The General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church endorsed the Council for Accountable Discipleship as one of its affiliate organizations at the February 21-24, 2001, meeting. As an affiliate organization, the council will work with staff members of the General Board on jointly sponsored projects. The Council's mission is to help churches form faithful disciples of Jesus Christ through covenant discipleship groups. The Council works in partnership with staff of the General Board to provide training and resources for local churches, districts, and annual conferences.

Members of the Council for Accountable Discipleship are United Methodist clergy and laity who are seasoned with experience in covenant discipleship groups. They are available to provide leadership and support for local churches that want to begin these groups. They also serve as advocates for accountable discipleship groups in their annual conferences.

Council members have written the new generation of resources recently published by Discipleship Resources, which include:

• Guide for Covenant Discipleship Groups by Gayle Turner Watson

• Accountable Discipleship: Living in God's Household by Steven W. Manskar

• Guide for Class Leaders: A Model for Christian Formation by Grace Bradford

• Sprouts: Nurturing Children Through Covenant Discipleship by Edie Harris and Shirley Ramsey

• Together in Love: Covenant Discipleship with Youth by David C. Sutherland

Church leaders who are interested in learning more about Christian formation and forming discipleship leaders through mutual accountability and support may contact Steve Manskar, Director, Accountable Discipleship, General Board of Discipleship; toll-free 1-877-899-2780, ext. 1765; e-mail: smanskar@gbod.org.