Adult Discipleship Growth Opportunities
Here at St. James, we offer a variety of discipleship growth opportunities for adults. In particular, we try to schedule Bible studies that will meet the spiritual needs of persons at all levels of discipleship. Below is a description of the classes that we commonly offer. As part of our discipleship registry, we invite you to communicate your desire to participate in these studies by contacting our Minister of Adult Discipleship, Joyce Day at 752-6154, ext. 211 or joyce@stjamesumc.info. By doing so, you will help us to schedule the classes that will meet your particular needs.
Getting Started
Sometimes before jumping into a Bible study it helps to get some of the basics down. These classes offer the opportunity to do that in a friendly, enjoyable way.
- Bible Basics: Getting to Know Your Bible – This is a 4-week study designed to help you enjoy reading your Bible by giving you some background on how it came to be and showing you what you can expect to find inside. Many of us have Bibles at home that we have never even picked up. Now is the time to discover God’s wonderful message of love found in the pages of the Holy Bible.
- Prayer Basics : Getting the Conversation Started – This short-term class will give you a foundational understanding of prayer and help you feel comfortable starting a conversation with God.
- Discipleship Basics: Walking With Jesus – This 7-week study explores Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) to discover what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
- Beginnings – This 12-week video-based study explores some of life’s deepest questions. The small group setting is a great place to ask questions about the Christian faith, explore what it means to walk with God, and form or deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ and the Christian community.
Disciple Bible Studies
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Disciple I: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study – This 34-week study takes you all the way through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The daily readings and weekly class sessions require true commitment, but the reward is definitely worth it! The video segments will give you quality academic insight into the Scriptures while the readings and discussions will help you formulate a clearer and deeper understanding of God’s Word.
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Disciple II : Into the Word, Into the World – This second Disciple study “emphasizes the rhythm of coming to God and going for God, of being in the Word and in the world individually and corporately.” During this 32-week study, you will delve deeper into the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Luke, and Acts through readings, videos, and discussion.
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Disciple III : Remember Who You Are – The third Disciple study tackles the writings of the Old Testament prophets and the letters of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. This 32-week study focuses on our need to remember and understand our identity as the people of God. Themes include: the call to remember, the call to repentance, the need for renewed vision, and the place of community. Like other Disciple studies, you will learn through the readings, videos, and class discussions.
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Disciple IV : Under the Tree of Life – This 32-week study covers the Old Testament books known as “The Writings” (Ruth, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Daniel, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations) and the New Testament writings attributed to John along with the Book of Revelation. Here, again, the readings, videos, and discussions will give you a better understanding of these challenging biblical books.
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Jesus in the Gospels – In this 30-week study you will take a closer look at what the Bible tells us about Jesus. While the main focus is on the Gospels, readings from the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha connect Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection to the Jewish faith. In addition to the readings, video segments and class discussions will help you come to know Jesus more completely.
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Christian Believer: Knowing God with Heart and Mind – This 30-week study takes the biblical studies of Disciple a step further moving into the study of doctrine and church history. “The church has a body of beliefs or doctrines that has been developed, argued about, and consistently taught over a period of nearly two thousand years. This study acquaints participants with that body of teaching.” Readings come not only from the Bible but also from the works of our Christian forebears such as Susanna Wesley; John Wesley; Francis of Assisi; C.S. Lewis; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Augustine; John Calvin; and Martin Luther.
Short-term Disciple Bible Studies
Not everyone is able to commit a year to one study. These new 8-week Bible studies use the same basic design of the longer Disciple studies but with a less comprehensive look at the Scriptures.
- Invitation to the Old Testament – This 8-week study invites participants to listen afresh to the various narrators of stories from the Torah, the Law, the Prophets, and the Wisdom writings.
- Invitation to the New Testament – This 8-week study weaves a dialog between the story of Jesus, as told by Matthew, and the other New Testament writings.
Companions in Christ Series
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Companions in Christ: A Small-Group Experience in Spiritual Formation – This 28-week small-group experience “offers a powerfully renewing experience that builds spiritual practices to help you share more fully in the life of Christ and to bring what you learn into all areas of your church life.” You will learn how to draw closer to God through the use of spiritual disciplines such as contemplative prayer, Scripture meditation, and journaling.
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The Way of Forgiveness – During this 8-week experience, you will learn how to practice the gift of forgiveness first by coming to understand the forgiveness God has offered you and then by exploring the importance of offering forgiveness to others.
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The Way of Blessedness – This 8-week small-group experience “explores Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. The journey invites participants to discover Jesus’ vision of the kingdom of God on earth and to develop and live a personal ‘rule of life’ that helps us reside in that kingdom.”
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The Way of Grace – For 10 weeks, you will “travel with 8 Biblical characters…who discover God’s grace through their encounters with Jesus.” Through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation and journaling you will walk with these characters and share their experiences in a way that will make God’s grace more real in your life, too.
Others
Other study options include the Sisters series and Beth Moore studies for women as well as special studies for men. You may have ideas about other studies you would like to see us offer. Let us know what they are!
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