Heather Zempel, discipleship pastor at National Community Church (Assemblies of God), comes to ministry from a unique background and perspective. A degree in biological engineering and a career as a policy consultant led her to Washington, D.C.

NCC, in the heart of the capital, finds itself in a unique position as well.

“Many of our attenders are either college students or involved in politics” Zempel says. “They may only be a part of the church for two years.”

The team at NCC has used that uniqueness as leverage to create disciples.

“We look for places where people are showing up, and then infuse those places with discipleship,” Zempel says.

The church calls these places, which range from baby dedications to classroom experiences, strategic growth environments. Leaders find ways to use these environments for intentional discipleship — such as putting a five-day devotional into the hands of individuals pursuing baptism. This resource walks people through the fundamentals of baptism and provides a step-by-step guide to reading Scripture and developing a devotional life.

Another environment that has been critical to disciple making is a tool known as the story course. Divided into three sessions, the course takes new believers and mature leaders through the Bible, explaining how individual books fit together. It’s a way to address any gaps in biblical literacy while also giving recent converts a head start in their faith.

Although the story course is mostly content, it leads to tighter connections later.

“Growing people grow people.”
— Heather Zempel

“It’s conversations, not content, that help shape people,” Zempel says.

Along with strategic growth environments are strategic steps, like missions trips.

“Those can be the most fertile environments for discipleship,” Zempel says.

Before, during and even after a missions trip, members are praying, reading and serving together.

“Our discipleship team works closely with all areas of ministry to make sure discipleship is happening during these steps,” she says.

One step that quite a few at NCC are taking is the Protégé Program, a pathway development for full-time ministry that Zempel started in 2008. Some graduates of the year-long program stay on the team at NCC, while many go on to other churches.

“It’s a full-immersion experience,” Zempel says. “We consider it a full-time position. We place them on a ministry team, where they are given a mentor and significant responsibilities.”

The priority is to shape character.

“Our motto is, ‘Be led, and go lead,’” Zempel says.

This principle of leading while receiving discipleship is crucial to NCC’s success in its unique environment.

“I think there’s a lot of overlap between leadership development and discipleship,” Zempel says. “In D.C., we see a lot of leaders who have great leadership skills but may not be great disciples. They know how to make a decision, but they may not know how to hear the voice of God.”

Every leader needs to learn to lead themselves. And with that comes the desire to disciple others. As Zempel can attest, “Growing people grow people.”

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2018 edition of Influence magazine.