Being a discipleship leader

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Leaders have a special responsibility to intentionally support people as they encounter God, and transform in God's love. The Methodist Church's guidance on being an inclusive church is useful to ensure we support all people.

You might play a role in supporting people to try new practices in the Methodist Way of Life journey, which will open up new possibilities for them.

Just as you meet God in other people, maybe someone will meet God in you.

“I felt like I had more important things to worry about… But that nudge wasn’t going away… It was the fact that somebody [a Superintendent Minister who I had just met] recognised the call that God had given me….”

The Methodist Church can’t exist without disciples.

That’s why discipleship is at the heart of the Calling of the Methodist Church.

While we all play a part in encouraging each other in our spiritual journeys, church leaders have a particular responsibility. This isn't just ministers, but anyone with a formal church role, including youth workers, small group leaders, stewards, and many more.

Leaders are travelling companions

They journeying alongside people on their transformational spiritual journey. Our series of starter guides are written by people in-role.

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Be a travelling companion

We are all on the journey together

Leaders have a special responsibility to intentionally support people as they encounter God, and transform in God's love. The Methodist Church's guidance on being an inclusive church is useful to ensure we support all people.

You might play a role in supporting people to try new practices in the Methodist Way of Life journey, which will open up new possibilities for them.

Just as you meet God in other people, maybe someone will meet God in you.

“I felt like I had more important things to worry about… But that nudge wasn’t going away… It was the fact that somebody [a Superintendent Minister who I had just met] recognised the call that God had given me….”

LINK TO MWOL

Leaders build infrastructure

A Methodist Way of Life offers 12 practices that help us to encounter God. We sometimes call them stations on the journey of a lifetime. Sometimes we need to help people navigate and explore a station fully.

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Build new infrastructure

A Methodist Way of Life expands the Methodist Church’s core Our Calling statement, and provides a rhythm to live life. There are 12 practices within the four areas of evangelism, learning and caring, worship and service that will help us mature as disciples, welcome others into the church community, and be part of a missional church together.

For further guidance, explore Four reasons why discipleship pathways are crucial for church growth.

We run events and webinars throughout the year for individuals and church leaders to explore what this means for them.

Do the people in our churches, circuits and communities have opportunities to visit all 12 stations?

Construction (and demolition)

If we desire for people to encounter God as they pray, or challenge injustice, or serve other people, it's our job to provide the infrastructure to encourage that to happen.

While this may mean starting new activities or groups, it's also about what’s already happening in your church. Give an existing activity more of an explicit spiritual edge, or recommend that people engage with activities in other Christian churches or organisations.

What construction work is needed so that all 12 stations can be open for travellers to encounter God?

We may need to pause construction on a station. Perhaps we’ve been rebuilding one over and over again, limiting our capacity to consider the other stations.

And maybe some things need demolishing so that there's enough energy for what is really needed, moving forwards.

An idea for your church

During a church meeting, service or small group, invite the church into a discussion about the stations they’d like to explore.

Use badges, postcards or the floor map as a visual aid, as well as our series of service outlines. Ask people whether they feel the church has the infrastructure to help them spiritually explore that station. And, if it doesn’t, think about what you could put in place. Consider how you will pray about these opportunities.

“At one of the General Church Meetings...We reflected together on the two or three stations which we felt were the church's 'home' stations - those things they felt they were 'good at' collectively as a church. Then we turned to the stations we felt we didn't travel to so intentionally, and I encouraged us to identify two as our focus for the forthcoming year...one person [suggested] the 'Flourish' station and drew together a small team. Another highlighted the 'Tell' station. So these areas will provide a focus for our energy, learning and time during the next year.”

[LINK TO PLANNING FOR GROWTH]

Leaders make easy entry points for newcomers

This journey isn't just for those already in our Christian communities. Leaders open up spiritual practices for new spiritual seekers, inviting them into community with God and with other disciples.

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Make easy entry points

Creating ways into the journey

The spiritual travellers we already have in our worshipping community are not our sole focus. We want our churches and activities to be open to all, so that all people might encounter God and be transformed.

People who aren't part of a church community will probably still be passionate about some of the practices of a Methodist Way of Life. They might see something spiritual about challenging injustice, caring for nature, or serving their neighbours.

Some people might join a New Place for New People. But all churches can invite newcomers and spiritual seekers to encounter Jesus and be transformed through the 12 practices of A Methodist Way of Life.

"We kick started the MWOL Discipleship Pathway in our Circuit with a Reimagining Discipleship day. The feedback told us that there was hunger for more exploration of the individual stations. So, the Transformational Leadership Team decided to build on the weakest stations but also offer some exploration on other stations too. We also ran a day course on how to welcome people, called ‘First Impressions count’.”

Finding God through art

"Frida fell in love with classical paintings of Biblical scenes, while studying art history at university. She wanted to explore the stories they depicted, so she started reading the Bible. She became a Christian and started attending a local church.”

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Frida’s entry point was noticing God in the world. She explored the commitment more deeply by noticing God in the Bible. This led her to ‘get on the train’ and start worshipping with others.

An idea for your church

Use the MWOL floor mat or stickers to think about whether your church or NPNP community’s practices are open or closed for new people.

Consider whether you provide easy entry points for new travellers, with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and how you welcome new travellers into your shared transformational journey.

[link to resources for evangelism]

Ideas to get started

Whether you're looking for the right resources for small groups, youth groups, Sundays or to support individuals to encounter God and build confidence in their faith, we've got what you're looking for.

Join us at events and webinars throughout the year to explore more discipleship, evangelism and mission practices.