Discipleship in CLC
One of the core values of City Life Church is 'every member maturing'. In other words, commitment to this church is a commitment to keep on growing in God, maturing spiritually, and becoming more and more the person God designed you to be.
How do we outwork this value? On the following 5 levels:
 1 COMMUNITY CULTURE
We are constantly discipled by what we watch, look at, listen to, and buy into. The church community is one place at least where the predominant influences are those of the kingdom of God. As a community, we consciously carry the value of maturing and spur one another on at every opportunity. So look for inspiration in the body, but also be part of inspiring others. This church is not about bums on seats on a Sunday, but about a community sharpening its members all week.
2 CELL
Cells exist to see all members grow in God: they are committed to one another in that. You can get more real and open with one another in these smaller midweek groups, fostering an ideal environment for accountability, vulnerability, prayer and support.
HOW? Check out a cell to see if you want to get involved further. Cell groups are open and friendly to visitors. Students get stuck into Fusion cells in their colleges. Discipleship happens in the meetings, and also other activities that each group gets up to.
3 ONE-TO-ONE
Cell will not provide as deep a level of accountability and openness as a one-to-one partnering. With a same-sex peer, probably from the same cell, you can “talk about the things that matter” and have some support in personal issues and struggles. All CLCers should aim to meet up with someone one-to-one, or in triplets, to have a deeper level of accountability.
HOW? Ask someone from your cell if they want to meet up in the week. Go for a coffee or a run together, or the pub. Meet in your lunchtime, or whenever you can. Deeper is specifically designed for one-to-one, value-based discipleship. Or try doing Bible studies together, and praying for one another. The one to one scheme is designed to help you find someone to meet with and get the most out of the arrangement.
These first 3 levels are one definition of what it means to ‘be part of CLC’. Being part of the community, joining a cell, and meeting with someone else one-to-one means you are actually making CLC your own. The following two levels of discipleship are also available (the first on a limited basis) - but it's up to you to seek them out.
4 MENTORING
This is seeking out a maturer person in the church for mentoring or training, perhaps for a period of time or to focus on one specific issue. Mentoring can be as practical as sorting your money out with someone wise. But it doesn't come on a plate. Like Elisha hounding Elijah (2Kings 2:1-15), the desire has to come from you, and you may have to serve that person for a while. On the student side, we attempt to get all students involved in helping others in discipleship covered by some same-sex mentoring.
HOW? If someone inspires you in an area or generally, ask them if they have time to mentor you. You can meet once, or regularly, or until you've learnt what you're after. You don't have to meet weekly, but agree a frequency that works for both of you. Ask the Student Team about the mentoring for students.
5 PERSONAL PURSUIT
Ultimately nothing replaces your own personal pursuit of Jesus - you decided to follow him and are his disciple. The New Covenant (Hebrews 8) we have with God means we all know him, from the greatest to the least. Have you got a passion to become more and more like Jesus - so much so that you'll do the work to get there?
HOW? Bible reading and study, prayer, conferences that challenge you, courses like the Christian Academy, books and tapes, going on serving projects and short term mission trips and other things which stretch you, other relationships outside of Cambridge which help you grow etc.
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