Finding Faith - Diocese of Guildford

Discipleship Resources – Short Courses

INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS AND FOR PARISHES On discipleship courses and resources

1. Finding faith 2. Growing Faith 3. Sharing Faith 4. Leading Faith

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Discipleship Courses and Resources

Finding Faith page 3 Growing Faith page 9 Sharing Faith page22 Leading Faith page26 Please note: a. Web-links provided in this document were active at the time of printing / posting, but can change. Entering the course name or course provider into a search engine may provide an updated pathway if necessary. b. Many more learning resources are now to be found on-line, in the form of downloadable materials, interactive sites and offers of regular e-mailings. Exercise the usual caution about unknown providers if searching leads you to more ‘fringe’ resources. c. It is difficult to draw a line around ‘discipleship’ but courses and resources mentioned in this booklet have been selected on the grounds that their main focus is about growing in the Christian life. This inevitably shades into other topics such as Bible-reading, spirituality, community engagement etc. but such items have not been selected unless discipleship is a core element.

Discipleship Courses Review Websites: Finally, these ‘off the shelf’ courses and learning resources have not been independently reviewed. The information given is from descriptions given by the publisher (minus the hype) Please use the contact website given to check out further detail and your usual strategies to evaluate whether the resource will be of value to you. However, if you’d like to find reviews, there are now available two fledgling discipleship review websites. First of all, there’s the Church Pastoral Aid Society -sponsored website, DiscipleKit . It’s basically a ratings website and search-engine for anything calling itself a ‘discipleship course’.

Along similar lines is the site recently launched by St John's College, Durham, Discipleship Trove, coming out of the CODEC project for digital discipleship.

Sign up to either or both for regular email updates and reviews of the latest resources.

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1. Finding Faith

Alpha www.alpha.org The Alpha Course is described as ‘an opportunity to explore the meaning of life.’ Aimed at those enquiring about Christian faith and those wanting a refresher course, it tackles topics such as ‘Who is Jesus?’ and ‘Why and how do I pray?’ in a relaxed, non-threatening setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions. It is supplemented part-way through the course by a day or weekend away. Each session consists of a shared meal, a talk on one of the topics, followed by discussion in small groups. Widely used in the UK, and now in many other countries, Alpha is endorsed by all the major Christian denominations. There is a variety of resources available - DVDs, participant’s booklets, prayer ministry training, administrator’s handbook, etc. Visit the website to find a course happening near you, or to order materials to start one yourself, or to access latest developments such as ‘live-streaming’. Materials are now available in many languages. Visit the ‘Shop’ on site for a publications catalogue and a starter pack with customisable publicity material – see the new whizzy website and re-branded image. Alpha Express is a new abridged course, in which each talk lasts 20 minutes. Also available: Alpha in a Catholic context, Alpha for Forces, Alpha for Prisons, Alpha in the Workplace, Student Alpha, Youth Alpha, Senior Alpha and Alpha ESOL (English for speakers of other languages).

Christianity Explored www.christianityexplored.org With the tag line “One life, what’s it all about?”, Christianity Explored is a ten-week course based on Mark’s Gospel that explores who Jesus is, why he came and what it means to follow him. Described as ‘an informal course for people who’d like to investigate Christianity, or just brush up the basics’, it involves teaching input, Bible study and group discussion. Compared to Alpha, it is said that CE has greater emphasis on Bible exposition and less on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. But the format is similar, with an opening meal, a focus on small group work and a full day / weekend. Full resource materials available, including comprehensive teaching material on CD plus free downloads from CE website. Talks available on DVD. Produced in collaboration with publisher ‘thegoodbook.co.uk’ Visit website to find a course being offered near you, or announce where you are running one, or to order materials. New products include a youth edition ‘CY’ for ages 11-14; ‘Soul’ for older teens and young adults and a Prison edition.

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Emmaus www.e-mmaus.org.uk links to www.chpublishing.co.uk (put Emmaus in search box)

Emmaus is a full programme of resources for teaching Christian basics and developing the discipleship of more mature Christians. It consists of three series of short courses (usually 4-6 sessions each) for use in small groups. It provides material from contact and enquirers stage through to developing and growing in faith. The three series are: 1. Contact provides resources for making links with the local community and building relationships.

2. Nurture offers 15 sessions exploring the Christian faith, covering belief and living the Christian life. Its main themes are What Christians believe; How Christians grow; Living the Christian life. 3. Growth offers a further set of sessions in three themed books: Knowing God; Growing as a Christian; Christian lifestyle. Emmaus offers well-structured teaching / learning input, with emphasis on discovery as people journey together and features exercises, group activities, Bible studies and discussion. Group leaders should have facilitation skills. Good range of print materials - leader’s and session notes in A4 book format and on CD with permission to copy documents for course members.

Youth Emmaus www.e-mmaus.org.uk www.chpublishing.co.uk Designed to help those aged 11 to 16 to explore the basics of the Christian faith in a hands-on, interactive style.

Youth Emmaus 2 also for 11-16s, but to help integrate faith into life.

For example, includes ‘Big Issues’ and ‘Holy Spaces’.

Essence www.sharejesusinternational.com/resources-home A six session interactive programme to stimulate a deeper spiritual life, drawing from the teachings of Jesus and the Christian mystics. This evangelistic course explores contemporary spirituality, which looks towards a lifestyle integrating body, mind and spirit. It is aimed at people who recognise that they are on a spiritual journey, but have maybe not been involved with Christianity (yet). No longer available in hard copy (from its originators Kingsway and CPAS) but now downloadable (all text docs and sound files) from Share Jesus International site.

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Glad You Asked www.innovista.org/get-equipped This is an innovative course for seekers, with good apologetic content, based on international research on the questions people would ask ‘if they could ask God any question’, which yielded a common core of ten topics. It explores life’s big questions followed by an imaginative presentation of Jesus’ life. The style is contemporary and interactive, with bite-sized presentations on DVD and big open questions to be thrashed out in a small group. Resources include: ‘Glad you asked’ DVD, 3 leader’s guides, promotional DVD and offer of a reduction on trainer training. Single leader’s guide and DVD also available.

