Discipleship

This may seem like one of those “duh” statements but we believe that the church is most effective for mission when discipleship is a high priority.  In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians,

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” (Colossians 1:28-29)

The scriptures place a very high priority on discipleship and so do we. We see five main interconnected spheres of discipleship in the life of a church community:

Liturgical Formation
This is the formation that happens in our worship gatherings. Our corporate gatherings are an environment where we are shaped together around the narrative of Scripture and witness of the church history. Our liturgy reorients us to the right Story, the story of Israel, Jesus, the cross, the resurrection and redemption. We work hard at making sure our liturgy is formed around the story and sends us in light of it.  We have four main movements in our gatherings: God calls us -> God shapes us -> God Nourishes us (communion) -> God sends us

Personal Formation
This is about the personal rhythms and practices that we intentionally put ourselves under.  In short: spiritual disciplines (Fasting, prayer, study, meditation, lectio divina, etc).  We follow the example of Jesus himself who often went off alone to be with the Father.

Missional Formation
This is formation that happens through loving and serving others. Not only are we called to love others, but we are formed through serving others less fortunate than us. Some of the most formative moments of our lives have been when we’ve been in service to others. Here is where we are often stretched and challenged in our thinking.  Here we have our eyes opened up a world much larger than the one we live in on a day-in day-out basis.

Relational Formation
Formation that happens when we place ourselves in intentional relationships focused on prayer, sharing and encouragement. This isn’t referring to merely having fun with close friends (which is part of this and is definitely important) but this is referring to being in relationships where we intentionally sit down and talk about our life together with God.  Three questions that help guide these conversations are: 1) What is God calling you to 2) What are you doing about it? 3) How can I come alongside of you in the process?

Educational Formation
Knowledge is important. As Dallas Willard says, our faith must be based on something other than just dumb luck. We are formed by what we know and believe and the only way we know more is by intentionally learning and stretching our thinking. We place a priority on this by having classes that help us be transformed by the renewing of our minds.