Is this a Bible Study?
Abide/Adorn is a study that seeks to equip the saint in spiritual disciplines and in discipling others. Every session finds its foundation with one or more Scripture passages and includes inductive Bible study, however, each session also includes foundational information that prepares and equips participants toward the end of discipleship. Within each session, there will be a focus on Scripture, doctrine, the gospel, and helpful tools for equipping.
What are the areas of emphasis for this study?
Here is a brief overview of the study. You can see a more detailed list in the Session section above.
- Understanding Sound Doctrine
- The Gospel and How It Informs Every Facet Of Life
- Biblical Literacy: Understanding and Sharing God’s Word
- Biblical View of Masculinity and Femininity
- The Purpose and Need for Prayer in Our Walk With God
- Biblical: Confession, Conflict, Community, and Counseling
- Missional Living, Leading, and Labor
What is the curriculum like?
The curriculum for the study starts with Scripture. Each session will have at least one Scripture that participants will study at length during that session (generally two weeks). Participants can expect to read various articles, essays, books, and other material. There are also videos included in a few sessions. Most of the written material is included, however, a few books will need to be purchased.
What are the sessions like?
A typical session begins with a group discussion about the assigned Scripture. This typically lasts 45 minutes. Thereafter, we break into smaller groups to have an opportunity to have more focused conversations about that session’s topic. While we do desire to create an environment where we are able to have rich discussions, we also see the beauty in diversity. We strongly encourage the women and men to branch out of their comfort zones when engaging in these small group conversations
What is the time commitment?
Sessions will mostly be held every other week. There are 23 sessions in total and this study will take a full year to complete. There may be a month where there are a few weeks between sessions due to calendar issues such as holidays, summer, etc. In addition, there are two Saturday sessions which will be approximately 8 hours in length.
Dates for 2021 are being worked out right now. The allotted time for each Monday session is 6:30 pm – 9 pm, but it is possible that in some cases we will break early! Please make note of two Saturdays (bold) which will be 8 -hour sessions.
Between each session, you’ll need to set (daily) time aside for reading and studying Scripture and other material and also for reflecting on the information. You’ll bring your reflections to the session for group discussions. Expect to spend 3-5 hours per week on this study.
What are the dates?
Adorn will begin another round in February 2021.
Please see the dates below:
| Info Meeting Attending the information meeting is not a commitment to the study. | 01/25/21 |
| Stories of Grace | 02/08/21 |
| Word and Spirit | 02/22/21 |
| Sound Doctrine + Sovereignty/Holiness Of God + Sin | 03/08/21 |
| The Gospel | 03/22/21 |
| Gospel Fluency | 04/05/21 |
| Biblical Literacy / Part One | 04/19/21 |
| Biblical Literacy / Part Two | 05/03/21 |
| Biblical Woman / Man | 05/17/21 |
| Gospel Man | 05/31/21 |
| Gospel Woman | 06/14/21 |
| Prayer/ Part One | 06/28/21 |
| Prayer/ Part Two | 07/19/21 |
| Biblical Confession | 08/02/21 |
| Your Walk with God is a Community Project All-Day Session | 08/14/21 |
| Leading a Gospel Conversation in the Word | 08/30/21 |
| Handling Conflict Biblically / Part One | 09/13/21 |
| Handling Conflict Biblically / Part Two | 09/27/21 |
| Counseling the Word / Part One | 10/04/21 |
| Counseling the Word / Part Two | 10/18/21 |
| Case Studies | 11/01/21 |
| Missional Living | 11/15/21 |
| Leading Where You Are | 11/29/21 |
| Doing Gospel Work Together All-Day Session | 12/18/21 |
Abide is currently in session and will not begin another round until Fall 2021.
What if I have to miss?
Because this study is intensive and holistic in nature, your attendance is necessary to promote dialogue, work through case studies, and add insight to the group conversations. We understand that there may be times that you are not able to come due to illness, etc. Our hope is that given the dates are pre-planned, you’ll be able to commit and schedule around our study sessions. In the event that you need to miss, please let your leader know ahead of time so that you can still engage in conversation around that particular session at another time. If you anticipate missing more than 3 of the sessions, this may not be the season for you to commit to the study and that is okay! We would rather you say yes to this when you are able to give fully to the relationships and work that the study entails.
What other commitments are there?
Please consider the following commitments/requirements for participation.
- You will come with humility, understanding that none of us have “arrived”, but each one is on their own journey to knowing and reflecting Christ more fully.
- You will commit to having a teachable spirit.
- You will come with abundant grace for all who you are walking alongside throughout this study.
- You will commit to the assigned daily Scripture study and reading.
- You are willing to be held accountable in study, prayer, conversation, participation, and attendance. You understand that your leaders will check in with you quarterly to assess how you are doing with the study, what disciplines you need to put in place, etc.
- You are willing, able, and committed to the process, study, and group for one year, work that entails: reading, listening, participating. You will come prepared, having completed both the Scripture study as well as each session’s material.
- You can attend and be prepared for all sessions.
- You are willing to be open, to dialogue, to confess, to be vulnerable and transparent.
- You have a strong desire to disciple long-term in the local church.
- You have a strong sense of integrity by having transparency and confidentiality in all conversations within the study.
Who is leading ADORN?
A large part of the culture for both Abide and Adorn is that we believe none of us have arrived. We are each in a unique position to keep learning the things that God is teaching us. That said, each group for Adorn will be co-led by two people who have gone through the material the previous year. Together, they’ll facilitate conversations, material, and group communication. At present time, we are still determining the leaders for the 2021 Adorn study.
Can anyone join?
At present time, both Abide and Adorn are limiting participation to the Risen Church family only.
How did the study develop?
Seeing a need for women in the church to be trained and equipped to walk with and disciple one another more intentionally, the study Adorn was created by Christie Lacy. The basic framework was drawn from Seven Mile Road’s women’s discipleship track, Kalos. As Christie started making tweaks, she saw the need to incorporate some more foundational things such as biblical literacy, prayer, confession, handling conflict, and more.
After seeing the growth in their wives as they went through the study, a few husbands felt a desire to do a study that complemented Adorn would greatly benefit men in our church. So we went to work to adapt the study to suit men. Whereas Adorn has a focus on understanding biblical femininity and womanhood, Abide has a focus on understanding biblical masculinity and manhood. Much of the curriculum is the same for both Abide and Adorn.
Do you have more questions but don’t see answers? To find out more information or to RSVP for the Information Meeting, fill out the form below.