Risen Savior Core
Biblical, Theological, Practical, Communal...
Risen Savior is committed to our mission of engaging all generations to be passionate followers of our Risen Savior. Our desire is for all people to take their next steps in faith through worship, connecting with others, developing their faith, and answering God’s call upon their lives.
The question is: what are the common experiences and knowledge that we would like everyone at Risen Savior to experience during their time at Risen Savior to help them grow as passionate followers of Jesus? It is in answer to this question that Risen Savior Core has been created.
Risen Savior Core consists of five classes/experiences that form a solid foundation for our life in Christ both individually and as a church. Each Risen Savior Core class shares four essential characteristics.
The question is: what are the common experiences and knowledge that we would like everyone at Risen Savior to experience during their time at Risen Savior to help them grow as passionate followers of Jesus? It is in answer to this question that Risen Savior Core has been created.
Risen Savior Core consists of five classes/experiences that form a solid foundation for our life in Christ both individually and as a church. Each Risen Savior Core class shares four essential characteristics.
Biblical
Theological
Practical
Communal
Each class seeks to get people into God’s Word so that they might develop and strengthen a Biblical worldview that shapes the way that they see and live within the world. Each person will see themselves as a part of God’s greater story as written in the Bible but that continues today.
Our intellect plays an important part in our faith formation. The Christian faith is more than a bunch of theories but truths that are just as relevant today as they were in the days of Moses or Paul. As Lutherans, some of those truths are taught in Luther’s Small Catechism, and these truths come alive as we walk through the various topics covered through these classes.
What we believe connects to how we live our everyday lives in the world and in community with others. In every class, the question is how can we take this topic and apply it in our lives in the unique context where God has placed us. Faith was never meant to be disconnected from reality, instead faith shapes our reality.
We were not created to do life alone but in community with other people. The same is true for our life of faith. God never intended for our walk with Jesus to be a solo adventure. This is why a key part of our Risen Savior strategy seeks to connect people with others. We believe that we learn best in the context of community with others where ideas are shared, and we learn not only together but from one another. In community, we grow as we not only learn ideas but have space to put them into practice.
Below are details about our five classes/experiences.
No matter where you are on your walk in faith, we encourage you to take each of these studies.
If you have any questions regarding these studies, please email Kevin.austin@risensavioraz.org.
Everyday Disciple
Why study discipleship? What is a disciple? Is this even a relevant word or topic for the church today? At the heart of the Great Commission is God’s call to make disciples. Disciples are not just the spiritually elite but each and every person who is a follower of Jesus. God’s calling to discipleship is not reserved for just one day of the week or one area of our lives but encompasses the entirety of our lives.
In Everyday Disciple, we will explore a biblical understanding of discipleship and how God’s call to discipleship shapes the way that we go about living our everyday lives.
In Everyday Disciple, we will explore a biblical understanding of discipleship and how God’s call to discipleship shapes the way that we go about living our everyday lives.
His Story, Our Story
Stories are powerful tools that have the power to transport us into different worlds and to give unparalleled insight into the human experience. Stories powerfully communicate truth and challenge our preconceptions.
As we open the Bible, we are invited into not just a book but a story. This isn’t just any story but God’s story. It’s the story of God creating everything there ever was or is. God’s creation was good until that which was good chose evil and forever changed the story. From that point on what we see is the story of God’s relentless love that would stop at nothing to recover that which was lost and make us his own.
God’s story is not just His Story, for we are a part of it. Within this greater story, each of us has our own unique story. As we seek to understand the story of our lives, we see how God has been at work every step of the way to guide and shape us. In His Story, Our Story, we will discover how to see God’s Story as a part of our Story and then share that story with those around us.
As we open the Bible, we are invited into not just a book but a story. This isn’t just any story but God’s story. It’s the story of God creating everything there ever was or is. God’s creation was good until that which was good chose evil and forever changed the story. From that point on what we see is the story of God’s relentless love that would stop at nothing to recover that which was lost and make us his own.
God’s story is not just His Story, for we are a part of it. Within this greater story, each of us has our own unique story. As we seek to understand the story of our lives, we see how God has been at work every step of the way to guide and shape us. In His Story, Our Story, we will discover how to see God’s Story as a part of our Story and then share that story with those around us.
Walking With Jesus
The Christian life was always meant to be more than an hour a week. It is an entire life of daily walking with Jesus.
As the Bible describes that life, it paints a picture of a life lived in rhythm with God. Like a good metronome that keeps music in its proper beat, good, healthy rhythms in life keep us walking in step with Jesus. This rhythm of walking with Jesus consists of different postures and practices. Some of these practices bring us into the presence of God, to spend time with Him. Other practices orient us outward, to love and serve those whom God has placed around us.
Walking With Jesus invites us to consider 5 postures that God calls us to that helps keep our lives in rhythm with Him.
As the Bible describes that life, it paints a picture of a life lived in rhythm with God. Like a good metronome that keeps music in its proper beat, good, healthy rhythms in life keep us walking in step with Jesus. This rhythm of walking with Jesus consists of different postures and practices. Some of these practices bring us into the presence of God, to spend time with Him. Other practices orient us outward, to love and serve those whom God has placed around us.
Walking With Jesus invites us to consider 5 postures that God calls us to that helps keep our lives in rhythm with Him.
Everyday Theology
As Christians seeking to navigate life in this world, there are so many questions that we want to explore. Who is God? How are we saved? Was Jesus God or man or somehow both? How does God work in our world today? What is the golden thread that holds the Bible together? When is Jesus coming back and what will that day be like?
Using God’s Word as our foundation, Everyday Theology is an opportunity to dive deeper to explore some of the great questions of faith. Along the way we will discover that how we answer these question will shape the way that we see God, the world, life, ourselves, and others. The Christian faith was never meant to be a mindless pursuit of God, but theology, how we think about God and what we believe about God, is a rich pursuit that informs our minds and directs the way we live every day.
Using God’s Word as our foundation, Everyday Theology is an opportunity to dive deeper to explore some of the great questions of faith. Along the way we will discover that how we answer these question will shape the way that we see God, the world, life, ourselves, and others. The Christian faith was never meant to be a mindless pursuit of God, but theology, how we think about God and what we believe about God, is a rich pursuit that informs our minds and directs the way we live every day.
Asking for a Friend
Everyone has questions. Some are easier than others. Some, quite frankly, don’t have answers.
As the world looks at the church, there are many questions that it has for the church. Some of them are questions that we grapple with ourselves, while others may surprise us. How do we faithfully give answer to the questions that the world is asking of us in a way that is faithful to God’s word and gives winsome witness to the world while not appearing tone deaf to what is happening in our world?
During this study, we will explore some of the great questions that the world is asking of the church and how we might respond in a way that is both helpful and hopeful.
As the world looks at the church, there are many questions that it has for the church. Some of them are questions that we grapple with ourselves, while others may surprise us. How do we faithfully give answer to the questions that the world is asking of us in a way that is faithful to God’s word and gives winsome witness to the world while not appearing tone deaf to what is happening in our world?
During this study, we will explore some of the great questions that the world is asking of the church and how we might respond in a way that is both helpful and hopeful.