Discipleship
Jesus offered a very simple invitation 13 times in the Bible,
‘Follow me’
And for those who accepted that invitation he also said,
‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…’
As Christians we are all called to be disciples, followers of Jesus. We will be very different, some will be better at it than others, some will look different, some will act differently, but it is for us all. As soon as we respond to the invitation of Jesus to ‘Follow me’ we are undertaking the most exciting and fulfilling journey.
Being a disciple will mean us recognising that our faith isn’t something that can be put into convenient compartments – it is a ‘whole of life’ activity! It is something we will need to :
- Keep working on – so below there are examples of different courses and resources to help with this, that will be helpful for churches or individuals. Getting to know our Bibles better and praying are essential for disciples, as is talking about our faith.
- Recognise it isn’t always easy – Jesus’ first disciples made lots of mistakes and we all will too, but God continues to love us and journey with us.
- Talk about – Small groups are a great way of doing this for lots of people, but we may also find that talking to a friend or someone from church or a Christian minister will be helpful.
- Share – People say faith is personal, but we go back to the instruction of Jesus to tell others, and we find that it might be personal, but it’s also to be shared. As we grow as confident disciples, we will want to tell others.
There is no stopping; every day, every hour it goes further. Whoever sets his foot on this way finds that his life has become a journey on the road. It leads through green pastures and through the dark valley, but the Lord will always lead on the right pathway.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffered...
Discipleship Resources
Diocesan study courses
Details of the most recent courses
- A Jesus Shaped Culture - A five-session course reflecting on the Diocesan Culture Guide
- Croeso/Extending Our Welcome - Two new courses to help our churches further develop their culture of invitation and welcome.
- 2021 Lent Course: ‘Dying to Live’ – This course explores what it means to be a life-long disciple of Christ
- 2021 Advent Course: ‘Wait, Trust, Commit’ – a 3 part course offering a time of reflection and expectation, hope and trust, and recommitment
- 2022 Lent Reflections – daily reflections to pray on and draw closer to God
- 'The 5 Branches' – A course looking at the 5 Branches of our Diocesan Vision: Discipleship, Stewardship, Social Justice, Equality and Diversity, and Environment.
- 'Faith in our Future' – A course looking deeper into our Diocesan Vision, its branches of mission and ministry, and the growth we seek.
Beginning in Faith
These resources are useful for helping those new to the church or who are exploring Christianity for the first time.
- Alpha – A well-known 10-week course used by many churches and originating from Holy Trinity, Brompton. One of its features includes participants eating together to discuss what Christians believe. You can find out much more about Alpha on its website. Also available as Youth Alpha.
- Christianity Explored – This seven-week course exploring the Gospel of Mark gives you time and space to think through who Jesus is and why it matters
- The Why Course – This course offers a more Catholic perspective.
- Christian Enquiry Agency – The Christian Enquiry Agency website is a fantastic place for people to explore and ask questions about faith through articles and videos and to ask questions of a trained team via e-mail.
- Christianity - This site explores questions you may have about the Christian faith
Growing in Faith
These resources focus on helping people to explore more about knowing God and where God is active in their lives.
- Pilgrim – This is a major teaching and discipleship resource from the Church of England. It aims to help every local church create a place where people can explore the Christian faith together and see how it can be lived out each day
- Discipleship Explored – This eight-week course based on Philippians follows on from the Christianity Explored course (mentioned above)
- Life on the Frontline - This six-session DVD resource for small groups aims to inspire and equip Christians to make a difference on their front lines – in the workplace and their local communities.
- Are you ready? – This is a book of 19 ready-to-use interactive sessions aimed at young people who are preparing for confirmation. Are you ready? (SPCK, 2015) also includes a full programme for a pre-confirmation retreat and a liturgy for the enrolment of confirmands. Works well with the confirmation gift book Living your Confirmation (SPCK, 2012).
- Why on earth…? – This collection opens up some of life’s hardest questions in an accessible way. Each session offers simple first steps in exploring a difficult subject. It does not aim to give final answers, just starting points.
- Faith Pictures – This Church Army course helps Christians to talk naturally to friends, neighbours and colleagues about what they believe. The heart of the course is about helping people to identify a single picture or image that embodies something of their faith.
- Offers various different courses for people exploring the Christian faith, beginning their journey of faith or growing as disciples as well as for churches looking to grow. There are national residential courses offered as well as a local course which, as the title suggests, can be run in small groups on a local level.
- Growing Leaders – Some people might also find this course a good way of developing and sustaining leadership across larger churches to help these thrive and innovate.