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.”
Planning for growth
Growth planning helps churches, circuits and new Christian communities discern an action plan for spiritual, missional and numerical growth.
