Mission and discipleship toolbox
Mission is about sharing God’s vision of justice and love for all people in the world around us, including our local neighbourhood. Discipleship is about recognising and responding to God’s presence in every aspect of our lives and, as church members, helping each other to do that.
Scroll down to find resources which might be useful to you, your family and your church as you explore Mission and Discipleship, as well as find relevant contacts in your synod.
Discipleship resources for you, your family and church
The resources listed below are based on Walking the Way materials.
Walking the Way resources
Here are resources which the Walking the Way steering group recommends:
- URC Daily Devotions
- Stepwise
- GEAR Pray the Way
- Prayer Cords – Simple, but extremely popular prayer tool. Available free of charge. Contact us to order them
- Find films on the URC YouTube channel
- London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC)
- Walking the Way logo - Want to use the Walking the Way logo for your own publicity, activities or events? Contact us for a chat
- Walking the Way - Watching the Screen (PDF | 217kb)
- Walking the Way - pub discussion leaflet (PDF | 171kb)
- 'Who am I?' Treasure Hunt (PDF | 393KB) with large wooden silhouettes available to book by email
Recommended by churches and local synods
Here are resources which synods and local churches recommend:
- CPAS 'Growing Leaders' - recommended by Northern Synod
- North Western Synod resources (Jesus-shaped Church)
- Leading Your Church into Growth - recommended by Yorkshire Synod
- Mission-Shaped Introduction (MSI) and Mission-Shaped Ministry (MSM) - recommended by East Midlands Synod
- Good News with Nick - recommended by West Midlands Synod
- Southern Synod Walking the Way resources
- Disciples Everyday
- Making Disciples
- ‘Walking the Way through Photography’ by John Potter is available as a daily visual reflection
- World Council of Churches Conference on Evangelism and Mission
- Joint Liturgical Group
- God Talk from the Scottish College (PDF | 2mb)
General discipleship resources
Here are some wide-ranging resources to help you, your family and local chruch unpack what it means to be more like Jesus:
- A Passionate Life
- Christian Enquiry Agency
- Church Related Community Work
- Church Mission Society (CMS) Resource Hub
- Creative Organisation - John Truscott
- Discipleship Deck
- God is closer than you think...
- How to be more Awesome
- London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC)
- Making Disciples
- Practicing the Way
- Reflections Journal
- ReSource
- Shoreline Conversations
- Talking Jesus
- Talking of God Together
Training resources
How might training or education help us in our journey with Jesus? Here are materials and courses which might be of use on your discipleship journey:
New Reality, Same Mission - update
New Reality, Same Mission
New Reality, Same Mission began as an initiative in response to the Covid pandemic, but it is being broadened to include responses to other issues, including the cost of living crisis.
Discipleship in action
How can we move from learning about Jesus to actually being more like him? Here are some organisations and resources which might help you move from thought into action:
- Arthur Rank Centre
- Christian Aid
- Commitment for Life
- Eat, Pray, Tell
- Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR)
- Exploring Our Faith - God-Talk (PDF | 1,762kb)
- Faith Justice
- From Evidence to Action
- Global Justice Now
- God Send (Fresh Expressions)
- Heartedge
- Holy Habits
- In the Thick of It… (PDF | 3mb)
- International Justice Mission
- Joint Public Issues Team
- Let Justice Flow (URC Intergenerational) (PDF | 2.5mb)
- London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC)
- Local Giving
- Reading Groups for Everyone
- Sabbath Economics (Ched Myers)
- The Big Church (Energy) Switch
- The Generosity Lent Challenge
- ‘TheRulesOrg’ Video on Economics
- Trussell Trust
- URC Church and Society
- Walking Together Reflection Cards (PDF) - Church of Scotland
Discipleship in the Bible
What does the Bible tell us about being more like Jesus? Here are some organisations and resources to help you read and engage with scripture:
Discipleship in prayer
How can talking with God help us become more like Jesus? Here are some organisations and resources to support you as you pray:
Discipleship in relationships
How can we grow closer to God as we grow closer to those around us? Here are some resources and organisations to help you explore discipleship with your frends, family and other people of faith:
- Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS)
- At Home in a Strange Place (Intercultural)
- Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
- Churches Together in England (CTE)
- CTE Flexible Framework for Local Mission
- Churches Together in Wales (Cytûn)
- Great Commission
- Holy Habits
- London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC)
- Myths About Interfaith Relations
- Parenting for Faith
Discipleship online
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus online? Here are some resources and organisations to help you consider this:
- URC church guides including Doing online Differently
- Churches Together in England (CTE) webinar part 1 and part 2
- World Council of Churches webinar
- Mersey Synod webinars and video tutorials
- Yorkshire Synod YouTube channel
- Premier Digital
- Sanctuary First
- Church of Fools (St Pixels)
- Mijn Kerk (My Church) (in Dutch)
- Churspacious (URC)
- D Church
- Yourchurch
- Disability and Jesus
- CPAS Everybody Welcome
- DM Media for Ministry
- Centre for Digital Theology
- Worship in Cyber Church
- Creating Church Online: Ritual, Community and New Media
- Ctrl-Alt-Del Church
- URC Spirituality
- URC Worship
- We are Making Disciples
- The Liturgist
- Youth for Christ
Discipleship in worship
How can our worship of God bring us closer to Jesus in our everyday lives? Here are some resources and organisations which might be of help:
Synod discipleship contacts
Northern Synod
This Synod covers Durham, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear.
Email: Jane Rowell
North Western Synod
This Synod covers Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, parts of Cheshire and Derbyshire.
Email: Daleen ten Cate (Lancashire) or Lawrence Moore (Central).
Mersey Synod
This Synod covers Liverpool, Merseyside, Wirral, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Crewe, and the Isle of Man.
Email Stuart Radcliffe
Yorkshire Synod
This Synod covers the whole of Yorkshire.
Email Ashley Evans or Jon Steel
East Midlands Synod
This Synod covers Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northants, Milton Keynes and parts of Cambridgeshire and Staffordshire.
Email Derek Graham
West Midlands Synod
This Synod covers Birmingham, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Coventry, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, the Black Country and Shropshire.
Email: Nick Stanyon or Stuart Scott.
Eastern Synod
This Synod covers Cambridge, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Email Lindsey Brown or Nicola Grieves
South Western Synod
This Synod covers Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.
Email the Synod office
Wessex Synod
This Synod covers Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands, half of Surrey and small parts of Buckinghamshire and Wiltshire.
Email Mary Thomas or Ray Stanyon
Thames North Synod
This Synod covers Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Greater London and Hertfordshire.
Email: Eddie Boon
Southern Synod
This Synod covers Kent, south London and parts of East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey.
Email: Andy Twilley or Martin Hayward.
These resources reflect the spirit of Walking the Way: Living the life of Jesus today, the United Reformed Church’s focus on whole-of-life discipleship. They are recommended by colleagues working collaboratively across various areas, including Children’s and Youth Work, Church Related Community Work, Education and Learning, Church and Society, Global and Intercultural Ministries, Commitment for Life (Global Justice). This resource bank was also inspired by New Reality, Same Mission, a collaborative effort in 2020 involving the groups mentioned above to help local congregations think about mission and community engagement during the challenging times of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.