Discipleship 1

Suitable for new and recommitted believers.

Meet one-on-one with a discipler who will take you through 8 lessons using Discipleship 1: Basics of Christian Life, a material by Campus Crusade.

Here will be an opportunity to pray, study, and discuss Christian truths together in a non-classroom setting.

The Christian Way

The Christian life encompasses all of life—in public worship, private disciplines, work, finances, family, and society. Christians are called to be distinctive in how we live, in the way of being “set apart,” “holy.”

This class examines the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, and what the Gospel means for the whole of our lives.

The Good News is that we are saved for a different sort of life than the one we used to live. What does this life look like today?

Basic Doctrine 1

Biblical doctrines are as important to a Christian as roots are to a tree. From them, we draw our emotional stability, our mental food for growth, as well as our spiritual energy and perspective on life itself. By understanding the basic tenets of our faith, we equip ourselves to live the life that God has designed for us. We will not be easily tossed about by every false wind of teaching nor be easily discouraged by the storms of life.

In Basic Doctrine 1, consider the basic tenets of the Christian faith, covering the doctrine of the Scriptures, the Trinitarian Godhead, sin and salvation, church and sacraments, and our future glorious hope in the age that is to come.

NOTE: Completion of this course is a pre-requisite for baptism and/or membership in DUMC.

Intro to DUMC

Each local church is different from another. These differences may be subtle or obvious. Sometimes the differences are minor; other times, they can be significant.

In this class, you will be introduced to Damansara Utama Methodist Church or DUMC. You will hear about how the church came to be, who the leadership was and is. You will learn about the convictions of the DUMC leadership and understand better the what’s, the why’s and some of the how’s of DUMC’s key distinctives – e.g. a cell church.

NOTE: Completion of this course is a pre-requisite for baptism and/or membership in DUMC.

Baptism and Membership Encounter Weekend

This Weekend is designed for you to come face to face with God and His Word in a deep and enriching way. It also helps you to confront your past and to become aware of any negative influence upon your life. You will then be able to make choices to walk in greater freedom and to plan, in faith, for a better future. We seek to help you achieve the following:

• Be sure of your salvation.
• Experience genuine repentance.
• Break chains that bind you to the past.
• Receive emotional (inner) healing.
• Receive & experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: Participation in this encounter weekend is a pre-requisite for baptism and/or membership of DUMC.

For more information about getting baptised in DUMC, click here.

The Prayer Course

The Prayer Course is a video-based journey through the Lord’s Prayer that will surprise you and revolutionise your relationship with God. Grow your prayer life with this 8-week small groups based course that will help you and your community to grow and deepen your prayer life.

In your small group, discover what it means to pray to God, by praying together and journeying together.

Be Still

A five sessions video based study by Brian Heasley. The Be Still series will equip you and your community to learn how to develop a regular rhythm and deeper daily relationship with God.

Learn more about what a “quiet time” is all about — why we do it, how to do it, and its importance in our journey of faith. Every week, we will invite someone from DUMC to share about their own quiet time to encourage us.

Take-home prayer practices are estimated at between 15 to 30 minutes a day.

Understanding the Bible

Get an overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and the overarching message it brings within its historical and geographical contexts. This two-session course lays out the great story of the Bible while providing historical and geographical insights. A book-by-book summary is provided for a better understanding of the message of the Bible and its interconnectedness.

Topics covered include:

• “The Big Picture” – This is a brief history of events from Genesis (Creation) to Revelation (The End of Time).
• The historical periods and geography of the Old Testament
• How to understand the Old Testament books of law, history, poetry and prophecy.
• The history and literature of the Intertestamental Period.
• The historical periods and geography of the New Testament (Palestine during the time of Jesus).
• How to understand the New Testament books e.g. the gospels, the epistles, etc.
• You will also be helped to remember important places that will facilitate your understanding of the Bible.

Personal Evangelism

Explore Christian teaching on evangelism, and contemporary ways to reach our friends and family through personal engagement.

