Hello
@Holy Universe, the discipleship program that I was part of years ago was the "
2:7 Series" by the Navigators. My denomination is the Evangelical Free Church of America, and the large local church that I belonged to back then got their leadership almost exclusively from two sources, seminaries and the
Navigators 2:7.
Most of our congregants were involved in weekly Bible studies (for learning and fellowship), but our discipleship training was very different (though we usually met just once a week, like our small group Bible studies did). The difference was what we were being taught, what was expected of us (in class), the amount of preparation (homework) that we were required to complete, and other requirements, like Scripture memorization.
The leader of the discipleship program is always trained by the Navigators themselves to lead the group, and many who joined my group did not make it all the way to the end (although back then there were 6 workbooks instead of the three that I see they use now, and it took up to 2 years to complete, instead of the 9 months that it does today).
It's intense, and to be honest, it feels a bit legalistic at first, but nothing that I've experienced of Bible studies, before or after the
2:7 Series, has ended up being such an INCREDIBLE blessing to me and to others in so many ways, not even close!
The church that I'm in now has discipleship programs running for some of our high schoolers, and also for college age members and beyond who we, again, are hoping will eventually move into leadership roles in our church (elders, deacons, and our other ministries) or elsewhere, perhaps as pastors or missionaries.
I hope that helps!
God bless you!!
--David
p.s. - the "2:7" comes from
Colossians 2:7, just FYI.
