A Course in Christian Discipleship for Africa






intentional discipleship








How it works ...

Rooted in Jesus is a practical discipleship programme in which trained leaders facilitate small groups of people who wish to deepen their discipleship. Designed specifically for Africa, Rooted in Jesus covers the basics of Christian faith and ministry from an African cultural perspective, using only resources that are commonly and freely available.

Rooted in Jesus is inspired by the Great Commission, the command to go and make disciples (Matt 28.18-20). This is not about head knowledge: a disciple of Jesus is a person who is learning to become like Jesus, both in life and in ministry. Disciples of Jesus learn from Jesus, minister in the name of Jesus, and help others to do these things too (2 Tim 2.2). And they do this together - as Alison Morgan puts it in her book Following Jesus, the plural of disciple is church.

These things do not happen by accident; we have to make them happen. If there is an intentional culture of discipleship and disciple-making within a diocese or network, then the lives of individuals, churches and communities within that network will be transformed. Discipleship is not just one of many things that we do: it is the core from which everything else flows.

Rooted in Jesus is a tool designed to help people to make disciples. Where it is used as part of a deliberate strategy of disciple-making, we have seen remarkable things happen. We have seen the lives of individuals transformed through being part of a Rooted in Jesus group. We have seen churches grow and their members become active in ministry. We have seen whole dioceses move into growth.

Preconditions for growth

If a diocese wishes to introduce Rooted in Jesus the following things must be in place:

  1. The leadership of the bishop is crucial. If the bishop (or denominational leader) truly wishes his diocese to grow in discipleship, and if this is part of the strategic aim of the diocese, then this is likely to happen. We ask that the bishop makes this clear by being present at the training conference, and by ensuring that an ongoing priority is placed on discipleship within the diocese.

  2. A diocesan coordinator must be appointed. This should be a person who is motivated by disciplemaking, who has the seniority within the diocese to command the respect of clergy and group leaders, and who has the time to follow up those who have been trained. The diocese will need to set a small annual budget to help with his travel costs, so that he is able to do the job.

The conferences



Local support and implementation

Follow up

Rooted in Jesus Junior


Matthew 28.19-20.
