Discipleship @ Urban Village

IT’S A JOURNEY

We believe God desires and is able to meet you exactly where you are. You – with all your joy and grief, idiosyncrasies, gifts, beliefs and doubts, secrets, chaos and calm – are welcome and wanted at the table.

God wants to be in relationship with us. Often, though, if we’re honest, we find pursuing a relationship with God confusing. Maybe we’re new to faith – or back after a long hiatus – and have no idea where to start. Or, perhaps we’ve already started – months, years, or decades ago – but now find we want to go deeper or just broader.

The good news is, wherever you find yourself, it is God’s joy to meet and guide you in becoming more fully who you were designed to be. This is the journey of discipleship.

AN “OLD SCHOOL” MAP

Though not always traveled on a clear day, discipleship is a journey with a map:  to be disciples of Jesus is to love God and love our neighbor. Simple, yes, and yet challenging. But a challenge we believe leads to freedom, reconciliation, and joy!

Inspired by our great city, we envision discipleship as an “L” ride – a discipLeship journey, if you will – that integrates and offers our whole life. The inbound train is about loving God. Through worship, spiritual practices, healthy living, bible study, and community we love God and receive God’s grace. The outbound train is about loving our neighbor. As we practice invitation, service, vocation, seeking justice, and stewardship we become the grace we’ve received from God. The journey of discipLeship is one of balanced, continuous love – receiving love to give it and giving love to receive it.

GETTING STARTED

You are welcome to jump on the train at whatever stop you’d like and explore the stops in the order of your choosing. Each stop is a means to connection, helping us discover God and our true selves. As you explore, you’ll likely find yourself spending more time at certain stops depending on your gifts and passions. This is natural and scriptural. It is important, though, to eventually jump off at each stop and open yourself to God’s voice there. Because as we do this – as we learn to integrate each stop into our journey of discipleship, our life of loving God and loving neighbor – we become the person and the people God created us to be.

To find out more about a particular stop, click on it in the above map. You’ll be linked to a description as well as a list of associated small groups, events, and volunteer opportunities.

Consider yourself a newcomer? Worship is a great place to jump aboard. You’ll be greeted generously, hear a good word and upbeat music, and begin to get a feel for the Urban Village community. If you visit the first Sunday of the month, join Urban Village’s pastors after the service for Urban Village 101 as well. Jumping aboard at Service or Seeking Justice is another option; we’d love to have you help us serve our city! Or, forget about the stops for now and simply check out Urban Village’s small groups and events, and pick one that interests you.

Ready to go deeper? Pick one inbound stop and one outbound stop to explore this season. Then, “rinse and repeat” each season until you’ve jumped off at each stop. Or, join a Life Group! Life Groups are yearlong groups designed to help you explore and integrate all the stops. They’re offered throughout the city on multiple nights of the week.