For more than 40 years, Discipleship Ministries has been on the journey of making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
One of 13 United Methodist general agencies, Discipleship Ministries helps local church, district and conference leaders fulfill the shared dream of making world-changing disciples. United Methodist support through the World Service Fund plays an important role.
The agency connects leaders with needed resourcing, training, consulting and networking that support spiritual formation, new church development, revitalization of local churches and materials for use in central conferences.
Every product and service of Discipleship Ministries begins with the mission of equipping world-changing disciples of Jesus Christ. Discipleship Ministries also harnesses its energies and those of its partners and colleagues to address important issues facing the church and the world. For a world clearly in need of transformation, Discipleship Ministries faithfully provides a wealth of learning opportunities for all areas of discipleship.
One of Discipleship Ministries' most important tasks is to support congregations in their receiving, nurturing, caring and sending ministries.
Discipleship Ministries has long provided resources in the areas of Christian education, worship, music, evangelism, new church development, stewardship, funding and financial management, lay leadership development, age-level (children, youth, adult) and family ministries, small-group ministries, ethnic local church concerns, devotional life, spiritual formation and other areas related to the lives of people and the ministries of congregations.
Agency staff produce written and audiovisual resources to support the work of people and congregations and provide training, education and skill-development seminars and workshops.
Barbara Dunlap-Berg, general church content editor, United Methodist Communications
The World Service Fund provides basic financial support to program-related general agencies, which are especially important to the common vision, mission, and ministry of The United Methodist Church. Through World Service funding, agencies support annual conferences and local congregations in living out God’s mission for the worldwide Church. General agencies also provide essential services and ministries beyond the scope of individual local congregations and annual conferences through services and ministries that are highly focused, flexible, and capable of rapid response.
