Practicing the Way is a ‘pathway for apprenticeship to Jesus’. Its free resources are being used around the world to help churches create communities that adopt patterns that see them learn to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did. Here are two stories of what leaders are witnessing when they try something new.
Brent & Leah
Brent and Leah Phillips have a history of moving fast.
Their courtship was a blur that would boggle most minds: they were engaged six weeks after meeting, and married within seven months.
And their journey from leading a church in Austin, Texas, to serving an orphanage in Uganda happened at warp speed too.
Leah discovered Cherish Uganda, an orphanage for HIV-positive children, on a visit to Africa in January of 2010. In June of the same year, after completing a vetting process with the ministry, Brent and Leah sensed God moving them to get more radically involved. By November, they had finished a leadership transition in their church, sold everything they owned, and hopped on a plane to Africa with their four children.
Brent and Leah helped the orphanage significantly expand its mission. Today Cherish provides family-based care and is a centre for discipleship and community development. The ministry is run by Ugandans and employs more than 55 staff members locally. Throughout these changes, Brent has maintained a firm conviction: transformation in the community outside Cherish is linked to formation happening inside Cherish.
‘With spiritual transformation being such a big key for us, we really need to make sure our staff are who they need to be,’ said Brent, who alongside Leah provides leadership support to the Cherish team from back home in Austin (the Phillips returned to the United States in 2017 after transitioning day-to-day operations to Ugandan leadership). In addition to quarterly trips to Uganda, Brent and Leah meet remotely with Cherish staff four to five times a week, and hold meetings with about 75 area pastors.
It might be tempting to assume a fast-moving couple like Brent and Leah wouldn’t appreciate the slow work of formation. But they understand the extended timeline required to cultivate a culture of discipleship. And in 2023, Practicing the Way became a key part of their work.
After Leah discovered John Mark Comer’s book Live No Lies, Brent tracked down teachings from John Mark and began contextualising them for Ugandans, eventually walking his staff through his modified version of the Sabbath Practice.
The practice of Sabbath presents particular challenges in a setting like Uganda, where most workers supplement their incomes with side jobs. ‘Saturday is their only side gig day; so Sabbath is costing most of them significantly financially,’ Brent said. Despite this cost, more than half of the staff now practice Sabbath.
‘To be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did is new to Ugandans,’ Brent said. Outside of church services, many don’t have a category for building personal practices modeled after Jesus, but ‘it’s those kinds of significant shifts that we’re trying to make.’
For fourteen years and counting, Brent and Leah have been committed to these slow, lifelong shifts. And as they’ve leaned into Practicing the Way resources, they’ve also felt moved to give back financially.
‘We’re utilising this material from Practicing the Way and we’re so thankful for it. These are the kind of kingdom things we like to be a part of.’
Bri & Tyler
Over the past five years, Bri and Tyler Elam have devoted their lives to the long, slow messiness of everyday discipleship and formation.
In a neighborhood in Appalachia, the Elams gather weekly with their community of neighbors to adopt, not just the teachings, but the practices from Jesus’ life.
‘When you become a disciple or apprentice of Jesus, the desire grows to see that growth in other people,’ Tyler says, remarking on why he was drawn to Practicing the Way. With that desire in mind, the couple has led two groups through all of the available Practices at least twice and have been in awe of the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in their lives and the lives of their community. One neighbor offered their van to an immigrant family in need. Others moved from apathetic church attendance to weekly Sabbath practices and fasting. Their community is not just changing on the inside, the change is overflowing into all aspects of life. And the Elams rejoice at their front row seat.
‘There will be moments when you want to throw in the towel, but continue to practice the way. And the Holy Spirit will lead you, guide you, and sustain you.’
Find out more about Practicing the Way, a pathway for apprenticeship to Jesus
