Preface

In his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis calls all Christians to embrace the call to become missionary disciples:

The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast.1

Likewise, George Weigel speaks about the need to form communities of missionary disciples as our best strategy for the Church today. To evangelize the postmodern world of the twenty-first century, Weigel believes, we need to be grounded in the Gospel truth, “a truth that forms a mission-centered community of disciples with a clear sense of identity and purpose.”2 The result will be “a culture-forming counterculture for the sake of the world, its healing, and its conversion.”3

We offer this book in the hope of making a contribution to the wide-ranging efforts being made today to equip the Church to become a joyful band, a community, of missionary disciples.

Many are laboring in this field and bearing a rich harvest. In July 2017, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops held a convocation for several thousand Catholic leaders in Orlando, Florida, entitled “The Joy of the Gospel in America.” Leaders gathered to listen, share, pray, and engage in a strategic conversation about how to form missionary disciples who will animate the Church and engage the surrounding culture. This unprecedented gathering, which continued for four days, had a single aim: that the Church might be better equipped to form missionary disciples who will effectively bring Christ to the world.

We write this book with deep appreciation for what we have learned from many authors who have shaped our understanding of the task we face. Sherry Weddell’s groundbreaking book, Forming Intentional Disciples, has helped create a category for intentional discipleship in the Church today.4 Many people in the Church first learned what discipleship is by encountering Weddell’s vibrant presentation. Our book is intended to complement what Weddell has laid down as a foundation. Her book is especially focused on conversion and the initial decision to intentionally follow Christ as his disciples. Our treatment includes the stage of conversion but focuses on what happens after this: how can we help people move from the initial decision to become disciples through a process of formation that leads to maturity in discipleship?

Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS, has contributed an inspiring volume called Making Missionary Disciples. 5 Basing his book on the pattern laid down in the Gospels, Martin shows the importance of creating a culture in which

missionary disciples can live, grow, and develop key habits that enable them to be fruitful throughout their lives. Our book builds on these foundations and explores what it means for people to grow to maturity as missionary disciples within a community—a culture—that is conducive to forming new disciples in Christ.6

This book is a fruit of our nearly four decades of experience in forming mature missionary disciples of Christ. We have worked most often with young adults, from late high school through university and into early adulthood. But we have also helped men and women in many stages of life follow the call of discipleship.

Gordy DeMarais is the founder and president of St. Paul’s Outreach, a Catholic student outreach located on campuses in North America.7 Daniel Keating, a professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary (Detroit, Michigan), served for twenty-five years with University Christian Outreach, an ecumenical student ministry located in North America and abroad.8

We have weathered many ups and downs in ministry: we have known the gratifying experience of seeing many young people respond to the call of God and become disciples of Christ; we have also known failure and made wrong turns in ministry. We remain committed to the crucial task of forming mature missionary disciples in and for the Church today.

This book consists of six chapters. In chapter 1, we ask the question “Why Discipleship?” Why is the strategy of forming mature missionary disciples, in the context of community, so central to the task of the New Evangelization today?

In the second chapter, “Biblical Patterns of Discipleship,” we turn to the example of Jesus himself: how did Christ go about calling and forming disciples to share in his work? We are not seeking a strict blueprint in the Gospels but rather patterns of discipleship that can guide our efforts today.

In chapter 3, “Discipleship Is a Process,” we present a central principle of disciple making: forming disciples involves a process that occurs in recognizable stages over time. Our goal is to describe these stages and how we help people move from stage to stage.

In chapter 4, “Vehicles of Formation,” we ask, “What are the key vehicles, or carriers, that assist the process of disciple making?” The temptation is to rely on one approach. Our experience shows that several vehicles, working together, provide the best context for helping people grow into dedicated, balanced, and mature disciples of Christ.

In the fifth chapter, “Characteristics of a Mature Missionary Disciple,” we consider the primary traits that should be evident in a mature disciple as results of discipleship formation. In the final chapter, “A Lifelong Vision for Adventurous Discipleship,” we turn to the costly, adventurous aspect of following Christ. What does it mean to be a witness to Christ, and how can we embrace the unpredictable, challenging aspects of discipleship? Here we point to the centrality of faith, hope, and love for lifelong discipleship and show the blessing of godly friendship as we seek to become—and to live as—a joyful band of missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.

Our prayer is that this book will contribute to the task of forming communities of mature missionary disciples in and for the Church today. All for the glory of God!