Begin Anew: Christian Discipleship Seminars

by Palmer Becker

Are there people in your congregation or community who are new to the Christian faith? Or who have been in the church for a long time and would like to grow in discipleship? Begin Anew is a 16-session series of studies to make disciples in small groups and congregations. Based on the idea that Christianity is a combination of believing, belonging, becoming, and behaving*, the course is designed in a holistic way to bring • a clear faith in God as known in Jesus Christ, • a solid sense of belonging in a family of loving people, and • a disciplined lifestyle. This new lifestyle leads to becoming joyfully involved in ministries in the church and in God’s mission in the world. This discipleship resource is for anyone interested in growing in Christian faith from an Anabaptist perspective, regardless of their background or previous church experience. Begin Anew is a joint project of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada. The sessions grew out of the congregational work and writing of the following Palmer Becker of Kitchener, Ont.; Howard Wagler of South Hutchinson, Kan.; and Marion Bontrager of Hesston, Kan. Further work and testing was done with Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA national staff, Dave Bergen and Terry Shue. The work of Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., served as the inspiration for these materials. *Stuart Murray, Church after Christendom (Carlisle, Paternoster, 2005). The author discusses the interaction of these elements that have become familiar in current discussions about faith, church, and mission.

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2014

Reviews

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay for completing my first book of 2018. This book might be short and very easy to read, but it is jam packed with all sorts of excellent insights into the Christian life. It is divided into 4 sections beginning with the basics of the Christian faith, extending into the role of the church and Christian community including the need for baptism, then talking about becoming mature in the faith through the spiritual disciplines (such as Bible reading, prayer, giving, and small groups), and finally ending with how to utilize the spiritual gifts to minister to others. The book was very basic as it is a training tool for new Christians and a resource for one particular church's instruction before baptism, however, there were many Scripture verses used and everything suggested was backed up with Biblical evidence. The layout made it very easy to follow everything and there were discussion prompts at the end of each chapter that helped me think more about certain topics related to spiritual life and faith. Overall, this was a good read, but moreso for those who are new to the faith.