How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. As we emerge from a pandemic into a post-Christian world, these are times of immense challenge and enormous opportunity for the Catholic Church in the United States. Ten years after it was first published, Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell is still helping scores of Church leaders, parish staff, and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Her book leads you through the steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. This companion study guide will help you transform your parish or small faith community. Created by people who have experienced the transformative impact of discipleship firsthand, this study guide to the revised and expanded edition of Forming Intentional Disciples provides tools and resources to initiate conversations, share the story of faith, and begin walking the path of discipleship together.

How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church. Consider these statistics for the United States. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010. Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized-in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. As we emerge from a pandemic into a post-Christian world, these are times of immense challenge and enormous opportunity for the Catholic Church in the United States. Consider these statistics: Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. Nearly three-quarters of young Catholics think that they could be a good Catholic without going to Mass every Sunday. Catholic marriages have declined by almost two thirds since 1969, even as the number of Catholics in the United States has grown significantly. Only one third of Catholics believe that the bread and wine actually become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ at the consecration during Mass. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized. In other words, Catholics in the pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. Ten years after it was first published, Forming Intentional Disciples is still helping scores of Church leaders, parish staff, and all Catholics transform parish life from within. World-renowned author and speaker Sherry Weddell leads you through the steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world.

How can we transmit a living, personal Catholic faith to future generations? By coming to know Jesus Christ, and following him as his disciples. These are times of immense challenge and immense opportunity for the Catholic Church. Consider these statistics for the United States. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing. Fully 10 percent of all adults in America are ex-Catholics. The number of marriages celebrated in the Church decreased dramatically, by nearly 60 percent, between 1972 and 2010. Only 60 percent of Catholics believe in a personal God. If the Church is to reverse these trends, the evangelizers must first be evangelized-in other words, Catholics-in-the-pew must make a conscious choice to know and follow Jesus before they can draw others to him. This work of discipleship lies at the heart of Forming Intentional Disciples, a book designed to help Church leaders, parish staff and all Catholics transform parish life from within. Drawing upon her fifteen years of experience with the Catherine of Siena Institute, Sherry Weddell leads readers through steps that will help Catholics enter more deeply into a relationship with God and the river of apostolic creativity, charisms, and vocation that flow from that relationship for the sake of the Church and the world. Learn about the five thresholds of postmodern conversion, how to open a conversation about faith and belief, how to ask thought-provoking questions and establish an atmosphere of trust, when to tell the Great Story of Jesus, how to help someone respond to God's call to intentional discipleship, and much more. And be prepared for conversion because when life at the parish level changes, the life of the whole Church will change.

What is keeping so many of us, and so many of our parishes, from becoming powerhouses of faith and evangelization is that we don't have a living relationship with Christ that transforms us into intentional disciples. Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus (Our Sunday Visitor, 2012) has become one of the most talked-about books of the decade in Catholic parishes across the country. Written by Sherry Weddell, co-founder and co-director of the Catherine of Siena Institute, Forming Intentional Disciples takes a cleareyed look at the state of the Church today. Based on more than a decade of research with Catholics from across the country, the issues and opportunities in this book connect seamlessly with Pope Francis' call for evangelization as we open wide the doors of faith! Now the book that is changing hearts has a study guide that will help you change your parish or small faith community. Created by people who have experienced the transformative impact of discipleship firsthand, the Forming Intentional Disciples Study Guide provides tools and resources to "break the silence," initiate conversations, share the story of faith, and begin walking the path of discipleship together. To purchase the book, click here. For a non-reproducible PDF of this pamphlet, click here. The PDF is meant for review only and should not be reproduced in any form.

As faith-filled Catholics, we are called to go out and spread the good news of the Gospel, build up the Church, and fuel its mission. We are supernaturally empowered by God to do this through the charisms we receive at Baptism. Learn about each charism, what they are, and how discipleship unleashes these powerful gifts to produce fruit that lasts.

Today, we have many ways of defining success in life. Some define it as being a sports hero, others as being wealthy, others as being popular and well liked, and still others as being happy. How does God define success? He defines it as being spiritually mature! How do we become spiritually mature? There’s only one way, and it’s called discipleship. However, statistics show that discipleship is in a state of crisis today. Many Christians are not growing in Christ and are stuck in the process of reaching spiritual maturity. A Barna study reveals that almost nine out of ten senior pastors of Protestant churches assert that spiritual immaturity is one of the most serious issues facing the church. Sadly, what discipleship meant in the time of Christ and what it means today is vastly different. Moreover, the importance Christ and the Apostles gave to discipleship is also stunningly different than the importance many Christians and churches today give it. Unlike the disciples who had much of Scripture memorized, a whopping 81% of Christians today don’t read their Bibles regularly. Unlike Christ’s disciples who were “Fishers of Men,” 61% of believers today have not shared their faith in the past six months. And sadly, unlike Christ and the Apostles who made discipleship the central focus of their ministries, 81% of pastors today have no regular discipleship programs in their churches. Discipleship is being neglected today, and the consequences are crippling many Christians and churches. This book hopes to change that! Chapter 1 focuses on the state of discipleship today and exposes the sad truth that it’s in crisis mode. Chapter 2 reveals 13 key factors contributing to the lack of discipleship today. Chapter 3 defines biblical discipleship based on central phrases Christ used in His ministry. Chapter 4 brings to light 14 essential components of the discipleship-making process that must be understood and practiced in order to attain spiritual maturity. Chapter 5 provides practical, “how-to” help for growing in Christ. It includes self-assessment tests for measuring your level of spiritual maturity in each essential component of discipleship and gives hands-on, useful ideas for taking steps toward spiritual maturity. Discipleship is a command for all believers and is our highest calling. This book provides biblical help for fulfilling this calling and seeks to discover what God says about genuine growth in Christ. It’s both an informative book and a “how-to” book. It deals with the barriers that are hindering discipleship, and offers practical help for overcoming these barriers and attaining spiritual maturity. So, are you ready to grow? Would you like to be pleasing to God? Would you like to fulfill the reason for which you’ve been created? Would you like the full blessings of God in your life? Would you like to become spiritually mature? Would you like to hear Christ’s words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” when you arrive in heaven? If so, this book is for you.