Journeys www.greatjourneys.org UK distributor: [email protected]

Journeys is a course from New Zealand, designed to introduce ‘spectators’ to the Christian faith, fronted by investigative TV journalist Rob Harley and run in more than 1000 New Zealand churches. It comprises a five-session DVD exploring the Christian faith through real people, amazing stories and changed lives. The course utilises a unique blend of stories of faith, told by ordinary people whose lives have been impacted by God, and powerful interviews about spiritual encounters showing how faith works in real life. Further DVD-based

resources now also available, see website. For example, ‘Mature Audiences only’ a two x DVD based programme on ‘difficult questions’; ‘Ordinary heroes’ featuring stories of faith and bravery; and ‘Life Stories’ with more people witnessing about life’s challenges from a faith perspective. All programmes have leaders’ and participants’ guides.

Life – the journey for new Christians www.cwr.org.uk/store/p-992-life-the-journey-for-new-christiansbrsmall-group-resource.aspx This DVD, booklet and notes package from CWR aims to help new Christians explore further the meaning and practical applications of their new way of life. Six 12 minute sessions explore various themes through interviews with well-known Christians (Relating to God; Getting into the Bible; Living in Christian Community; Spiritual Growth; Hard Times and Impacting the World). Use with a small group or in mentoring. Other related study material available.

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Lifelines www.kevinmayhew.com (put ‘Lifelines’ in search box) Lifelines is described as an accessible guide for use in Christian study groups, house groups and other small group settings and is intended for those interested in exploring, or new to, the Christian faith. It looks at some of the issues that concern everyone in a society where God has been marginalized or forgotten. See also ‘A Risk Worth Taking’, booklet-based study course from same publisher, exploring the fundamentals of faith by tackling challenging contemporary topics, such as violence, suffering and ‘luck’.

Living Well – contented human life in all its fullness www.kevinmayhew.com (put ‘Living Well’ in search box) Rather than teaching directly about the Christian faith, this 15-session course by Susan Sayers “explores what it looks and feels like to live God’s way” by affirming our human-ness in the context of God’s love. It could be an appropriate pre-Alpha or Emmaus opportunity, such as a community-based breakfast or lunch. Leader’s manual and CD of handouts available.

More to Life www.vizaviz.org www.mtlresources.org This evangelistic DVD-based resource from Vizaviz Ministries includes some powerful stories of personal change for showing (or giving) to seekers, to help them understand who Jesus is, how he can change their lives and enable them to come to know God personally. The full evangelistic More to Life programme includes a training video and manual for forming an outreach strategy. The DVD could be used as input into a local Christian enquirers’ group. See websites for a range of additional related material.

Now a Christian www.nowachristian.org This is a short email course from the Church Army, offering five weeks of daily emails that will help recipients to decide about the differences that having a Christian faith will make to life. Visit the website to sign up and to receive emails and the opportunity to listen to a podcast. On the fourth day of each week, there is a link to an interactive website where thoughts and stories can be shared with others, and other features / resources are downloadable. (Unsubscribe at any time!)

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Pilgrim You may be aware of the Pilgrim course, which is a major new Anglican initiative for discipleship. It builds on old models of training (‘catechesis’) from the early church, focussing on the beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer, among other things. You can access quite a lot free online but need to pay for the full resources. St Nicholas, Guildford have used the course to good effect.

Puzzling Questions www.puzzlingquestions.org.uk Puzzling Questions is a six-week course for enquirers to explore some of the deeper questions of life, such as: Who am I? What is God like? What happens after death? How can I be happy? Why is there suffering in the world? What is the spiritual realm and how does it impact my life? The visual and group materials enable discussion and sharing of participants’ own views and a structure for talking them through. Resources available include: Leader’s Guide; Delegate workbook; DVD with six whole session programmes; DVD with previews of all six, for choosing and planning what material to use; a book ‘How can I be happy and other conundrums’ for background reading; CD media pack to create a range of publicity documents.

Rejesus www.rejesus.co.uk This is a website with an increasing number of resources that can be used for self-programmed learning – visuals, soundtracks, comment, reading suggestions, reflection opportunities etc. There are multiple ‘modules’ or packages of material in four main categories: Story (Gospels); Lives (famous followers); Spirituality (prayer and inner life); Creativity (explorations of Jesus in art and film). START – introducing Christianity www.start-cpas.org.uk A six-session introduction to the Christian faith. Helps groups to: look at where they are going in life; ask questions about Christianity; discover the good news of Jesus; consider their response. START pack includes: DVD with clips for each session; advice for running the course, leader’s handbook including photocopiable resources; CD with e-versions of all documents and promotional material.

Table Talk www.theuglyducklingcompany.com/table-talk

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Presented in game format, Table Talk offers conversation starters and discussion topics for informal gatherings of non-Christians in non-church settings. Each version of the game contains six big questions for its intended audience, each of which has a postcard introduction for someone to read to get the conversation started. In addition there are 16 smaller conversational questions to facilitate the discussion, which are placed facing upwards on the table once the topic has been introduced. Games are for six to eight players – bigger groups (eg. in pubs) can be put into smaller sets. Any Christians present in the groups should not lead or attempt to give ‘right answers’ but may witness to their own experience in responding to the topics, as any other group member would. Boxes available: for Friends; Uni students, 16-18s; 14-16s; 12-14s, 10-11s; Messy Moments; for Blokes; Forces; Easter; Christmas; for Scotland and Wales.

The God Who is There www.resource-arm.net/pub.html Supplies from [email protected] A three-part discipleship course for new / un-churched believers, each of ten sessions, based on interactive discussions and exercises, with ‘creative homework’. Includes participants’ booklets and session summaries, based on the idea that discipleship is less about ‘what we know’ and more about ‘who we are becoming’.

Part one: Beyond Ourselves – what it means to develop a living relationship with God.

Part two: The New Community – part of being a group that relates and seeks God.

