STARTING POINT
Starting Point is a basic discipleship course developed with new Christians and younger believers in mind. Written and field-tested in the context of a local church in New Zealand, Starting Point offers pastors and church leaders a proven program for providing younger Christians with a strong foundation for
their faith.
Covering twelve essential topics over three booklets, Starting Point is designed to work in any discipleship context, whether a small group, bible class, or one-on-one mentoring friendship.
Prior to each meeting, participants consider a real-life case study, study one or two Scripture passages, and read a short article. Discussion questions then help the leader to facilitate a robust and life-changing discussion.
A Leader’s Guide is also available.
Scroll down or click on the bullet points below to find:
"I am really excited to use Starting Point. Having a resource that is made in NZ
and is for New Zealanders is going to be such a gift to the local church.
It seems like a great next step of helping a new Christian become a total follower of Jesus Christ."
Anna Field
Lead Pastor (Night)
The Street Church, Wellington
CONTENTS
Hover over each of the booklets to read the contents for that book. For more information about the contents and philosophy behind Starting Point, click on the box above to make an inquiry.
A free Leaders Guide is also available when all three books are purchased.
BOOK ONE
TRUSTING IN CHRIST
1. A New Relationship
[what it means to trust in Jesus]
2. Now What?
[discovering your purpose in life]
3. Going Public About Jesus
[understanding baptism]
4. Growing as a Christian
[what helps us mature?]
BOOK TWO
GROWING IN CHRIST
5. Knowing God Through His Word
[reading & studying the Bible]
6. Talking With The Father
[learning to pray]
7. Living By The Spirit
[being changed from the inside out]
8. Doing Life Together
[being part of the church]
BOOK THREE
LIVING FOR CHRIST
9. Dealing With The Tough Stuff
[struggling with trials & temptations]
10. What Happens When I Blow It?
[dealing with sin & failure]
11. Telling Others About Jesus
[sharing your faith]
12. Living By Grace
[living in the freedom of grace]
COST
Starting Point is available as part of an annual subscription for a variety of resources and materials that I am producing for local churches. For more information about subscription rates (based on church size), and current discounts, see the "Resources" page on this website or click here.
SAMPLE LESSON
This sample lesson is Session Six on learning to pray. This is part of Book Two: Growing in Christ, that walks through four key ingredients for growing as followers of Jesus: reading the Bible, praying to the Father, walking with the Holy Spirit, and being involved in a church.
Like every session in Starting Point, Session Six includes a short introduction and a real-life case study; two Scripture readings with some questions to help the participants understand what the Bible is teaching, and a short, 4-page article. Each participant should work through these sections before their small group meets.
Discussion questions are then provided to help the discipler or group leader to lead a good group discussion. The free Leader's Guide provides additional information on each discussion question, as well as some extra questions should they be helpful.
INTERNATIONAL
Starting Point has been made available to churches in the Majority World through
Barnabas School of Leadership (BSL), and is currently being translated into Burmese,
Nepali, and French.
For more information about using Starting Point in churches in the Majority World,
or to support the work of translation, please go the website for BSL (click here).
