BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATIONAL RESOURCE

All of the resources in the Companions adult series build on the foundation of the 28-week experience. The Way of series is best used by those who have been in a 28-week group. However, if your group opts to move from Exploring the Way to a resource in The Way of series or even opts to dive right in without either the 28-week or Exploring the Way experience, you will still find great benefit for your group.

There is no special order for The Way of … series, but we do offer some suggestions for how to use these resources. The following list of Way of … titles includes descriptions of how to best use these guides.

The Way of Grace
Participant’s Book by John Indermark
Leader’s Guide by Marjorie J. Thompson and Melissa Tidwell

The Way of Grace provides a fresh approach to the Gospel of John. It invites us to travel with eight biblical characters (or groups of characters) who discover God’s grace through their encounter with Jesus-- including Andrew, Nicodemus, the lame man, Mary and Martha, and others. The Way of Grace asks us to open our hearts to a deeper understanding of God’s grace. It offers transforming interaction with the events and the characters of scripture.

This 8-week resource is a great next step for groups who have experienced the Companions foundational resource or Exploring the Way.

The Way of Blessedness
Participant’s Book by Marjorie J. Thompson
Leader’s Guide by Stephen D. Bryant

The Way of Blessedness invites small-group members to discover and live the values of God's kingdom. Each week group participants explore one of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. This 9-week journey guides us into a life lived in the freedom of God-governed love. It also helps us develop a personal “rule of life.”

This topic fits well in the Fall season leading up to Advent.

The Way of Forgiveness
Participant’s Book by Marjorie J. Thompson
Leader’s Guide by Stephen D. Bryant and Marjorie J. Thompson

The Way of Forgiveness uses Scripture meditation and a variety of other spiritual practices to guide us through an eight-week exploration of the forgiven and forgiving life. Always keeping God’s grace and our blessedness before us, we examine shame, guilt, and anger before turning to forgiveness and reconciliation.

This resource offers a spiritually challenging Companions experience ideal for groups who have formed strong community through their previous Companions involvement.

It makes an excellent in-depth study for the pre-Lent through Lenten season.

The Way of Transforming Discipleship
by Trevor Hudson and Stephen D. Bryant

This six-week Companions in Christ study challenges Christians to live the whole gospel by connecting spirituality and discipleship. Trevor Hudson is one of the leading voices of reconciliation in the South African Christian community. He shares lessons that will help Christians everywhere become agents of truth telling and reconciliation. The Way of Transforming Discipleship offers us a message of vital transforming spirituality that begins with knowing who we are, changing from the inside out, listening to the groans of others, and discovering the deep spirituality of belonging.

This resource is ideal for Lenten studies or preparation for mission trips.

The Way of Prayer
By Jane E. Vennard

The Way of Prayer is a 10-week resource designed to help people expand their understanding of the nature and practice of prayer. Many Christians grow up with a limited vision of what prayer is and how to pray. The Way of Prayer offers many forms to explore and practice, both individually and as a group. People with different temperaments, spiritual types, and learning styles will each find expressions of prayer that draw them closer to God. They will also learn to integrate body, mind, and spirit in prayer, and to live a more creative rhythm between the inner life and the outward journey of service.

This resource can help bring greater scope and vitality into the prayer life of your congregation. It is good for all seasons.

The Way of Discernment
by Stephen V. Doughty and Marjorie J. Thompson

Discernment is the ancient spiritual practice of recognizing and choosing God’s intention or will for us. Rooted in listening prayer, it serves to guide us in the way that leads to life.

This ten-week study, the newest in the Companions in Christ series, focuses on discernment practices for individuals and small groups, but also points to the elements and basic processes of discernment for congregational use and larger church structures.

It is a valuable guide to a new way of “being church,” especially for church leaders.