Next Steps Pathway
👋 Welcome!
The Next Steps Pathway is designed to help you discover if Summit is the right church for you, grow as a follower of Christ, develop as a leader, and get involved by serving others.
At Summit, everyone is encouraged to learn and grow. If you feel called to lead, the Next Steps Pathway provides a clear, intentional pathway to equip you for leadership within our church.
Level One: Foundational Serving
Level One is foundational—it helps you discover if Summit Church is the right faith family for you, understand who God made you to be and what He made you to do, and learn to lead like Jesus in your everyday relationships.
Step 1
Is Summit Church Perfect for You?
This class introduces you to Summit Church and helps you determine if this is the faith family God has for you.
⚠️ Note: Step 1 Online is currently being re-filmed and is temporarily unavailable.
Step 2
Discover How God SHAPED You
This class helps you uncover God’s unique purpose for your life, understand how He has shaped you for that purpose, and learn to live the life He designed for you.
⚠️ Note: Step 2 Online is currently being re-filmed and is temporarily unavailable.
Step 3
How to Lead Like Jesus
This class equips you to lead and influence like Jesus within your everyday relationships—where you live, work, study, and play.
⚠️ Note: Step 3 Online is currently being re-filmed and is temporarily unavailable.
Role Overview
Title: Volunteer
Role: Serve faithfully, advancing the church’s mission through consistent action and participation.
Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-3
Consider Summit your home church
Team placement interview
Level Two: Spiritual Care
Level Two focuses on caring for others. As a care volunteer, you provide prayer, encouragement, and spiritual support, helping others grow and fostering a culture of love and care within the church community.
Step 4
Intro to Spiritual Care
This class equips you to provide prayer, encouragement, and spiritual support to others.
⚠️ Note: Step 4 Online is currently being re-filmed and is temporarily unavailable.
Role Overview
Title: Care Volunteer
Role: Provide prayer, encouragement, and spiritual support to others, fostering growth and care within the church community.
Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-4
Served for three months at level one
Ministry Partner
👉 Ministry Partners share four rhythms of life together:
- We gather faithfully in Sunday worship.
- We grow in community through Small Groups.
- We give generously as an act of worship and trust in God.
- We serve the mission of Jesus—here at Summit and out in our city.
Level Three: Team Leadership
Level Three is designed to equip you to lead a ministry team or small group with excellence. You’ll learn how to keep ministry running smoothly, support and care for volunteers, and empower others to serve effectively and grow in their roles.
Step 5
Intro to Christian Leadership
This class equips you with a Biblical understanding of leadership, modeled by Jesus, and prepares you to serve in roles of greater influence.
Step 6
Facilitating Communities for Connection and Growth
This class equips you to build and facilitate healthy community wherever you are—at home, at work, in groups, or any place God has placed you.
Role Overview
Title: Team Leader / Group Leader
Role: Lead a ministry team or small group, ensuring ministry functions run smoothly and volunteers are supported.
Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-6
Served for six months at level one or two
Ministry Partner
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Level Four: Leader Development
Level Four is designed to support leaders as they grow in their capacity to develop other leaders. Care Coaches come alongside individual leaders with prayerful presence in life and ministry, while coordinators steward and support the work of group and team leaders, attending to how God’s purposes are unfolding through both people and ministry.
Step 7
Leading High-Performance Teams
This class equips coaches and coordinators to guide their leaders in building, leading, equipping, and mobilizing high-performance teams that fulfill God’s mission effectively.
Step 8
Intro to Christian Coaching
This class equips coaches and coordinators with the skills, tools, and resources to guide their leaders effectively and build strong, fruitful coaching relationships.
Step 9
Coaching Excellence
This class builds on your coaching skills, expanding your tools and abilities so you can help your leaders grow farther and faster than they ever thought possible.
Role Overview
Title: Care Coach / Coordinator
Role: Care Coaches come alongside leaders to help discern God’s agenda for their life and ministry. Coordinators do the same while also overseeing the work of group and team leaders.
Care Coach Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-9
Ministry Partner
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Coordinator Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-9
Served for six months at level three
Ministry Partner
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Level Five: Departmental Leadership
Level Five focuses on overseeing and equipping leaders to achieve ministry outcomes. Directors guide coordinators and teams, while pastors provide the same oversight along with an additional layer of spiritual guidance and care for leaders and volunteers.
Step 10
Culture of Leadership & Responsibility
This class equips department leaders with the cultural and organizational tools to model the highest level of servant leadership, take personal responsibility, and lead powerful, effective teams.
Step 11
Leadership Pipeline
This class equips department leaders to design, recruit, equip, and release leaders through a formal Leadership Pipeline.
Step 12
Making Room for Young Eagles to Soar
This class equips department leaders to guide an inter-generational community of leaders. You’ll learn to navigate generational challenges, leverage unique strengths, and develop the next generation of leaders together.
Role Overview
Title: Director / Pastor
Role: Directors oversee coordinators and teams to achieve ministry outcomes. Pastors do the same while also providing an extra level of spiritual guidance and care for their leaders and volunteers.
Director Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-12
Served for 1 year at level four
Ministry Partner
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Pastor Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-12
Served for 1 year at level four
Hold a Pastoral Credential: Certified, Licensed or Ordained
Ministry Partner
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Level Six: Organizational Leadership
Level Six focuses on setting strategy, aligning ministries with the church’s vision, and ensuring organizational health and effectiveness across all areas of leadership.
Step 13
Organizational Leadership
This class introduces the fundamentals of organizational leadership and equips you with the training and tools needed to serve successfully at this level.
Step 14
Strategic Planning
This class equips organizational leaders to lead the process of strategic planning, helping guide projects, seasonal initiatives, new launches, and annual operational planning.
Step 15
Organizational Finance
This class equips organizational leaders with the financial skills to analyze, plan, and effectively oversee the financial aspects of their ministry or organization.
Role Overview
Title: Executive Pastor
Role: Set strategy, align ministries with church vision, and ensure organizational health and effectiveness.
Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-15
Served for two years at level five
Hold a Pastoral Credential: Licensed or Ordained
Ministry Partner
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Level Seven: Overseeing the Church
Level Seven focuses on providing spiritual oversight, direction, and governance for the entire church, safeguarding both doctrine and mission across all areas of ministry.
Step 16
Intro to Eldership
This class equips leaders to understand the role of an elder, exploring biblical qualifications, spiritual oversight, and how to shepherd God’s people with wisdom and integrity.
Role Overview
Title: Elder, Lead Pastor
Role: Provide spiritual oversight, direction, and governance for the entire church, safeguarding doctrine and mission.
Elder Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-16
Ministry Partner for two years
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Lead Pastor Commitments:
Completion of Steps 1-16
Hold an Ordained Pastoral Credential
Appointed by Elders
Ministry Partner
Participation in Care-Centered Coaching
Note: Elder candidates must demonstrate consistent spiritual maturity, leadership, and alignment with church doctrine, and participate in the Elder Selection Process, including interviews, assessments, and approval by existing Elders. Completion of Step 16 prepares candidates for consideration but does not guarantee appointment.
Copyright Summit Church 2026