Apart from searching the Scriptures, explore how real people have encountered Christ through the witness of others.

This course also provides practical handles to get you started on being a witness for Jesus in your network of relationships. These are the people you meet on a regular basis, for example, your relatives, friends and colleagues.

Basic Doctrine 2

This course is a continuation of the introductory study on the basic doctrines of the Christian faith.

In this course, the following topics will be explored and discussed:

• Angels – What are angels and what do they do? In what way is an awareness of angels important for Christian life?
• Humanity – What makes humanity different from other creatures? What is the Christian understanding of humanity against worldly perspectives of humanity?
• The Church – Why do Christians go to church on Sundays? How is the Sunday the worship service relevant to Christian living from Mondays to Saturdays?
• The Future – What is the Final Judgment by Jesus Christ? What are the three views of the millennium of Revelation 20?

NOTE: BC101 is a building block for this course.

The Beatitudes

Dietrich Bonhoeffer has described the Sermon on the Mount as the “Gospel in the Gospel.” The Beatitudes which opens the Sermon provide a guide for living the faithful and full Christian life. This course will explore the meaning and implications for the Christian life of Jesus’ most beloved of teachings. What does it mean to follow Jesus as a Disciple? The Beatitudes give a picture of the character of the true people of God, those who are a part of his kingdom and have the full blessings of the kingdom to look forward to. Taken together they give the picture of the perfect disciple of Christ who is the heir of the promises.

This is a teacher-led group Bible study of the eight Beatitudes of Jesus.

Bible Study Principles

In this course, you will enjoy learning the Inductive Bible Study method—three simple but important steps in doing Bible study:

• Observe – Find open and hidden facts in the text.
• Interpret – Find the message the writer wants to convey.
• Apply – Find the relevance of God’s message for you today.

This course also explores the various theories of Bible translation to show how these factors influence the task of interpreting Scripture. Particular attention will be given to understanding the New Testament epistles and the Old Testament narratives, both of which are commonly read portions of the Bible. Learning to interpret the Bible accurately is a precious investment for our spiritual growth and a great impetus for developing a lifelong passion for the study of God’s Word.

NOTE: Bible 101 is a building block for this course.

Sacred Rhythms

Drawing on the imagery of the natural rhythms of the created order, this course explores the practices that spiritual seekers and growing disciples have used throughout history to grow closer to God. In a similar way, the disciplines of the spiritual life are the basic components of the rhythm of intimacy that feeds the soul, keeping Christians open and available to God’s surprising initiative in their lives.

In six sessions, this course will guide you in a way that links the disciplines of the Christian faith to the most compelling desires of the human soul. Each session offers teaching (video and live) and spiritual guidance on specific practices, allowing you to experience each discipline and incorporate it into your life.

The Heart of Christian Service

What are spiritual gifts? Why are they given by God, and for what purpose? Discover the spirituals gifts in this course, where you will take a personal assessment to discuss how God might be leading you to serve.

Why do Christians serve? In what ways are we different from how the world serves? What are the pitfalls of serving? Learn and discuss the being and doing of serving, which includes topics on the glory of God, the example of Jesus Christ, how to view those we serve, and areas of ministry.

Ministry of Presence

Giving our whole attention and a caring presence to those around us through the principles and skills of spiritual companionship.

NOTE: Ministry 201 is a building block for this course.

Tongues and Prophecy

What is the purpose of tongues and prophecy in the church of Jesus Christ? How can we lay hold of these spiritual gifts to be effective servants of God?

This course provides foundational understanding of the gift of tongues and prophecy, which is a key issue discussed by the Apostle Paul in the 1 Corinthians.

Come and discover how these gifts can enrich your relationship with God and the way that you contribute and serve the body of Christ.

