Begin Anew: Christian Discipleship Seminars: Leader's Guide

Begin Anew is designed for a wide range of participants with different backgrounds and acquaintances with the Christian faith. These individuals may be youth preparing for baptism, young adults who dropped out of the church, or those who have recently moved into a new area. They may be new to the faith and to a congregation, or they may be members of the church who want to go deeper in their experience of what it means to follow Jesus in daily life. This study can help these individuals gain a new perspective on the church and its mission.

The text of this study is the Participant’s Manual. Each of the sixteen sessions is built around five or six main questions with biblical and practical responses. This Leader’s Guide provides a suggestion for each question in the Participant’s Manual to help you teach or discuss it. Often, you may need to decide which of the five or six questions in a session are most relevant to your group. You might want to time the sections of a study so you can give priority to the most important questions.

Videos (8-12 min in length) are available to help you enter into each session. These videos feature creative leaders and church members who have made a new beginning, and they will provide you with examples of how the Christian faith might be lived.

While the written materials in Begin Anew focus on the “what” and “how” of being a follower of Jesus, the videos speak to the “why.” Why is it important to believe in God? Belong to a community? Adopt devotional practices? or Have a ministry in the church?

(16 sessions)