WELCOME!

Welcome to the online resources of the Congregational Federation’s Growing Disciples programme – a programme designed to help Congregational churches grow in purpose and confidence.

• If your church is wondering “Is this the resource for us?”, click on the FAQs (‘Frequently Asked Questions’) page in the bar above and find some useful answers to help your decision. Or click on the following link for a summary of the whole programme: Overview of programme
• Also, see the first booklet here, in sample form, to get a sense of the programme: Phase 1

• If your church has decided you want to go for it, but you are wondering how to get the materials and get started, click here for ‘what you need to do’/ Order Form.

• If you already have the booklets (or they’re on their way to you), and you have come to this website to look at the additional options, they are organised according to the five Phases of the programme – so just click on the relevant ‘Phase’ in the bar above, and browse through the options.

One option for each Session is found in the printed booklets, and two further options are available here. In most cases, there is a choice of a discussion-based option (which focuses on Bible passages), a creative-based option (which involves practical activities), or a resource-based option (which is designed to help the church generate its own resources for future use). But some Sessions consist of 2 or 3 ‘resource’ options, to encourage the church to address questions about its way forward.

We hope you find something to encourage and challenge your church, as you continue to grow as disciples with each other.

Here, too, is a list of all the sessions (15) over the 5-Phase programme:

Phase 1. Introduction

• Session 1. Going deeper together

• Session 2. Sharpening up

Phase 2. Growing as a learning community: discovering Good News together

• Session 3. Learning with each other – disciples are all different

• Session 4. Learning with the Bible – reading in community

• Session 5. Learning with hope – the church signals God’s new world

Phase 3. Growing as a worshipping community: experiencing Good News together

• Session 6. Worshipping with each other – involving people of all ages and abilities

• Session 7. Worshipping with the Bible – how the Word speaks today

• Session 8. Worshipping with the world – engaging with changing cultures

Phase 4. Growing as a listening community: embodying Good News together

• Session 9. Listening to each other – showing care for one another

• Session 10. Listening to God through each other – finding God’s way forward for us

• Session 11. Listening to God in the world – deciding together how to live ethically

Phase 5. Growing as a missionary community: practising Good News together

• Session 12. Going public – relating to God’s weird-and-wonderful world

• Session 13. Talking of faith – listening and evangelism

• Session 14. Building God’s new world – hospitality, peace and justice

• Session 15. Evaluation