The personal walk with Jesus for each us of counts. How closely we walk with him matters.
We believe that each Christian, as they reach maturity in their faith, should be able to take responsibility for their own discipleship – this means they should be able to find healthy rhythms and diet of spiritual input, activity and service that foster lifelong learning and an ever closer walk with God.
Service is an important factor, especially given that the vast majority of us learn the most by doing (compared to just sitting and listening, for example). There are a diversity of learning styles, and they all have their place, but learning on the job is a key way, and was modelled by Jesus with the very first disciples.
Discipleship is best done in community, not purely as an individual. This is why we encourage people not only to join our worship gatherings, but also to get involved in the various groups. We also encourage people to share more deeply with one or two other trusted individuals.
We frequently use Key Questions, which get us thinking about our relationship with God [UP], what God is doing in our lives [IN], and where/who God is calling us out to in mission [OUT]. The questions are recorded on a blog key-questions.blogspot.co.uk, which also summarises key teaching Sunday by Sunday.
To encourage our discipleship we are currently emphasising four habits for discipleship:
- The Discipline of OFF
the world bombards us – let us learn to turn things like mobiles/email/Facebook off from time to time. Let us learn to make space to reflect, to listen … - Share the Walk
do discipleship with a trusted close friend or two. Explore the key questions and challenges together, and hold each other accountable. - Ever Closer to Jesus
seek more and more closeness with Jesus – you will discover more of His resurrection life as you do. - Margin for Jesus
make space in your busy lives for Jesus to fill – let Him surprise you with ministry opportunities.