Worship in Song

Singing is part of the Christian experience. Worshipping in song, is older than the Psalms. The people of God have been making ‘joyful noises’ for centuries. In more recent times, there has been an explosion of events, billed as ‘worship experiences’, featuring well-known worship-leaders and worship bands, light-and-sound shows and thousands in audience. On the other hand, in homes all over the world, small groups of people gather and sing to God, without fanfare.

So, what is worship? What happens in worship? How we ‘do it’? Especially in our small group settings.
This is a course on worship, and particularly, worshipping God in song. It is designed to help you understand why we worship, and how we do so in song. It is also intended to help you lead others in worship in a small group setting.

Practising One-Another Principles

How do people with common goals find it hard to serve together? Maybe it is to do with social styles. 

“Seek to understand than to be understood,” is a well-worn adage and particularly helpful in Christian life and mission.

This is a ministry elective suitable for developing cohesive and self-sacrificial working relationships toward common goals, by understanding and working around one another’s unique relational make-up.

Spiritual Warfare

The apostle Paul states that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12, NIV) Though the term ‘spiritual warfare’ is not found in the Bible, it is clearly biblical.

This course seeks to equip participants to minister with authority and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. We will look into the biblical basis of spiritual warfare and examine the different practical aspects of ministry in which we are engaged in spiritual warfare.

NOTE: Successful completion of both Prayer 101 and Ministry 201 is pre-requisite to attending this course, due to the nature of the subject.

Christian Leadership 1

We believe that every Christian has the potential to be a leader in the area of his/her gifting and calling. If we have a willing and obedient heart, God will mould us into the kind of leader he wants us to be.

However, leadership in the kingdom of God is radically different from leadership in the world. Christian leaders pattern themselves after Jesus Christ and other biblical leaders in love, humility, servanthood as well as spiritual authority, among many other important qualities.

This course will examine key principles of Christian leadership drawn from the Scriptures, with special emphasis on the lives and ministries of those great men and women who had been called to serve the living God. You will learn to apply these precious truths to your own life, relationships and ministry settings whether at home, in the workplace, in church or wherever the Lord leads you to serve.

Whether you are a new or experienced leader, Christian Leadership 201 will renew your passion, enlarge your vision and prepare you for the dynamics and challenges of Christian leadership in today’s complex world.

Spiritual Formation

A transformation of the heart is the goal every Christian must desire after and strive for if his/her walk with God is to be taken seriously. However, there is no shortcut to this cultivation of the inner life. Well-known author Richard Foster comments, “If we are expecting one or two worship services or study groups a week to change us, it will never happen. The whole object of the exercise is to walk with God through our days and through our nights.”

The practice of the spiritual disciplines is the pathway toward true inner spiritual transformation, which is more than about merely doing good “Christian” things. On a deeper level, it is about being changed from the inside out so that we can live abundant and joyful lives for the Lord.

“The soul and the body make a man; the Spirit and discipline make a Christian.” – John Wesley

Christian Leadership 2

Following on from Christian Leadership 1, this course will examine key principles of Christian leadership drawn from the Scriptures, with special emphasis on the lives and ministries of those great men and women who had been called to serve the living God. You will learn to apply these precious truths to your own life, relationships and ministry settings whether at home, in the workplace, in church or wherever the Lord leads you to serve.

NOTE: Leadership 201 is required for this course.

Word Facilitation Skills

Registration is by invitation only for students endorsed by Zone Pastor / Zone Leaders.

How does one spark lively discussion during Word time in CG or in a Bible study group? Learn and practice basic principles of facilitation in this course.

Journeying with New Believers

Learn how to walk with new believers through their newfound faith in Jesus Christ with material-based Discipleship 1 – Basics of Christian Life.

Trained participants may be approached to consider journeying with the new believers on one-on-one sessions.

Suitable for anyone desiring to gain new insights on the discipleship journey.

Registration is by invitation only for students endorsed by Zone Pastor / Zone Leaders.

Spiritual Retreat 1 (January)

A spiritual retreat is a special time and space set aside to allow us to take stock of our lives spiritually, physically and emotionally in light of our God and Creator. The extended time and space (often 3 days and 2 nights) allows us to be refreshed and renewed.