Part three: Shining Like Stars – being a Christian in day to day living. Visit www.resource-arm.net/pdf/godwhoisthereflyer.pdf for full course descriptions.

The Y Course www.ycourse.com The Y Course enables people to engage with the basics of the Christian faith, using a ‘supper, talk and small group’ format. It is geared to those who have no background in Christianity or are on the church fringes and describes itself as “cringe-free, totally relevant and cynic friendly”.

Resources include: DVD with 16 chat show style segments (six minutes each); course leader’s guide; small group leader’s guide with over 100 questions to stimulate discussion; ‘The Book of Y’ containing core content for the course. Visit website to order materials.

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2. Growing Faith

A Life Worth Living www.alpha.org (put A Life Worth Living in search box) A Life Worth Living is an official Alpha follow-up course of nine sessions aimed at those who are just starting out in the Christian life, but the course would benefit any small group. It covers how to live the Christian life positively, practically and joyfully, based on the letter to the Philippians. It follows the Alpha format of a meal, then a talk followed by discussion. Study manual, leader’s manual, participant’s (‘guest’) manual and DVD available.

A Passionate Life www.weare3dm-store.3dcartstores.com/Eight-LifeShapes-ebooks_p_44.html With the slogan “You’ve found your purpose, now discover your passion”, this range of resources includes an easy to read guidebook that proposes eight ‘shapes’ or models for key areas of discipleship. These form a framework for believers to understand their relationship to God, to each other, and to develop ‘a passionate life’ of faith. This approach has been developed into a training course. The key areas are: A circle of repentance and faith; A semi-circle of rest and work A triangle of relationships; A square of priorities A pentagon of ministry; A hexagon of prayer A heptagon of life; An octagon of peace Course resources available include 8-session DVD featuring 15 minute presentations; PowerPoint presentations for group leaders; leader’s and participant’s guides; a range of supporting resources such as books (including audio formats), devotionals and journals. Materials now available through the 3DM website.

Beta www.beta-course.org Beta is no relation to Alpha, but is often used as a follow-on course. Designed for Christians seeking to develop their faith, personal lives and church community, it is described as an holistic ten week course linking Christian faith with personal development and pastoral care. The course emphasises the need for healing and wholeness, both personally and in our relationships. Its strapline is ‘Being Christian, becoming whole, building community’.

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Course resources: Set of DVDs, course and participant’s booklets; facilitator’s training, administrator’s and facilitator’s manual. A five-week Lent course version is available for downloading from the website.

Christian Life & …... Resources for Small Groups www.lst.ac.uk/christian-life-and/christian-life-and Christian Life & is a series of DVD-based teaching resources designed for group study. They have been produced in association with the London School of Theology (LST), offering experienced-based teaching, a focus on issues for Christians today, and a vision and enthusiasm to understand and apply the Bible to life. Titles available: Christian Life & Why It Makes Sense: teaching and confidence to tackle some common objections to Christian faith. Christian Life & Children: our role as individuals and as a church family in the spiritual growth of children. Christian Life & Today’s World: help understand and engage. Christian Life & the Bible: what the Bible is and what it is supposed to do. Christian Life & Global Mission: how to make a difference in today’s world. Christian Life & Work the challenges of work, part of God’s plan. Each resource includes: leader’s guide and participant’s notes for each DVD, which cover five or six 2-hour sessions each. Sessions are in three parts, leading to Bible study, discussion and prayer. Each resource also has a London School of Theology open learning course associated with it, which supplements teaching and enables more in-depth study.

Connect for Life

The Connect4lLife initiative in its own words produces ‘inspirational materials for discipleship and outreach all based around the connection metaphor – ‘connection brings life’.

Contemporary Creed www.contemporarycreed.org.uk

Contemporary Creed aims to translate ancient beliefs into today’s language. It is written for those who, like the author, did not find it easy to believe and whose faith was married to doubt in the face of contemporary challenges. Described as a ‘novel and popular mini-course on modern Christianity’,

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Contemporary Creed offers an intelligent pathway through sixty ‘units’ relating to intellectual problems of traditional Christian beliefs. In clear English, without jargon, it nonetheless requires a basic familiarity with the Bible. See website for the creed itself, and for related material.

Covenant Discipleship Groups www.gbod.org/live-the-um-way/covenant-discipleship Covenant Discipleship Groups have been developed in the US by the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), an agency of the United Methodist Church. They aim to help established Christians grow in all areas of discipleship through a process of mutual accountability. Said to be ‘not another course’ but a way of life that promotes growth and development in the discipleship journey. Their group life focuses on four aspects of discipleship: devotion, worship, justice and compassion. See website for variety of learning resources and ideas about discipling through groups.

Disciple 1 – Becoming disciples through Bible study www.methodist.org.uk/disciple Disciple 1 claims it can help transform your church into a ‘biblically nourished congregation’. Designed to be offered to small groups over a year of (34) weekly meetings, the course material facilitates the study of the Bible, with a session structure that involves worship, presentation and activities. Bible reading required between sessions – over the year participants will study / read part of almost every book of the Bible, prompting them along the way to consider their journey of Christian discipleship. Information leaflet and training for group leaders available, along with leader’s manual, study manual and DVD.

Discipleship Explored www.ceministries.org (go to ‘Courses’) www.thegoodbook.co.uk Discipleship Explored, the official follow-on from ‘Christianity Explored’, is an eight-session course based on the book of Philippians. It is designed to help new Christians to become grounded in the faith and as a refresher for more established Christians. It follows the same format as Christianity Explored, with study, talk and discussion. For new Christians, Discipleship Explored would make a helpful way in to regular Bible study. Users’ and leaders’ guides and DVD available.

