Didache

For as long as I've known of the Didache -- in fact, for as long as I've been involved in Christian ministry (most widely conceived...I am not a paid Christian) I've thought about the process of induction of a new convert into discipleship.

The Didache is probably the most famous starting point, but there are others, of course, Augustine's Enchridion, for instance.

I'd like to see an approach used in modern Christianity for this purpose that is better than the hit or miss that I experienced and that I see others experience, without becoming rigid about it.

When I was brought to an awakened faith (nothing mystical here, just that I had someone to talk to as I grew in understanding) after the 1968 Billy Graham crusade, and when I'd attempted to support others as they grew in faith (my last such formal effort in about 1982 with a young man named Peter...can't recall surname...) there were booklets to assist, but no comprehensive manual that covered the Bible, the life of faith, prayer and devotion, and the kingdom of God: that which we were now in.

Now, I acknowledge the danger in becoming cultish, or exclusivist about faith, but perhaps there could be something like this for the benefits that could be obtained. Christian faith is a serious business! A delightful and life-changing, but serious, business.

A new convert could be taken through a 'novitiate' year of supervised Bible reading, counsel, prayer and reflection, with possibly a retreat or two along the way. The material should cover church history, the broad sweep of theology over the history of the church, and practical Christianity.

I compiled such an approach for Bible reading a few years ago, fwiw. I'll put it up some time.