The Next Step Community

The Next Step Community is a group of people, like you, who need other people to help them take a next step following Jesus. You won’t find any preconceived notions or quick fixes here; just real people trying to follow Jesus in real life. You are welcome to join in!

About

As The Next Step Community, we are sold out on helping each other delight in taking a next step following Jesus. Not everyone is going to resonate with our values or our basic vibe, and that’s OK; we believe having a variety of options is the best way to sustain…Continue reading “About”

Prayers from a Santa

28 Nov 202312 Feb 2024

From a Fellow Traveler Today marks the start of Week 4 in the chemoradiation phase of my wife’s cancer treatment. It’s getting hard. The physical pain is difficult, of course; but…

Disciple LIke You Mean It…

Listening on Behalf of Jesus

15 Nov 202329 Nov 2023

The Next Step PodcastSeason 7: Wednesdays are for Walking WithEpisode 03 (46 min)Date: 15 November 2023Guests: Jonathan Brandenburg and Deanna Rossow Also available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Vurbl,…

Disciple LIke You Mean It…

Sunday, FUN day??

10 Nov 20238 Jul 2024

By a member of the Disciple Like You Mean It online training. I was scared and excited at the same time! That’s how it usually goes for me when I…

Disciple LIke You Mean It…

Marinating in Scripture

8 Nov 202312 Dec 2023

The Next Step PodcastSeason 7: Wednesdays are for Walking WithEpisode 02 (41 min)Date: 08 November 2023Guests: Conrad Gempf and Nathan Wendorf Also available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Vurbl,…

Facing the Simul of Cancer

7 Nov 202312 Feb 2024

From a Fellow Traveler As All Saints' Day rolls by I imagine a few folks might have heard preaching about being both saint and sinner at the same time. If…

Disciple LIke You Mean It…

Wednesdays are for Walking With 01

1 Nov 202329 Nov 2023

The Next Step PodcastSeason 7: Wednesdays are for Walking WithEpisode 01 (20 min)Date: 01 November 2023Guests: Deanna Rossow and Lexie Brown Also available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Vurbl,…

Cultural Studies…

To See Ourselves as Jesus Sees Us

30 Oct 20231 Nov 2023

By Justin Rossow I have had a song stuck in my head for over a week, humming it to myself since we we sang it in worship a Sunday ago:…

Cultural Studies…

More Meditation Myths

23 Oct 202323 Oct 2023

By the Disciple Like You Mean It Summer Cohort, 2023(Edited by Justin Rossow) Introduction This blog captures some of the responses to Lesson 6.2 in the online course for discipling…

Prayers from My Little Girl

19 Oct 20238 Jul 2024

From a Fellow Traveler Yesterday, my wife and I had one of the most emotional experiences of our lives. We had to tell our 10- and 7-year-old that my wife…

Cultural Studies…

Busting Meditation Myths

3 Oct 20233 Oct 2023

By Justin Rossow Editor's note: this blog recreates Lesson 6.2 in the online course for discipline leaders called Disciple Like You Mean It. Whether you are a small group host,…

Disciple LIke You Mean It…

Jesus and Uncle Art’s Bean Casserole

2 Oct 20233 Nov 2023

By a member of the Disciple Like You Mean It online training. Very rarely—I can say almost never—do I ever sign up to take a meal to someone who has…

Disciple LIke You Mean It…

Common Discipling Language

27 Sep 202315 Nov 2023

By Justin Rossow How do you establish common vocabulary for a discipling culture? A pastor friend of mine asked me that recently. He is trying to use consistent language across…

Vocation Soup

12 Sep 202312 Sep 2023

By Justin Rossow “Vocation” (not “vacation”) is kind of a fancy word for “calling.” It comes from the same root as “vocal” or “voice.” You have been called by God…

Discipleship Tools…

Souvenirs of God’s Faithfulness

9 Aug 20239 Aug 2023

By Kim Longden I picked up the My Next Step, Volume 1 book this morning (the one with the compass on the cover) and I was so encouraged! The invitation…

Called to Listen, Commissioned to Speak

17 Jul 20238 Jul 2024

By Justin Rossow “What am I supposed to say?” For people who follow Jesus, that question can come up in all kinds of different circumstances. That question can turn a…

Disciple LIke You Mean It…

Followers First

22 Jun 202315 Nov 2023

By Justin Rossow A friend recently sent me a link to a sermon he found online—from me! I preached at the Day of Homiletical Reflection in 2011, over a decade…

Discipling Leaders…

Secure Humility

18 Apr 202315 Nov 2023

By Sam Fink Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he…

Discipleship Tools

A Print-at-Home Key Concept Calendar

17 Apr 202315 Nov 2023

By Justin Rossow The Come, Holy Spirit daily discipleship travel log, especially designed for the season between Easter and Pentecost, includes a Key Concept Calendar in the back. The idea…