Sturgis Missionary Church is committed to helping people know, love, and follow Jesus. One of the ways we do this is through discipleship.

Our discipleship programs are about growth and reproducing and are geared to change our minds, hearts, and wills. There are multiple avenues for you to get involved with discipleship. Each of our discipleship courses is designed to help you grow and equip you to take what you have learned and pass it on to those younger in the faith.  

See below for the variety of opportunities we offer.

Are you ready to walk worthy of your calling? Grow with other believers in becoming more like Christ as you look at what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Further, you will become equipped to guide other believers in their growth so you can be a reproducing disciple.

Discipleship 101 is for those who are "All In." This means you will be accountable for your attendance as each lesson builds upon previous material, and you are willing to participate in class assignments. If this is for you but you have missed a class start date, feel free to reach out to the church, 269.651.PRAY, and we will have Ardi contact you with details on how you can get involved.

Mentors share their experiences with mentees who are seeking insight and encouragement to live skillfully. The goal is to form strong relationships that are a source of support and growth for the mentee spiritually and in other areas of their lives. Find out more.

Many of us want to share the good news with those separated from Jesus, but we don't know where to start. Let's breakthrough this obstacle together as we bring spiritual dialogue back into our everyday conversations. 

Five VI:7 is taken from Deuteronomy (the fifth book of the Bible) chapter six, verse seven where we read, "You shall teach them [God's commands] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." 

At the beginning of each gathering, two questions will be asked. How was your week different in light of what you learned in the previous week's lesson? Who did you use spiritual language with someone this week?

Five VI:7 gatherings will focus on reading a portion of scripture, making observations as a group, sharing insights, sharing how we can grow from what we learned, and discussing how we can share what we learned with others. These discussions will help us retell biblical accounts when they relate to someone's situation and prompts us to think about how we can pass God's teaching on to someone else. 

Since Five VI:7 gatherings build upon previous discussions, your attendance in each gathering is vital. The emphasis is on living out our faith better, so your participation in group discussion and willingness to be accountable in sharing the good news is essential for your growth in these gatherings.  

We aim to train ourselves to comment when we want to say something but are also concerned about being sensitive and preserving friendships. The focus of this class is to prepare us to address current cultural ideologies that oppose God's standards. We coach each other in the questions to ask to keep a conversation going while encouraging the one we are addressing to clarify what they are saying and to think more deeply about the subject. We will address avenues to offer your concern or alternative viewpoint gently. We will also address navigating false ideologies in conversations. Resources can be found by clicking this link.

What you believe about God will affect what you believe about the Bible. What you believe about the Bible will affect how you live. How you live will affect your relationship with God and others. So the essentials of our faith are of vital importance. The Essentials We Beleive covers our church's articles of faith as we build these truths out to understand what they are expressing. These classes are interactive. Allowing participants to engage at a level that meets their comfort level. Each class starts with a Q & A time where attendees are welcome to ask any question regarding the Bible or the Christian walk. 

A disciple is a follower of Christ who converts from his/her previous manner of living through repentance of sin and faith in Christ to pursue a life-long, loving relationship, with the living Christ. Evidenced by a pursuit of becoming like Christ through obedience to his teaching. Helping others becoming and being a flourishing followers of Jesus who embodies the character of Christ by engaging in a lifelong, personal pursuit of holistic transformation and doing so within a like-minded community of faith that's corporately committed to being and making other disciples.

Growth

First, we need to grow in the fullness of Christ. Have you ever bought a tool only to read the instruction manual months later? When you read the instructions, you find things your new device can do that you never knew. The same goes for our walk with God. Without the fullness of Christ, we can never live our lives to their full potential. Growth is about reaching your full potential.

Jesus came so that he might fill us (Ephesians 4:10). We are filled by the Holy Spirit working through those gifted in the church to equip us for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11f). The growth part of discipleship focuses on what is essential to the Christian walk. 

If you are ready to experience the fullness of Christ, then we would love to come alongside you as you take the next step.

Reproducing

The second aspect of discipleship is reproducing. We are to pass on what God has done in our lives to help guide other believers in their growth. We want to be making disciples who make disciples. Each one of our discipleship courses is designed not only to help you grow but to equip you to take what you have learned and pass it on to those younger in the faith.  

Our discipleship programs are geared to change our minds, hearts, and wills.

You are called, so you are already a disciple (John 8:31). What we need is to clear out the false declarations of the world that have drowned out the voice of the Holy Spirit (Colossians 2:8), be wary of the desires of our flesh (James 1:14), and be obedient to Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).

Mind (orthodoxy)

•  Renewed mind
•  Growth in biblical knowledge
•  Expand theological understanding
•  Advance comprehension of truth
•  Foster development of correct beliefs

Heart (passion)

•  Produce a godly attitude 
•  Develop strong values
•  Increase Christian devotions
•  Grow in one's love of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and people
•  Promote awareness of convictions  

Will (behavior)

•  Live an authentic life
•  Accomplish good deeds
•  Have consistent behaviors
•  Retain healthy relationships 

How to Know if You're Ready?

• If you are spiritually hungry (ask lots of questions or motivated)
• If you will honor people's time and commitments
• If you are teachable (willing to listen, learn, and take criticism and advice)
• If you are available (can you meet regularly and willing to arrange your schedule to make this work)
• If you are willing to live an authentic life with integrity

If you are ready, be sure to get involved in one or more of the discipleship programs SMC offers. Questions? Contact pastor Joshua Brueck at brueckj@sturgismissionarychurch.com.