Discipleship Development

Discipleship Begins with Relationship  

 

For too long, The United Methodist Church has searched for a quick fix to help guide our discipleship efforts. We have been busy sending postcards, building programs and upgrading our technology. While efforts like those may be important, they alone do not lead to disciple-making. The most essential step for making disciples of Jesus Christ is to immerse ourselves in the lives of the people who are right outside our doors, acknowledging that God calls us to have meaningful relationships in authentic, organic and consistent ways. Without bias or a sense of superiority.

At the center of Leadership Development for the church and the world is discipleship development. It is an expectation that every person in a position of leadership are rooted in spiritual disciplines and on an ongoing journey toward maturing as a disciple.  Each local faith community must start with defining what discipleship means in their context before they then can create a process and plan for developing disciples along the journey from living a life far from God to one centered in Christ. 

Resources:

• Elements of an Effective Intentional Discipleship Pathway (Training Tuesday Webinar)
• Examples of Effective Intentional Discipleship Pathways (Training Tuesday Webinar)
• A Collection of Discipleship Formation Resources
• Denominational Resources for Developing a Congregational Discipleship Plan

Contact Jack Shitama if you are interested in getting connected with a coach to help design and implement a Congregational Discipleship Plan.