Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation focuses on becoming more like Jesus through lifelong growth in faith, character, and obedience. Explore Bible-based articles on following Christ, spiritual disciplines, prayer, Scripture reading, community, and the habits that shape a mature disciple. You’ll find practical guidance for mentoring, accountability, repentance, perseverance, and cultivating a gospel-centered life in every season. Whether you’re learning the basics of discipleship or helping others grow, these resources equip you to form disciples who love God, love people, and live on mission.

September 1, 2022

Christian Standard

Ethnic Identity and the Multiethnic Church

Ethnic Identity and the Multiethnic Church

By Tokishia Dockery-Ragland  What part should one’s ethnicity play in their faith? Or should it play any role at all?   These are huge resounding questions for me, especially over the past 20 years, during which I’ve served or been a part of three multiethnic churches (and been part of multiethnic ministry staffs). But these questions certainly are not new. If we’re honest, these questions, this discussion, predates us all.  How Does Ethnicity Affect Faith?   I believe ethnicity should be acknowledged and that ethnicity does play a part in our faith. Merriam-Webster defines ethnicity as “ethnic quality or affiliation” and ethnic

September 1, 2022

Michael C. Mack

Michael C. Mack

The Church’s Identity Issue

By Michael C. Mack   Never has our culture been more perplexed about how to answer the seemingly simple question, “Who am I?” It’s hardly a surprise: The more the world drifts from the Creator, the more people struggle with their identity. We lose our sense of who we are when we forget whose we are. Satan is complicit, of course, in this case of identity theft.   In this issue, we address various matters of identity today. Our writers look at identity biblically, speaking truth in love, with a positive, humble attitude. And we hope our readers will have a similar

September 1, 2022

Christian Standard

When Stories Collide: How CRT Addresses Identity . . . and Ultimately Falls Short of Jesus’ Answer

When Stories Collide: How CRT Addresses Identity . . . and Ultimately Falls Short of Jesus’ Answer

By Matthew McBirth   My grandad is from the South. While my dad grew up during the Civil Rights Movement decades of the 1950s to 1960s, Grandad was raised during the age of Jim Crow. I have a vivid memory of watching a home video of Dad and Grandad visiting Grandad’s childhood community in the rural South during midsummer. While watching the highlights of the trip, the video showed Grandad next to a massive field covered in white. Upon seeing this, preteen Matthew (me) said aloud, “Wow, it snowed while y’all were there?” With a slight chuckle, Dad responded, “No, that’s

September 1, 2022

Osharye Hagood

Who Are We? (A Crucial Question for Women in the Church)

Who Are We? (A Crucial Question for Women in the Church)

By Osharye Hagood  A godly woman knows what God says about her and that she does not have to wait until she is thin enough, smart enough, perfect enough, strong enough, or socially accepted enough to add value to the church. A woman needs a place that understands and accepts her inevitable failings along the journey, just as a man does.   Jesus learned obedience through suffering, and women will do so as well. We need to experience that the church is not a culture of shame but a family of love, acceptance, and support. Yet, for so many women, this

September 1, 2022

Jerry Harris

Jerry Harris

The Struggle with Identity

By Jerry Harris Identity is a major topic in American culture today. What do I identify as? Who do I identify with? There are hot debates about race, gender, sexual orientation, victimization, and how we  see ourselves and the world around us. The words we use or the words we are discouraged from using are all tied up in identity.   The American Medical Association just recommended that we not put gender on our birth certificates. An AMA report said, “Imposing such a categorization system risks stifling self-expression and self-identification and contributes to marginalization and minoritization.” Some doctors are recommending replacing

September 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

How to Respond When the World Tries to Dismantle Your God-Given Identity  By Wes Beavis  “I hear voices inside my head.” This statement raises the sensitivities of a clinical psychologist. Hearing internal voices can be a sign of schizophrenia, which can drive people into homelessness. But schizophrenia is not just limited to the down and out.   John Nash, a brilliant mathematician, would carry on conversations with people inside his head. His story was made into a movie called A Beautiful Mind. Despite suffering from schizophrenia, Nash’s intellectual capacity and achievements led to him being awarded a Nobel Memorial Prize in

