What could happen within our congregations and our faith, if we took the oldest known discipleship program we know of (the catechumenate) and applied it with great innovation, intention, and joy, within our modern context?
This is the question that Baptized for Life is seeking to answer.
Baptized for Life (BFL) is a 5-year collaborative initiative between Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary and up to twenty-four congregations in six Episcopal dioceses in the continental United States. BFL will support participating congregations as they nurture lives of meaning and purpose. BFL will use time-tested elements of the catechumenate – rich worship, regular engagement with scripture, meaningful service, threshold rites, and intentional mentoring – to equip people of all ages to live into their baptismal vocations, truly believing that they are loved and made new in Jesus Christ.
“It is our working assumption that practices of Christian discipleship are necessary for vocational discernment, and that the Episcopal Church has rich, underutilized resources in the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and our sacramental tradition to change lives, congregations, and communities.” Dr. Lisa Kimball, Project Director