The Emmaus web site contains a wealth of information about the Emmaus programme. But if you're looking for quick answers to queries, you may find them here in the following list of frequently asked questions.
Q1: What is Emmaus?
Emmaus: The Way of Faith is a course designed to welcome people into the Christian faith and the life of the church. It aims to involve the whole church in evangelism, the nurture of new believers and ongoing Christian discipleship. It is rooted in an understanding of evangelism, nurture and discipleship modelled on the example of Jesus as told in the story of the Emmaus Road.
Q2: How does it work?
Emmaus encourages a journey of faith that is life-changing, enduring and that has an impact on the community of believers, as well as the individual. The Emmaus course progresses through three stages – contact, nurture and growth.
Q3: Who is it for?
- Emmaus begins by encouraging the vision of the local church for evangelism and giving practical advice on how to develop contact with those outside the church.
- The core material (nurture) covers the basics of the Christian life and is aimed at enquirers, new Christians and those that would like a refresher course.
- The four growth books that follow offer maturer Christians an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Christian living and discipleship.
Q4: What makes Emmaus distinctive from other resources?
- Emmaus is comprehensive. It tackles each stage of the journey of faith from enquiry through to discipleship.
- It's flexible. Churches can adapt the self-contained sessions to fit their local programmes.
- Its practical. The authors give clear advice on how to start, run and maintain an Emmaus course.
- It's easy on the pocket. All the handouts for group members are fully photocopiable, and many are provided as PDF files on a CD-ROM, which means that only group leaders need the book itself.
Q5: Is Emmaus widely used?
Emmaus is used by over 6,000 churches in the UK. You can read about the experiences of some of them in the book Emmaus: Introduction.
Q6: Is Emmaus only for Anglicans?
Emmaus is ecumenical – although written by five Anglicans, it is used across the denominations by many churches including Anglican, Methodist, Baptist and Free churches.
Q7: Is Emmaus available outside the UK?
Emmaus is being used in the USA, Europe and Africa, with translations available in German, Dutch, Chinese, some African languages and Welsh.
Q8: Who wrote Emmaus?
The authors are Stephen Cottrell, Steven Croft, John Finney, Felicity Lawson and Robert Warren, all of whom are well known in the fields of adult initiation, spirituality and discipleship. For more details go to Meet the authors using the menu in the right-hand column.
Q9: What can I expect to find in a typical session?
Each session includes time for Bible study, input and discussion, group exercises, meditations, ways to put faith into practice, and prayers. Each book includes detailed leader's notes and handouts for group members.
Q10: Does the leader have to be a trained minister?
Not at all. The materials provide ample information for lay and clergy leaders alike to conduct groups that will help develop individuals' personal faith and identity within a Christian community.
Q11: Is there anything available for young people?
Yes, please go to the Youth Emmaus page in the Core publications section to find out more.
Q12: What Christian tradition does Emmaus come from?
Emmaus does not come from any single Christian tradition. Emmaus has been inspired by the recent renewal of interest in the catechumenate as an accompanied journey into faith. The catechumenate is a process of enquiry, instruction and transformation as an individual encounters the living Christ through his body, the church.
If you have any further questions, please do contact us at emmaus@c-of-e.org.uk.
