Pastors and church leaders desire to see life transformation. You’ve heeded the call to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), but if your church is anything like mine used to be, there was not a definitive place we could point to where life-changing experiences were happening.
We had too many front doors, endless lists of ministry opportunities for people to be a part of, and no way to say with certainty that people were becoming active and engaged members of our church. It was from this desire to see true life transformation take place in the hearts and lives of church members that the leadership began to ask God what we could do differently.
Through a partner church in Africa, Mariners Church was introduced to an experience that was yielding fruit in staggering ways–a discipleship journey that wasn’t just studying about Jesus, but taking risks and doing what Jesus did. We wanted the people of our church to experience the life transformation we were seeing at our partner church. So, with their blessing, we adapted the curriculum to fit our church and culture, and Rooted was born.
Rooted
Rooted has helped us create one clear next step into community and the beginning of a discipleship pathway. It has aligned our ministries around common language and experience and has catalyzed community engagement both in the church and our local community.
Rooted is a 10-week small group experience designed to connect people to God, the Church, and their purpose. This is accomplished by helping the people of our churches do three things:
- Establish firm roots in the truth of God’s Word (Col. 3:16)
- Practice 7 Rhythms essential to a healthy relationship with Jesus (Acts 2)
- Share experiences in community (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The 7 Rhythms
Grounded in the power of God’s Word, the 7 Rhythms are the “secret sauce” of Rooted. But really, they’re not so secret. Each of these rhythms was practiced by the early church in Acts 2:
- Daily Devotion (v 42, 46)
- Prayer (v 42)
- Repentance (v 37-39)
- Serve the Community (v 44-45)
- Sacrificial Generosity (v 44-45)
- Share Your Story (v 14-36)
- Worship (v 26-28, 46-47)
When participants commit together to practice the 7 Rhythms in community like the early church, we see growth and transformation in individual lives which impacts the whole church.
Rooted has become the step on our discipleship pathway that we point to and say: “Transformation is happening here.” We see more serving, more giving, and more church and small group engagement. Additionally, we see the Rooted experience going with each participant beyond the 10 weeks, extending into their daily lives.
As the Rooted group transitions into an ongoing small group, participants continue practicing the 7 Rhythms they’ve established, which serve to grow stronger ties to their church community and deepen their relationship with Jesus.
Your Church
We believe that through Rooted you and your church can experience similar transformation.
In the following weeks, we’ll take a closer look at each of the 7 Rhythms and real-life insights from ministry leaders to serve your church.
But you don’t have to wait to get started! Download a sample now and register for the next “What is Rooted?” webinar. In this live webinar, you can ask questions and learn how Rooted could become the life-changing step in your own church’s discipleship pathway.
Jessica is the Marketing Manager at Rooted Network. She loves people and her favorite activities include cooking for and hosting friends and family, sharing about the redemptive work of Jesus in her life, and encouraging others on their faith journey. She studied the Bible at Calvary Chapel Bible College before stepping into full-time ministry 13 years ago. She is married to Nathan and lives in Southern California.
