action. It’s learning how to love God, love people, build the Church, steward our lives well, and become more like Jesus over time.
At Local, we believe spiritual growth happens intentionally, not accidentally. And while every person’s journey looks different, we’ve created a discipleship pathway to help people move from simply attending church to becoming healthy, equipped, impactful followers of Jesus.
This pathway is not about performance, it’s about progress. Not perfection, but formation.
Here’s how we walk that journey together.
1. Know God: Sunday Services
The first step of discipleship is simple: Show up. We believe Sunday matters. Not because church attendance saves us, but because gathering shapes us.
Sunday is where we worship together, hear the Word of God preached, build community, encounter the presence of Jesus, and align our hearts again around what matters most.
In a distracted world, choosing to prioritize church consistently is a spiritual decision. At Local, we encourage every person to make Sunday a priority, not an afterthought.
Come expectant. Come engaged. Come hungry. Because discipleship begins with creating space for God consistently.
“Let us not give up meeting together... but encouraging one another.”
Hebrews 10:25
2. Get A Fresh Start: Essentials Course
The second step is completing Essentials. Essentials is our online discipleship and culture course led by Pastor Abe.
It walks through the heartbeat, vision, values, mission, and culture of Local Church while also helping people build practical foundations for following Jesus personally.
Because we don’t just want people to attend church. We want people to engage the Church.
In Essentials, you’ll learn:
The vision and mission of Local
Our values and culture
What discipleship looks like practically
Spiritual habits and rhythms
How to grow in your relationship with Jesus
How to take your next step in community and leadership
Essentials helps move faith from vague to practical. Because healthy discipleship is intentional.
3. Find Your People: Collectives & Community
We believe following Jesus was never meant to happen alone. One of the clearest pictures of biblical discipleship is community.
People growing together, praying together, eating together and walking through life together.
That’s why finding your people is such an important part of discipleship at Local.
The first way we do this is through Collectives.
Collectives are small groups happening throughout the city for different ages, stages of life, interests, and seasons.
Together, we open the Word of God, grow in faith, build friendships, pray for one another, share meals, and go deeper into Sunday’s message.
But community goes beyond Collectives. We also believe discipleship happens through:
Prayer nights
Worship nights
Men’s ministry
Women’s ministry
Family hangouts
Team culture
Church gatherings and events
The Church is not just a service you attend, it’s a people you belong to.
“It is not good for man to be alone.”
Genesis 2:18
4. Live On Purpose: Join The Team
We believe serving is one of the greatest honors in the Christian life. Jesus did not just talk about the church. He built it. And as followers of Jesus, we believe serving the House of God is an essential part of discipleship.
At Local, joining the team means becoming part of building what Jesus came to build: His Church. Not just another organization or a nonprofit but the Bride of Christ.
We encourage every person to join a ministry team and serve consistently, at minimum once a month. Whether it’s hospitality, kids ministry, worship, production, setup, prayer, community, or creative, every role matters.
We take serving seriously because people matter deeply and we believe excellence is our evangelism.
The way we serve communicates the value we place on people.
Serving doesn’t just build the church, it builds us.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”
1 Peter 4:10
5. Stewardship & Generosity: Tithing & Makers
We believe generosity is a core part of discipleship because discipleship is not only about our words, it’s about our trust. Jesus talked often about money because money is deeply connected to the heart.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21
At Local, we believe in the biblical principle of the tithe, returning the first 10% of our income to God through the local church.
Tithing is not about obligation. It’s about trust, obedience, and worship. It reminds us that God is our provider and that everything we have belongs to Him first.
But we also understand that every person is on a journey spiritually and financially, that’s why we created Makers.
Makers are a community of people who commit to giving $100 monthly recurringly to help build the vision of Local Church. Some Makers are tithers giving above and beyond. Others are people beginning their journey of generosity intentionally.
We want everyone to participate in building the House of God. Because generosity is not just a financial practice, it’s spiritual formation. We believe mature disciples become generous people.
6. Become A Leader: Leadership Development
At Local, leadership is not a title. It’s stewardship and an honor.
We believe leaders are disciples who have committed themselves fully to the culture, mission, health, and vision of the Church.
To step into leadership at Local means:
Completing Essentials
Serving faithfully on team
Engaging in community
Living by the Code of Conduct
Growing in generosity and stewardship
Demonstrating consistency, humility, and spiritual maturity
From there, leaders are invited into leadership development through cohorts and mentorship with Pastor Abe and assistant pastors.
Leadership at Local is about learning how to lead people well, carry responsibility faithfully, protect culture, disciple others, and help build healthy ministry environments.
Whether leading a Collective, ministry team, interest group, or future pastoral role, leadership is ultimately about serving people like Jesus did.
“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
Mark 10:43
The Heart Behind It All
At the center of everything we do is discipleship. Because we believe Jesus did not just call people to believe differently, He called people to live differently.
This pathway is not a checklist, it’s a journey.
A journey of becoming more like Jesus.
Learning how to love God deeply.
Learning how to love people well.
Learning how to build the Church faithfully.
Every step matters.
Sunday matters.
Community matters.
Serving matters.
Generosity matters.
Leadership matters.
Because discipleship touches every part of our lives. And at Local, we are committed to building a church where people don’t just attend occasionally, but where people are formed spiritually, connected relationally, equipped practically, and empowered purposefully.
This is the kind of Church we believe Jesus came to build.
And we’re honored to build it together.