Growing Together in our Discipleship

Hopefully, you had an opportunity to check out last week’s Prime video (click the link to check it out) and began to think with me about what it means to be a disciple in the Methodist tradition. Thinking about discipleship is very important these days for the ways that we have exercised our relationship with the church, with God, and with the world have radically changed in light of a pandemic and both economic and political turmoil. The world we knew is no longer with us, and it’s during times like these when it is important to go back to the basics and think about how we are rooted in our faith in Jesus Christ.

As I mentioned this past Sunday, one of the ways that we grow in our discipleship is to gather together with others to support and hold one another accountable in our practices of faith. John Wesley’s ministry was focused on these “class meetings” in which people would gather together weekly and answer the question “How is it with your soul?” These were places where folks could share freely both their triumphs and failures in their faith journey and receive the affirmation and guidance of others who were likewise sharing from their hearts. These were (for the most part) safe spaces for folks to be vulnerable and to live into who God had created them to be.

It is my hope and prayer that we might begin to form similar groups at City Road Chapel in the near future. These groups would probably need to meet at the current time online, although they are small enough (no more than 8 persons) that in-person gatherings might be possible. The groups would meet for no more than 1 hour and the conversation will focus on the various practices we engage in to help us grow in our love of God and love of neighbor — practices we will be looking at together in our worship during the next few weeks.

I want to invite you to join me in being a part of this important ministry of connection and growth. If you would be interested and willing to join in a weekly gathering focused on growing in faith, I encourage you to complete the form below. To start off, I’m asking for a 12-week commitment with the option to continue on if you find this gathering helpful for you. I am also looking for folks who might participate in a group in order to be trained to lead other groups in the future.

If you have any questions about the City Road Discipleship Groups, feel free to email me at pastor@cityroadchapel.org or call me at (615) 868-1673.