Discipleship

Making disciples who make disciples who make disciples is our commission as followers of Jesus, as sons and daughters of God. In fact it’s not only our mission, but our birthright. Multiplying missional disciples with Christ-like character and a clear calling is how we make a kingdom impact where the things that are true in heaven become true right here, right now. We believe that Jesus came to give us a fully alive life (John 10:10) in a world where the enemy is continually trying to kill, steal, and destroy. We want to be a church where we are not just making converts that volunteer and serve, but a church that is being equipped to be leaders on mission where they live, work, learn, and play. Leaders who make this world a better place in their own unique way is what we are after that we might help more people live life with Jesus everyday.

A simple formula for disciple-making: 

CHARACTER X CALLING = IMPACT

The Intentional Disciple-making Environment:

OUTCOME FOCUSED + HABIT FUELED + CONTENT FLAVORED

How do we at Gloria Dei define what a disciple is and does? We believe a disciple of Jesus Christ is one who is living fully alive in God's grace, which means we are:
Seeking Christ First in All Things

Disciples seek Jesus Christ and His kingdom first above all things. We believe Jesus is the Word of God, He is Lord of all, and He is reigning over His kingdom, of which we are a part. He is the center of our life. Jesus' life was not just prescriptive or descriptive for our life as a disciple, but definitive. His life provides the complete, final, and perfect model for our own life as we imitate His words, works, and ways. We ask the question: "Who would Jesus be if He were you?" - Dallas Willard. (John 1:1, Matthew 6:33, 1 Corin. 11:1, Matthew 22:37, Colossians 3:1)

Obedient to God's Calling for My Life

Disciples know who and whose they are and it is from this identity that we love Jesus and glorify God through our obedience to Him. God has gifted us an identity as His sons and daughters through the work of the Holy Spirit and it is from this gift that we respond in love through obedience. Jesus tells us that if we love Him then we will obey His commands. Through Him, we have all been created with a unique design and calling as we are called his masterpieces. The good news is that our obedience far outweighs our competence for God can accomplish His work through us when we are simply obedient. (John 14:15, Ephesians 2:10, 2 Peter 1:10, John 15:16, 2 Thess. 1:11-12, John 17:4)

Loving and Serving Others

Disciples love God, each other, and serve their neighbors as they become an incarnational presence of Jesus where they live, work, and play. Serving others is a great thing, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so in our society today. But, it is the love of Jesus pouring through us as His disciples that sets apart our service of others. When we love and serve, we bring a piece of heaven to earth; wrong things are being made right. Jesus set the example of serving and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, so we do the same. (Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:1, John 13:1-17)

Devoted to God's Word

Disciples are devoted to God's Word as they intently listen for His voice in community. We see God’s Word, the Bible, as the primary truth in our lives. We seek to grow in understanding it and living it out. We abide each day in Jesus and let the Holy Spirit lead us on a life of mission. (Mark 12:30-31, John 10:27, John 14:15, Acts 2:42, Mark 3:35, Gal. 5:25)

disciple at gloria dei

Explore Becoming a Disciple of Jesus!

For those wanting to explore Jesus and His mission

The Explore experiences below are very beneficial for everyone, but are designed for those who are exploring who Jesus is and who are wanting to learn more about the mission and message He proclaimed. These experiences are short in nature, do not make any assumptions of spiritual beliefs, and can be easily completed. These Explore Experiences are housed in the Disciples Made Digital Community and are free to use anytime. Engage them, then invite two or three friends to go through them with you.

Live Fully Alive (5 Sessions)

There are five sessions in Live Fully Alive:

  1. Living Fully Alive
  2. The Enemy to Living Fully Alive
  3. Jesus: Our Fully Alive Hero
  4. The Fully Alive Formula: Character X Calling = Impact
  5. The Key to Living Fully Alive: Obedience > Competence

Start Live Fully Alive!

In these five short sessions you will learn what Jesus means by Living Fully Alive, understand the thief's primary strategy for stealing that life away from you, and discover how you can partner with Jesus to Live Fully Alive more every day. 

Live Fully Alive is a self-paced course that is best experienced with a few friends, but can easily be done individually.

Secure a journal.  You will want a place to record your reflections and action steps that emerge from Live Fully Alive. 

The Flow of the Sessions: 

  • Watch the video.  
  • Engage the reflection questions.  
  • Complete the bible engagement exercise. 
  • Share your responses with two or three others.  *
  • Advance to the next session.

* If you are going through Live Fully Alive with a group, set up a regular time to connect and share your insights and encouragement.

Start Live Fully Alive!

