forming, informing, transforming faith

Growing Disciples

Helping churches form lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ

Forming Disciples in a Missional Church – Workshops

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Early next year I’m planning to run my first ever workshops based on my recent doctoral research into faith formation and education in the Uniting Church. These are hosted by Port Phillip East Presbytery at two locations in Melbourne.

The focus is on congregations as lifelong learning communities of missional discipleship – connecting how we grow in faith with how we live for God’s purposes. The research is based on visits to 13 churches around Australia, a sub-sample of what began as 21 churches. Lots of great examples of church ‘culture’, leadership, programs and activities, and the dynamics of faith development.

Thursday 5 March, 10am-3pm

Glen Waverley Uniting Church, cnr Bogong Ave & Kingsway

Thursday 19 March, 10am-3pm

Centre for Theology & Ministry, 29 College Cres, Parkville

  • Stories from Uniting Churches across Australia
  • Insights from recent research
  • Congregational practices for growing disciples
  • Guides for intentional leadership of learning

Cost is $20 which covers lunch and morning tea.

Registration details will be available soon on our Presbytery website. In the meantime, download a flyer.

Download Forming_Disciples_PDF

Resources for Exploring Christian Faith

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Yesterday I led a workshop on preparing young people and adults for baptism and confirmation. Here’s a list of resources that may be helpful. It is important to say that learners vary considerably, from those who have no Christian background to those who have grown up in the church, from teenagers to older adults. You need to find resources that work for your setting.

Also, stay tuned for an announcement about the forthcoming “We are the Uniting Church: Our Faith” series of six vidoes plus discussion guide.

Belonging Kit by Cheryl Lawrie (editor)
Uniting Church Press, 1998
Available from Mediacom

This is a modular approach featuring twelve sessions and a flexible range of teaching a learning options – group discussion sessions, mentor sessions, teaching notes, action learning activities, Bible studies and journaling. The themes combine exploration of belief with exploring discipleship.

The kit may be photocopied for local use (ie. you only need to purchase one copy). Includes a double CD of music and stories.

Session titles: Belonging to God; Belonging to God’s People; Belonging to God’s World; Believing in God; Believing in Jesus Christ; Believing the Good News; Growing in Worship; Growing in the Spirit; Growing with Scripture; Sharing Our Gifts; Sharing Our Faith; Sharing Our World.Continue Reading

Worshipping, Believing, Living as Christians

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I’ve been visiting churches across our Presbytery, meeting the ministers and attending worship services. In my conversation with ministers, I have tried to ask “Apart from Sunday worship, what happens to help people grow in faith and discipleship?” Their responses have been varied and interesting. I’m learning a lot about the rich diversity of our congregations.

I’m going to continue blogging about ways to think about how we envision, plan for and resource lifelong faith development. Here is one way, based on the theological work of Geoffrey Wainwright, my systematic theology teacher at Duke University. In his landmark book Doxology, Wainwright talks about the dynamic relationship between Christian worship, Christian theology and Christian living.

According to Wainwright, worship, doctrine and life exist in a dynamic relationship with one another. His systematic theology gives both biblical and historical examples of how each of these have influenced each other across time and contexts. Liturgy, theology and ethics are inter-related.

Worship and Belief
Our experience of worship shapes our Christian beliefs
Our Christian beliefs shape our worship

Belief and Living
Our Christian beliefs shape our everyday lives
Our everyday experiences shape our Christian beliefs

Worship and Living
Our experience of worship shapes our everday lives
Our everyday lives shape our worship

For example
– how did the charismatic movement influence Christian worship?
– why did liberation theology arise in Latin America?
– how do beliefs about Creation shape our attitudes to the environment?
– how is the belief in the Trinity reflected in our worship?
– what happens in worship to gather up our daily concerns with God?
– when has the experience of worship significantly changed how you live?

These associations can be seen as having liturgical and theological dimensions, but also as having formational and educational dimensions. Our growth in faith and discipleship involves experience, exploration and integration of these three areas of being Christian. So, people’s learning in faith involves making conscious (and maybe also unconscious) connections between these three.

How and where are people helped to explore these connections outside of Sunday worship – individually, in small groups, with mentors, via print or media resources, opportunities for prayer and reflection, through spiritual disciplines?

Worship, beliefs and living come together in Christian faith practices, or practices of discipleship

  • Faith practices are expressions of our faith in daily living
  • Faith practices are the embodiment of out Christian beliefs and convictions
  • Faith practices express our daily worship of our Creator

So a focus on discipleship practices in the life of a Christian community – whether Bible study, generosity, prayer, seeking justice, hospitality or whatever – is an invitation to explore how worship, belief and life intersect in ways which embody our participation in the ongoing mission of Jesus Christ in the world. Formation and education in Christian faith in the context of a worshipping community involve intentional participation in learning through Christian practices as well as learning Christian beliefs. Both the being and the doing of discipleship are central to learning in the community of faith.

Photo: Springvale Uniting Church worship led by Rev Paul Dau