Roots of Faith

Using these materials

Introduction

Roots of Faith is Module 2 of a four-module programme called ‘Living your

Faith’ aimed at helping adults to develop their Christian faith as whole-life
disciples. It is based on original material and aims to cover the basic issues
for Christian life and growth in today’s contexts. It aims to instil a sense of
confidence and outward-looking attitude in the practice of faith. It is not
intended that people take particular pathways out of this learning
experience (such as specific church ministries) but that they consider
where God is leading them in their lives as a whole, including within their
current occupations.

The style of learning is flexible and includes a variety of approaches, most

of which are discursive and participative, rather than based on input. The
material has been demonstrated to be challenging and engaging for
Christians at many stages in their faith journey. It helps participants think
through and move on in their discipleship and calling in today’s world.

Aims and outcomes

The main aim of the course is to enable personal and shared learning in
Christian discipleship and faith development – learning that will make a real
difference in people’s lives The anticipated outcomes are based on
national guidelines for ‘Education for Discipleship’ courses, of which this
course is an example. Participants of such courses should:

• Become more confident in faith, discipleship and understanding in

relation to God, membership of the Church and engagement as
Christians in the world
• Grow in their understanding of Christian identity, both within the
Church community and in society at large
• Be able to draw effectively on a solid grounding in knowledge and
understanding of the Bible and the Christian tradition
• Be able to voice an understanding informed by Christian reflection
and dialogue with others
• Grow in their awareness of themselves and others
• Be open to the exploration of a variety of pathways in response to
God’s call to discipleship

© Diocese of Guildford LIVING your FAITH 2011

JOURNEY OF FAITH Using the materials
PARTICIPANT’S VERSION
More information for participants:

What will I learn?

The content of Roots of Faith is indicated by the session headings but, in
summary, you can expect to cover various approaches to studying and
interpreting the Bible and exploring the authority of scripture and its
relationship with Christian living today.

Session 1: Encountering Jesus

Session 2: Encountering Passover
Session 3: Encountering God
Session 4: Bible in Conflict
Session 5: Bible – so what?

What will the learning experience be like?

Aware that people have different learning styles, the course includes a
variety of methods to be used in the sessions and these are all clearly set
out. Some sessions may feature input on a topic but others will also contain
group work, or a task or period of reflection. Your comfort zone may be a
little stretched on occasions but the participative nature of the learning
makes it more real and applicable to life; and most groups develop a
valuable level of trust among their members.

Within the module you will probably find yourself being asked to read,
reflect, feed back, discuss, watch, listen, and take part in small group
activities. Your commitment outside of the sessions may include a small
amount of preparation but also features an optional Reflection Exercise.
Reading lists are provided for any follow up you wish to pursue.

Roots of Faith has been designed as an opportunity to take stock and build
on your Christian faith, at whatever stage you consider yourself to be. It
has big broad themes but far from leading to a shallow approach, this
actually challenges participants to think deeply and discuss with others
about what these topics actually mean for people of faith. Participants who
have followed the various Modules in local groups during the last two years
have been enthusiastic about the learning they have been able to do.

Helpful aspects of the course were said to be:

Small group sharing; quiet times of reflection; group leader input;
excellent variety of material each session.

The course is perhaps deceptively subtle and its impact cannot be

adequately assessed just by reading through the written materials. It yields
its treasures through your engagement with it and with other Christians in
the group. It will lead you to develop greater confidence in what you
believe and why, and in how to apply your faith more widely in your life.

© Diocese of Guildford LIVING your FAITH 2011

JOURNEY OF FAITH Using the materials
PARTICIPANT’S VERSION
 Acknowledgements for ‘Living your Faith’

• Chris Holloway and Revd John Strain, for editing and feedback
from practice
• Diocesan ‘Education for Discipleship’ team, for planning and
feedback
• All group leaders and participants of groups who used the
original ‘Toolkit for Christian Living’ materials, 2006-09, for
their enthusiasm and feedback
• Revd Briony Martin, who wrote the original materials in
response to the Diocesan brief

© Diocese of Guildford LIVING your FAITH 2011

JOURNEY OF FAITH Using the materials
PARTICIPANT’S VERSION