Parish Groups

Inspired Discipleship offers a range of flexible options and pastoral applications for parishes and ministries.

Our experience of faith formation is designed around community and connection. For many participants, it will be entirely through video conferences and online communication–an opportunity for in-depth faith formation that might not otherwise be available.

But for many parishes, Inspired Discipleship could be an ideal next step in lifelong adult faith formation–an opportunity for those who’ve gotten a “taste” of the Scriptures through Alpha, ChristLife, or DVD Bible studies to begin a comprehensive journey through the entire Bible, one that equips them for service with confidence in the inspired Word of God as a source of Church teaching and daily fuel for our lives as missionary disciples.

Planning a Parish Group (or Groups)

The Concept. Your parish or ministry organizes a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly in-person group that meets at a convenient local location or via video-conference to participate in InspiredDiscipleship.

Participants watch each week/lesson’s lecture and prayerfully read the Biblical texts on their own at home, and then gather together to grow as a local faith community, discussing the questions for each lesson. Participants prepare written responses to each lesson’s questions at home, before the group gathering. This helps keep the discussion more focused and encourages participation from all, as no one is put “on the spot” to answer. Because everyone has seen the teacher’s lecture and, optionally, even participated in a video conference Q&A with the teacher, the facilitator or group leader does not need additional training or background in Bible study.

Parishes could plan groups to be as small or large as desired, depending on pastoral needs:

• Small groups (12 people or less) are a great option for fostering connections and friendship among individual participants.
• A monthly large event led by a parish-leader is a great option for layering additional parish themes or catechesis that flows from the Scriptural foundation we provide.
• Some parishes may choose to form a group around a specific theme or affinity, i.e. a men’s group, a group to train leaders to facilitate future parish Bible studies, a post-Alpha group, etc.
• Group discussion or events could also include a meal and/or time of prayer.

The Big Picture of Parish Life. Inspired Discipleship can be one of many parish options to fuel and support your adult faith formation initiatives. With the connection to the broader Church, participants experience the best of both the local Catholic community and the Church at large.

Interested? We can help. We can help you promote your group by providing print outreach materials, customization digital graphics/templates, video conference information sessions, etc. Depending on your location, we can help lead a Mass invitation weekend, with a short announcement by one of our teachers at the end of Mass, followed by Q&A, registration, etc.