"To witness to Jesus Christ means . . . not only obeying the teachings of Jesus, but also making clear whose teachings they are. Jesus left his disciples in no doubt at all that he expected this testimony from them.

"Acts of Compassion are those simple, basic things we do out of kindness to our neighbor; and our neighbor is anyone who is in need, anywhere in the world. To the extent that we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned, we minister to Christ in our midst.

"Acts of Justice remind us that God thundered the law from Sinai and pronounced righteousness through the prophets. We must not only minister to people in need, but ask why they are in need in the first place.

"Acts of Worship are the means of grace that we exercise together: the ministries of word and sacrament. Not only do they affirm the indispensable place of the church in Christian discipleship, they also enable us to build one another up in the Body of Christ.

"Acts of Devotion are those private spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading the Scriptures, and inward examination, that bring us face to face with God most directly, when no one else is present. At such times, our dialogue with God is intensely personal, searching, and enriching." (Forming Christian Disciples, p. 9)

"By practicing the disciplines of the Rule regularly and methodically, disciples open themselves to the Holy Spirit as faithful channels of grace for service in the world. Corporately, they become the vital congregations that are sign communities of the coming reign of God." (Forming Christian Disciples, p. 11)