Growing as disciples of Christ, equipped to participate in God’s mission, is central to our journey of faith. As described in our founding document, The Basis of Union, (Paragraph 11), the Uniting Church holds a high regard for faithful and scholarly interpreters of Scripture, who reflect deeply upon and act in obedience to God’s living Word. We are also thankful for the learning which comes through literary, historical and scientific understanding and continue to be open to learning from contemporary thought and societies.
Encouraging and guiding such learning and how it shapes our understanding of the faith is an important aspect of the Assembly’s work.
Growing in Faith encompasses not only our academic understandings of theology, but also how we as followers of Christ grow in our understanding and application of the faith.
The Growing in Faith Circle provides a space for people to be informed about and offer input into this important area, and to share your own faith journey with others.
Circle Members will be invited to engage with and contribute to resources and activities, such as discussion papers or study resources on topics of the moment, online forums engaging with questions of faith and doctrine, and national conferences or events.
The Advocate for the Growing in Faith Circle is Rev. Ann Perrin.
We asked Ann to share a little about herself.
Discovery as Discipleship
Growing in Faith Advocate Rev. Ann Perrin considers the meaning we give to the word disciple at this time in the life of our church. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition Vol. 4) the first entry describing of the word disciple is to teach, train and educate. The second entry is to convert
The Bible Project
Circle Member Jon Humphries shared this post about the Bible Project: Many here will know of the Bible Project, but if you haven’t already caught the Bible Project, the work that they do is exceptional. Even if you have encountered some of their videos, you may not realise that they have some series which which
BOOK REVIEW: Being Disciples
By Liam Miller Charting Chapter 1 of Rowan William’s book Being Disciples. Being Disciples: Essentials of Christian Life is part two of an unofficial trilogy of excellent, accessible, nuanced (and short!) books on the Christian life (Being Christians and Being Human bracket this volume). In Chapter 1, Williams suggests “being disciples” is about two things: continuing
The Jazz Band, the Crucible and the ‘Deep Work’ of Discipleship
By Dr Margaret Campbell I have recently read Rev. Jenny Tymms’ book Deep Work: Spiritual Practice in our Workday World. It is an accessible resource for those looking to grow as disciples of Christ – a beautifully written study for people yearning “to live a rich, soulful, spirit-filled life right in the very midst of
Cruciform community
By Matthew Julius, Growing in Faith Panel Member As we journey towards Easter we turn particular focus to the central event of our Christian faith: the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah. There the body of Christ hung dejected and condemned from a Roman cross. It is this event which defines our faith. The Basis