See also the forthcoming Life Explored course.

http://www.thegoodbook.com/outreach/life-explored/

Emmaus www.chpublishing.co.uk/category/christian-books/the-emmaus-course-1509

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Three series of short courses cover contact (outreach), nurture and growth. For Stage 1: Contact, see page 3-4. Stage 2: Nurture offers 15 sessions exploring the Christian faith, spread over three course books: What Christians Believe; How Christians Grow; Living the Christian Life. Stage 3: Growth, also in three well-produced A4 books, including a

comprehensive range of sessions in each volume: Knowing God; Growing as a Christian; Christian Lifestyle. Books include leaders’ notes, session handouts and CD-Rom containing handouts, liturgical material, worship resources and PowerPoint presentations. Emmaus provides well-structured teaching / learning input with an emphasis on journeying together and would be ideally presented by leaders with good facilitation skills. See also Leading an Emmaus Group, page 26.

Youth Emmaus 2 www.chpublishing.co.uk/category/christian-books/the-emmaus-course-1509 This is a fourteen-session interactive discipleship course for young people, designed to help 11 to16 year olds integrate their faith into life and to equip them as worshippers and disciples.

Facing the Challenge of our Times www.facingthechallenge.org/courses.php

This is a downloadable course of six sessions to help churches, Christian groups or individuals to engage with the ‘challenges of our times’. Download from site or purchase on CD, the sessions cover: Inclusion; hostility; other faiths; and TV.

Follow Me on Monday www.aftersunday.org.uk/main-resources This short, five-session course was developed to encourage Christians to explore their discipleship in daily life and work. Designed for small groups (6-10), the sessions last 90 minutes and all the materials you need are free to download from the After Sunday website. Resources include booklets for facilitators and course members, background and further reading and other support materials (eg. overview and session summaries, publicity leaflet). Topics include: calling; getting beyond the sacred-secular divide; collaborating with God; reflecting and engaging; being part of the ‘dispersed’ church. Further website resources on forming and running small groups and facilitation skills.

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Foundations21 www.foundations21.org.uk Foundations21 is a major online discipleship programme from the Bible Reading Fellowship. Its modular programme is designed for individual study, with elements of interactivity with others, or for group use. It is aimed at those who wish to learn in their own time, prefer a multi-media environment and are comfortable with virtual contact and conversations. Another unusual element is the option to explore the programme through four different learning styles (based on the ‘characters’ of the four gospels). The programme enables users to pursue what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and discover their own personal direction in Christian service. For new and experienced Christians, the emphasis is on the spiritual journey and a chance to mature, through a combination of personal learning and interaction with others. See website for suggestions on using the resources and the site itself, and how to run Foundations21 with a group. Also see site to sign up to be a registered user (free of charge).

Freedom in Christ www.ficm.org.uk/discipleship The 13-week Freedom in Christ Discipleship course designed to help Christians understand the truth of who they are in Christ, resolve personal and spiritual conflicts and become a fruitful disciple. With an optional introductory session for use with those with little or no Christian background before coming to faith, the course goes on to cover: key truths; barriers to truth; resolving the past; moving on to fruitfulness. There is an individual focus, emphasising personal responsibility and right choices. Described as a way for ‘any church to implement effective discipleship’, the range of resources includes leader’s and participant’s workbooks; course teaching available on CD and on DVD. See the website for case studies from churches which have used the material and other promotional items, including a sampler DVD. Further programmes from FIC include ‘Help them become Fruitful Disciples’ and ‘The Grace Course’. See also their new course Disciple for reaching 18-35 year olds.

Fruitfulness on the Frontline The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity has worked hard to move the language of discipleship and

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vocation away from Sundays-only to 24/7, with the inspired language of the 'frontline' of daily life. Their courses, Life on the Frontline and Fruitfulness on the Frontline, created ‘for disciples who want to make a difference where they are, day by day’ are tried and tested locally. These DVD-based courses offer a fresh, simple framework for identifying a rich variety of ways in which God may work in us and through us, wherever we are. Each session includes a film (8-13 minutes), a bible study, discussion questions and a take-away action to help connect each theme to participants’ ‘frontlines’. Although designed to run for 75 minutes each, the sessions can be adapted to your context. The accompanying discussion guides are available free online. The workplace is for many where daily discipleship happens. How can we do good work? How can we influence workplace culture? The London Institute’s new resource Transforming Work seeks to address questions such as these, offering: ‘an innovative, liberating resource for Christians in the workplace - whether you've been working for one year or forty years’. This reflective programme involves 8 sessions spread over a year, with an app participants can access between sessions. You could ask St Paul’s Howell Hill or Christ Church, Guildford what difference it has made.

h+ www.hplus.org.uk h+ Making Good Sense of the Bible is Bible Society’s new ten session programme to help you or your group interpret the Scriptures. Incorporating discipleship material, practical exercises, expert advice, facilitator input and audiovisual features, the h+ course will help you grow in understanding and experience of how people interpret the Bible; understand the different ways that the biblical text can be approached; harness these approaches and thereby grow in Bible confidence. Course leaders’ training day available, see website. (NB the h refers to hermeneutics.)

If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat www.zondervan.com (put ‘If you want to walk on water’ into search box) This is a six session study course based on the book of the same title by John Ortberg. It is described as a resource for a ‘journey on learning to trust God.’ Relating the story in Matthew 14 to life today, the course aims to help participants “discover how to discern God’s call, transcend fear, risk faith, manage failure and trust God”. Sessions include DVD clips, Bible study and

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group discussions. The range of materials available (the ‘curriculum kit’) includes participant’s guide, leader’s notes, DVD and a hardback book.

Landings www.landingsUK.org.uk Developed by the Paulist Fathers in the USA, Landings is currently used in several Roman Catholic dioceses in the UK. Described as a "ministry of compassion and listening" it allows people who have been away from regular worship to tell their stories and share their experiences within a small friendly group. Lay-led (apart from the sacramental ministry at the final retreat day that follows the 8 weekly meetings), it is highly structured yet gentle, focusing on faith sharing and prayer. Landings is a dedicated programme for welcoming Catholics back to the Church, although with a few slight modifications it has been successfully used in other contexts too. Not available to buy ‘off the shelf'; see website for opportunities to attend workshops. Also for Roman Catholics are

Evangelium http://www.evangelium.co.uk/courses/ , a multi-media parish

course for adults based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church

And Catholic Faith Exploration (CaFE) at www.faithcafe.org for twenty

or so courses for formation and evangelisation. Designed for parish groups and sacramental preparation, these modules are in DVD format for the input (approximately 30-40 minutes) which includes talks, mime, music, testimony and time to reflect. Leaders’ guides, participant booklets and sample publicity material are also available. Also Youth Café, see website.

