Discipleship

Inasmuch as Christ's commission to His disciples was to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Mt 28:16-20) we have come to the conclusion that this is what we should actually be focusing our time, energy, and resources on, rather than inventing metrics for "growth" and "success" that have nothing to do with the purposes of God.

We understand discipleship to be a Spirit-empowered lifestyle/process of leading one another in a growing manifestation of the presence, knowledge, character, and priorities of Jesus, no matter the cost, even unto death. 

In devotion to God and to one another we pursue this by together imitating Christ under His authority and in obedience to His commands as we experience deliverance from all forms of bondage to sin, darkness, and death, and are indwelt and led by His Spirit, speaking the truth in love to one another, partaking of the means of grace, practicing spiritual disciplines (primarily corporately), and exercising our God-given spiritual gifts engaged in bold, compassionate witness and ministry, that Christ might be formed in us holistically (i.e., head, heart, and hands; not just information download) to His glory and for the establishment of His Kingdom on earth as in heaven.

We seek to practice what we call "incarnational discipleship" or life on life discipleship -- where through relationship in community we share life and Christ is formed in us together.  Our primary curriculum is simply the Bible, as we seek to know and to obey all of the commandments of Christ, and it is our expectation that every member of Christ's church would be both being actively discipled and discipling someone else at all times.  We generally meet together regularly in groups of three or four (men with men, women with women) to read the Scriptures, to pray for one another, and to encourage one another in obedience and mission (very similar to a Discovery Bible Study format).  We also practice corporate spiritual disciplines of study, prayer, worship, celebration, solitude, silence, giving/hospitality, service, etc., in pursuit of imitating Christ and being formed in Him in community.