Discipleship resources

Encouraging people to live out their faith in everyday life

'Discipleship is loving and obeying God with your head, your heart, and your hands' Cris Rogers - author, podcaster and Rector of All Hallows’, Bow

Small groups that focus on equipping us to be Christs ambassadors help to grow whole life, faith-filled, mission-focused disciples. We are nurtured and given confidence to live out our faith in our families, at work, and in our communities. Small groups help us to engage our head, our heart and our hands.

How could your church develop small groups that encourage people to grow as whole life disciples?

Small Group Essentials - training small group leaders for parishes

Small groups are at the heart of many growing churches. Good, well supported leadership is vital for healthy small groups. With the demands of parish life it can be hard to train and equip small group leaders. It's designed to equip people to lead effective small groups. The training involves five in person sessions and the option of an ongoing learning community using Zoom. We approach the training through three lenses: community, mission and discipleship. We work with parishes to encourage people to think about how small groups can foster the culture and vision of their local church.

Who is it for?

those who want to lead or could become small group leaders
those who have been leading but have never had any training
those who have been leading for a long time and want a refresher

To find out more email: Chris Dobson

Hear from participants in Small Group Essentials

Parish Encounter Weekend 2026

In March 2026 members of Bristol Diocese gathered in the beautiful grounds of Lee Abbey, Devon. They came, as guests of the Lee Abbey community; hoping to meet with God, enjoy good food; make new friends and strengthen their faith.

Look out for details of future Parish weekends away and here are a few comments from participants:

'For me, it was a journey that allowed us to better understand nature by seeing its beauties and to understand that God is with us at all times and everywhere... It allowed us to connect with God more easily by getting away from everyday life.'

'I often pray for people, believing for full transformation but I can feel quite burdened or alone in this. During the weekend away, God showed me that He is bigger than I realise. That I am not alone with this burden and that God longs to meet with people through His Word, and that there is hope for all people to live in total freedom in their soul.'

I meet a lot of people in my ministry work in the parish. But this was helpful to connect with others across the diocese who are in ministry or seeking a deepening of themselves. There wasn't any feeling of status - everyone was accepted on the same level.

It was especially lovely to encounter God in people from different churches and share in their 'highs and lows.' It was so goo to experience the ways God enabled sharing and openness about their faith, allowing laughter and tears... Another highlight was the lovely singing and the wonderful man leading the worship sessions.'

Making Disciples Tool

Making Disciples is an assessment tool to be used by any church, small group or individual interested in elevating the conversation around discipleship and spiritual formation.

Making Disciples

London Instititute for Contemporary Christianity

LICC is committed to encouraging a culture of whole life discipleship within our churches:

providing excellent resources to help encourage Christians to live out their faith in their daily work
equipping churches and leaders to support Christians wherever God has placed them

LICC - Fruitfulness on the Frontline

Holy Habits

Holy Habits explores 10 core practices that encourage churches to grow disciples. It has been used effectively by the West Swindon Partnership and in the rural benefice of Marshfield.

Holy Habits - Missional discipleship as a way of life

Contact Chris Dobson for more information on how the resources have been used within our diocese.

Other Resources and ideas

Living Faith

Living Faith is a series of resources from the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich designed to develop confident Christian faith. It includes material for individuals and small groups, written in a variety of styles and suitable for different settings. Some of the resources are designed for those who are new to the faith, whilst others are suitable for different stages of the faith journey.

Living Faith