I recently submitted a book proposal to Discipleship Resources for a book called A Blueprint for Discipleship: Wesley’s General Rules as a Guide for Christian Living that has been accepted for publication. The sermon series that I recently preached, “A Blueprint for Becoming Disciples”, was based on the work I had already done on the book. (You can listen to those sermons on my podcast by clicking here.)
A Blueprint for Discipleship offers a concrete and practical approach to Christian discipleship that is distinctly Wesleyan. This approach is built on the foundation of the General Rules (do no harm, do good, and practice the spiritual disciplines) and the practice of “watching over one another in love” through small group accountability. The book is primarily aimed at reaching a lay audience. I think it will specifically appeal to members of Wesleyan denominations, but it will have relevance for laity who are interested in growing in their faith from other mainline denominations as well. The book seeks to challenge longtime Christians to take risks and practice their faith, and fan the flames of new Christians who want to know how they can become deeply committed Christians. I believe that there are many people who sense that there is more to being a Christian than where they are currently at, but they are not exactly sure how to move forward. This book seeks to outline an easy to follow method for moving forward in your faith.
The book will consist of the following chapters:
1. Grace: The Foundation for Wesleyan Faith
2. Participation in Our Growth as Disciples: The Goal of Grace
3. The Method Behind the Madness: The Wesleyan Blueprint for Discipleship
4. The First Rule: Do No Harm
5. The Second Rule: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
6. The Third Rule: Practice the Spiritual Disciplines
7. Finding the Balance
8. Watching Over One Another in Love: The Importance of Christian Community
9. Where Are You Going?
Thus far, writing is going very well. I am getting close to finishing a solid draft. A Blueprint for Discipleship is currently scheduled to be published next spring (2009). I will periodically provide updates about the progress of the book.
Kevin M. Watson 
Keep us posted on the status. I work in a Christian bookstore.
Thanks Dee, will do! What Christian bookstore do you work in?
Kevin – You are a rock star! This is awesome. 🙂 Let me know if there is any way that I can be helpful in this process.
Kevin,
It is an independently own store in Florida.
DH
Andrew – Thanks. There is a way that you can be helpful in the process and I look forward to talking to you about it whenever once of us wins our game of phone tag!
Dee – Very cool. I will keep you posted, and thanks!
Congradulations Kevin!
Congratulations, Kevin. That is exciting news. I look forward to reading it.
Bart and Brandon – Thanks!
Congratulations Kevin! I’m becoming more convinced that we need to move back to move forward. I’m sure your book will help in the process.
I know I’m new here, but if there is anything I can do to help in the process, let me know. Peace!
David, Thanks for the kind words. I do hope that this book will be a positive contribution in helping Methodists to see the value of our heritage once again. I appreciate your offer to help, I will keep you in mind. Thanks for stopping by!
Kevin
Kevin,
As a UM seminarian from Oklahoma, I noticed that one of my posts got automatically linked from your blog. Anyway, I, too, have a great passion for old-school Methodist discipleship, general rules, class meetings, shoot, I think I’d even go for some tickets. Anyway, I’m reading Job’s book # Simple Rules currently, and I was curious how you are going to approach it differently than he does, and how your book will add to the conversation. I guess you could just say listen to the podcasts, which I am currently downloading, so I will do. Enjoy the blog and congrats on all the excitement in your life.
Aaron
Aaron,
First, thanks for stopping by! Where are you attending seminary? It is good to hear from another Oklahoman.
Your question about how A Blueprint for Discipleship will differ from Bishop Job’s Three Simple Rules is one that I have thought quite a bit about. Somewhere in the process of submitting my book proposal to Discipleship Resources, I discovered Bishop Job’s book. At first I was afraid his book would render mine redundant or unnecessary. So, I ordered a copy, very anxious to read it.
After reading his book, my hope is that what I am doing will expand on his work. I think Bishop Job provided a very helpful introduction to each of the General Rules, but the book is also very brief. Blueprint, then, at a very basic level is a bit more in depth. But I think the main place where I hope to add to the conversation is with the things that I say before and after I discuss the General Rules. In my book I dedicate a chapter to each of the three General Rules. But I also spend three chapters before that trying to situate the General Rules within the Wesleyan framework of grace. I also may put the General Rules a bit more in their historical context than Bishop Job does. Then after discussing the General Rules, I devote a chapter to discussing three different, though related, syntheses that the General Rules help us balance (faith v. works; works of piety v. works of mercy; love of God v. love of neighbor). The next chapter specifically discusses the important role that an accountability structure plays for Wesleyan discipleship and practicing the General Rules and the final chapter discusses objections to the challenges of Wesleyan discipleship and exhorts the read to go on to perfection.
That is a long way of saying that I think what I am doing differs from Bishop Job primarily in scope and length. The General Rules are an important part of the book, but I am trying to layout the entire Wesleyan blueprint for discipleship which includes more than just the General Rules (namely an accountability structure).
I hope that helps answer your question.
By the way, I hope I have been clear that I found Bishop Job’s book very helpful and in some ways it is still a bit intimidating to be working on a book that is similar in content to his, because well – he is a Bishop and his book is doing so well. I can only hope that God uses what I am doing to continue to spark the renewed interest in Wesleyan discipleship that people like Bishop Job have begun to resuscitate.
Kevin,
I’m in my first year at Asbury. Hope to graduate in May ’10 and come back to Oklahoma to serve in the pastorate. I see where you are going and have made my way through 2 of the podcasts so far. Anyway, I greatly appreciate the grounding in grace. I wrote my senior paper at OCU on how we need to recover class meetings, but also in that recover expectations for members in ministry. So this issue is a great passion for me as well. Question, in your ministry have you been able to implement Accountable Discipleship in your church, if so how and how was it received?
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