Discipleship is one of those “churchy” words that gets used often, but people struggle to define it. Making disciples is part of the mission of The United Methodist Church, but many people wonder what it looks like in practical terms.
To put it simply, discipleship is being a Christian, or more specifically, behaving like Jesus.
What does it look like to be like Jesus?
In my experience, it looks like being good to people and expecting nothing in return. In my personal life I like to say, “I take Jesus with me everywhere I go.” I don’t proselytize, but I make it a point to treat people well.
Discipleship isn't limited to traditional avenues such as Bible study, small groups and weekly church programming. Discipleship looks like going out with your friends and listening to them as they share about their lives. It looks like watching your neighbors' children from the window to make sure they get on the bus safely.
Discipleship is advocating for the rights, safety and welfare of those around you. Discipleship is showing up for people when they need you. The best discipleship is being a good neighbor.
Everything Jesus did was in community. He cared for others and loved freely. This has always been the blueprint for discipleship, because discipleship exists in community. It is not limited to Sunday mornings. It is your daily posture in the world. It is how we grow closer to God and our neighbors. This even happens in places where we might not expect it.
Therefore, go (Matthew 28:19)
Faith communities are as varied as the people who attend them. Non-traditional faith communities (you might have heard them called Fresh Expressions) often spring up in places that are seen as taboo by traditional structures. These faith spaces emerge to fill a particular role or niche in certain communities.
Building a church in a bar
In Seminary, I served as an intern at a Bar Church in Midtown Atlanta. It was a non-traditional worshipping community that filled a niche for those who still had faith but had not found the welcome they had hoped for in other places. It also attracted those who still held trauma for more traditional worship spaces. The bar was a happy medium that they could manage.
The worship service was made up of a simple Beer and Hymns format one Sunday, and a more modern contemporary service the alternating week, which took secular songs and weaved them into the worship theme. Every other week they concluded the service by making sandwiches for people in the local community.
This place became a refuge for the queer and transgender community. It was a beacon for the outcast. It was one of the most healing spaces I have ever experienced. It was a place of radical welcome and discipleship because it dared to meet people where they were, even in a place that some Christians might not consider a house of worship.
The most obvious example is campus ministry. Though the Wesley Foundation is associated with the church, they are very distinct faith communities apart from the whole. It was one of these communities that brought me back to God as a college student.
Good faith communities provide a place for connection and opportunities for service. They meet people where they are and don’t ask them to conform. People desire a place where they can feel whole and affirmed in their identity.
Non-traditional faith communities are typically shaped by their context, and this plays in their favor. They provide fresh perspectives on discipleship that can look wildly different from a traditional church.
Make room for everyone
Like Jesus, we should go where people spend their time. Do your best to be like Jesus wherever you are and go out of your way to be a good neighbor in the world. Whether in a non-traditional space or in the local church, you can be a disciple and make disciples by modeling the behavior of Jesus Christ. Practice radical welcome and constant invitation, in keeping with our understanding of prevenient grace.
Making room for all people and expressions goes a long way. I have a friend who hosts a queer and transgender game night in a church basement for local teens. This is a perfect example of collaboration between traditional churches and non-traditional ministry ideas.
When your church hosts events and is present in the local community, it gives you an opportunity to connect and show love to people that you may otherwise never meet. The most meaningful acts of discipleship I have participated in have been hyper-local with the neighbors surrounding the church. Each was an opportunity to show up for the community, which is the most basic and most meaningful means of discipleship. When people offer you a chance to support them, take the opportunity if you can.
Meet people where they are
During the pandemic, a group of mothers were afraid that their children were falling behind in school because of the lack of in-person learning. To remedy this, they created a pandemic school that followed safety protocols, which my congregation was happy to host in our building. We met these families in need, where they were, and nurtured a meaningful partnership.
This is the best kind of discipleship. The kind that deeply forms you and makes connections that could last a lifetime. So, host and attend the events, game nights and cookouts. Organize group hikes and garden days. Start a prayer group. Volunteer at the fall festival. Sponsor a family for Christmas.
Do all the things. Give yourself opportunities to meet people where they are, so that you might gather them in, as God has gathered us. That is discipleship.
Laquaan Malachi is a licensed local pastor in the Minnesota Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. He has a passion for people and justice, and is also an author, poet and spoken word artist whose work often includes themes surrounding justice and/or mental health.
This commentary was published on July 22, 2025. The contact is Laura Buchanan.
