Over the years many United Methodists, as well as Christians from other faith traditions, have been blessed by DISCIPLE Bible Study. Because of DISCIPLE, lives have been changed as people have encountered the power of God's Word. Yet there are many United Methodist congregations in North Carolina that have never experienced the benefits of DISCIPLE Bible Study. This is especially true of our small membership, rural, and ethnic minority churches. Many of these churches have not had the resources (i.e., volunteers, training or funding) to participate. We believe that DBOM is making significant strides in this area. Since 1999, DBOM has provided more than $33,000 in training scholarships to small membership, rural and ethnic minority churches becoming involved in Disciple Bible Study for the first time.

DISCIPLE Bible Study presently includes four areas of study:

• DISCIPLE I: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study, in which persons grow in understanding their lives biblically as they respond to the invitation to become committed disciples.
• DISCIPLE II: Into The Word Into The World, in which persons grow in becoming ministers, missionaries, and makers of disciples.
• DISCIPLE III: Remember Who You Are, in which persons grow in becoming prophets who call the Church and Society to be faithful.
• DISCIPLE IV: Under The Tree Of Life, in which persons are challenged to radical discipleship and to understand as well as experience their lives as a journey from distrust to trust, moving toward final fulfillment and completion, when they will live under the shelter, love, and security of the Father eternally.

DISCIPLE Bible Study has been endorsed by the North Carolina Department of Corrections as an approved course of study for use in prisons statewide. For more information about the DISCIPLE Bible Study, click here.

The goals for the Local Church and Outreach Ministries are:

• To create biblically literate and spiritually nourished lay-persons and prison inmates
• To make devoted church leaders.
• To create inmates who witness their faith to others and live as DISCIPLES both while incarcerated and once paroled.
• To build stronger churches.

DISCIPLE Bible Study is promoted in the local churches of North Carolina by:

• Working with superintendents, pastors, and lay-persons to develop DISCIPLE ministries
• Coordinating training events
• Providing financial resources for local church DISCIPLE development in small membership, rural, and ethnic minority churches.
• Working with the UMC Publishing House on behalf of the Annual Conferences.

Beginnings is a study that is also being introduced into various local church and prison settings.  Learn more about Beginnings.