Rooted in Jesus

Rooted in Jesus is a course in Christian discipleship written for use in Africa by members of Holy Trinity, in collaboration with our link diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It is the only material of its kind written especially for the use of ordinary African Christians, rather than translated from material developed for the West – where people face different problems and challenges in their Christian discipleship.

Rooted in Jesus is written to enable groups of Christians to meet together, under the guidance of a leader, in order to learn to live in close and effective relationship with God, with one another, and with those around them. The emphasis is on the active participation of each member of the group through the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, so that together they may be built up into the body of Christ and equipped for ministry to others. The material is absorbed and practised orally, and it is not necessary for group members to be able to read or write. Each lesson is summarised by a memory verse, and members receive certificates when the group completes each of the four books of the course.

Rooted in Jesus was piloted in the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, where since it was first introduced in 2002 it has spread all over the diocese, most especially in the rural areas and in the developing new diocese of Kiteto. About half the 350 current groups have now completed the course, and a new generation of leaders has been trained. This will mean that in addition to the 2000 people who have completed the course there will now be an additional 5000+ people meeting in some 520 groups. The groups are led by pastors, evangelists and newly commissioned lay leaders, both men and women. Many of these groups have seen people becoming Christians, experiencing answered prayer, and deepening their commitment to one another and to the church. Deanery coordinators have been appointed to oversee the groups in each deanery, and they are excited about the changes they see in people as they visit the groups to offer support and encouragement.

Rooted in Jesus is now also in use in Anglican dioceses in Mozambique (where the plan is to have 1000 groups meeting by 2008), Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and DR Congo. In all there are now something of the order of 2000 Rooted in Jesus groups with some 20,000 members. The course has been translated into 13 languages, so that each group is able to work in their own tongue. We have received many testimonies of God’s blessing from those who are using it.

Rooted in Jesus is edited by Alison Morgan and Stanley Hotay and published by ReSource. It is is normally introduced in a diocese at the invitation of the bishop, by a team travelling under the auspices of SOMA UK. Because Rooted in Jesus is as much a method as a course, this has proved the best way of establishing it in new areas.
 

For more details on the course contents please click here.

For up to date reports on each diocese click here.

For feedback on the course and our conferences click here     

For personal testimonies click here

For a diocesan information pack (pdf file) please click here (English)           

Des informations sur le cours se trouvent ici (français)

To purchase a sample pack click here.

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