Learning to Live www.navigators.co.uk/learning-to-live A series from the Navigators exploring basic ideas of what it means to be a Christian. Originally published as books, there are now six titles available as free downloads from their website:

Book 1 Clarifying your Commitment

Book 2 Guidelines for Growth

Book 3 Considering the commandments

Book 4 Developing in Discipleship

Book 5 Playing your Part

Book 6 Moving towards Maturity The materials are designed for groups committed to at least one hour of preparation before the discussion; they can also be used for personal study.

Living Faith:

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Exploring the Essentials of Christianity www.spckpublishing.co.uk/shop/living-faith-study-guide Written by Rt Revd Tom Wright, Living Faith is a 10-session DVD-based course which explores the essential truths of the Christian faith - for new Christians and those looking for a better understanding of the basics of the faith. DVDs include teaching input (over 5 hours in total) from Tom Wright and a short discussion with an expert group, for each of the ten topics. A study guide gives more background and biblical material and discussion topics. Brief leader’s guide and (free) sample introductory DVD also available.

Living your Faith www.cofeguildford.org.uk/diocesan-life/living-your-faith/ Living your Faith was created by Guildford Diocese in 2012 for parishes, to help people develop their Christian faith as ‘whole life’ disciples. Four modules of five sessions lasting two hours each can be programmed flexibly. Modules can be run in any order, though starting with Module 1 is probably a good way to get a group to gel. Any module would also make a good stand-alone course – during Lent or Advent, for example.

Module 1: Journey of Faith – where are you on the journey? Faith development and life-stages; connecting with others; developing discipleship and a sense of life’s mission.

Module 2: Roots of Faith – approaches to studying and interpreting the Bible; encountering Jesus in and exploring the authority of scripture and its relationship with Christian living today.

Module 3: Community of Faith – exploring the growth and nature of the Church as the local and worldwide worshipping community, commissioned by God to serve the world.

Module 4: Today’s Faith – understanding how to live as Christian disciples in a fast-changing world; responding to people of other faiths and none; expressing and sharing faith at home, at work, in the community and across the whole of life.

All materials for leaders and participants for all four modules are available on the Diocesan website. There are also printed booklets containing participant’s material for each module (Modules 1 & 2 available to date, e-mail [email protected] to order). Additional leader’s notes and material on running, publicising and evaluating groups are also available on the webpage.

lyfe www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/lyfe

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lyfe is an online resource-led learning programme for groups or individuals, modelled on six aspects of Jesus’ ministry, which makes an excellent base for material for would-be disciples. In each of the six ‘zones’ there are six sessions to follow. Downloadable resources for each are in the form of stories, prayers, input from Christian leaders and video clips. Sessions follow a suggested sequence of ‘read, reflect, respond’ but pathways through the material are very much up to the user(s). Registration as a user required, but there are no charges. The six zones are: Still lyfe (prayer); Real lyfe (holiness); Spirit lyfe (spirit-filled); Word lyfe (scripture); Just lyfe (justice, peace, wholeness); Whole lyfe (everyday faith). Visit the website for news of additional resources and events and to sign up for an e-newsletter ‘lyfelines’.

Moving On! www.movingoncourse.org.uk Moving On is a follow-on from the Start course and explores Christian discipleship in seven small group sessions. The aim is to encourage ‘24/7 discipleship’ committed to living rather than spectating a Christian life. DVD presentations and group exercises cover topics related to Church, Bible and faith in daily living, including Christian character, giving and lifestyle. Leader’s guide and photocopiable participant’s material available.

Network Course www.willowcreek.org.uk/resources.php?r=10 www.zondervan.com/network-kit.html Described as a course for discovering spiritual gifts and empowering people for ministry (in the broadest sense), the Network course has recently been updated, in partnership with the Willow Creek Association. The aim is to help participants develop a better understanding of their gifting and of God’s will and calling for them, and thus develop the discipleship roles that best reflects who they are. The ‘curriculum kit’ comprises: Leader’s guide; participant’s guide; DVD with drama vignettes; CD-ROM with further resources and Power Point documents. The six sessions can be presented in various formats (suggested as 3 x 2 hours; 6 x 45 minutes; day retreats).

Play your Part www.gartreemp.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/play-your-part.html Play your Part is a six-session resource, written by a team at Liverpool University, to help Christians explore how to live out their faith in the whole of life. It offers creative perspectives to reflect on key questions:

Why am I here?

What has God created for me?

What does this mean for me as a Christian today?

How can I become more Christ-like in all that I am and do?

A flexible resource that can be used by individuals or small groups to

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discover more about each person’s unique role and potential as a follower of Christ. Hosted on the Gartree Mission Partnership site. For more details, contact Sally Beyer [email protected]

(The) Possible World Course www.cms-uk.org/Resources/ Subtitled ‘Practical ways to join in Jesus’ mission’, this discipleship course from CMS is about Christian living in the world and how we can join in with what God is doing. It aims to offer small groups a real challenge, hope for their communities and a sense of what could be done regarding vital issues that concern us all. Seven sessions cover the prophetic; hospitality; consumerism; the environment; suffering; injustice; practical responses. The good, modern feel of the materials would be attractive to Christians who are already well involved in living out their faith, but also to other more marginal ones who are searching for an authentic exploration of options. Resources available: DVD of interviews with people trying to embody Jesus’ mission in their lives; course guide for group facilitators; participants’ material for each session; promotional material including film trailer.

