Digital Discipleship: A Study of How Churches in New York Used Technology for Adult Discipleship During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 Pandemic brought unexpected and unparalleled challenges to bear on the adult discipleship ministries of local churches. These challenges were felt sharply early on in New York, the location of the most severe outbreak in the East Coast during the first half of 2020. This paper explores how Evangelical churches in the New York regions of Metro NYC and Eastern New York adapted to these challenges and turned to technology to continue serving their churches. Through the use of qualitative surveys, 21 churches in New York shared how they shifted to continue to minister to their congregation. The research demonstrated that over 95% of churches surveyed engaged in digital discipleship, with half finding it to be effective for their congregation.

A Case Study in Adult Discipleship: Stories of Apprenticeship to Jesus at an Urban Anglican (Episcopal) Church

Anglican (Episcopal) churches around the world face a serious problem in discipleship and has called for a season of “intentional discipleship and disciple-making.” The Anglican Church of Canada renewed its emphasis on discipleship, providing some helpful resources, but there are no studies of how discipleship may be experienced at a congregational level. This study focuses on an Anglican church, identified as a leader in discipleship ministry. Through in-depth interviews and observations of formative events, I sought to discover how this congregation understood discipleship, engaged its Anglican tradition, lived and nurtured its reality in their context.