Who Is Jesus? (5 Sessions)

Who Is Jesus? 

Jesus has promised you the Fully Alive life. Jesus has invited you to follow Him to find that life. But, who is this Jesus? What is He really like? 

Jesus is one of the world's most influential figures. Much has been written about Him. Scholars, fans, and critics alike have tried to explain Jesus... and the volume of information can be overwhelming. To best know Jesus, perhaps it is wise to simply read what he said about Himself.

As you engage these passages you will discern the uniqueness of Jesus and why He alone is qualified to lead you into the Fully Alive life.

There are five sessions in Who Is Jesus?

  • Session 1: “Jesus is a servant.” 
  • Session 2: "Jesus is a healer"
  • Session 3: “Jesus is a redeemer.”
  • Session 4: "Jesus is the Son of God."
  • Session 5: "Jesus is The Way.”

Start Who Is Jesus?

Who Is Jesus? is a self-paced course that is best experienced with a few friends, but can easily be done individually.

Secure a journal.  You will want a place to record your reflections and action steps that emerge from Who Is Jesus?

The Flow of the Sessions: 

  • Read the Bible excerpts.  
  • Engage the reflection questions.  
  • Share your responses with two or three others.  *
  • Advance to the next session.

* If you are going through Who Is Jesus? with a group, set up a regular time to connect and share your insights and encouragement.

Start Who Is Jesus?

What Does the Journey Look Like? (5 Sessions)

What Does the Journey Look Like? 

Jesus used the phrase "Follow Me" to recruit his disciples. These words give us a huge clue to the kind of relationship wanted with His first disciples, and the kind of relationship He wants with you. Jesus was inviting them on a journey. What did their journey look like? Answering this question will help you understand the journey He is inviting you to consider. 

Jesus was kind with His level of clarity about this journey. Jesus, in no uncertain terms, was on a mission and He was inviting those that followed Him to join that mission. You can hear Jesus' passion and commitment to this mission in the opening request in the Lord's prayer provided above... to bring heaven to earth. 

To bring heaven to earth, we must know how things work in heaven. Jesus' teachings are packed with stories and teachings about heaven, and that teaching is often counter-intuitive to our "earthly" way of doing things. 

Start What Does the Journey Look Like?

One author, Dallas Willard, in his book The Divine Conspiracy, even goes so far to say that Jesus' wisdom must have seemed "upside down" in our world.

Willard, a longtime Professor of Philosophy at The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, says that Jesus came to help his disciples learn to fly right side up in an upside down world. 

“What is truly profound is thought to be stupid and trivial, or worse, boring, while what is actually stupid and trivial is thought to be profound. That is what it means to fly upside down.” 

Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God

Jesus is known for being a revolutionary teacher. This reputation is merited, as many of His sayings appear to be "upside down" at first glance. But... what if, in reality, Jesus is right? The best way to know if to put His teachings to the test, and What Does the Journey Look Like? helps you do that.

In this experience, we are inviting you to accept Jesus' invitation to "Follow Him," in order to hear Him and consider the counter-intuitive worldview He came to share. You will learn and grapple with a few of Jesus' most "upside down" statements and learn to embrace them through your "I Believe" and "I Will" statements. As you persist in living out these values, you will grow more and more into a Fully Alive citizen of Heaven... even as you continue your journey on earth.

There are five sessions in What Does The Journey Look Like?:

  • Session 1: “My sheep hear my voice.” 
  • Session 2: "Become a fool to be truly wise."
  • Session 3: “Lose your life to find it.”
  • Session 4: "More blessed to give than to receive."
  • Session 5: "The least is the greatest.”

What Does the Journey Look Like? is a self-paced course that is best experienced with a few friends, but can easily be done individually.

Secure a journal.  You will want a place to record your reflections and action steps that emerge from What Does the Journey Look Like?. 

The Flow of the Sessions: 

  • Read the Bible excerpts.  
  • Engage the reflection questions.  
  • Share your responses with two or three others.  *
  • Advance to the next session.

* If you are going through What Does the Journey Look Like? with a group, set up a regular time to connect and share your insights and encouragement.

Start What Does the Journey Look Like?

Who Do I Need on the Journey? (4 Sessions)

Who Do I Need On the Journey?

“Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success." 

Proverbs 15:22

Your life is dramatically influenced by the company you keep. 

Wisely choosing the right people to fill specific roles in your life is key to Living Fully Alive. In this experience you will learn which roles to fill and how to give and receive life through them.

There are four sessions in Who Do I Need On This Journey?

