“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” - John 14:6
Christian Story
Understanding God and His Story
Christian Belief
A Deeper Dive into Core Beliefs
Christian Living
Equipping for Life on Mission
What is the Missional Discipleship Pathway?
The Missional Discipleship Pathway is the term that we use at Edgewater Alliance Church to describe the efforts of our body of believers to make, grow, support, and send disciples, or ‘learners’, of Jesus Christ. And the three terms are intentional.
Following His death and resurrection for the redemption of humanity, Jesus of Nazareth stayed with His disciples 40 more days until His ascension into Heaven to be with The Father. In those 40 days, He continued to teach them the nature of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God, and near the end, He gave them His final command which we find in Matthew 28, in part, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We know this as the ‘Great Commission’, and it is as true and relevant a command from Jesus to His followers today as it was back then to His closest disciples. In this one command, Jesus has defined for us what ‘Discipleship’ means – go, make, teach. At EAC, we take this command literally and intentionally: in fact, our mission statement – our purpose for being as a church – is, “We exist to make disciples who bring the Gospel to every man, woman, and child.” So, first and foremost, EAC is all about ‘making disciples’.
But, why do we make disciples, as Jesus commanded?
This is where the Missional part comes in. We make disciples to fulfill the purpose of Jesus’ command: so that those disciples we make can go and make new disciples, in a missional sense, outside of our church community. We make disciples so that they can ‘be sent’ to make more disciples. But, in order to ‘be sent’, the disciples we make must first ‘be equipped’, and that is the basis for our discipleship effort. We ‘grow’ disciples at EAC so that they can ‘go’ into the world and ultimately make more disciples. All of this, of course, is led and directed by the power of the Holy Spirit, not only in the lives of those being ‘grown’, but also in the life of our body of Christ as EAC.
And this brings us to the third part of our term – the Pathway. And the Pathway is the way we express the ‘how’ – at EAC, how do we make disciples? Relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us, the Pathway is a learning (or discipleship) framework that recognizes that not everyone of us is at the same place in our Christian walk, and that we each have some different needs in terms of the areas of growth and also the depth of that growth. Some of us are new or newish’ believers, and have a different need than someone who has been growing for a while longer. And some of us are well-versed in our beliefs, but need more support and learning in how to live the Christian life. So, the Pathway is the framework that we recognize the need for both ‘breadth and depth’ in our learning efforts as disciples, and we offer learning opportunities throughout time to address these differing needs.
But how do we fulfill Jesus’ command?
Generally, we develop learning opportunities in one of three areas, or ‘lanes’ of the Pathway – Christian Story, Christian Belief, and Christian Living. And then we go progressively ‘deeper’ in our opportunities from new believers all the way to deep discipleship. Think of the Pathway as a large swimming pool, with a shallow end progressing to a deeper end, and with three swim lanes. You can get into the pool at the depth you need now, and swim in deeper waters later. And you can swim from one lane to another overtime as well.
Finally, it’s important to note that the Pathway is not the only method of making disciples at EAC, but it is foundational to all else that we do in terms of serving each other and serving our neighbors, and the world around us. We want to be ‘growing in our faith’ personally so that we can be ‘going in our faith’ to reach others.
What does the Pathway specifically include?
As you can see from the Pathway diagram, our biblically-based opportunities include the following levels:
EAC Forums for the whole church together – one or two per year
Starting Point for new believers – self-paced learning with a mentor
Pathway Core classes (3) – The Story of Reality; Know What You Believe; Living the Christian Life
Deeper Learning classes – more in-depth opportunities across the three ‘lanes’
Deep Discipleship Learning Program – a three term (24 weeks) deep discipleship program
EAC Ministry Residency program for individuals preparing for vocational ministry
Also included in the Pathway is a Baptism preparation class, an EAC Membership Class, the ‘Taste of EAC’ gathering for folks considering EAC as their church home, Elder and Pastor nourishment, and Faith Community learning outreach with other churches in our neighborhood.
How does the Pathway work?
We have based our Pathway opportunities on eight-week terms, with teaching and learning typically happening once a week, either on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening. We have two terms in the fall, and two terms in the spring. Most classes fit the eight-week term, but some classes may be shorter or longer, covering four weeks or spanning a couple of terms in total.
We try to offer classes in each term that will meet the needs of people at multiple levels of Christian maturity, and with at least one opportunity in each of the three ‘lanes’ of the Pathway. Everyone is welcome to join any of the classes of their choosing, and join at any time, even if the class has already started. All classes are free to attend, but some classes may have a small charge to cover the cost of a book or other materials. We can help with this if it’s a burden.
A few weeks before each term begins, we share what classes will be offered, and folks sign up for classes either on a signup sheet in the church lobby or online, and once you’re signed up, you’re ready to go. You will typically receive a message from the class facilitator ahead of time to confirm the date and time and room location.
Can I help facilitate a Pathway class or other discipleship effort?
Yes, certainly. If you have an idea for a Pathway opportunity or want to help facilitate a current class, contact the church office and they will put you into contact with the Pathway Coordinator.
How can I find out what is happening in the Pathway or get more information?
Look for information in the church lobby or online to see what Pathway opportunities are currently happening, or will be planned to happen in the next term. Or you can contact the church office anytime for further information, or check in with helpful folks at the Connection Counter in the church lobby on Sunday morning.