Desktop Discipleship

The DOOR explores a new way to grow in faith

Being a disciple of Jesus should be something that is interwoven in our daily lives, yet with our 24/7 lifestyles, how often does our time with God get squashed into the beginning or end of the day? Now BRF have designed Foundations 21 - a new multi-media discipleship course for anyone ‘who wants to grow in their faith and become a more effective disciple of Jesus Christ’.  Natalie Abbott was intrigued to discover whether the course would live up to its claims...

Foundations 21 was launched in August and is aimed at Christians of all denominations.  This online discipleship course is billed as the new way to 'do' discipleship - a description I find a bit off-putting if I'm honest, but I like the idea of a bible study that will fit in with my working life, so I'm interested to see what I'll find as I log on.

Having uploaded the DVD, registered on the web site and chosen a user name, I find myself on the home page of the Foundations 21 web site (see below) and  I'm pleasantly surprised at its user-friendly style.

There is a daily prayer, a reading, a promise, a psalm, a quote and a region of the world to pray for.  To have this as my home page at work would be fantastic; to begin my working day with a new message from God's word on my screen would be a positive experience (for me and for my colleagues!).  I find myself spending quite a bit of time reading the information about the area of the world for that day - Columbia, and find the in depth information and guidance for prayer extremely useful. 

Next, I go as suggested to the quiz designed to discover which pathway I should follow based on my own approach to learning.  Users are categorised in to four pathways: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. I am identified as a Matthew person (likes order, takes time to change, precise and values authority - sounds about right). Marks are practical, creative and impulsive, Lukes are imaginative and enjoy working with others and Johns work best with images, concepts and knowledge.  You can choose any number of pathways and people are often a mixture of different types.

On to the 'Great Court', an imposing room with 12 doors representing the 12 main subject areas; the foundations of Christianity (hence the name of the course): Jesus, the Bible, God the Father, the Cross and Resurrection, the Holy Spirit, Church, prayer, worship, Intimacy with God, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Ministry and Christian mission.
Following the Matthew pathway through the first door I am amazed at the variety of resources at my fingertips.  There are video clips, extracts from books (like the Lion Handbook), links to other web sites, song lyrics to read, music to listen to, information for preparing sermons; a truly multi-media course.  I am encouraged to keep notes on the online journal (which no-one else can access) and to fill in a faithline to track significant events in my spiritual life.
The flexibility of this course means you can follow it on your own, or share the experience as part of a Bible study group, or as a whole church.  The 12 different rooms mean you could even take a year and study each area over a month, meeting up as a group to discuss what you've learnt.

Another approach is to link up with other users online and form your own community.  I have to admit to feeling a bit uncomfortable with the concept of an online 'community' or 'chatroom' (oh to be a Luke!), but it's reassuring to read the comments already posted by people on the course.  People describe themselves as 'fellow travellers' as if they are on a spiritual journey, and that is how it feels. And of course only those who have subscribed (currently the cost is £85 a year) can access these rooms.

Another key user group could potentially be those on the fringe of faith, to whom the step of joining a church is just too great.  Foundations 21 offers a fantastic opportunity to learn about the Christian faith and explore your relationship with God without stepping outside your house.

But does Foundations 21 do what it claims?  From my experience it is an innovative way of 'doing' discipleship in the 21st century.  We have all become so used to spending most of our time in front of the computer, it seems to make sense to incorporate our Christian learning in this way.  Admittedly praying in front of a computer does seem a bit strange at first but it would be great if we office-dwellers could work this in to our daily lives.  Jesus met people where they were 2000 years ago.  I think he would want to do the same today.

Natalie Abbott is the Door's Editorial Assistant