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Overview Being Disciples Proclaiming Gospel in Word and in Deed About the Acts and Activities Encouragement to Parishes

A LEARNING CHURCH is not primarily about intellectual learning but about curiosity and discovery that promotes a Spirit-led sense of newness, transformation, and delight in sharing the fruits of our inquiries with one another. To learn in this way is to be shaped and formed together as disciples of Christ. It is not just that we are learning, it is from Whom we are learning. As Rowan Williams puts it in Being Disciples, we are pupils of Jesus. We long to grow spiritually so that we may be more fully conformed to Him. 

Discipleship in the Spirit requires learning, practice, discipline (“Yielding to the Life of the Spirit,” Bishop’s Charge To Synod, 2021.)

WHILE BEING a Learning Church is less a curriculum than a commitment to a series of practices, nevertheless a basic understanding of Christian teachings and beliefs is essential.

If you were new to Christianity what would you need to know to practice it? And how and with whom?

It is impossible to be a Christian alone. At its heart, Christianity is about relationship: with God—Who as a Trinity of Persons is always already in relationship internally—and with neighbour. Having a community of practice that delights in learning together in the spirit of mutuality helps. The Learning Church is about mutual learning with the overall aim of fostering spiritual growth and discipleship so that we all can proclaim the Gospel in word and in deed.