Growing Disciples of Christ: The Process and the Environment
Cultivating the Pathway and Conditions for Spiritual Growth
(Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3) ~ by Raimer Rojas
(English & Español)
Before you read, consider the perspective behind this article. This is written for those entrusted with the care of people—leaders called to help others grow into the image of Christ. Many desire to see fruit quickly, but in doing so, there can be a tendency to push the process. Others, however, are more unintentional or haphazard in how they approach formation — simply repeating what they received without much thought, and without asking if there might be a better way. But God’s way is different. He does not form people through pressure, but intentionally, through life-giving cultivation that honors how they were designed to grow. What follows is an invitation to lead in that way.
Imagine a gardener tending a garden entrusted to his care. He does not simply scatter seeds and walk away. He prepares the soil, provides water, and removes what hinders growth. He protects vulnerable plants and cultivates conditions in which the garden can flourish. Yet the gardener knows his limits. He cannot create life within a seed, force it to grow, or guarantee its fruitfulness. His responsibility is faithful cultivation, not control over the outcome.
Jesus gives us a deeper picture in John 15:1–8. He is the true vine, His Father is the gardener, and His disciples are the branches. Fruitfulness comes from remaining in Christ, apart from whom we can do nothing. Paul reinforces this distinction: one plants, another waters, but God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6–7).
Leaders do not produce spiritual life. God does. Their calling is to participate faithfully in His work by nurturing those entrusted to their care. Disciple-making leaders provide intentional guidance and cultivate relationships in which people can mature and multiply.
Discipleship involves two essential dimensions:
The process is the intentional pathway through which disciples learn to follow Jesus and become increasingly like Him. It includes what we teach and how we help people put it into practice.
The environment is the relational culture in which that formation takes place. It is shaped by how people are treated, how relationships function, and how leaders exercise their influence.
These dimensions are distinct but inseparable. The process shapes the environment, and the environment influences how people experience and respond to the process. For example, correction is part of discipleship. But correction offered with patience and love builds trust, while correction delivered through shame or control can undermine it. The same practice can either support or hinder growth, depending on how it is carried out.
Discipleship, therefore, is more than transferring knowledge or following a program. It is helping people become increasingly like Christ through intentional formation within relationships that reflect His character (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:15–16).
Disciples need more than good intentions. They need a pathway that helps them move from knowing about Jesus to increasingly living as He lived. This involves both the WHAT and the HOW:
The WHAT: The teachings, character, and ways of Jesus that disciples are learning to embody.
The HOW: The relationships, modeling, and practices through which those truths become lived realities.
Jesus modeled this through His relationships with His disciples. He called them to be with Him, taught them through everyday life, and sent them to participate in His mission (Mark 3:14–15).
His approach can be understood through three interconnected movements:
Be with Jesus (Growing in Relationship) — Leaders help disciples cultivate a living relationship with Jesus through Scripture, prayer, and dependence on the Holy Spirit. The goal is not merely to acquire information but to know Christ and walk with Him in everyday life.
Become Like Jesus (Growing in Character) — Leaders help disciples attend to their inner lives as God renews their minds, reshapes their desires, and forms Christlike character. Through spiritual practices, honest reflection, and obedience, disciples learn to surrender what hinders growth.
Do as Jesus Did (Growing in Faithful Action) — Leaders help disciples practice what they are learning through love, service, and obedience. As they mature, they increasingly participate in Jesus' mission, including helping others follow Him.
These are not rigid stages but interconnected dimensions of a growing life in Christ.
The process should also be reproducible. As disciples experience intentional formation, they learn how to walk alongside others. They are not merely receiving discipleship; they are becoming equipped to make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). Throughout, leaders depend on the Holy Spirit, recognizing that genuine transformation is God's work.
Recommended pathways of formation: Practicing the Way of Jesus: A Guide to Transformation and Holistic Discipleship.
Even a well-designed process can be undermined by an unhealthy environment. People struggle to grow where fear silences honesty, shame discourages vulnerability, or control replaces loving guidance. They need relationships where they can be known, supported, and challenged toward maturity.
The environment is the relational culture in which discipleship takes place. It is shaped by how people are treated, how difficulties are handled, and how leaders exercise their influence. Often, this environment answers questions before a lesson is ever taught: Am I safe to be honest here? Am I seen and valued? Can I struggle without being rejected? Will I receive both grace and truth?
When leaders cultivate an environment marked by love, humility, and integrity, trust can deepen. People become more willing to acknowledge struggles, receive correction, and take courageous steps of obedience.
In such an environment, disciples are supported to:
Be with Jesus honestly, without hiding their struggles.
Become like Jesus deeply, allowing God to address what lies beneath the surface.
Do as Jesus did courageously, supported as they practice what they are learning.
A healthy environment does not eliminate the difficulties of spiritual growth. Even Jesus' disciples experienced confusion, resistance, and failure. It provides the support, truth, and stability through which people can face those difficulties and continue maturing in Christ. Its purpose is not to shield people from every discomfort but to cultivate relationships where truth is spoken in love and growth is encouraged without coercion (Ephesians 4:15).
When the process is clear but the environment is unhealthy, people may know what is expected yet struggle to respond wholeheartedly. Discipleship can become outward compliance rather than inward transformation. When the environment is supportive but the process lacks direction, people may experience belonging without developing the maturity needed to follow Jesus faithfully. But when both work together, disciples receive intentional guidance within relationships that support their growth. Truth is taught and embodied. Correction is offered with love. Obedience is encouraged without manipulation.
Growth may still be slow and difficult, but people are better equipped to persevere. Over time, they become increasingly capable of offering others the same guidance and care they have received.
Jesus embodied both dimensions throughout His ministry. He provided an intentional pathway of formation. He invited people to follow Him, taught them the ways of God's kingdom, and modeled obedience to the Father. He then sent His disciples to participate in His mission. He also cultivated relationships marked by dignity, compassion, and truth. He welcomed the overlooked, restored the fallen, and confronted what was destructive. He patiently formed disciples who often struggled to understand Him.
His love did not avoid difficult truths, and His correction did not abandon people to shame. Jesus demonstrated that the way we form disciples is inseparable from the kind of life we are forming in them. His example calls leaders to become increasingly like Him so that their leadership reflects the character they seek to cultivate in others.
Picture a flourishing garden. Its plants are deeply rooted, its branches are strong, and its fruit is abundant. Flowers attract bees that carry pollen from one plant to another. Life spreads beyond where it first began. Such fruitfulness cannot be forced. It emerges from the life within the plants and the conditions that support their growth.
This is a picture of disciple-making under God. We cannot manufacture spiritual growth, but we can faithfully participate in the work of the One who gives life.
The process provides the pathway. The environment provides the conditions. Christ provides the life.
As disciples mature in Him, they become increasingly equipped to help others grow.
Clear Process + Healthy Environment + Dependence on Christ = Disciples Who Grow and Multiply
The goal is not simply to develop better discipleship programs. It is to cultivate communities where people are formed in Christ, flourish together, and participate in His ongoing work of making disciples.