The Importance of Friendship for Discipleship in the Suburban South

Weitnauer, Carson

Etd

The Importance of Friendship for Discipleship in the Suburban South

Öffentlichkeit Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Weitnauer, Carson. The Importance of Friendship for Discipleship In the Suburban South. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/1a0c9f44-1bda-414d-a9a1-236f7b02954f?locale=de.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

W. Carson. The Importance of Friendship for Discipleship in the Suburban South. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/1a0c9f44-1bda-414d-a9a1-236f7b02954f?locale=de

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Weitnauer, Carson. The Importance of Friendship for Discipleship In the Suburban South. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/1a0c9f44-1bda-414d-a9a1-236f7b02954f?locale=de.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Schöpfer

Weitnauer, Carson

Rechteerklärung

In Copyright

Abstrakt

In a culture marked by increasing secularization and loneliness, this study identifies the hopeful alternative in the next generation: close, reliable, supportive friendships as the primary element in the formation of spiritually mature disciples. After developing a biblical theological framework for understanding normative patterns of discipleship in the Scriptures, the study reports on findings from semi-structured interviews with thirty participants recommended by their pastors and peers for their outstanding faith. All participants were forty years of age or younger, most of them were lifelong church members, and all were actively involved with large evangelical churches in the suburban South. Their spiritual formation involves church participation, but their self-reported focus centers on small, close-knit friendship groups, high engagement with Scripture and prayer, and caring for one another through suffering and sacrifice. The study concludes by inviting ministry leaders to consider how facilitating the growth of strong friendships might serve as a primary ministry strategy for discipleship.

Jahr