Discipleship Rhythms

What are discipleship rhythms?

Our mission as a church is to be a community that helps one another to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and walk in the Way of Jesus. The question is how exactly do we do that in the context of a local church?

Before the term “Christian” was widely adopted, Christians were known as followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14) — a phrase that is thick with biblical meaning. This idea of “the Way” refers to the Person we follow who described himself as “the Way the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), but also to the distinctive way of life he calls his followers to walk in. That’s why we want to both proclaim the good news of the gospel but also holistically teach and train believers to walk in the Way of Jesus together.

So, how do we do that? Maybe you’ve asked yourself a similar question: “I believe in Jesus and want to follow him. So, what do I do?” These questions led us to develop this framework we call our Discipleship Rhythms which are the ways we call our church to way in the Way together. We organize this in 3 spheres: formation, community, and mission.

  • Our church gathers weekly on Sunday morning for worship, prayer, fellowship, and to hear the teaching of the Word.

  • Our church has two age-graded ministries to kids (birth to 3rd grade) and youth (middle and high school). In these environments, we aim to come alongside families to raise their kids to know and follow Jesus.

  • Our church also has various ministries such as classes, Bible studies, and lectures which are all aimed toward equipping our people to be followers of Jesus.

  • If following Jesus is a Way that we walk in, we want to equip our church to put this into practice in their lives. Our Rule of Life is a framework we’ve developed to help our church bring their whole lives into alignment with this distinctive Way of life. More info on this is forthcoming.

  • Life happens, and everyone will have to face difficulty, pain, and suffering. While we believe that a community of fellow Christians is the best aid in navigating life’s difficulties, we also recognize the necessity for pastoral care to address significant or outsized needs. You can fill out a connect card or talk to a pastor at any time to receive care.

FORMATION

  • The Table is a monthly meal that our church shares with food, friendship, and intentional conversations. If you are new to our church, this is a great way to learn more about who we are and make connections.

  • Communities meet throughout the week at various times in homes. These are small groups of individuals committed to walking in the Way together deeply and personally. Communities are the primary space in which members of Redeemer build strong friendship, and are encouraged and equipped in their life with Jesus.

  • Foundations is a class for those who are exploring or are committed towards pursuing church membership at Redeemer. These classes are offered 3 times annually.

  • Membership at Redeemer is how we have identified who has covenanted with us together in our community of faith. Members have a meaningful role in the life of our church.

COMMUNITY

  • As a church, we think it’s helpful to identify and clarify the various ways in which we might engage in Kingdom work in our community. The first is through what we call common good initiatives which are various ways in which we might lock arms with other people and organizations in pursuit of something good. Whether it is feeding the hungry or serving the orphans and widows, we recognize the value in being able to step into good work already taking place among us whether or not those involved share our faith and practice.

  • Our desire is to be known by our community. For this reason, we will engage in work that is aimed at increasing our visibility within the community. While these efforts might not be tied to any specific proclamation of the gospel, we engage in them with the hope that connection with our community will lead to transformative relationships.

  • Our foremost calling is to preach the gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), so we want to be explicit about when our immediate aim in outreach is to proclaim the gospel to our neighbors. This approach helps us to identify and clarify what is the immediate aim of our outreach effort in our area.

MISSION