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First Steps

First Steps helps every disciple take the next step in their walk with God and find their place serving in the body of Christ.

First Steps Flow

What First Steps Is​

First Steps is the path your church walks a disciple down after they say "I'm in — what now?" It's the practical, hands-on journey of getting grounded in a daily walk with God and getting plugged in to the local body using the gifts and talents God has given them.

Every church runs this differently, so First Steps is fully configurable — name your steps what your church actually calls them, add as few as 2 or as many as 12, and shape the path around how your house disciples people. The goal isn't to finish a checklist. It's to make sure no disciple is left sitting on the sidelines, unsure of where they fit or what God has called them to do.

What First Steps Is NOT​

First Steps is not a Bible doctrine course. Teaching the Oneness of God, repentance, water baptism in Jesus' name, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost belongs in your Bible studies and study templates — that's where sound doctrine is laid.

First Steps is also not gated behind the New Birth. A hungry soul can begin walking this path alongside their Bible study, and a Spirit-filled saint can still have steps ahead of them. Think of it less as a classroom and more as a pathway into the life of the church.

How First Steps Works​

Each church configures their own First Steps pathway with:

  • 2 to 12 steps (you choose how many)
  • Custom names for each step (matching your church's language)
  • Sensitive step marking for steps that involve pastoral counsel or holiness-standard conversations — these are visible to pastors and leaders only

Example Steps a Church Might Configure​

These are example step names a church might use. First Steps is about getting plugged in and discovering calling — not grading doctrine lessons.

#Example Step
1Build a Daily Prayer and Bible Reading Life
2Get Planted in a Small Group or Home Fellowship
3Discover Your Spiritual Gifts and Talents
4Identify Your Ministry Calling
5Shadow a Ministry Leader
6Serve on a Ministry Team
7Share Your Testimony
8Invite Someone to Church

Every church is different. The platform adapts to however your house disciples and sends people out.

Tracking Disciple Progress​

For Pastors, Leaders, and Admins​

  1. Navigate to First Steps in the sidebar to see every disciple and where they are on the path
  2. The First Steps page shows a grid of disciples with their completion status for each step
  3. Click on a step to mark it complete with a date

You can also update First Steps from the student's profile page.

For Students​

Students can view their First Steps progress on their My Progress page. They can see which steps are completed and which are still ahead of them.

Sensitive Steps

Some steps can be marked as sensitive in settings. Sensitive steps are only visible to pastors and leaders, not to regular teachers. This is useful for steps that involve pastoral counseling or holiness-standard conversations.

How Pastors and Leaders Use It​

Pastors and leaders use First Steps to see, at a glance, where each disciple is in getting connected — who's still praying about where to serve, who's shadowing a team, who's fully plugged in. It's not about grading lessons; it's about making sure no one falls through the cracks on their way to finding their God-given place in the house.

Configuring First Steps​

Admins can configure the First Steps pathway under Settings > First Steps. See First Steps Configuration for full details on:

  • Choosing the number of steps
  • Naming each step
  • Marking steps as sensitive

First Steps Analytics​

The dashboard and reports include First Steps data:

  • Completion chart showing how many disciples have reached each step
  • Funnel view identifying where disciples tend to stall on the path
  • Church-wide participation rate

These insights help pastors answer a key question: "Are our people finding their place in the house, or are we losing them on the way?"