ChurchNEXT Shetiyyah Fire

Shetiyyah-Fire's mission is to restore a discipleship foundation to the Body of Christ with special emphasis on churches of color, globally. Working intentionally with the local church, its work is expressed through five distinct approaches and resources: Peacemaking Discipleship, Purpose Discipleship (Spiritual Identity), Prophetic Discipleship, Peer Discipleship (through Intercessory Prayer), and Evangelism. As an apostolic missional team, we believe we carry a fire of God to lay a firm spiritual foundation in the hearts of God’s people so they might: 1) become spiritually equipped and mature; 2) corporately united in love; 3) live life with Divine conviction for the cause of Christ; 4) accomplish His will in the earth in their own unique way.

Over the past two decades it appears the ministry of discipleship has become an anomaly within our Christian churches, in particular in the US. The Christian share of adults in the United States has declined sharply since 2007, affecting nearly all major Christian traditions and denominations, and crossing age, race and region, according to an extensive survey by the Pew Research Center.

This decline has been propelled in part by generational change, as relatively non-Christian millennials reach adulthood and gradually replace the oldest Christian adults. It is also because many former Christians, of all ages, have joined the rapidly growing ranks of the religiously unaffiliated or “nones”: a broad category including atheists, agnostics and those who adhere to “nothing in particular." Learn more here.

As a result, we have seen a significant spiritual shift in the believer's walk of faith, and missional convictions...have you noticed it?

We believe the ministry of discipleship have become a lost art. This loss is very easy to see through the believer's compromised spiritual values, secular life goals and ambitions, and a limited understanding and experience of basic spiritual disciplines. In particular in the minority and disenfranchised Christian community, it seems economic development (while important) has become the new symbol of a transformed life rather than a transformed heart. Career success, obtaining wealth and social status has become the mark of God’s blessings, rather than a godly character as the crown of their achievements. The Fruits of the Spirit and spiritual gifts are seen as optional core values and are no longer pursued as something to be spiritually "clothed in". "Religious routine and traditions" have become the standard for defining our Christian identity rather than the Word of God being made alive in our lives, being mobilized with missional convictions and the power of God manifesting through our ministry to others.

By properly restoring the "ministry" of discipleship to the Body of Christ, we can clearly see that God is calling the Church back to her “First Love,” and the foundation in nurturing that is DISCIPLESHIP (Eph. 4:11-16).

THE MATTHEW 6:33 FORMULA

GODLY CHARACTER + SPIRITUAL CAPACITY + MISSIONAL CONVICTIONS + ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT = "IMPACT THE WORLD"

Through Shetiyyah-Fire, God is restoring His message and ministry of discipleship to the Body of Christ. By re-introducing this concept of discipleship, raising awareness and normalizing this posture within our church culture, we will look at the ministry of discipleship with fresh lenses, and be able to fulfill its distinct transformational work in our lives just as Jesus intended (2 Corin. 5:17, Rom. 12:2-12).