I don't understand the term "discipleship"! Are you talking about the education model? If so, it can be found in the educational solutions of the Piarist and Jesuits (historical solutions can be used). The material can be found in the academies they run today. I can recommend Akademia Ignatianum in Krakow in Poland and its magazine "Edukacja Elementarna w Teorii i Praktyce" - unfortunately in Polish. I recommend seeking contact with which of its lecturers. Address details can be found on the Internet - Regards

Thank you very much for your response Wanda.

In my understanding, the word "discipleship" refers to the act of being and living as a disciple, in my context, the disciple of Christ within his church community.

Thank you for your reading advice.

Regards

I strongly recommend this recent book just in case you don't now about it: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/A_Biblical_Theology_of_Christian_Discipleship?id=_Ec3EAAAQBAJ&hl=en_US&gl=US

Best wishes René Foltz

Hello, René!

I strongly recommend this book "Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History: Complete and Unabridged" - https://www.amazon.com.br/Eusebius-Ecclesiastical-History-Complete-Unabridged/dp/1565633717

Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History is one of the classics of early Christianity and of equal stature with the works of Flavius Josephus. Eusebius chronicles the events of the first three centuries of the Christian church in such a way as to record a vast number of vital facts about early Christianity that can be learned from no other ancient source.

Best wishes.

Thank you!

If you need any help with the nature and features of Jesus’ discipleship, please contact me directly by email – [email protected]

Nirmal Fernando

Good Morning Nirmal, I saw your post above to Rene. I am in Canada and am also studying Christian Discipleship for my M.Div. May I email you at your email address above for some input and any particular resources you like?

yours truly, Lois

Good Morning Rene, Greetings from Canada. I am also interested in this area, in particular looking at how we can underpin church discipleship programs with research and theology, and distinguish them as more than just "life groups". Looking forward to hearing from you. Yours truly, Lois

Dear Lois, Yes; please feel free to email me - [email protected]

Nirmal

To Lois Letcher

Dear Lois

Thank you for your question.

My questions on the subject are not yet fully answered, but my general feeling on the matter is that those who consider themselves only as church members find it difficult to take what they consider to be an additional step, almost of the order of "initiation".

One of the observations I have made through questioning and discussions with church members is that it seems complicated for some to project themselves into discipleship, which is sometimes experienced as a heavy and difficult investment to make.

(It does raise questions about one's faith and motivation to be and do what one claims to be and do).

However, paradoxically, the idea of discipleship is accepted and desired, but the "methods of Jesus" that are sometimes put forward, question people on the relevance of these methods in our time, closer to their concerns. (whereas the churches also ask the opposite question and focus their teachings according to their concerns considering that they are those of their members. it is not so obvious!)

This raises the question about ethical, philosophical and sociological considerations, leaving members to think that this is the domain of the specialist or theologian and not their "level" of understanding.

I personally consider that there is something to be worked out here, of course in a way that is biblically correct from our instruction manual, the Bible.

The people who followed Jesus were, with some exceptions, nothing like that, just simple people like the world is always full of, who are looking for a source of hope and who, through this hope, sometimes open up to the faith that makes them disciples.

Hence the need to recontextualise in our post-modern, secularised preoccupations the question of the lived experience of discipleship which goes beyond the walls of the church and of our communities.

This is an important task insofar as it is possible to carry it out, because the secularisation of our time is certainly not the reality that our children and grandchildren will experience, hence the need not to create more rigidity in the discipleship approach but on the contrary to allow for ever more accessibility and inclusiveness so that the question will no longer be whether to be or not to be, There is one important and striking paradox in our civilisations, and that is that our societies have been forged by putting down most of the taboos that have built us and made the simple question of discipleship almost taboo by relegating it to a loss of value and independence.

For my part, I postulate the opposite by affirming that the disciple in Christ is certainly one of the individuals on this planet who enjoys the greatest freedom of thought, personal projections, decisions and prosperity, including intellectual freedom, and that he or she is the holder of a strong identity that makes the difference.

Finally, I consider that the church member is a disciple who is unaware of it, and my job, if it serves, is to bring him to awareness.

Have a great day.

*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

To Nirmal Fernando

Thank you for your generous offer of help. I take note of it and I will not fail to come back to you.

Best regards

If you want discipleship in the face of a secularized society, you should probably look at Dietrich Bonnhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship," which was written in Germany during the rise of the Nazis.

These are not academic studies of Christian discipleship, but 20th century classic works and so primary, not secondary works: Richard Foster's A Celebration of Discipline and, of course, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship. Important starting points.

Gordon Arthur:

Thank you, I have started reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship. It is indeed a must read.

Darrell Hannah:

Thank you, for the indication of this author, Richard Foster, that I do not know yet but that I will discover with interest.

Thank you so much Darrell, i greatly appreciate the book suggestions.

yours truly

Lois Letcher

I can recommend this book, it looks into the history and practice of the priesthood of all believers, which is connected closly to discipleship: https://wipfandstock.com/9781725273962/lived-theology/

Kind regards,

Sabrina

Hi there

Recommend two books:

1. The trellis and the vine by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne

2. The lost art of discipleship by Leroy Eims

Thank you so much.

Greatly appreciated,

Best regards

Lois

Sabrina Müller:

thank you, I appreciate the suggestion.

Best regards

Claude Bernardo,

Thank you for these book suggestions that look promising.

Best regards

Well, you know I have read Dietrich Bonhoeffer book on Discipleship and it is good for theological research, but if you really want to know the meaning of discipleship I suggest reading a person's autobiography who was a giant in winning souls for God and then building an institution to educate people about God. Have you ever read the autobiography of Dr. Jerry Falwell the first president of Liberty University? The title of his autobiography is Building Dynamic Faith. This is really a great book. The foreword was done by the late president George Herbert Walker Bush. Dr. Falwell in his book deals with his own failures and doubts as well as his victories. It will show you how Dr. Falwell took a Sunday School Class with a few pupils and turned it into a class of over 50 young people wanting to learn about Jesus.This book helps all readers attain greater faith and growth in their faith and ability to disciple others.

Faith Bays

Thank you very much Ms. Faith Bays, I am not yet familiar with Dr. Jerry Falwell and his work. You have made me want to find out what this man says about discipleship, bless you.

You should consider the work of George Patterson and Richard Scroggins which they wrote the book "Church Multiplication Guide" but focus on Obedience Based Discipleship.

I would suggest reading the lives of the Saints including the early church fathers. Search the life of Christian disciples from the early church including: St. Benedict, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Polycarp of Smyrna, St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Isidore of Seville, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Avila and many others.