Elle White

Pinnacle Forum believes discipleship is central to Christian leadership and spiritual formation. This document explains how we define discipleship, how it is cultivated within a Forum, and how it complements the work of the local church as leaders grow in Christ and make disciples who make disciples.

A Note from Connor Hillard, CEO

Dear Partners and Friends,

After our National Conference this spring, we made a commitment to you.

We shared that one of the important next steps in strengthening Pinnacle Forum would be to clearly define what we mean by discipleship, for our ministry, our Partners, and within the unique context of a Pinnacle Forum.

We committed to articulating what discipleship looks like, how it is cultivated in a Forum, how it complements the local church, and what we ask of one another as Partners pursuing Christ together.

Today, we are grateful to deliver on that promise. Attached is “What is a Disciple – Pinnacle Forum“.

This document represents months of prayer, discussion, refinement, and careful consideration by our Senior Leadership Team. While it is not intended to be an exhaustive theology of discipleship, it is meant to provide a clear and shared understanding of the Biblical convictions that shape our ministry and the expectations we hold as a community of Christian leaders.

As Pinnacle Forum continues to grow, clarity matters. Shared language produces shared vision, and shared vision produces greater unity, intentionality, and Kingdom impact. Our hope is that this document will help every Partner better understand what we do in a Forum, why we do it, and how God uses these relationships to form leaders who increasingly reflect Christ and are radically committed to going into the world to make disciples who make disciples—bringing eternal cultural impact.

Over the coming months, this definition will become increasingly integrated into our Forums, Facilitator development, Partner onboarding, and ministry resources. It will help ensure that wherever Pinnacle Forum exists, we are pursuing the same Biblical vision of spiritual formation and disciple-making together.

When you have an opportunity, I encourage you to read through the document thoughtfully and pray/reflect on it. Consider how the Lord is continuing to disciple you, and how He might use you more intentionally to disciple others.

Thank you for trusting us, encouraging us, and walking alongside us as we continue building a ministry that is increasingly faithful to Christ and increasingly fruitful for His Kingdom.

A Note from Connor Hillard, CEO

The conference was special. So much could be said, and so much will be said, about the Lord’s goodness and provision in bringing so many of us together in Phoenix. For those unable to attend, I truly hope you’ll make it a can’t-miss when we gather again in 2028.

And while we enjoyed it – while we delighted in God’s orchestration and felt a real fire ignited, we know something important:

Our faith, and this ministry, are not about a powerful two-day experience.

This is about you, and your lifelong journey with Him.

Your faith isn’t forged in moments like that alone. It’s forged week in and week out, when, as Ann Graham Lotz shared, you begin “returning to your first love in Christ.” It’s forged in the hard decisions, the quiet prayers, the vulnerability, the honesty, and the love experienced in your Forum… in the Body of Christ… in your home, your church, and your place of work.

It’s the daily. The seemingly mundane. That’s where formation and transformation truly happen.

And so, we press on in the mission the Lord has entrusted to us for nearly 30 years:

To Encourage and Equip high-capacity leaders through confidential Forums, strengthened by a national network, so they may Engage their calling and Execute with courage in personal, spiritual, and cultural transformation that exalts Jesus Christ.

This mission is not about sustaining a conference “high”, it’s about strengthening what God stirred through it. The relationships. The conviction. The real work of transformation and sanctification.

As we look ahead, building on what the Lord has done, several key priorities have come into focus for the remainder of the year. These are still taking shape, but they represent the next mountains we believe we’re called to summit:

1) A World-Class Facilitator Certification Program
We aim to launch a beta version (with a limited group for feedback) by the end of 2026, with a full rollout in 2027.

Our Facilitators are among Pinnacle Forum’s greatest strengths — men and women who love Jesus and faithfully lead others in transformation. We want to come alongside them — helping them grow, anticipate needs, and lead even more meaningful, Spirit-filled conversations. Current Facilitators will be grandfathered into this process and invited in.

2) Clarifying and Championing Discipleship
If we want to see culture transformed, it will happen through disciples who make disciples. Especially through influential, high-capacity leaders!

This will be a long-term, intentional focus. We want to clearly define what discipleship looks like within a Pinnacle Forum, equip Partners to step into it, and build rhythms of accountability around it. This integration of discipleship will not happen all at once, but will be done faithfully over time.

3) Conference Content for Ongoing Formation
We’ll be uploading each of our National Conference speakers into Circle, along with accompanying Forum discussion content. This unfortunately isn’t as easy as getting the files and hitting upload, so bear with us as we edit these and get them up to par!

These messages were for you, and we want them to continue serving you. As they are released, we’ll tie Forum discussion content, centered on the message, directly to our Four E’s: Encourage, Equip, Engage, Execute, and the four pillars emphasized in Forged for Influence: Spiritual Growth, Christlike Character, Relational Maturity, and Influence & Engagement.

4) Cultural Engagement Self Assessment (CESA)
Many of you have taken this before. Moving forward, we’ll be using it more intentionally— both ministry-wide (through an annual survey) and within Forums on a recurring basis.

The goal is simple: clarity. What is the baseline of our entire ministry? Where do we need to pour more fully into Forums?
Where are we growing? Where is the Lord calling us to step out?

5) Cultural Impact Plan (CIP)
We’re also reworking the CIP entirely.

For some, it’s been powerful. For others, it’s felt like something completed once and forgotten. We want to change that.

Our aim is to make it life-giving, not homework. Something you want to revisit. Something that truly spurs you on toward love, good deeds, and real cultural impact for Christ, with a strong emphasis on discipleship.

These are the core areas that emerged – from your feedback, from our speakers, and from what we sensed the Lord doing among us. As I said, this ministry is about you in Christ, so our duty is to always pour into, resource, and strengthen your Forum experience.

We are deeply grateful for each of you, and expectant for what He will continue to do.