Forming Intentional Disciples

Forming Intentional Disciples PDF Author: Sherry A. Weddell
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN: 1612789439
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church. Consider these statistics for the United States. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010. Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized-in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

Forming Intentional Disciples

Forming Intentional Disciples PDF Author: Sherry A. Weddell
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN: 1612789439
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 179

Get Book Here

Book Description
How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church. Consider these statistics for the United States. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010. Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized-in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples

Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples PDF Author: Sherry A. Weddell, Editor
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN: 1612783791
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 106

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Book Description
"It is not the same thing to have known Jesus as not to have known him, not the same thing to walk with him as to walk blindly, not the same thing to hear his word as not to know it.... We know that with Jesus life becomes richer."-Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel In her first book, Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus, Sherry Weddell, cofounder of the Catherine of Siena Institute, captured the attention of Catholics across the globe as she uncovered the life-changing power that accompanies the conscious decision to follow Jesus as his disciple. Now, in the groundbreaking Becoming a Parish of Intentional Disciples, she has gathered together experienced leaders and collaborators whose exceptional field-tested wisdom and enthusiasm for transforming Catholic parishes into centers of discipleship and apostolic outreach is both inspiring and practical. The authors consider: The role of intercessory prayer in parish transformation How "fireside chats" can help a pastor connect with his parishioners and call them to personal discipleship and mission The co-responsibility of lay people andpastors in the work of making disciples The revolutionary impact of a discipleship approach to youth ministry How one parish successfully fostered a culture of intentional discipleship, and much more As Sherry asks in her own chapter, "Are we willing to answer the call and pay the price necessary to become a new generation of saints through which God can do extraordinary things in our time?"

Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered

Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered PDF Author: James C. Wilhoit
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 1493435167
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
Most books on spiritual formation focus on the individual. But spiritual formation is at the heart of the church's whole purpose for existence. It must be a central task for the church to carry out Christ's mission in the world. This book offers an introduction to spiritual formation set squarely in the local church. The first edition has been well received and widely used as a textbook. The second edition has been updated throughout, incorporates findings from positive psychology, and reflects an Augustinian formation perspective. Foreword by Dallas Willard.

Forming Christian Disciples

Forming Christian Disciples PDF Author: David Lowes Watson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1579109462
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
In this volume, David Lowes Watson provides a basic resource for the formation of faithful Christian disciples and the revitalizing of congregations. Beginning with a Christ-centered model for the church, Watson shows how leaders in discipleship are the key to vital congregations. He then offers procedures for introducing and sustaining covenant discipleship groups as a means of developing these leaders, and concludes with guidelines for the office of class leader as a means of implementing their leadership. How does a congregation decide on covenant discipleship? How are the groups formed? What is the role of a class leader? How do class leaders connect with other leaders in the congregation? These questions, and much more, are the subject of a resource that is foundational for any congregation wishing to revitalize its life and work through the forming of faithful Christian disciples. This volume is the third in a trilogy: Covenant Discipleship, Class Leaders, and Forming Christian Disciples.

Growing Disciples Organically

Growing Disciples Organically PDF Author: Don Detrick
Publisher: Deep River Books LLC
ISBN: 9781937756819
Category : Christian life
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"Follow me." These two simple words spoken by Jesus are often needlessly complicated with theological, psychological, and sociological interpretations. Using metaphors from organic farming, Don Detrick believes that a less complicated, organic approach for growing disciples makes sense. Maybe Jesus just wants us to simply accept the clear invitation to follow him, and experience the excitement and adventure of the journey. Don's powerful book on spiritual formation is uniquely positioned for such a time as this in the church, as younger generations are discovering that bigger churches do not guarantee spiritual formation in the life of attendees, nor do they equate greater numbers with greater levels of spiritual passion. Growing Disciples Organically addresses these honest questions: Why don't people act more like Jesus after spending a lifetime attending or actively engaged in a local church? Why can't we see that another sermon or class, however well intentioned, may not result in significant spiritual growth? Why is it difficult to face the fact that more commitment, trying harder, or more activity may not result in increased spiritual growth? Why are we reluctant to admit that we may not have all the answers? This book is intended to help people in church leadership ask, "How is our present strategy of creating disciples working for us?" Pastors, leaders and any follower of Christ will find Dr. Don Detrick's book important and compelling as it offers a fresh approach to effective, time-proven, and biblically-based methods for spiritual growth. Don Detrick has spent more than thirty years in ministry as a pastor of churches. He currently serves as one of three executive officers for a network of more than 300 churches and over 1400 credentialed ministers in the Northwest. In this role he serves as CFO, oversees credentialing, and is involved in speaking, conflict management, coaching, consulting, and training pastors and churches. In addition, he is a board member for his national denomination and an adjunct professor for Northwest University, Kirkland, WA, and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO. Detrick holds a doctor of ministry degree in leadership and master of divinity (equiv.) from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, a master's degree in counseling from Luther Rice Seminary, and a BS in pastoral ministries from Eugene Bible College and a BA in Bible from Baptist Christian College.

