Steve McCoy has been in the ministry for over 40 years and is the Founding Lead Pastor of The 360 Church in Sarasota, Florida, a church he planted 18 years ago. 360 has a focused strategy that centers on building a culture of one-to-one relationships with a vision that is designed to impact the church culture by exporting the one-to-one culture.

In addition to graduating from Southern Seminary, Steve also has a Doctorate degree in Piano Performance, coming to faith in Christ during the pursuit of becoming a concert pianist. His 25 years of piano lessons naturally embedded an appreciation for the impact of the one-to-one dynamic that is so often missing in the church culture.

Steve's experience in the person-to-person environment in 25 years of piano lessons coupled with the Paul-Timothy model of one-to-one discipleship motivated him to take 6 years to write a one-to-one discipleship track called SmallCircle.

The smallcircle tools are now used in every state in the US, in over 140 countries, 60 languages, on 6 continents with phenomenal results, making disciples who make disciples. The smallcircle tools are offered in print, as well as no-cost downloadable PDFs and a free easy-to-use mobile app.

Steve and his wife, Carrie, have two boys, ages 20 and 19.

SESSIONS

Track Session 1: Why God Wired Us for One-To-One Relationships
Have you ever noticed how a conversation feels different when it’s just the two of you in a restaurant booth—no distractions, no third party—just a unique sense of closeness? That’s because God engineered us for different levels of relational depth in different settings. Jesus modeled disciple-making across all these spaces—larger groups, micro-groups (3-4 people), and one-to-one. Yet, the one-to-one dynamic is often overlooked, and with it, an invaluable relational depth is lost. This session will uncover why one-to-one disciple-making is essential, the life-changing power it holds, and the practical strategy for making it a core part of disciple-making.
Time: Wednesday, 11:15am – 12:15pm
Location: Gallery
Speakers: Steve McCoy

LUNCH Session - SmallCircle: The 4 Essentials of Creating a Disciple-Making Culture
(NOTE: To sign up for a lunch breakout you must first get the add on. Visit the 2025 National Disciple Making Forum to get a FREE breakout lunch. Lunch will be provided!)
What would it take for disciple-making to not just be something your church does, but something embedded in its very culture? There are four key essentials: 1) Getting everyday people in the game, 2) Reaching fourth-generation and beyond, 3) Discipling both believers and those still searching, and 4) Expanding disciple-making beyond your local corner. In this lunch session, we’ll unpack how these principles can move from theory to reality—proving that a thriving, multiplying disciple-making culture isn’t just possible, it’s within reach.
Time: Wednesday, 12:15pm – 1:45pm
Location: Breakout 9
Speakers: Steve McCoy

Track Session 2: Creating a Disciple-Making *Culture* Is Possible With an Intentional Strategy
Disciple-making isn’t a program—it was never meant to be. The goal is creating a culture where disciple-making becomes the core DNA of our churches and organizations, inside and out. This session will unpack the essential building blocks for cultivating that culture: equipping everyday believers, reaching fourth-generation disciple-making and beyond, discipling people both to Jesus and in Jesus, and expanding the impact of disciple-making from our local corner to the corners of our city, region, and to the corners of the world. This is possible with an intentional strategy.
Time: Wednesday, 1:45pm – 2:45pm
Location: Gallery
Speakers: Steve McCoy

Track Session 3: Lightbulb Learning: Getting Beyond Information Transfer
We don’t just learn through words—we learn through experience. A disciple isn’t formed by simply transferring information, and no one understood this better than Jesus. Think about when Peter was challenged to step out of the boat. That wasn’t just a lesson—it was a life-altering experience. Do you think Peter ever forgot it? In this session, we’ll explore how to integrate powerful, real-life experiences—what we call "Labs"—into disciple-making, just as Jesus did. You’ll walk away with a collection of practical, hands-on labs that will take your disciple-making beyond information transfer and into transformational impact.
Time: Thursday, 10:45am – 11:45am
Location: Gallery
Speakers: Steve McCoy

LUNCH Session - SmallCircle: Lightbulb Learning vs. Classroom Learning
(NOTE: To sign up for a lunch breakout you must first get the add on. Visit the 2025 National Disciple Making Forum to get a FREE breakout lunch. Lunch will be provided!)
Have you noticed that Jesus didn’t teach in a classroom? He operated with an out-of-the-box approach because he fully understood how humans best absorb. During this lunch session, we’ll unpack the secret ingredient of the SmallCircle approach to getting beyond information dump in disciple-making. This approach has been revolutionizing disciple-making with unparalleled results around the world. We’ll get out of the box, and out of the classroom to unearth a whole new dimension for your disciple-making.
Time: Thursday, 11:45am – 1:00pm
Location: Breakout 9
Speakers: Steve McCoy

Track Session 4: High Tech, High Touch ... The Surprising Relational Impact of a Digital Tool
Technology isn’t a replacement for disciple-making—it’s a powerful tool to enhance it. In this session, we’ll explore how the SmallCircle app is transforming disciple-making around the world. The newly released SmallCircle 4.0 is packed with features designed to elevate relational intentionality, making disciple-making more effective than ever. Best of all, it’s completely free (donor-funded) and available for download on both the Google and Apple app stores. To get the most out of this session, we recommend downloading the SmallCircle app in advance by searching for it in your app store.
Time: Thursday, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: Gallery
Speakers: Steve McCoy