“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” St. Matthew 16:24

The Discipleship Ministry at New Sardis primary purpose as a ministry is to support the spiritual grounding of new converts and new members to our congregation. We do this through supporting members to seek out ways that we can live out the gospel of Jesus Christ through the lens of biblical teaching and service to God and to community.

The Discipleship Ministry hosts four new members classes that shares the foundation of the Christian faith that has been handed down through time and tradition across the ages. Our faith and teaching of discipleship is rooted in Christian orthodoxy with a pivotal focus on spiritual growth through regenerated and sanctified living, a call to service to humanity; and bears witness to the culture of our Christian tradition.

We stand firm in the biblical belief that salvation happens at the point of confession (Romans 10:9-10) and not through the symbol of baptism. Although baptism is a primary ordinance (directive from Jesus) of our faith, it is not salvation, but rather an outward sign of an inward grace.

Therefore, new converts and new members go through four discipleship classes to learn more about their new-found faith and their newfound church.

The four classes that are hosted for new membership are:
Class 1: Welcome Introductory Class: Who we are as a church.
Class 2: I’m Saved, Now What?: What is salvation and what does it mean for me?
Class 3: Is that Bible?: Doctrine and biblical teaching of our church.
Class 4: We All Have Gifts! Learning what my spiritual gifts are and how they strengthen me and our church.

After successful completion of the four classes candidates for baptism are baptized by full immersion and are gifted with a youth/teen bible (ages 5-18) or The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren (adults). All candidates receive the right hand of fellowship and are formally welcomed into our congregation.

Our classes are taught by:
Introductory Class and Welcome:
Elder Dr. Vincent E. Stokes, II, Pastor
Dea. Edward Sparks

Teachers:
Sis. Fannie B. Stokes, Ministry Leader
Sis. Yolanda Gordon, Youth Teacher
Sis. Rosemary Robinson, Youth Teacher
Sis. Alice Ruffin, Adult Teacher
Dea. Edward Sparks, Adult Teacher
Sis. Angela Thompson, Youth Teacher