Best Discipleship Software for Churches in 2025: A Complete Guide

You've been tasked with finding discipleship software for your church. Maybe your current system (spreadsheets? paper sign-ups?) isn't working. Maybe your discipleship program is growing and you need better tools. Or maybe you're starting from scratch and want to do it right the first time.

Either way, you're looking at a confusing landscape of options. Church Management Systems claim they "do discipleship." Generic project management tools could theoretically work. And then there are purpose-built discipleship platforms you've never heard of.

This guide will help you cut through the noise and choose the right solution for your church.

What Is Discipleship Software?

Before we compare tools, let's define what we're talking about. Discipleship software helps churches facilitate, track, and scale one-on-one or small group discipleship relationships.

It typically handles:

• Matching -- pairing mentors with mentees based on availability, interests, and life stage
• Curriculum delivery -- providing structured content for discipleship conversations
• Check-in tracking -- logging when pairs meet and how they're progressing
• Automated reminders -- nudging pairs to stay consistent
• Administrative visibility -- dashboards showing leadership who's meeting and who's struggling

The key word is "typically." Not all tools do all these things. Some barely do any of them.

Why Most Churches Get This Wrong

Most church leaders approach software selection backwards. They start by asking, "What tools do we already have?" rather than "What does our discipleship strategy actually need?"

This leads to three common mistakes:

Mistake 1: Using a Church Management System (ChMS) for discipleship.

Your ChMS (Planning Center, Church Community Builder, Breeze, etc.) is excellent at managing attendance, events, giving, and communications. It's terrible at facilitating ongoing relational discipleship. Why? Because it wasn't built for that. ChMS platforms think in terms of groups, classes, and events -- not pairs, check-ins, and curriculum progression.

Mistake 2: Using generic project management tools.

Some churches try Asana, Trello, or Monday.com. These tools are powerful for task management but lack any concept of spiritual formation, curriculum, or relational accountability. You end up building a custom solution that your volunteers don't understand and can't maintain.

Mistake 3: Using spreadsheets.

We wrote a whole article about why spreadsheets are killing your discipleship program. Short version: they require constant manual input, provide no automation, and obscure insights rather than revealing them.

The Four Categories of Discipleship Tools

Let's break down the actual landscape of tools churches use. Each has strengths and weaknesses.

Category 1: Spreadsheets and Manual Systems

Examples: Google Sheets, Excel, paper sign-up forms, email threads

Pros:

• Free (or already paid for)
• Infinitely customizable
• No learning curve for church staff

Cons:

• Requires constant manual updates
• No automation (reminders, alerts)
• Doesn't scale beyond 10-15 pairs
• High friction for volunteers to log anything
• Easy to lose track of who's meeting

Best for: Churches with fewer than 5 active pairs who don't plan to grow, or churches in the initial pilot phase before committing to a tool.

Category 2: Church Management Systems with "Groups" Features

Examples: Planning Center Groups, Church Community Builder Small Groups, Breeze People

Pros:

• You already own it
• Staff knows how to use it
• Integrates with your existing database
• Good for tracking small group membership

Cons:

• Built for small groups, not one-on-one pairs
• No curriculum delivery system
• Limited check-in tracking (if any)
• No automated meeting reminders specific to discipleship
• Reporting is generic, not discipleship-focused

Best for: Churches that primarily do group-based discipleship (6-12 people) rather than one-on-one, and where "tracking who's in a group" is sufficient.

Category 3: General-Purpose Communication and Project Tools

Examples: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, Trello, Notion

Pros:

• Flexible and powerful
• Great for communication
• Many churches already use these for staff collaboration

Cons:

• Zero structure for discipleship specifically
• Requires significant customization
• Volunteers won't know how to use it
• No built-in curriculum or content
• Maintenance burden falls on your team

Best for: Tech-savvy churches with internal developers who want to build a custom solution, or churches where discipleship is highly informal.

Category 4: Purpose-Built Discipleship Platforms

Examples: DisciplePair, Discipleship.org, MentorLink, NavLink (Navigators)

Pros:

• Designed specifically for discipleship relationships
• Built-in curriculum and content
• Automated reminders and check-ins
• Dashboards showing pair health
• Low learning curve for volunteers

Cons:

• Additional cost (though often modest)
• Another login for people to remember
• May not integrate deeply with your existing ChMS

Best for: Churches serious about scaling one-on-one discipleship and want a tool that does one thing exceptionally well.

What Features Actually Matter

Must-Have Features

1. Easy check-in logging

If it takes more than 30 seconds for a pair to log a meeting, they won't do it. Look for mobile-friendly, one-tap check-ins.

2. Automated reminders

The system should nudge pairs to meet without you having to send weekly emails manually.

3. Curriculum or content library

Pairs need structure. Whether it's Scripture-based sessions or discussion guides, the tool should provide something to talk about.

4. Dashboard for leaders

You need visibility into who's meeting, who's struggling, and who's completed their track. A list of names isn't enough -- you need insights.

5. Progress tracking

Pairs should be able to see how far they've come. Streaks, milestones, and completion percentages motivate consistency.

Where DisciplePair Fits

We built DisciplePair because we experienced this problem firsthand. We tried spreadsheets, ChMS systems, and generic tools. They all failed at the same point -- they added friction instead of removing it.

DisciplePair is purpose-built for one-on-one discipleship. Here's what that means:

For pairs:

• One-tap check-ins on mobile or web
• Scripture-based curriculum with discussion questions and action steps
• Automatic weekly reminders
• Prayer journal to track and celebrate answered prayers
• Streaks and progress tracking that motivate consistency

For church leaders:

• Dashboard showing who's meeting and who needs follow-up
• Matching tools to pair mentors and mentees intentionally
• Curriculum management (assign tracks, see where each pair is)
• Reports you can share with elders without creating them manually
• Paid plans for individuals support up to 5 pairs, church plans support 25-500 pairs

Try DisciplePair free -- individuals get 1 free pair, churches get a 14-day trial.

The Real Question

Here's what this decision really comes down to: Is discipleship a program you're trying, or a culture you're building?

If it's a program -- something you'll pilot for a few months and maybe continue -- spreadsheets or your ChMS will probably suffice.

But if you're serious about building a discipleship culture that scales beyond the pastoral staff, you need tools that remove friction, provide structure, and give you visibility into what's working.

Purpose-built discipleship software isn't about having the latest tech. It's about stewarding relationships well and making it easy for ordinary believers to obey the Great Commission.

The Great Commission wasn't a suggestion. Give your people the tools to actually obey it.