The Discipleship Experience

Walking together. Following Christ.

Transforming lives by embedding discipleship as a lifelong value
experienced in meaningful relationships.

 

 

At Gordon-Conwell, the Discipleship Experience provides one of the richest ways to integrate your theological education with your own journey with Christ. We desire to foster healthy vulnerability, where faculty, local pastors, and students feel mutually known as they share a common pursuit for a transformed life with Christ.

 

Testimonials

“The Discipleship Experience provided me a place to be known, and a framework for discipleship.” – Michael

“To me, discipleship has meant receiving the gift of the spiritual friendship of a wise, fun, Christ-loving woman of God and seasoned saint. Discipleship has meant allowing God to shape me and to see that it is God who molds us as we journey together.”  – Shannon

“As a result of Dr. Kim’s commitment to journeying with me, I have come to think that perhaps a more fundamental part of discipleship is walking alongside someone in the love of Christ regardless of their successes or failures. My own view of discipleship, then, has evolved.” – Myron

 

The Discipleship Experience Scholarship

The Discipleship Experience Scholarship is a two-year fellows program where students experience discipleship in meaningful relationships, both as a disciple and a discipler. In your first year, you will be paired with a faculty member or local pastor and placed in a small discipleship cohort of 2-3 students. In your second year, you will seek out discipling relationships within a local church or parachurch ministry while maintaining supporting connections with your original cohort.

Both incoming and returning students who are intending to study at Gordon-Conwell in the two following academic years are eligible to apply. The application process will involve filling out an initial online form, which indicates a student’s top three choices from a list of available disciplers. You are encouraged to make prior connections with potential disciplers before applying. Click here to Meet the Disciplers.

Applications for 2022-2023 will be open in early summer 2022 .

While the fellowship is only currently available to students enrolled at the South Hamilton campus, we are working towards making this fellowship available at our other campuses in the future.

About the Scholarship

Financial Aid

  • $1,500 tuition subsidy awarded in $375 increments across the four semesters involved with the program.
  • Can be combined with other scholarships and grants.

Qualifications

  • Must be an incoming student or a returning student who is intending to study at the Hamilton campus for at least the following two academic years (fall-to-spring).
  • Open to part-time and full-time students. Must be enrolled in at least one class per semester.
  • Available to all degree programs, except D.Min. & Th.M.

Requirements

  • Each member of the fellowship will be asked to fulfill the terms of the Discipleship Experience Covenant (to be signed only upon acceptance).
  • 1st year responsibilities:
    • Coordinate with your discipler and/or discipleship cohort available times for weekly discipleship encounters.
    • Meet with your discipler and/or discipleship cohort for 9-12 times per semester.
    • Participate in our Discipleship Experience Events:
      • Orientation Cookout (fall)
      • Discipleship on the Way (fall)
      • Discipleship Conference (fall)
      • Final Day-long Retreat (spring)
    • In preparation for your second year, find a local church or parachurch ministry, where you can disciple someone  and potentially continue to be discipled by someone in your second year.
    • Complete the mid-year and end-of-year survey.
  • 2nd year responsibilities:
    • Establish a relationship at a local church or parachurch ministry where you can disciple at least one person for the academic year. If you are a mentored ministry student, you are encouraged to coordinate with your mentor up to 1 hour/week to disciple and 1 hour/week to prepare.
    • Meet regularly for 9-12 times per semester, for at least 45 minutes per discipleship encounter with the person you are discipling.
    • Participate in the Orientation Training and Cookout.
    • Report regularly to the Discipleship Experience office concerning the development of your discipleship relationships.
    • Complete the mid-year and end-of-year survey.

Recommendations

  • In your first year, read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. A Christian classic, Life Together offers a unique and robust vision of what it means to grow as a disciple of Christ while living together in seminary community.
  • While being discipled in your first year, take a discipleship course, like EV701-HA: Evangelism & Discipleship Through the Local Church.

Apply to the Scholarship

Application Process

1. Establish your top 3 choices for disciplers.

Check out our Meet the Disciplers page to get know our team of faculty and local pastors who are interested in taking on new students for discipleship this upcoming year. You can also reach out to them personally, introduce yourself, and see if they have any availability to take on new students for the upcoming year. Narrow your preferences for disciplers to your top 3 choices, and we will do our best to accommodate your preferences.

2. Fill out an application form.

Check back here to fill out the Discipleship Experience Application form. Indicate your top 3 choices for disciplers on this form.

Applications for 2022-2023 will be open in early summer 2022 .

3. Submit a personal and pastoral reference.

Check back here to access the Personal and Pastoral Reference form. Have two people fill out the form: 1) a personal reference from a friend or family member; 2) a pastoral reference from a pastor or ministry leader who knows you well.

4. Get accepted and paired with your discipler.

You will receive an official letter of acceptance prior to the beginning of the fall semester, which will inform you of your official discipler pairing.

5. Sign the Discipleship Covenant.

Once accepted and paired, check back here to sign the Discipleship Experience Covenant as your commitment to the various requirements of each fellow.

If you would like additional information, please contact us at [email protected]