Adult Discipleship
Practicing the Way
Eight Sunday mornings around a table... learning to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did.
Sundays 9:30-10:30 AM · September 13 - November 8 (no class October 25)
This class aims to move beyond information toward formation. Practicing the Way is our deeper, more in-depth discipleship class for adults… an eight-week introduction to spiritual formation built on the Practicing the Way Course from John Mark Comer and the Practicing the Way team. The goal is simple to say and takes a lifetime to live: to be with Jesus, to become like him, and to do as he did.
Each Sunday we watch a short video teaching together, then process it in honest conversation around the table. Between Sundays, everyone takes on a practice for the week… a daily time with God, a life audit, a Sabbath, eventually a Rule of Life of your own… and works through that week’s section of the printed Companion Guide at home. This is a sign-up class rather than a come-and-go group; the conversation depends on everyone being present and practicing together.
Led byPastor Jason & Jan Darch
The eight sessions
- 1Following JesusSeptember 13
Following Jesus is more than attending church or believing the right things... it is practicing a whole way of life. Practice for the week: a daily time and place to be with God.
- 2Formation (Part 1)September 20
All of us are already being formed... by our habits, our relationships, the stories we believe, and the environment around us. Practice: a life audit.
- 3Formation (Part 2)September 27
Transformation doesn't happen by accident. We need a reliable pathway, and we find one in the Way of Jesus. Practice: replacing an old habit with a new one.
- 4The PracticesOctober 4
The practices are disciplines drawn from the life of Jesus that create space for the Spirit to transform us from the inside out. Practice: Sabbath.
- 5Meeting God in Pain and SufferingOctober 11
Pain that never heals can quietly sabotage our transformation... and God is able to meet us in the pain itself. Practice: noticing and naming our emotions in God's presence.
- 6Healing From SinOctober 18
An honest look at what sin does in us and the layers of healing through which God brings freedom. Practice: confession with someone you trust.
- 7Crafting a Rule of LifeNovember 1
The early Christians built an intentional plan for life with God... they called it a Rule of Life. Practice: crafting your own.
- 8Life TogetherNovember 8
We are meant to follow Jesus in community... learning to cultivate friendships of real depth. Practice: naming your community and beginning to meet.
What the class includes
Videos
Each session's video teaching is watched together in class. Participants also receive access to every session video and resource through the Nikiski Church of the Nazarene group on practicingtheway.org... so a missed Sunday can be made up at home that week, and the whole group arrives ready for the same discussion.
Questions
The discussion questions live in the Companion Guide and are processed together around the table... first reflecting on the previous week's practice, then responding to the teaching. We keep the questions off this page on purpose; they are meant for the room.
Guides
Every participant receives a printed copy of the Practicing the Way Course Companion Guide... exercises, prayers and liturgies, instructions for each week's practice, and more than fifty recommended resources for continuing the journey.
Practicing the Way is a sign-up commitment... plan to be present all eight weeks and to engage the practices in between. To take a spot or ask a question, text PTW to (907) 283-3632, or use our contact form and choose "Practicing the Way" as the topic with a short message saying you would like to join. Pastor Jason will be in contact.
The Practicing the Way Course was created by John Mark Comer and Practicing the Way (practicingtheway.org), a nonprofit that develops spiritual formation resources for the church. Session descriptions adapted from practicingtheway.org.