a model for discipleship
If “zero people unchanged by Jesus” is the goal, discipleship is the vehicle to get there. We define discipleship as learning to be like Jesus and do the things Jesus did. The three distinctives of a disciple of Jesus are: being fully surrendered to Him (WORSHIP), growing with others in a family of faith (COMMUNITY), and taking on the call to make disciples outside the walls of the church (MISSION). We believe holistic discipleship includes each of these non-negotiable relational dimensions and can be visualized with a triangle.
The methods of embodying these three relationships are specific to each church context within the Collective and each church utilizes different pathways to build deeper levels of discipleship in its individuals. Keep in mind that discipleship is not a perfectly linear process. At its core, discipleship is relational and relationships are rarely linear. The goal of discipleship is not simply deeper church involvement, but the church is a tool for leading people to imitate Jesus in their relationships. For example, not every growing disciple of Jesus will be called to use their influence in church leadership, but every disciple is called to use their influence to lead people in their own context toward Jesus.