3 New Covenant Discipleship Books

2016 marks the thirtieth anniversary of Covenant Discipleship! The General Board of Discipleship launched Covenant Discipleship in 1986. The ministry was developed, led, and coordinated by Dr. David Lowes Watson, assisted by Marigene Chamberlain.

To mark this 30th year of the contemporary "method" of Methodism, aimed at re-traditioning the office of class leader and the class meeting, Discipleship Resources is publishing three new Covenant Discipleship resources. The authors are Steven W. Manskar, Chris Wilterdink, and Melanie C. Gordon with Susan Groseclose and Gayle Quay.

Covenant Discipleship is an intergenerational ministry that equips congregations to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Have you ever wondered "How do we make disciples of Jesus Christ?" Covenant Discipleship is the contemporary method of disciple-making.

Growing Everyday Disciples: Covenant Discipleship with Children by Melanie C. Gordon, Susan Groseclose and Gayle Quay, is written for adults who work with elementary school age children, parents, and pastors. It will guide congregational leaders in organizing Covenant Discipleship with children. The groups form children in discipleship by doing what Jesus taught his disciples to do: loving God with all their heart, soul, and mind through prayer, Scripture reading, worship, and sacrament; and loving who God loves through acts of compassion and acts of justice.

Everyday Disciples: Covenant Discipleship with Youth by Chris Wilterdink is for adults who work with youth and young adults, parents, and pastors. It is a resource that will help congregations form youth who are in middle school and high school grow in discipleship by meeting regularly to share what they have done, and not done, in light of the covenant they have written. The covenant is shaped by the General Rule of Discipleship: To witness to Jesus Christ, and to follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.Covenant Discipleship helps ministry with youth go deeper than conventional youth ministry typically goes.

Disciples Making Disciples: Guide for Covenant Discipleship Groups and Class Leaders by Steven W. Manskar is a new resource for pastors, congregational leaders, and Covenant Discipleship group members and class leaders. The book contains practical information for how to introduce Covenant Discipleship to a congregation, how to organize groups, how to write a covenant, how to lead a weekly meeting, and how to support and multiply the groups. It is also a guide for class leaders. They are members of covenant discipleship groups who are commissioned by the congregation (see pages 602-604 in The Book of Worship) to work as partners with the pastor in the work of discipleing the congregation. Each class leader is assigned a “class” of 12-20 congregation members who they will coach in living and practicing the Christian life shaped by the General Rule of Discipleship.

All three books will be published in July in print, Kindle and ePub editions. They are available now for pre-order. Click here.