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"When Jesus calls us to follow him, he is not looking for occasional use of our gifts . . . he wants our lives." With this bold challenge, Tom Sine calls on today's Christians to recapture the total commitment of first-century disciples who truly lived out their faith in answer to Christ's call. Such a radical biblical view of God's kingdom has implications touching every area of a Christian's life as well as a far-reaching effect on the larger mission of the church. Sine urges churches to set aside self-involved agendas to seek God's will in a world of exploding needs. They are encouraged to become agents of change in their communities, to improve the plight of needy __ persons with a "hand-up" rather than a handout. As individuals and study groups read how Christians have placed concern for God's kingdom above personal desires, they will be stimulated to think deeply about their responses to Christ's invitation - "Follow me."

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The growth of Christianity in recent decades has been remarkable, but has it been growth with depth? Are our communities of faith, our churches, creating and nurturing deeply committed followers of Jesus? This book was born out of the realization that churches throughout the world, despite their numerous evangelization and spiritual development activities, are struggling to produce true disciples of Jesus. How can we explain why so many of us in our churches are so unlike Jesus in the way we think and act? What can we change in our understanding and practices to facilitate life transformation and spiritual multiplication? And as Christians what are we called to do? In answering these questions the author proposes an alternative ecclesial and missional paradigm, that will enable us to better equip and mobilize believers in the mission that Christ gave to his disciples and gives to us all, to make disciples!

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This book demonstrates how and why biblical discipleship has been abandoned by a significant majority of Christian parents and church leaders. A catastrophic failure to fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples who can effectively pass on the Good News, sound doctrine, and a biblical worldview to future generations is the result. The adoption of secular philosophies of education, age segregation, the creation of adolescence, the formation of youth ministry, the adoption of a teen subculture, and a fundamental rejection of practical aspects of the doctrine of sola Scriptura are at the heart of the problem. Warnings from Christians who wrote on this topic over the past 150 years have now become a manifest reality with devastating results. The only way to overcome this discipleship cataclysm is to go back to a biblical philosophy of education both in the home and in the church.

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Defines the distinctive characteristics of true Christian discipleship derived from following the pattern of the life and death of Jesus Christ. This pattern consists of the three conditions of, in the author's words, 'self-denial, taking up the Cross, and following Jesus.' Concludes that spiritual discipline and the conditions for discipleship are one and the same reality. Co-published with the Episcopal Divinity School.

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In Liturgical Catechesis in the 21st Century: A School of Discipleship, Dr. James Pauley explores the sacred action most essential to forming genuine disciples: the transformative encounter with God in the liturgy.

Drawing upon important twentieth-century intellectual influences as well as the experience of several of today’s foremost catechetical leaders, this book will inspire readers with a promising new vision for sacramental preparation and mystagogical catechesis, one that places maximum emphasis on apprenticing people into an active and fruitful sacramental life in Christ. Dr. James Pauley stresses the importance of discipleship and apprenticeship, leading from the visible to the invisible realities of the divine encounter with God in the sacraments. The relationship of liturgy and catechesis is vitally important to full, conscious and active liturgical participation, and to the life of holiness and missionary responsiveness which depends upon liturgy as its source. This revised edition has been updated to reflect the 2020 Directory for Catechesis.

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The Bible is meant to be read in the church, by the church, as the church. Following the example of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Derek Taylor argues that we should regard the reading of Scripture as an inherently communal exercise of discipleship. In conversation with other theologians, Taylor shares how this approach to Scripture can engender a faithful hermeneutical community.

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Discipleship is the buzzword today. Many believers are contemplating in a fresh way what it means to take the Great Commission seriously. Rediscovering Discipleship takes the guesswork out of Christian maturity. Based on insights gained from a decade of personally making disciples, author and pastor Robby Gallaty tackles the two hindrances that keep believers from getting involved in making disciples: ignorance and uncertainty. Since many believers have never been personally disciple, they have no model to guide them in discipling others. Their ignorance of the process fuels their uncertainty, which leaves them crippled from the start. With simple principles that are easy to apply, Rediscovering Discipleship provides readers with the tools to follow the Great Commission—to go and actually make disciples who multiply and make disciples. Gallaty begins with a brief historical overview of the discipleship ministries of influential theologians, preachers, and pastors from years past, and then identifies roadblocks that hinder believers from becoming disciples before offering a step-by-step process for readers to immediately get started on the path to effective disciple making.

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Let Jesus, not the world, set the priorities of your heart in this Lenten season. Toward the Cross challenges each of us to answer the question that lies at the heart of discipleship, at the heart of our priorities: Is following Jesus the most important thing to you? Is it your priority? When you follow Jesus, how does it change the way you think, speak, and act? Jesus told would-be followers to count the cost. The chapters and daily readings in this book help you do that by developing a disciple’s perspective on yourself, others, and things. They encourage you to let go of the past, guilt, and things that weigh you down and cling tightly to Christ in genuine discipleship. This seven-week study guides you through Lent and Easter, helping you explore qualities and characteristics of Christian discipleship that lead you to claim Jesus as your highest priority. Each week includes a group session based on the traditional Gospel texts with supporting daily readings for Ash Wednesday through Easter Monday. Group Sessions have questions to spark discussion as you strengthen your commitment to making Jesus your priority during the Lenten season, Easter, and beyond.

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Many evangelical churches face the problem of the open "back door"--even as new people arrive, older members are leaving, looking for something else. Combined with this problem is the discipleship deficit, the difficult truth that most evangelicals are not reaching the unchurched at the rates they think they are. In fact, many of the metrics that we often "count" in the church to highlight success really don't tell us the full story of a church's spiritual state. Things like attendance, decisions, dollars, and experiences can tell us something about a church, but not everything. To cultivate a spiritually healthy church we need a shift in our metrics--a "grace-shift" that prioritizes the work of God in the lives of people over numbers and dollars. Are people growing in their esteem for Jesus? Is there a dogged devotion to the Bible as the ultimate authority for life? Is there a growing interest in theology and doctrine? A discernible spirit of repentance? And perhaps most importantly, is there evident love for God and for our neighbors in the congregation? Leading a church culture to shift from numerical success to the metrics of grace can be costly, but leaders who have conviction, courage, and commitment can lead while avoiding some of the landmines that often destroy churches. Wilson includes diagnostic questions that will help leaders measure--and lead team transparency in measuring as a group--the relative spiritual health of their church, as well as a practical prescriptive plan for implementing this metric-measuring strategy without becoming legalistic. Most attractional church models can lean heavily on making changes to the weekend worship gatherings. And while some of these changes can be good, thriving grace-focused churches are driven by a commitment to the gospel, allowing the gospel to inform and shape the worship service and the various ministries of the church.

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This book shows how every parish lay position has the potential for evangelization. This includes such unexpected volunteer roles as musicians and choir members, ushers and receptionists, youth workers, social activity planners, finance committee members, bereavement counselors, parish council administrators and so on.