About
The Columbus Discipleship Network aims to provide inspiration, equipping, and community for a lifestyle of disciplemaking.
Our Vision
We desire to see followers of Jesus unite around the common goal of growing God’s kingdom in maturity and multiplication through life-on-life disciplemaking.
Why Disciplemaking?
Simply put, Jesus taught and modeled relational disciplemaking as a reflection of who He is — a personal God. As his apprentices, we seek to faithfully emulate this effective and Biblical practice.
Disciplemaking was the method Jesus, the apostles, and their disciples used to strengthen young believers and raise up leaders in the first century. The growth and effectiveness of the early church, which thrived amid a hostile and pluralistic culture, depended on successful disciplemaking. In so many ways, this is still the essential model for the church today.
What do we mean by “Disciplemaking?”
Simply put, a disciple is a person following Jesus into Christian maturity and multiplication. Disciplemaking is an intentional, life-on-life process in which one person helps another learn to follow Jesus into Christian maturity and multiplication.
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Biblically, the term “disciple” means “learner” or “apprentice.” What we see in the New Testament is a pattern of life-on-life relationships, deep personal connections with specific aims toward spiritual growth and development, that enhance but do not supplant more corporate expressions of the Church.
Is the Discipleship Network necessary?
While life-on-life disciplemaking was the norm in the early church, that is far from true in most churches today. Have times changed? Do we need this type of structure as modern people? Consider the following:
Only 1%
of church leaders say “today’s churches are doing very well at discipling new and young believers.” *
Local surveys revealed that discipleship and relational well-being are the top most pressing concerns of pastors in Columbus. *
[Barna, State of Columbus, February 2021]
92%
of Christians are interested in further programs to foster spiritual growth and development. *
Yet, only 20% of Christian adults are involved in some sort of discipleship activity (such as attending Sunday school or fellowship group, meeting with a spiritual mentor, studying the Bible with a group, or reading and discussing a Christian book with a group) outside of a Sunday worship service. *
[Barna, State of Columbus, October 2021]
Recent research shows that Christians in discipleship community (both being discipled and discipling others) do best across a range of outcomes*, including:
*[Barna, Growing Together Part 1, Part 3]
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Satisfaction in their relationship with God
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How their relationship with God impacts their daily lives
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How important they view 1:1 relationships
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Belief that Christians have a responsibility to invest in others
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Knowing how to walk through hard times with a friend
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Have friends they trust and can be vulnerable with
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Likelihood of confessing sin to someone else
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Are outwardly focused and have close relationships with people in their neighborhoods and at work
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Describing a passion and joy in following God
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Increased prayer and word time
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Likelihood of investing spiritually in those outside their family
The Discipleship Network aims to come alongside the church and inspire disciplemaking at every level, for every believer.
Networks
Our
History
A small group of people began meeting in 2012 to discuss how to fortify and amplify the voices committed to life-on-life disciplemaking in Columbus, Ohio. Beginning as a trio of networks (Men’s, Women’s, and Pastor’s Discipleship Networks), the networks envisioned a Columbus in which replicating personal disciplemaking was the norm, rather than the exception, among followers of Jesus throughout our city. The network was faithfully led for years under the direction of Doug Franck and Anne Durell, to whom the network owes a great deal of gratitude. Rachel Smith joined the leadership team in 2021, and in 2023 the network officially merged with For Columbus.
Our Leadership
Rachel Smith, Executive Director
As the Director of Discipleship for For Columbus, Rachel brings over two decades of personal discipleship experience to her stewardship of the Columbus Discipleship Network. (But the real magic? Our advisors, hands down!)
Our Advisors
When you get right down to it, the secret sauce in the Columbus Discipleship Network is our highly skilled, dedicated, and wonderful advisors. A mix of pastors, ministry leaders, and lay practitioners from various backgrounds, the CDN is deeply shaped by the collective wisdom found in this group. Click each photo to learn more.
Anne Durell
Lead Advisor, Columbus Discipleship Network
Nick Nye
Executive Director, For Columbus
Christopher Ledezma
Discipleship Pastor, Garden City Church
Lee Davis
Lead Pastor, Berlin Church
Co-Leader, Pastors Discipleship Network
Nate Harrison
Area Director, Navigators Church Ministries
Aaron Starr
Founder & Executive Director, Reach the Nations Int'l (RTNI)
Dane Alexander
Worship & Young Adult Minister, Discover Christian Church
Jenna Dascenzo
Development Director, Twentyeight19
Carol Trzcinski
Advancement Officer, LifeWise Olentangy
Retired, Highland Consulting
Partners
We are fortunate to partner with many like-minded individuals and organizations committed to growing God’s kingdom in Columbus. In the first part of 2025, more than 150 people representing more than 88 churches and organizations participated in some aspect of the Columbus Discipleship Network.
All Nations Christian Fellowship
Amazing Grace Christian Church
Answer Poverty
Awaken Church
Baton Exchange
Berean Bible Church
Berlin Church
Built to Lead
CBMC Columbus
Center for Christian Virtue
CenterPoint Church
Central Ohio Youth for Christ
Columbus Chinese Christian Church
Columbus Christian Center
Columbus Relief
Covenant Baptist
Crossroads Columbus
Cru
Darby Creek Church
Discover Christian Church
Dwell Community Church
Eastpointe Christian Church
Embraced Wholly Apprenticeships
Encounter Church & Simply Enrich, LLC
Faith Community Alliance Church
Faith Covenant Church
Faith Life Church
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Festa
First Church of God
Flourish
​For Columbus
Garden City
Good News Church
Good Shepherd Bible Church
Grace Central PCA
Grace Fellowship
Grace Point Community Church
Grace Powell
HCN
Hilliard Church of Christ
HOME LifeCenter
International Friendships Inc. (IFI)
Jersey Church
Kairos 610 Foundation
Kalos Center
Kingdom Focus, LLC
Life City Church
Lifepoint
Lifewise
Linworth Road Church
Love of God Christian Fellowship
Lower Lights Community Church of the Nazarene
Marketplace Solutions
Minor Worth Ministries
Mission Increase
My Village Ministries
Navigators Church Ministries
New Beginning Christian Center
New Birth Christian Ministries
New Hope Church
New Life Church
North Park Church of Christ
Oasis City Church
Primemovers/Living on the Edge
Protect the Faith
Quest Vineyard Church
Revive Ohio
River Radio Ministries
Rock City Church
RTNI (Reaching The Nations International)
She Pursues Purpose
St. Andrew’s Anglican
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
Student Christian Fellowship
The Freedom Center
Traditional Christian Dialogue
Tri-Village Christian Church
UA Grace Fellowship
Upper Arlington Lutheran Church
Veritas Community Church
Vineyard Columbus
WARM
Wellspring Counseling
Westerville Christian Church
Worthington Christian Church
Young Lives
Youth for Christ USA