  • Session 1: It Takes a Village 
  • Session 2: I Need a Mentor to Guide Me
  • Session 3: I Need Two Peers to Walk With Me
  • Session 4: I Need Apprentices that are Following Me

Who Do I Need On This Journey? is a self-paced course that is best experienced with a few friends, but can easily be done individually.

Secure a journal.  You will want a place to record your reflections and action steps that emerge from Who Do I Need On This Journey?

Start Who Do I Need on the Journey?

The Flow of the Sessions: 

  • Read the Bible excerpts.  
  • Engage the reflection questions.  
  • Share your responses with two or three others.  *
  • Advance to the next session.

* If you are going through Who Do I Need on the Journey? with a group, set up a regular time to connect and share your insights and encouragement.

Start Who Do I Need on the Journey?

What Story Am I In? (7 Sessions)

What Story I Am In? 

Your life is a story. 

Your story is also an important part of a much larger story... God's Story. 

The Christian Bible is The Story of God's relationship to us, His people. Understanding the basics of The Story is key to learning to live Fully Alive within it. 

In this experience you will discover that The Story contains many familiar themes we find in the world's most popular adventure stories. There is an epic journey toward home, there are heroes and villains, there are regular battles, and there is a promised victory. 

Psalm 139:16 suggests that God has a Fully Alive story laid out for you to live within this greater story. What Story I Am In? has been created so you can Learn The Story and join The Story!

Start What Story Am I In?

There are five sessions in What Story I Am In?

  • Session 1:    Your Story: Part of The Story
  • Session 2:    Paradise: The Story’s Beginning & End        
  • Session 3:    Journey: Our Epic Pursuit of “Home”    
  • Session 4:    Battle: The Story’s Epic Challenge      
  • Session 5:    Arc: The Story’s Compelling Consistency        
  • Session 6:    Hope: The Story’s Pre-Declared Victor       
  • Session 7:    Victory: Following the Hero Home   

What Story I Am In? is a self-paced course that is best experienced with a few friends, but can easily be done individually.

Secure a journal.  You will want a place to record your reflections and action steps that emerge from What Story I Am In?

The Flow of the Sessions: 

  • Read the Bible excerpts.  
  • Engage the reflection questions.  
  • Share your responses with two or three others.  *
  • Advance to the next session.

* If you are going through What Story I Am In? with a group, set up a regular time to connect and share your insights and encouragement.

Start What Story Am I In?

Develop Your Character and Calling!

For those wanting to grow in Christ-like character and live out their unique design 

The Develop Level experiences are designed for people that have decided to build their lives on Jesus and His teaching. Use these experiences to help create spiritual rhythms and habits that will Develop Character and Calling. These experiences are four to six sessions long, involve more opportunities for bible engagement, and include additional resources to read or watch that will foster the intended growth. Our Develop Experiences are best done in community, so inviting at least two people to join you for them is ideal. Our core Develop Experiences are housed in the Disciples Made Digital Community and are free to use anytime. Be transformed through these Experiences. Use these Experiences to transform the lives of others.

Find Your Place (4 Sessions + Book Reading)

Character X Calling = Impact. 

Character X Calling = Impact is the formula for becoming a Fully Alive follower of Jesus. Find Your Place is focused on developing your Calling.

Find Your Place is a four-session journey created for everyday followers of Jesus who want to discover and grow into their unique Masterpiece Mission. Find Your Place is a companion experience to the Find Your Place book.

Find Your Place is designed to be done in a group, but individuals can engage the experience as well.  

  • Session 1:  Discover Your Masterpiece Mission
  • Session 2:  Discover Your Gifts  
  • Session 3:  Clarify Your Passions
  • Session 4:  Your Story & Your Impact

Start Find Your Place!

Become a Disciple-Maker!

For those want to become more effective at making disciples 

If someone asked you: "How do you make disciples?" What would your answer be? Do you even know where to start? Disciple-making is a long obedience in the same direction that involves intentionality, direction, community, partnering with Jesus in His mission, obedience, and mobilizing people to live out their God-given unique design to influence the world. The journey we take people on needs to be reproducible at every level so that a movement of disciple-making might take place. Imagine four generations of disciple-makers on several different strands of your disciple-making "family tree" impacting the world where we live, work, learn, and play by making the realities of heaven a reality on earth.

Disciple-Maker Pathway (8 Sessions)

The Pathway is an eight-session journey created for everyday followers of Jesus who want to become more effective in making disciples. The journey centers around 7 Big Ideas that we believe will give you a new freedom and joy as you serve others in this way.

Sessions 1-3 bring clarity to what it means to live Fully Alive. 

