Follow Jesus → Following Jesus
Following Jesus Is a Way of Life.
Jesus didn't simply invite people to believe things about him. He invited them to follow him.
Following Jesus means learning to build our lives around him. It's a lifelong journey of receiving God's grace, becoming more like Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and learning to love God and our neighbors in the middle of everyday life.
At BFMC, we describe that journey in three ways.
Be With Jesus
We learn to make room for God in our ordinary lives through prayer, Scripture, worship, silence, and rest. These practices don't earn God's love; they help us become more attentive to the God who already loves us.
Become Like Jesus
Following Jesus is about more than accumulating religious information. Through the Holy Spirit, God gradually transforms our character so that our lives become increasingly marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control.
Live Like Jesus
As we follow Jesus, our lives turn outward. We learn to forgive, practice generosity, care for people in need, welcome others, share our faith, and use our gifts for the good of our neighbors.
Our Rule of Life
Most of us already have patterns and habits that shape the people we're becoming. Our Rule of Life is a simple framework for intentionally arranging our lives around Jesus through prayer, Scripture, Sabbath, community, generosity, service, and witness.
It's not a spiritual scorecard or another religious checklist. It's a way to make room for God's transforming grace in everyday life.
Follow Jesus With Other People
We weren't meant to follow Jesus alone. Small groups are one of the primary places where we build friendships, explore Scripture, pray together, share life, and learn to follow Jesus alongside other people.
You don't need to be a Bible expert or have everything together before joining a group. Just bring yourself.
Find a Place to Serve
Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. As his followers, we learn to use our abilities, experiences, time, and resources for the good of others.
Whether you enjoy working with children, welcoming guests, making music, helping behind the scenes, or serving our neighbors, there are ways to participate in BFMC's shared mission.
Baptism and Membership
Baptism is a public expression of our faith in Jesus and our identification with his death and resurrection. If you're following Jesus and haven't been baptized, we'd love to talk with you about that step.
Membership is a way of making a commitment to BFMC as your church home and participating in its shared life and mission. If you're interested in baptism or membership, we can help you understand the process and what comes next.
Follow Jesus → Our Rule of Life
A Life Built Around Jesus.
Every day, something is forming us. Our schedules, habits, relationships, work, phones, and the stories we consume are all shaping the people we're becoming.
Following Jesus means becoming intentional about what is shaping us. That's why we're developing a shared Rule of Life at BFMC.
A Rule of Life is an intentional pattern of practices and relationships that helps us arrange our lives around Jesus. It isn't a list of religious requirements or a measure of how spiritual we are. Think of it as a trellis: a structure that gives a growing vine room to flourish.
Our Rule of Life helps us make room to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and live like Jesus.
Prayer
Make room to be with God. Prayer is learning to bring our real lives into God's presence through honest conversation, listening, silence, gratitude, and trust.
Scripture
Let God's story reshape yours. We read the Bible to encounter God, understand his story, and learn to see ourselves and the world through the life and teachings of Jesus.
Sabbath
Receive your life as a gift. We regularly stop working to rest, worship, enjoy God's goodness, and remember that our worth isn't measured by our productivity.
Community
Follow Jesus with other people. We make room for friendship, hospitality, encouragement, vulnerability, forgiveness, and shared life.
Generosity
Live with open hands. We practice generosity with our money, possessions, time, homes, and attention because everything we have is ultimately a gift from God.
Service
Use your life for the good of others. We follow Jesus by using our gifts to care for our church, serve our neighbors, and participate in God's work in the world.
Witness
Share the hope you've found. We learn to speak naturally about Jesus, practice hospitality toward our neighbors, and invite others to discover him.
Start Where You Are
You don't need to master every practice at once. Begin with one small, sustainable step. Set aside a few minutes to pray, begin reading a Gospel, make room for Sabbath, join a small group, or find a way to serve someone.
The goal isn't perfection. It's a life increasingly open to God's grace.