A framework for the means of grace

My current column series in the United Methodist Reporter has been looking at the means of grace in Christian practice. I began by laying out how, in a Wesleyan sense, we understand the means of grace. I then went on to look at both works of piety and works of mercy. Works of piety orient us toward the love of God and consist of those worship and devotional practices that help us learn to love God better. Works of mercy orient us toward the love of neighbor. When we engage in them through acts of compassion and justice, we learn how to love our fellow human beings better.

It is crucially important to understand the means of grace as formational practices. We can't learn what it means to live the Christian life simply by sitting alone in a room and privately reading our Bibles. We have to have Christian friends who can help us, pushing us to really live out our discipleship, encouraging us where we fall short, and reflecting God's grace in our lives. In that sense, even those acts of discipleship that we undertake as individuals ultimately find their fulfillment in community.

Thus, I wanted to finish off the column series by offering a practical way to live into the means of grace in the context of community. The absolute best way I have seen that done is through the particular type of small group called Covenant Discipleship, which is an updated form of the early Methodist class meeting. I look at Covenant Discipleship groups as a means of grace in my latest Reporter column. For any person deeply attracted by the prospect of engaging the means of grace daily, but who is not quite sure how to do that, a Covenant Discipleship group offers a great way. It provides the framework necessary to live out discipleship to Jesus daily. And if you are a little numb to the small group craze that has swept the church in the past few years, don't be fooled. CD groups are different than most any other small group model I've seen.

In the past few decades, there have been a handful of pastors and scholars who have examined the purpose and function of Wesley's class meeting in the hopes of reinvigorating Methodist discipleship. The development of Covenant Discipleship is a direct result of their efforts. The primary person behind this work has been Dr. David Lowes Watson. Currently, Dr. Steve Manskar at the General Board of Discipleship is the leading force behind promoting Covenant Discipleship groups in the life of the church. The Office of Accountable Discipleship, which he heads, provides leadership and resources for starting and maintaining CD groups in local churches. If you'd like to find out more, visit the website here.

The four columns in the Reporter series can be found here:

1) "Finding faith through the means of grace"

2) "Transformed through holy habits"

3) "Loving your neighbor a real 'means of grace'"

4) "Covenant Discipleship helps us wait on God"