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How do we form people in faith? Fundamentally, it's a three-step process.

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Step 1: Present the extraordinary news of the gospel
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Do I regularly hear the gospel at Mass?’ I don’t mean Matthew, Mark, Luke or John; we hear those every week. I mean the gospel — the incredible, life-changing proclamation of what God has done for us in Jesus.” - Fr. John Riccardo, Rescued

 

JPII wrote that the result of hearing the “ardent proclamation” of the gospel message is that “a person is one day overwhelmed” and comes to the decision to surrender him/herself in faith to Jesus. This is not the experience of most people, including most churchgoers.

 

Therefore, formation begins with a compelling presentation of the Good News, one that "offers people a way of seeing reality, and of making sense of the world, history, and life that is vastly different from the story our modern culture tells. Until this happens, the Christian faith is often experienced as a mere set of rules and disciplines, and simply going to Church isn’t likely to lead a person to embark on the great adventure that is following Jesus and continuing His mission of the rescuing of this world." ACTS XXIX, The Rescue Project

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Step 2: Engender a conscious decision to become a missionary disciple
Rescued people rescue people. Once we understand what God has done for us in Jesus, we have a decision to make. The rescue mission of Jesus is two-fold: it is for us personally, and it’s something that is supposed to continue through us. In other words, Jesus’ rescue is something that I receive and something I’m called to spread in my daily life. The question for each of us is: How will I respond to Jesus?

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Our response matters and it's not automatic. Each individual must be gently led to make a deliberate decision to follow (or reject) Christ. The salvation of their soul depends on it. 

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Step 3: Teach, Equip and Activate
​For those who make the decision to become a disciple of Jesus, the apprenticeship begins! While steps 1 & 2 may happen over a period of weeks, learning the truths of the faith, becoming equipped to share these truths, and then being activated to witness to Jesus in various settings...is a lifelong endeavor.