The Prayer Course

The Prayer Course is a free resource (connected to Holy Trinity, Brompton) with video-talks all posted free online. Caroline Lazenby from St John’s, North Holmwood writes: 'Prayer is the simple, honest way of talking to God and yet can be the hardest thing to do. We sometimes think we don’t pray in the right way, at the right time, or not enough. We decided to follow the ‘Prayer Course’ so that our House Group could engage weekly with the online videos and discussion topics to learn more about different aspects of prayer and to see if we could be more confident in praying as a result. No holds were barred! We talked openly and simply and sometimes for a long time, way over our usual time for closing the meetings. We prayed a lot, sometimes following liturgy but mostly from the depths of our hearts, and especially during Lent, we deepened our relationships with God as a result and really learnt the value of prayer. We now regularly have morning and evening prayer groups'.

Purpose Driven Discipleship www.purposedriven.co.uk Developing on from the original Rick Warren ‘Purpose Driven Life’ materials, Purpose Driven UK now offers a range of courses and small group resources, which all feature a combination of DVDs, books, leader’s and participant’s materials.

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Foundations is a resource for teaching the essential doctrines of Christian faith, providing the theological basis for living a purpose-driven life. The Purpose Driven Life offers 40 sessions over five ‘volumes’ each containing seven ‘lessons’ and one further volume containing five. These are based on the chapters of the original book, written for Churches to study over the 40 days of Lent. Other group study courses include: Discovering Spiritual Maturity; Discovering my Life Mission; Living a Blessed Life; The Good Life; Living Beyond Yourself; Developing a Faith that Works. See website for further information.

SEAN (Study by Extension for All Nations) www.sean.uk.net A range of courses available for new and more mature Christians to enable ongoing discipleship. e.g. Life to the full - 18 sessions to help new Christians think through the basics of living out their faith as new believers, and Bible Matters – 10 sessions to familiarise growing Christians with the Bible. Described as ‘ideal for post-Alpha.’

TLS Lite (Training for Living and Serving) www.urc.org.uk (follow links to course via Discipleship) LITE stands for Local Introductory Training Experiences, and were designed by the United Reformed Church. The LITE course includes units designed for home study containing up to three exercises as preparation for study group meetings. These are sessions of two hours in a local group with a tutor, involving further work on the study units. Additionally, study days concentrate on practical work and discussion in a larger forum. The courses offer participants a chance to complete a self appraisal and some assessed work.

St Paul’s Theological Centre http://sptc.htb.org.uk/dvd-resources Theological education style sessions (one hour each) now available in sets on DVD: Faith track – introduction to systematic theology Bible track – introduction to the Bible Life track – introduction to Christian living Box sets of sessions by leading theologians, with leader’s guide, talk outlines, small group questions and full instructions for group presentation. User name and password provided for purchasers, for further online support and resources. Sales via www.alphashop.org

The Life You’ve Always Wanted www.zondervan.com (put ‘The life you’ve always wanted’ into search box)

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A six-session study course by John Ortberg, this resource aims at guiding participants ‘down the ancient path of the spiritual disciplines.’ It looks at how we may grow in discipleship through integrating the spiritual disciplines into our lives. Sessions include DVD clips, Bible study and group discussions. Participant’s guide, leader’s notes, DVD available.

The Journey to Wisdom www.scriptureunion.org.uk/Shop/Churchandministry/Smallgroupmaterial/1001.id The Journey to Wisdom is a six session course exploring what it means to ‘live wisely’. It covers learning and growing; making choices; relationships. It is interactive in style, featuring questions, exercises and discussion arising from biblical passages.

The Me I Want to Be www.zondervan.com (put ‘The me I want to be’ into the search box A further DVD-based course from the Ortberg/Zondervan stable: five sessions on spiritual growth with the theme of becoming ‘God’s best version of you’ as the ‘greatest task of your life’. Sessions include: Discovering the Spirit; Renewing my mind; Redeeming my time; Deepening my relationships; Transforming my experience. Resources: DVD and participant guide.

The TIDE (Training in Discipleship and Evangelism) Course www.firelighters.org.uk/tide.resources.htm The TIDE course consists of a 58 page manual and six recorded talks on DVD or as downloads. The manual is not designed to be used without the recorded talks. The course has 12 topics with further suggestions after each topic, so that it can span anything from 12 weeks to 12 months of study. Stressing the cost as well as the blessings of following Jesus it describes itself as a course in 'radical discipleship' and is not for someone who has not yet decided to follow Jesus. It stresses the need to trust and obey him from the very beginning of the first session, which assumes some familiarity with who he is. A local Guildford reviewer said “It is the most radically countercultural discipleship course (for Western Christians) that I have yet seen, raising some uncomfortable questions in a potentially very creative way. Not an easy ride but a worthwhile one.”

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Thinking Biblically About

Against the backdrop of significant recent events, it's important to ask how we can live out our faith in the public square . The Jubilee Centre in Cambridge has just published some excellent bite-size booklets on issues facing us today. The Thinking Biblically About series deals with topics as wide-ranging as 'Surveillance', 'Immigration', 'Poverty', 'Debt and Interest' and 'The Environment'. They are free and downloadable online - and make for excellent handouts for a small group wrestling with the challenges of public discipleship.

Workshop – ‘because faith is a journey’ www.workshop.org.uk/programme Six main themes offered in 12 weekend courses in regional venues, running over a two-year cycle (join at any stage). Provides a ‘Jesus-centred learning experience to encourage and inspire your spiritual journey’. Tackling current questions, hard issues and practical responses such as the credibility of belief, radical community life, lifestyle, creativity and taking action. Some examples of modules: Spirituality; Re-imagining Hope; Peace and Power; Mission and Compassion; One world, many Faiths; Living Community; Body and Soul; Creativity and Life; Stories and Letters; Scrolls and Parchments; Credible or Incredible; Quest and Questions; Salvation Landscape.

YORK courses www.yorkcourses.co.uk Long-running series of short courses, traditionally associated with Lent, but can be used at any season. Basic format includes recorded input from range of prominent Christian leaders on DVD with accompanying booklet providing questions and suggestions for groups. Large range of titles and topics; see website.

