What We Water Grows: Nurturing Discipleship in Your Community
By Ashlee Alley Crawford
What we water grows.
At the heart of the mission of the United Methodist Church is the phrase, “to make disciples for the transformation of the world.” I often have conversations with pastors, ministry leaders, and church members who say they’re not sure how to disciple others. They worry about whether they’re teaching, modeling, or understanding discipleship in a healthy way.
Have you ever heard the adage, “What we water grows”? It illustrates that when we nurture something, it grows. The concept works for positive things, such as healthy habits and strong relationships. But it also works for things we may not want to grow. Weeds grow as well as (and in some cases better than) flowers. I’m guilty of sometimes nurturing anxiety or concern more than hope and possibility. What if, in the year ahead, we commit to nurturing discipleship in our lives and in the lives of those around us? One way to do that is through Discipleship Coaching.
For most of the last year, we at Discipleship Ministries have partnered with a trusted ministry leader, Rev. Dr. Phil Maynard, who has crafted a pathway for discipleship that is approachable, practical, and invitational. Pairing the experience of coaching with the content of discipleship, people can learn to listen deeply (to the other person and to the Holy Spirit), to ask questions, and to provide a supportive presence to another person as each individual seeks to grow as a disciple. Since March 2025, more than four hundred people have begun their journey toward a Certificate in Discipleship Coaching through a partnership between Discipleship Ministries and Excellence in Ministry Coaching (EMC3 Coaching). The participants include clergy and laity in formal leadership positions, as well as people interested in growing, regardless of their leadership role.
Rev. Renee Delgado, discipleship pastor and deacon serving Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in the Virginia Annual Conference, explained why she explored discipleship coaching:
The coaching environment is different from the teaching and mentoring environment. It provides a different type of safe space for people to explore where they are, where they want to go, and where they think God is leading them without someone offering advice or giving them ‘the answer.’
The certificate program is a twelve-hour online course that meets six times. Participants will learn the basics of coaching and a framework for asking questions related to discipleship. When participants have completed the first program, they become eligible for a second course, Discipleship Pathway Coaching, for supporting a community in articulating a discipleship pathway.
Rev. David McWilliams, pastor of Zion United Methodist Church in the Virginia Conference, has taken both Discipleship Courses and speaks to how each course has enabled him to grow as a leader:
The coaching skills taught in the introductory course, along with the accessible framework for individual discipleship, have enabled me to begin one-on-one intentional discipleship coaching. These informal sessions have members of my congregation and me sharing in the work of discipleship in ways that we weren't before the course. Even the formality of having a certificate in discipleship coaching has fostered trust among members of my congregation. In addition, these coaching skills have transformed the role that I play in nearly all pastoral conversations.
Discipleship Coaching is a skill and a practice that works in two directions: it can help the coach develop tools for listening to others while nurturing those around them. It is a powerful opportunity to cultivate an awareness of where God may be at work in another person through learning to shine a light on that work.
Rev. Delgado points to the power of Discipleship Coaching and says she has noticed, “When people are invested in their own growth, and are open to the Holy Spirit moving in their lives, beautiful things can happen.” She also notes who would benefit from this course, saying, “Coaching is a beautiful and meaningful way to love and support others who want to grow in their discipleship. Anyone, clergy or laity, who is walking with or has a calling to walk with others in their discipleship journeys would benefit from this course.”
Whether this opportunity to explore Discipleship Coaching is your next step in 2026, or you sense a stirring in a different direction, may you water the things that you want to grow, and may Christ be the gardener.
To learn more about Discipleship Coaching, start here. For specific questions, you can learn more here:
Rev. Dr. Ashlee Alley Crawford, Director of Adult Discipleship, an elder in the Great Plains Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, served in campus ministry for twelve years and in leadership with the Great Plains Conference for over a decade. She has a passion for connecting people with resources and encouraging them to nurture their faith and walk in step with Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. She has a D.Min. in spiritual direction from Asbury Theological Seminary. Ashlee also has a Certificate in Discipleship Coaching through Discipleship Ministries and EMC3.
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