Following Jesus looks like taking a step toward Him every day.

Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” 

Following Jesus looks like taking steps toward Him (big or small), even when you don’t know exactly where He’s leading you. Time and time again, the Bible characterizes a relationship with God as a walk. God sees the direction our heart is moving, and His desire is for us to move closer to Him and closer to others.

The invitation from Jesus is to walk with Him, moving closer to His likeness, day-by-day, step-by-step.

What do those steps look like?

No two discipleship journeys look the same—not everyone is moving at the same pace or starting from the same place. But we do believe there are some key elements to moving toward Jesus.

We must be learning, be in a covenant community, and engaging in spiritual disciplines. Imagine these three elements each at the corner of a triangle with the Holy Spirit at the center. When each of these are present, we’ve found that it makes the ideal conditions for Spirit-empowered transformation.

Learn

We are learning all the time. Whether it’s a book, podcast, or a short clip on social media, what we are learning has an impact on who we’re becoming. That’s why it’s important to be in spaces where you are learning Scripture from someone who is gifted and trained to teach it. At The Woods, this could look like being a part of one of our Midsize Group Bible Studies or attending our weekend services.

Community

We were created for relationship. A healthy spiritual life depends on gathering with others to serve, teach, learn, encourage, and challenge one another. We all need people to help us see our blind spots. We believe the greatest spiritual growth happens in places where you don’t have to be shy about your faults, questions, or doubts. A great place to find community is in a Small Group, at our Women's Ministry Events, Men's Ministry Events, or for Kids and Students Ministries.

Spiritual Disciplines

We practice spiritual disciplines because they are like training exercises for our spiritual life. Spiritual disciplines are practices that by design can lead to life transformation, as they move our hearts and minds toward Christ. These disciplines can look like seasons of fasting and prayer, our Advent season, our Lenten Season, or coming together on the weekends to worship and read Scripture, take communion, and celebrate baptisms.

We believe learning, being in a covenant community, and engaging in spiritual disciplines are essential parts of every ministry and gathering we have, and our hope is that you would make them an essential part of your life as you follow Jesus.