Your Shape for God’s Service Email: [email protected] Your Shape for God’s Service is designed to be appropriate for all kinds of churches, including small ones whose members are not confident about “having anything spiritual to offer”. The materials for six sessions are offered in a simple and flexible form on a re-writeable computer disk so that it can be tailored to suit the context. There are no copyright restrictions and materials give full instructions for group leaders. Your Shape can be used with a small group such as an existing home group or as a slightly extended Advent or Lent course.

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3. Sharing Faith

Becoming a Contagious Christian www.willowcreek.org.uk/resource.php?r=3 www.contagiouschristian.com Becoming a Contagious Christian is a six session course to equip Christians for effective relational evangelism in today's world. It avoids stereotyped approaches that feel intimidating to many Christians. It shows ordinary believers how they can share the gospel in a natural and powerful way while being the person God made them to be. Each session's exercises, discussions, self-assessments and video vignettes give step-by-step guidance to become effective communicators for Christ to those around us. The aim of the course is described as being to enable Christians to:

Demonstrate a contagious Christian character

Build spiritually strategic relationships

Direct conversations toward matters of faith

Communicate their faith in a natural style

Explain biblical truths in everyday language

Respond to the most common objections to Christianity

Resources include two DVDs (180 minutes each); leader’s and participant’s guides; CD-ROMs of promotional material and Power Point presentations; course book ‘Becoming a Contagious Christian’.

Blowing Your Cover www.blowingyourcover.com

Blowing Your Cover aims to equip and release Christians to confidently share their faith and impact their community in a way that fits their character and personality. It encourages people to live their Christian lives to the full (‘Live it’) and demonstrate through words and action the difference Christ has made to their lives (‘Share it’).

Course resources include workbooks; leader’s guide; training DVD, media pack DVD including 21 short video clips. Information pack with sample materials available.

Connect 4 Life www.connect4life.org.uk

The aim of ‘Connect4Life’ is to inspire confidence in church members reaching out to the lost with simple tools (but not simplistic answers). Recognising that many Christians want to reach out to their friends but are then at a loss to explain clearly or answer tricky questions, this suite of courses aims to provide a

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solution. It is designed to bridge the gap before Alpha, Christianity Explored or other seekers’ courses.

Separate but related courses, resources and events are aimed at leaders, church members, disillusioned or lapsed church members, returning church members and the totally unconnected with the church. The materials for the ‘disconnected’ are likely to be particularly helpful for those who have previously been hurt by the church, and could make a very useful prelude to, or follow up from ‘Back to Church Sunday’. Together these resources add up to a flexible and practical strategy for reaching out to people in all kinds of situations and distances from the church.

Everybody Welcome

www.everybodywelcome.org.uk

How many people ‘try out’ your church each year and do they feel welcome enough to come back? What if 10, 25 or even 50% became members of your congregation? Everybody Welcome aims to transform your church by reviewing your attitude to newcomers, learning new approaches and areas for improvement and change: “the course where everybody helps grow the church”. Resources include leaders’ manual, participants’ manual, DVD and access to website for additional resources.

Friends for Life www.greatjourneys.org Friends for Life is a four-week DVD-based course to help churches ‘release their evangelisation potential’ and offers ‘powerful techniques to reach the un-churched’. Resources include leaders’ and participants’ guides; an instructional DVD for leaders; a promotional video (see website).

Hope The Heartbeat of Mission http://www.hopetogether.org.uk/

This comprehensive handbook on mission and evangelism provides a complete guide to local outreach based on ‘Hope’s’ values of • demonstrating God’s love as churches work together, meeting community needs • continuing to love and serve people whatever they choose to believe • inviting people into a spiritual journey sharing the gospel in culturally relevant ways • giving people opportunities to respond to the gospel and connecting them to church.

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A series of helpful and stimulating articles, some more theological and some more practical look at the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of mission and evangelism. Among a wide spectrum of contributors are Paula Gooder, Graham Cray, Christopher Jamieson, Mark Greene and Rowan Williams. The second two thirds of the book follows the church year with a series of ideas, resources and suggestions for all kinds of ways for reaching out in a spirit of service to the surrounding community. Do you want to run a community festival, start a debt counselling service, run a seekers group, support your community in the workplace, campaign on human trafficking (or any one of scores of other ideas)? This book is packed with good ideas, suggestions and places to find further support.

Inside Out www.eauk.org/church/resources/inside-out.cfm Inside Out is an interactive DVD and web based course including biblical teaching, local church stories, discussion and activities. The six sessions will enable you and your church to rethink the meaning of mission in every area of life together; take a fresh look at integrating words and actions to help bring change to your community; help build a church committed and equipped to take action.

Lost for Words www.cpas.org.uk/shop/category/20

The aim of Lost for Words is to help ordinary Christians speak about their faith in the course of everyday life in a relaxed, natural and helpful way, so others may discover and respond to God’s love. The resource consists of three separate courses, (as below), with leader's notes, a CD-ROM with PowerPoint presentations, handouts, activities and publicity material.

The Children’s course consists of 3 creative sessions using a variety of media. The sessions explore the story of what God is doing in his world and how children can play their part. Age range: 5-11 Length: 60 minutes per session.

The Youth course consists of 6 sessions packed with activities for young people to explore what their faith means to them and how they share it with their peers. Age range: 12-18 Length: 90 minutes per session.

The Adult course has 6 interactive sessions and has been used effectively throughout the UK across the spectrum of church traditions. Age range: 18+ Length: 120 minutes per session.

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Mind the Gap www.agape.org.uk/resources http://shop.agape.org.uk/mindthegap.html This envisioning and training course addresses the issue of the ‘gap’ between church culture and a society in which there is a great spiritual hunger. There are six workshops to help participants understand better the context in which their church is set, to consider what method of evangelism would work best; and to shape an effective evangelism plan. Each video-based workshop is presented on two DVDs with supporting materials on CD for printing off leaders’ and participants’ notes. Sessions last 90 minutes, including 5x 5minute video clips, practical exercises and guided evaluations of your own situation. There is also a promotional DVD and sample publicity material.

