Charting the Course: The Benefits of a “Discipleship Compass”

“Begin with the end in mind.”  It’s a great practice.  Knowing the destination is critical.  The more people you take on the journey, the clearer you must be to get everyone to the same place.

The Great Commission tells us to proclaim the Gospel to every creature.  As people are saved and baptized, we are to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded thee to do”.  As people get saved, we are to teach them to be obedient and ongoing followers of Christ.  This means that obedience to Christ, not just knowledge is the end of making disciples.  We are not just wanting them to know.  Our discipleship must aim at service and sending.  We want them to adopt the mission that got others to share the Gospel with them!  Making disciples then includes evangelism and discipleship.

The Problem of Undefined Discipleship

Many of us can relate to the frustration of pouring our hearts into ministry without clear indicators of success. We see attendance numbers and budget figures, but these metrics may not give us everything we need to know about someone’s spiritual growth.  We obviously want them attending and giving, but that comes as they grow.  Some attend and give, but are still carnal and are not spiritually growing.  Without a clear destination, both leaders and members can find themselves adrift, unsure if they’re moving in the right direction.

The Apostle Paul understood this challenge. He didn’t just preach the gospel; he articulated a clear vision of spiritual maturity as the goal of preaching and teaching.

Col 1:28

28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Paul knew what he was working toward—do we?

The Power of a Compass

With that in mind, our church has endeavored to try to make real strides in not just teaching our people, but training them to be obedient in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  That lead us inevitably to this question.  What do we want the people we disciple to look like as they grow in Christ?

This question led our church to develop what we call the “Ideal Disciple Compass”—a tool that has transformed how we approach discipleship. Our staff took the time to write out what we believe the answer may look like.  I’d like to share why defining discipleship outcomes has become invaluable to our ministry, and why your church might benefit from a similar approach.

A discipleship compass does something powerful: it transforms vague spiritual ideals into tangible, observable characteristics.  You can find our “discipleship compass” here. Mature Disciple Compass Below is a summary of five core disciplines that characterize a mature follower of Christ:

  1. Faithfully Assembling – Prioritizing active participation in our local church.
  2. Obediently Walking – Relating daily to God through prayer and Scripture engagement.
  3. Generously Serving – Stewarding resources and gifts to serve God and others.
  4. Purposefully Witnessing – Intentionally sharing the Gospel with the lost.
  5. Intentionally Replicating – Training others to observe all Christ commanded.

These disciplines written out have given us a shared language and vision for discipleship that has unified our congregation around clear spiritual goals.

Benefits We’ve Discovered

Since implementing our discipleship compass, we’ve seen several significant benefits:

  1. Clarity for Leadership

Our leadership team now has a common understanding of what we’re trying to produce. This guides everything from sermon planning to ministry development to budget allocation. When evaluating potential programs or initiatives, we simply ask: “Will this help develop disciples in these five areas?”  Our Sunday School teachers, discipleship group leaders, and people discipling new believers are more clear than they have ever been on what we are trying model and encourage in our stewardship of people.

  1. Accountability for Growth

The diagnostic questions associated with each discipline have created a culture of gentle, biblical accountability. Members can honestly assess their spiritual health and identify specific areas for growth. This moves discipleship from abstract concepts to practical steps.

  1. Measurable Progress

While spiritual growth can’t be reduced to numbers, our compass provides observable indicators of maturity. We can celebrate progress in specific areas rather than wondering if people are growing at all. This has been tremendously encouraging for both leaders and members.

  1. Focused Ministry Efforts

With clear discipleship outcomes defined, we’ve been able to evaluate and streamline our ministries. Some programs that weren’t contributing to our discipleship goals were modified or discontinued, while others were strengthened or created to fill gaps we identified.

  1. Reproducible Discipleship

Perhaps most importantly, our compass has made discipleship reproducible. New believers aren’t left wondering what Christian maturity looks like—they have a clear path forward. Mature believers know exactly what to pass on to others. This has really helped us.  People who are discipling others focus on disciplines and not just knowledge.  Our people are teaching others to pray, read and be obedient to the scripture, share the Gospel, and equipping others to do the same thing.  We are not seeing perfection, but we are making progress.

Creating Your Own Discipleship Compass

If you’re considering developing a discipleship compass for your church, here are some suggestions:

  1. Start with Scripture: Examine what the Bible identifies as marks of spiritual maturity. The five disciplines in our compass are all rooted in clear biblical mandates.
  2. Keep it Simple: Focus on a manageable number of characteristics (we found five to be optimal). Too many will overwhelm your people; too few won’t provide adequate direction.
  3. Make it Measurable: For each discipline, develop diagnostic questions that help people assess where they stand. These shouldn’t induce shame but should prompt honest reflection and growth.
  4. Teach it Regularly: Weave these disciplines into your preaching and teaching. We’ve found that revisiting our compass annually helps reinforce its importance.
  5. Model it Personally: As leaders, we must exemplify these disciplines ourselves. Our congregation will never rise above the example set by its leadership.

Worth the Effort

Developing a discipleship compass requires thoughtful effort, but the clarity and direction it provides are well worth the investment. When Jesus commanded us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), He envisioned more than just converts—He envisioned obedient followers who would continue His mission.

A well-crafted discipleship compass helps us fulfill that Great Commission with intentionality and effectiveness. It transforms discipleship from a vague aspiration to a clear destination with identifiable milestones along the way.

What about your church? How are you defining and measuring discipleship? If you don’t have a “compass” yet, I encourage you to prayerfully consider developing one. Begin with the end in mind.

Again, you can find our discipleship compass tool here. Mature Disciple Compass