September 1, 2022

Christian Standard

Primary Identity

By Jeff Faull   Who am I? How do I see myself? How do I want to be perceived? Which aspect of my identity is most important to me? Is there a right way or a wrong way to settle these questions as a follower of Jesus?  When considering these questions, some people focus on racial, ethnic, or national identity. Others are consumed with sexual or gender identity. Still others emphasize economic, professional, cultural, social, or even religious identity. With the furor over people, politics, passions, pride, power, perceptions, and pronouns, identity always seems to be an issue and an unceasing

March 1, 2022

Michael C. Mack

The Power of Authenticity

When I was about 10 years old, I made friends with two brothers in my neighborhood, Tim and Jeff Ward. Perhaps because I didn’t have a brother living at home, or just for fun, I told them I had a twin brother named Mark. We would be playing Wiffleball, and I’d go home, change clothes, and come back as Mark. To help the ruse, I batted right-handed as Mike and left-handed as Mark. At first Mike was a better batter, but Mark steadily improved (which is how I became a decent switch-hitter). After several weeks, Tim and Jeff started getting

March 1, 2022

Megan Rawlings

Megan Rawlings

The Quest for Authentic Identity

By Megan Rawlings “Tell me about yourself.” There was a long, long pause. “Well,” she finally said, “I’m a 2.” “A 2?” I asked. “Yeah, on the Enneagram. It’s this test that tells you who you are and so much about yourself . . .” This conversation and others like it spurred me on to contemplate the emotional and mental state of young adults in our country. Although I cannot speak for the masses, in my experience, millennials (those born 1981–1998) and Generation Z (born 1999–2015) are longing to find their identity and purpose. There appears to be a chasm

March 1, 2022

Christian Standard

Authentic Influence

Authentic Influence

By Kyle Idleman A word you hear a lot these days, a word that drives a lot of social media ambitions and daily decisions, is influencer . . . and underneath that word is a deep desire we all have. Nobody grows up dreaming of waking up, going to work, heading home, watching Netflix, scrolling through social media, and then doing it all over again the next day until their last breath. We all want to be used to change the world. We don’t want to spend our lives being time-wasters, or space-takers, or binge-watchers, or game-players, or even book-readers.

March 1, 2022

Renee Little

Finding Authenticity

Finding Authenticity in the Middle

By Renee Little Recently I couch shopped for an entire weekend. My two young boys “test drove” every couch by bouncing from one to another. (It’s a good thing couches cannot experience fear.) I was more careful during this search than on a previous couch-shopping expedition. This time, before I would even sit on one to try it out, I read the tags to verify the couch was made from genuine leather. You see, I once made the mistake of buying a “pleather” couch; it was nice at first, but soon cracks and chips appeared. I was not making that

March 1, 2022

Christian Standard

Authentic Disciple-Making

Authentic Disciple-Making: 5 Essentials

By Bobby Harrington Fifteen years ago, I started waking up every day focused on disciple-making. In my roles as a pastor, trainer of church planters, network leader, and coach, it became my obsession. I did this because I came to believe disciple-making is the core mission of the church. Just as importantly: I came to believe disciple-making is the key to Christian faithfulness in this cultural moment. Disciple-making has become such a passion that I have now published over 10 books on the topic, initiated and led multiple national conferences on the topic, and cofounded three national networks for church

January 1, 2022

Tyler McKenzie

Tyler McKenzie

Wrestling with Deconstruction and Doubt

I recently read a book on the deconstruction of one’s faith called After Doubt by A.J. Swoboda. I’d highly recommend it. In it, he suggests everyone goes through three phases in their faith journey: Construction  Deconstruction  Reconstruction. The Construction Phase The construction phase is when we first come to faith (usually as kids) and receive what Swoboda calls precritical beliefs. We don’t ask questions, we don’t wonder why, we simply accept what adults teach us. When I was a kid, I was told that Jesus rose, and I believed even though I knew dead people stay dead. I

September 1, 2021

John Whittaker

Back to the Drawing Board: How to Lead a Church Built Around Making Disciples (No Matter the Cost)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is well-known for penning the book The Cost of Discipleship about what it costs each of us to follow Jesus. In addition to that cost, discipleship—or disciple-making—also costs church leaders who take it seriously. I recently spoke with a lead pastor who serves not far from where I live. Our conversation went something like this: Me: Disciple-making is the mission Jesus gave to the church. Him: I think we need to focus more on evangelism. It seems like all I hear of late is “discipleship,” and [to me] it sounds like “work harder, learn more, go deep.” It

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