by the Rev. Paul Allick
Soon after my ordination I was introduced to something called Gospel Based Discipleship. At first blush this process of reading scripture together seemed rather simplistic to me. This was because back then I thought in terms of Programs and Bible Studies. Gospel Based Discipleship is neither a program nor a Bible Study. It is a manner of gathering in community to listen to Jesus. As the original disciples and apostles did, we gather to listen, to ask questions, and then to go out into our everyday lives and experience His presence. It is a way to gather as community to delve deeper into our Baptismal Covenant finding ways to really live out those things we promise to do, believe and be.
Gospel Based Discipleship isn’t better than other ways of reflecting on Scripture; it’s just different. Gospel Based Discipleship differs from processes like Lectio Divina, Dwelling in the Word, and African Bible Study in two significant ways. While the three questions we ask of the Scripture are very similar, there is more to it. First, at the beginning of this discipline we only engage the Gospels. We do not select the reading; it selects us as we take the Gospel of the Day from the Daily Office or from the Sunday Eucharist. In this way we seek as direct access to the Teacher (Jesus) as possible. It isn’t that the Hebrew Scriptures or the Epistles are not important; it is that we begin with Christ.
Secondly, in the Gospel Based Discipleship process we also engage in what are called the Guiding Principles and the Rule of Life. We are engaging each other and holding ourselves accountable to principles and disciplines regarding our own discipleship.
What I have discovered in this process is a genuine transformation of my seeing. I see my Christian vocation differently. I connect more deeply with the liturgies and Catechism of The Book of Common Prayer. I have learned to listen to others more effectively.
Gospel Based Discipleship is not a magic potion or long sought after solution to all the questions we face as Christians living within an institution. It is a way to frame those questions. It is also a way to find out that some questions are not ultimately important. It is an excellent instrument for communal discernment such as the kind we are going through in this time of transition in our parish.
The only thing you need to know about the Bible to participate is where to find one in your house or online. The only preparation required for this process is to be experiencing human existence.
