The Embodied Disciple

In this episode of the Digital Tools and Discipleship podcast, host Justin Allison sits down with Nate Owens, former Intern of Discipleship at First Baptist Mount Dora, to discuss the dynamic reality of spiritual growth in a complex church environment. Nate shares his experience establishing a cohesive discipleship pathway in an old, mid-sized church that serves a wide intergenerational demographic, including a booming youth ministry. The conversation dives deep into the differences between church attendance and true discipleship, arguing that every person is a disciple of something and the goal is to reorient their lives around Christ. Nate explains his work in streamlining small groups and utilizing resources like “The Way Forward” course to help attendees transition into committed members and active apprentices of Jesus.

The discussion shifts to some critical, forward-looking ideas about spiritual formation, including the powerful notion that Sunday morning worship should be seen as the “climactic moment of discipleship” each week—the concentrated time when the body of Christ is formed through the Spirit and the Word, rather than just a stepping stone to small groups. Nate also tackles the challenge of measuring spiritual growth. While acknowledging that “you will know them by their fruit” is the theoretical basis, he discusses tangible metrics like participation in the discipleship pathway and the helpfulness of self-reporting tools, such as the Spiritual Health Reflection from Practicing the Way. Finally, Nate, an 18-year-old growing up exclusively in the digital age, offers a powerful perspective on why his generation is “grasping for things we can actually do”—seeking embodiment and spiritual practices to combat the “floating ether” feeling of the digital world.