Deep Discipleship

Deep Discipleship PDF Author: J.T. English
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
ISBN: 1535993537
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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Book Description
Everyone is being discipled. The question is: what is discipling us? The majority of Christians today are being discipled by popular media, flashy events, and folk theology because churches have neglected their responsibility to make disciples. But the church is not a secondary platform in the mission of God; it is the primary platform God uses to grow people into the image of Jesus. Therefore, as church leaders, it is our primary responsibility to establish environments and relationships where people can be trained, grow, and be sent as disciples. There are three indispensable elements of discipleship: Learning to participate in the biblical story (the Bible) Growing in our confession of who God is and who we are (theology) Regularly participating in private and corporate intentional action (spiritual disciplines) Deep Discipleship equips churches to reclaim the responsibility of discipling people at any point on their journey.

Make Mature Multiply

Make Mature Multiply PDF Author: Brandon Smith
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692239179
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
Discipleship is a word most Christians know, but few can define. Is discipleship about reading the Bible or praying every day? Is it about sharing the gospel with strangers? Is it about striving to be like Jesus? While these are aspects of being a disciple, Scripture tells us that there is much more.Make, Mature, Multiply aims to help you become a disciple who truly understands the full joy of following Jesus. With a wide range of chapters from some of today's most battle-tested disciple-makers, this book is designed for any Christian seeking to know more about being a fully-formed disciple of Jesus who makes, matures, and multiplies fully-formed disciples of Jesus.

Joined in Discipleship

Joined in Discipleship PDF Author: Mark G Toulouse
Publisher: Chalice Press
ISBN: 9780827217102
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Mark Toulouse explores how the denomination can draw on its unique past to build its future.

Covenant Discipleship

Covenant Discipleship PDF Author: David Lowes Watson
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1579109535
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
David Lowes Watson advances the practice of mutual accountability in Christian discipleship by expanding and updating the original handbook for covenant discipleship groups. Accountable Discipleship was the manual for covenant discipleship groups for more than six years, with over 20,000 copies printed in three editions. This new version should prove valuable in leading existing groups to a deeper level of discipleship, and newcomers to a fresh discovery of the best of the Methodist tradition. Of special interest is Watson's recovery - from John Wesley's General Rules for the early Methodist societies - of a fourfold ÒGeneral RuleÓ of discipleship: ÒTo witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.Ó

DiscipleShift

DiscipleShift PDF Author: Jim Putman
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310492637
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Question: What is the God-given purpose of the local church? Answer: Relational discipleship. DiscipleShift walks you through five key "shifts" that churches must make to refocus on the fundamental biblical mission of discipleship. These intentional changes will attract the world and empower your church members to be salt and light in their communities. Over the last thirty years, many influential church leaders and church planters in America have adopted various models for reaching unchurched people. While many of these approaches have merit, something is still missing, something even more fundamental to the mission of the church: discipleship. Making disciples—helping people to trust and follow Jesus—is the church's God-given mandate. Devoted disciples attract people outside the church because of the change others see in their Christ-like lives. And discipleship empowers Christians to be more like Christ as they intentionally develop relationships with non-believers. Through biblical and professional insights, Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington discuss the transformational effectiveness of making disciples and just how to do so, in practical terms. You’ll learn: The specific roles of a disciple-making pastor. The components of person-to-person discipleship. How each ministry in your church leads to discipleship. How to implement discipleship in your church. Disciple-making leaders will not produce perfect churches, but they will create effective churches.