Practical tips for using FAITH resources
For Individual Study
Don’t rush: These aren’t racecourses. Take time with each session. Sit with truths. Let them penetrate deeply.
Do the action steps: It’s tempting to read, nod, and move on. But transformation comes through application. Do the daily, weekly, and monthly action steps.
Journal your journey: Write down insights, struggles, questions, and growth. Journaling helps you process and remember what God teaches you.
Memorise the verses: Each resource includes memory verses. Memorisation implants God’s Word in your heart, where the Spirit uses it to transform you.
Don’t study in isolation: Even if you’re working through materials individually, discuss what you’re learning with other believers. Community reinforces growth.
For One-on-One Discipleship
Establish regular meeting times: Consistency matters. Meet weekly or bi-weekly at the same time and place.
Read together or separately: You can read sessions together during your meeting or have the person read beforehand. Adjust based on their learning style and schedule.
Ask good questions: Don’t just cover content. Ask:
- “How does this apply to your life right now?”
- “What’s one specific thing you’ll do this week based on what you learned?”
- “What questions or struggles does this raise for you?”
Pray together: Begin and end each session with prayer. Pray about specific struggles and applications.
Hold accountable lovingly: At each meeting, ask how they did with last week’s action steps. Don’t shame them for failures; encourage them toward growth.
Share your own journey: Don’t just teach; model. Share your struggles, failures, and growth. Vulnerability creates safety for them to be honest.
For Small Groups
Create a safe environment: Establish group values: confidentiality, grace for struggles, no judgment, mutual encouragement.
Balance teaching and discussion: Don’t just lecture through content. Use reflection questions to generate discussion. Let people share their insights and applications.
Encourage vulnerability: Model honesty about your own struggles. When leaders are vulnerable, the group feels safe to be real.
Keep groups small enough: 8-12 people maximum for FAITH Foundations and VICTORY. 4-6 ideal for FAITH Plus. Smaller groups enable deeper sharing and accountability.
Don’t let one person dominate: Gently redirect if someone monopolises discussion. Draw out quieter members with specific questions.
End with prayer and action: Close each session by praying for specific applications and struggles. Challenge everyone to complete at least one action step before the next meeting.
For Church-Wide Implementation
Create a clear pathway: Communicate to your congregation: “Here’s how we disciple people from new faith to maturity.” Make FAITH resources your standard pathway.
Offer resources at appropriate entry points
For seekers and new believers:
- Offer Simple FAITH immediately after conversion or as a pre-baptism class.
- Make Simple FAITH available at welcome centres and in digital formats.
For growing believers:
- Offer FAITH Foundations as a follow-up to Simple FAITH or as a new members’ class.
- Run FAITH Foundations groups quarterly so new believers don’t wait long to join.
For established believers:
- Make VICTORY available as an ongoing small group curriculum.
- Teach VICTORY principles from the pulpit regularly.
- Create VICTORY refresher courses for those showing burnout signs.
For maturing believers:
- Offer FAITH Plus as a leadership development track.
- Require FAITH Plus completion before appointing to teaching/leading roles.
- Use FAITH Plus for elder/deacon training.
Train facilitators well: Don’t just hand out materials. Train leaders to facilitate FAITH groups effectively. Provide facilitator guides and ongoing support.
Create reproducible systems: Once someone completes FAITH Plus, they should be equipped to lead others through Simple FAITH and Foundations. Create systems where disciples make disciples.
Measure progress by reproduction: Don’t just count how many people completed courses. Track how many are now discipling others. Healthy discipleship reproduces.
For different learning styles
For visual learners:
- Create diagrams of FAITH acrostics.
- Use charts showing the discipleship pathway.
- Draw pictures of concepts like “living from vs. living for acceptance.”
For auditory learners:
- Record yourself reading sessions and listen whilst driving or exercising.
- Discuss content verbally with others.
- Read Scripture passages aloud.
For kinaesthetic learners:
- Write out key points by hand.
- Use physical objects to represent truths (stones for foundation, etc.)
- Practice action steps immediately, not just read about them.
For reading/writing learners:
- Take extensive notes.
- Journal daily about applications.
- Write out memory verses multiple times.