- What is discipleship
Disciple is a word that means to follow after or learn from someone. Just as there are people who spend years learning a specific trade or skill, we are following and learning in the same way to Jesus. To be a disciple then is to be someone who isn’t just interested in Jesus, but is committed to learning to live our life the way he did. His rhythms, his routines, his practices, slowly become ours too. This is our goal, that as we continue to follow Jesus we will live our life more and more like he did.
Our journey of discipleship is never done. This lifelong journey will have twists and turns, easy parts and difficult parts. But in each moment and season, the invitation is to continue to following after Jesus, committing to living a life that best reflects him, our master and teacher.
- What is a “discipleship pathway?”
If you’ve ever gotten lost while on a hike or in your car you know the fear of not knowing where you are. Instead of enjoying the moment, we can find ourselves frantically trying to have some understanding of where we are, and where we need to be going. Our journey of discipleship – the process of us looking more and more like Jesus – can be the same way. We know the goal is to look more like Christ, we want it to be true, but so often we don’t know how to go about it. The discipleship pathway is our structure and guide. Our way of helping us as a community understand how God is using this church to help us look more like him.
You can think of the pathway as a map of all the things that go on here at Fairmount Wesleyan Church, and how these events, activities, and practices guide us as a community towards looking more like Christ. We don’t just stop there, the call as followers is then to share our transformations in the spaces he has us in.
- Where do I start?
We know looking at our discipleship pathway may be a little intimidating. We recommend starting small, going at a pace that is sustainable for you and your rhythms and being open to invitations from the Spirit to continue exploring this path. There is no one size fits all, so go where God leads. With that being said, we do have suggestions on where to begin. If you are just starting we recommend the blue bubbles as great beginning steps. As you continue through the pathway and are seeking next steps consider moving into the blue green and green bubbles, and then if you are still searching for more incorporate the orange bubbles as well. Finally, you will probably notice the bubbles blank bubbles that appear in each section. We think that as we follow Jesus, he will begin to invite us into different next steps that we can't plan for. So think of these blank bubbles as those exciting steps of obedience that God might invite you towards as you continue to follow him.
- Who is the pathway for?
The pathway is for anyone who is part of the Fairmount Wesleyan Church family. While this pathway will resonate with people who are following Jesus all over, our specific discipleship pathway reflects the mission, vision, and values of this particular local church. Whether you are a child, teen, regular attender, online attender, new to the faith, mature in your faith, or anywhere else, this pathway is for you. As long as you are engaged in this local church community, the discipleship pathway will have places where you can find yourself currently and invitations and ideas for you to take next steps.
- How do I begin?
Jump in! There isn’t anything specific you need to do to begin using the discipleship pathway. Whether you’ve followed Jesus for a long time or have yet to begin a relationship with him, there is a place for you in this church and in this pathway. So join us as we journey on this path together.
