Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ

A year 2000 Finalist in the ECPA book competition! We grow in Christ as we seek him together. Jesus' own pattern of disciple-making was to be intimately involved with others and allow life to rub against life. By gathering in twos or threes to study the Bible and encourage one another, we most closely follow Jesus' example with the twelve disciples. This workbook is a tool designed to help you follow the pattern Jesus drew for us. Working through it will deepen your knowledge of essential Christian teaching and strengthen your faith. Divided into weekly sessions Discipleship Essentials is ideal for groups of three or four. It has also been used successfully as an individual study program, as a one-to-one discipling tool and as small group curriculum. Each week you will discover

* a core truth presented in question/answer format

* a memory verse and application study

* an field-tested inductive Bible study

* a reading on the theme for the week

* questions to draw out key principles from the reading Jesus had a big enough vision to think small. Focusing on a few did not limit his influence. Rather, it expanded it! Discipleship Essentials will help you influence others as Jesus did--by investing wholeheartedly in a few. Features & Benefits

* 24 weekly sessions for developing spiritual maturity

* sessions cover key disciplines, basic beliefs, essential character traits and important activities of the Christian life

* practical

* innovative

* workbook format with space for writing questions, responses and prayers

* ideal material to study with one or two others

* usable in small groups and for one-to-one discipleship

Greg Ogden (D.Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) is executive pastor of discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook in Oak Brook, Illinois. Previously he was academic director of the doctor of ministry program and associate professor of lay equipping and discipleship at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. A pastor for 23 years with the Presbyterian Church, USA, he also served for nine years as senior pastor of Saratoga Federated Church in Saratoga, California. While there, he developed a discipleship program used by over 15,000 people and resulting in his book, Discipleship Essentials. Ogden has also written The New Reformation: Returning the Ministry to the People of God (Zondervan, rereleased in 2003 as Unfinished Business).