A retreat turns ordinary time into graced time that can renew, challenge and redirect us. A change of pace allows us to become physically more still and cease our busyness for a while. In this deeper stillness, we begin to glimpse what is happening at the deeper levels of our being.

Such retreats usually integrate times for silence, solitude, meditation on scripture, personal reflection, journaling, prayer, listening to God and rest.

Spiritual Retreat 2

This guided retreat invites us to pray and reflect on Jesus’s invitation to follow Him (Mathew 19:21). The retreat creates space for quiet prayer, walks, rest and reflection.

A spiritual retreat is a special time and space set aside to allow us to take stock of our lives spiritually, physically and emotionally in light of our God and Creator. The extended time and space allows us to be refreshed and renewed.

A retreat turns ordinary time into graced time that can renew, challenge and redirect us. A change of pace allows us to become physically more still and cease our busyness for a while. In this deeper stillness, we begin to glimpse what is happening at the deeper levels of our being.

Such retreats usually integrate times for silence, solitude, meditation on scripture, personal reflection, journaling, prayer, listening to God and rest.

Pause and Ponder

Pause and Ponder sessions are half-day retreats and held twice a year. It is designed to review the past 6 months with God, and to prepare the heart for the next stretch of time. These retreats are suitable for those who need time away from their busy schedules to rest and reflect.

Gospel in Life

Join Timothy Keller in a 10-week video-based study of the Gospel, and the ways to live it out in your everyday life. From exploring the world you live in now, to preparing for the world that is to come, you will learn how the Gospel can change your heart, your community, and how you live in the world.

Suitable for those who are regular to Equip Bible Studies, and covers some advanced themes.

Equip Bible studies are small group studies and require self-study prior to the lesson. Come prepared to engage and interact with instructors and students.

Cost for workbook applies.

Epic of Eden: OT

Let’s be honest: the Old Testament seems so complicated with lineages, stories, and laws that it can be hard to make sense of God’s bigger story. In Epic of Eden, Dr. Sandra Richter jumps into the Old Testament to tell a history of God’s redeeming grace, weaving together a story that runs from the Garden of Eden to the garden of the New Jerusalem.

This class is suitable for those who are new to Equip Bible Studies.

Equip Bible studies are small group studies and require self-study prior to the lesson. Come prepared to engage and interact with instructors and students.

Cost for workbook applies.

1 Corinthians

What is Inductive Bible Study?

An investigative approach to the Word, Inductive Bible Study is an impartial way for us to learn the Scriptural text in its accuracy and integrity. This method will help participants understand and receive the Word of God more faithfully.

Why the Inductive Approach?

This approach best suits the nature of the Bible because:

1. The Bible stands outside of ourselves and has its own message to speak to us.
2. The Bible calls us to hear its message on its own terms. The Bible wishes to speak a new word to us, challenging our assumptions rather than conforming to them.

Through this study, participants will learn to:

• Balance between the analytical and contemplative nature of Bible reading.
• Open their minds to the Scriptures as the living Word and challenge cultural assumptions.
• Be learners and teachers of one another, forming a hermeneutical community around the Scriptural text.
• Be more independent of teachers, preachers, commentaries or books when it comes to Scriptural understanding.
• Exercise the 3 systematic steps to inductive Bible studying — observation, interpretation and application.

How to Prepare for an Inductive Bible Study Class?

While it is important for us to know how to study the Bible on our own, Bible Study is best done in a community. At IBS, diversity brings richer understanding. Studying in a group will avoid false or mistaken individualistic interpretations and assumptions of Scriptures.

We encourage all participants to spend about 4 hours a week doing their personal study before joining a Sunday class. Sunday classes are a time for group work and discussion based on the personal study. There is no teaching or preaching in the Sunday classes. The group discussion confirms, clarifies and corrects as participants discover the truth of Scripture for themselves.