Laying Foundations for your Church with Foundations21

'When I became a Christian, 26 years ago, I was fortunate enough to be discipled in the tradition Jesus encouraged his original disciples to follow in: that of ongoing support and mentorship. Such close attention at an early stage of my Christian life resulted in phenomenal growth. Within a relatively short time I learned how to pray, read my Bible, fellowship with other believers, grow more Christ-like in my character and my conduct, share my faith with those who were not yet Christians and make the most of what talents and gifts God had given me to serve the church and the world at large.

'Having this foundation laid so firmly in my life - and benefited so greatly from it - has created a passion to see others enter into a similar experience of discipleship. However, one thing I am very aware of is that what worked for me two decades ago is not necessarily going to work for others today. What is needed is a discipleship process that takes into consideration both the culture and the constraints of the 21st century.

'It was for this reason the Foundations21 resource first appealed to me. It seemed to me that if there was a discipleship process both rooted in scripture and relevant to the people of this age, it was worth exploring. However, being very pragmatic, I had no intention of launching it in my church without giving it a test drive myself. I did this by viewing Foundations21 from the perspective of someone who was mature in their faith while also "wearing the shoes" of someone who might be new to the faith. Not an easy task, some might think, yet essential if I wanted to take into account the breadth of spiritual experience in my own congregation.

'I enjoyed the test drive. It was encouraging to see that my learning style - I am a "Mark" - was fully accounted for on the journey. Yet, at no point did I feel the material was either too "above" or "below" me. In other words, I could see it working for many others too. I liked the immediacy of having material on the home page, such as the Bible reading notes, Psalm, thought for the day and anticipated that it would not be too difficult to imagine many using the home page as the resources for their quiet time.

'I also liked the way in which people were able to progress and noted how the questions that were asked along the journey started at a reasonably surface level and began to dig deeper as the journey progressed. Such an approach does encourage you to journey with another. You want to talk about your faith and your life with someone who is able to reflect with you and help you think through where you are with God and how you can be the person God wants you to be. Foundations21 gives a context where this can happen reasonably naturally.

'So I was satisfied that Foundations21 had potential. But there was a problem. Foundations21 seemed to be set up as a kind of community you joined as an individual. I wanted to see it as something I can bring my congregation into. To be frank, I believed that Foundations21 could become part of who we are as a community and I wanted to get many people into it.

'For this reason I met up with Richard Fisher to explore the possibilities. Having met him, it was exciting to see that he was on the same wavelength as both myself and my leadership team. So we are now backing our convictions with cash. We believe our people should be able to benefit from this course and have agreed to pay 50% of the cost for everyone who does it. We do this with the confidence that working in partnership with Foundations21 does not just mean that we, as a congregation, grow; it also means Foundations21 grows with us. 26 years ago I became a Christian and was given a foundation of discipleship that has made me eternally grateful. My prayer is that the experience people are being brought into today with Foundations21 will result in the same feeling of thanks and appreciation in many years to come.'

The Revd Sean Blackman
Believers, Seekers & Doubters, Gosport, April 2007