More to Life www.vizaviz.org (follow links via Ministry; Reaching Adults)

See also More to Life ‘Engaging through Story’ kit, for “empowering believers to reach people who are far from God but close to them”. See page 6.

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4. Leading Faith Arrow Leadership Programme www.cpas.org.uk/events-and-programmes/equipping-leaders/arrow-leadership-programme The Arrow Leadership programme is available through CPAS, to whom application should be made. Church endorsement is advised, as cost is significant and the course extends over 18 months; it aims to cover character and calling as well as skills. Teaching and learning is delivered over four residential sessions, via mentors, in ‘peer cells’ and through projects. Additional personal study time of at least 3 hours per week should be allowed for. Visit website for more details, such as curriculum outline.

Building a Discipleship Culture www.weare3dm.com/store Leaders’ guide and participants’ guide available.

Christian Life & … Resources for Small Groups www.christianlifeand.com See Page 10

Christian Vision for Men – Code Life

CVM an interesting resource, Codelife which calls for courageous leadership. Some have had success passing this on to men with military connections.

Exploring Faith Matters (Previously ‘Education for Ministry’) www.efmuk.org.uk

EFM is an ecumenical part-time programme for lay ministerial development, for established Christians to develop their understanding of the Bible, Church History and Doctrine. Study in small groups over 4 years, or take specific years separately. External academic validation is from Chester University. Also a 3-day residential training event for those seeking to lead / mentor an EFM group.

Emmaus - Leading an Emmaus Group www.chpublishing.co.uk/category/christian-books/the-emmaus-course-1509

A resource to help set up and run a small group. Although specifically geared towards use with the Emmaus courses, it provides a wealth of practical advice on running any small group in the local church. Laying a biblical framework for group leadership, it includes information and advice on the following issues:

the role of the leader in the group

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making newcomers to the group feel welcome

how to prepare for each session

leading Nurture and Growth groups

how to use shared meals and retreats to help a group grow

Growing Leaders www.cpas.org.uk/church-resources/growing-leaders-suite Growing Leaders is a practical resource from CPAS for developing leaders from within a church community and requires a whole church commitment. Over a year, its unique mix of teaching, mentoring and practical application focuses on:

leadership rooted in Christ

deepening commitment to long-term service

essential skills for the task.

The Growing Leaders pack includes:

leader’s notes and resources

photocopiable handouts

the Growing Leaders paperback

CD-ROM with PowerPoint presentations, brief training videos, additional handouts, resources and software.

Emly Deanery have used the materials to good effect and Rural Dean Philip Plyming notes, ‘Growing Leaders has been the most significant thing we have done as a church to develop lay leadership, with over a hundred people benefiting. The mentoring process has been key to their experience. We have recently completed our first Deanery Growing Leaders course with 26 people from across 6 churches. The feedback has been excellent, and it is clear that the course works for people from all different traditions. Indeed, some of the most positive feedback has come from people outside the evangelical tradition.’

Imagine how we can reach the UK www.licc.org.uk/imagine/home This 50 minute film explores the main reasons for the church’s difficulties in envisioning, equipping, resourcing and supporting Christians for today’s world and proposes a simple but radical way forward, focusing on two great biblical truths – the concern of the Creator-redeemer God for every aspect of our lives and Jesus’ mandate to make disciples not converts. The DVD comes with extra resources making it highly flexible for use in one, two or three session formats in small groups, cells, leadership teams or churches. Other related course materials and resources; see website.

Mentoring Matters

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www.cpas.org.uk/church-resources/mentoring-matters/ Sharpen discipleship and leadership in your church with this easy-to-use pack which has everything you need to start a church-based mentoring network: identifying, equipping and resourcing mentors. Part 1 - Getting started: A guide on how to set up a church-based mentoring scheme, and three introductory guides on mentoring (one for church leaders, one for potential mentors, one for potential mentees). Part 2 - Training process: Material for eight mentor training sessions over a year, including leaders' guide, handouts and PowerPoint presentations. Part 3 – Resources: Book recommendations, articles, website links, mentor e-bulletins and publicity material.

The OCCA Business Programme www.theocca.org/business-programme The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) Business Programme will equip you to live out your Christian life in a credible, culturally-engaging and relevant way. Designed for senior business people and professionals with over ten years’ experience, this programme will re-invigorate you to serve God in your work environment. Annually, see website for details and dates. This five-week intensive programme seeks to invest in up to 12 people, and includes a mix of lectures, discussion groups and one-on-one vocational meetings, as well as giving key times for spiritual reflection in small groups. The Biblical mandate for apologetics, the relationship between science and religion, competing worldviews, morality and ethics, and much more are all brought together in this holistic programme. For the final week, students will attend the RZIM Summer School held at The Queen’s College, Oxford, where they will be joined by more than 100 international delegates for a week of teaching on a particular theme. Further details of this week can be found on the RZIM website at www.rzim.eu

Toolbox www.licc.org.uk/engaging-with-culture/licc-toolbox Toolbox is an integrated, interactive programme designed to help develop:

a robust Biblical method for interpreting the Bible and applying it to contemporary life

skills in reading contemporary culture through a biblical lens

application of contemporary issues and to your own life context

vision for whole-life Christianity and understanding the impact of the sacred-secular divide on Christian mission and living.

Runs twice a year (for five days in June & September) in London; see website for dates.

See also: Executive Toolbox

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http://www.licc.org.uk/work-forum/events-courses/executivetoolbox/

Designed as three separate 24-hour training seminars across six months, for Christians in mid to senior level positions of influence, Executive Toolbox is structured to help you have a significant impact on the way you work, the people you work with and the organisation you work in. Meet with a cohort of about 30 people and an experienced training team to help you grow in your discipleship. Modules run from 6pm until 6pm the next day (but not all through the night!), usually in January, March and June. See website for more details and dates.

Revised and updated Matt Prior September 2016