Sessions 4 & 5 will provide inspiration, permission, and strategies for keeping Fully Alive the “main thing” in your disciple-making efforts.   

Sessions 6-8 provide simple and practical plans for identifying and developing others to team up with you in helping others live Fully Alive. 

How long does the Pathway Take? 

That is completely up to you. The ideal frequency is to do it weekly, especially if you are doing it as a group. But, it can be completed quicker or it can be done monthly. You set the schedule.

What is the flow of each session? 

Each session will include a bible engagement exercise, a training video, an occasional assessment, huddle questions, personal reflection questions, and additional resources. The huddle questions are designed to create conversation around the things learned and experienced in the “pre-huddle” elements. The huddles are designed for groups, but can be used by individuals as well. Simply use them as additional reflection questions.   

Why is the DM Pathway So Important?

1. We are in dire need of a clear, motivating, and unifying definition of what is means to be a disciple. 

2. Our world needs 100% of Jesus’ Followers living the best life Jesus offers. 

3. Jesus changed the world by using the disciple-making methods we share in the Pathway. 

Start the Disciple-Maker Pathway!

Resources for Discipleship & Mission

Fully Alive Community

Join "Fully Alive" Gloria Dei Group
At Your Own Pace or With a Group

In order to help you take a next step in your discipleship journey, we want to give you access to exploring more about living the fully alive life in a community where others are doing the same. There are several experiences for you to join in this group and even lead with a few friends! "Fully Alive" provides online courses (we call them Experiences) that help you live more Fully Alive through Jesus. Our experiences are meaningful whether you are newly spiritually curious or a seasoned follower of Jesus. Click the link below to join. Once joined, click the DISCOVERY link on the left sidebar and complete the WELCOME CHECKLIST.

Click to Join Fully AliveQuestions? Email Jason

Fully Alive E-Book

Read "Fully Alive" E-book
On Your Own

Fully Alive looks to the over-arching story of the Christian Bible to understand and answer two of life's most haunting questions. The first question is, "Am I truly loveable?" The second, "Will my life matter?"

Where do these questions stem from? Why do these questions influence our emotions and behaviors so significantly? Is it wrong to have these yearnings, or are these yearnings an invitation to reconsider what it means to pursue Jesus?

In John 10:10, Jesus says He came so that we might have life and have it to the full. Fully Alive has been written to help you understand what it means to live Fully Alive, why it is so difficult to attain the sense of living Fully Alive, and how to take steps toward that life..

Get My Copy of Fully Alive!Questions? Email Jason

Start BLESSing People & Discover Your Mission!
On Your Own or With a Group

As a follower of Jesus, you must know his overall mission before you can discover your part in the mission. We want to introduce you to the five missional practices of Jesus. We are called to model our lives after his: do what he did, and practice what he practiced. Here is a secret we have discovered: these five missional practices (BLESS Rhythms) are both how you do the mission, but also how you discover your own God-given mission for your life. Decide right now that as you learn these five missional practices you will implement them into your life for two reasons: first so that you can follow Jesus’s example in missional living, but secondly so that you can discover the mission for your own life! You will see these BLESS Rhythms woven throughout life at Gloria Dei, both on and off campus.

Learn the BLESS Rhythms & Discover Your Mission!Questions? Email Jason

Discovery Bible Study
Start Your Own or Join One!

The Discovery Process is the primary method of discipleship in movements around the world. Discovery Bible Studies are simple and reproducible groups that consist of spiritually interested people who read a Bible story together, discover what it says, and then are challenged to immediately live out what they learned and to share it with someone else. The beauty of DBS is that anyone can lead it! If you lead one, you are simply a faithful facilitator providing a structure people to hear the voice of Jesus and respond in obedience. We ask "What is Jesus teaching me? and What will I do about it?"

Learn More About the DBS MethodWatch a VideoQuestions? Email Jason

Sunday Discipleship Hour
9:45-10:45am

In order to equip and train you to grow and live out your faith as a disciple, we have dedicated time on Sunday mornings for engaging with God’s Word in community with age-appropriate ministry environments for kids, students and adults between services from 9:45-10:45am. Sunday morning Discipleship Hour is meant to be a primer catapulting us back into our daily lives as every-day missionaries where we live, work, learn, and play.

Kids & Students Adults

Small Groups
Throughout the Week

Discipleship happens within the context of community and living life together. There is a depth of learning that can only happen when we have people to imitate. The early Church had a rhythm of life together between the temple (Sunday mornings) and the home as they ate together, cared for one another, and met the needs of their community. Small Groups are our primary context for living life together on mission.

Learn more

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