We birthed this 10-week adventure into the heart of Jesus out of passion and desperation. At the time, we had no thoughts of anyone other than us leading people on this pursuit. After years of going to church classes and small groups that tried to focus on Jesus and the great truths of Scripture, we felt unsatisfied with our experiences. In those learning environments, we often felt like we’d been invited to a feast at a friend’s house, but when we showed up, we found crackers and cheese as the main course. Sure, we ate something, but it was no feast.

We were hungry for more. More of Jesus.

In fact, we had to have more of Jesus. We needed him like two thirsty survivors crawling toward a well in the desert. So we decided to create the kind of study we wished we could go to. We came up with 10 “snapshots” of Jesus that seemed worth pursuing. Then we plunged ourselves into each one with a determination not just to get at the truth of Jesus, but to do so in an engaging, experiential, and interactive way that also honored what participants in the class would bring to the table.

We set before ourselves and the “family” that ended up attending this class the overarching question that Jesus asked his disciples after the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:12-20): “Who do you say I am?” Our simple mission: Spend 10 weeks exploring our answer to that question. Further, we wanted to go beyond answering that question only with our heads; we very much wanted to respond to the question with our hearts.

You can understand the truth about Jesus in a lot of different ways—just as you can understand the truth about your spouse or best friend in different ways. Not all of these ways have to do with hard facts; many have to do more with your “heart knowledge” of the person. The reason you marry someone or hang out with someone has as much to do with your emotional experience (your heart knowledge) as your “factual” assessment of who someone is.

So we decided not to “market” the class to our church in the typical way, with announcements from the pulpit and a pleading sales pitch in the bulletin. Instead, we placed the following notice in the bulletin—the only place we publicized the class:

In Pursuit of Jesus

A new class just for the summer. No tips and techniques. No life application. No homework. No acronyms. Just Jesus. All ages welcome! Taught by Rick and Bev Lawrence.

When only five people showed up for our first class, Bev was sure I’d made an arrogant, boneheaded mistake (by the way, whenever you read “I” in these introductory pages, it’s Rick talking unless we tell you otherwise). Still, something within me simply wanted to cast a net for people who were desperate enough for Jesus to be intrigued by our terse bulletin announcement.

Somewhere along the way, we collected about 30 regulars who journeyed with us through the class. At the end of our time together, we asked people to write about how the experience affected them. The depth and breadth of the transformation they reported astonished us. Here are a few samples:

• “The teaching was both profound and easy to understand. I have a better, deeper love for Jesus because of better knowledge and understanding of him.”

• “I loved digging deeper and thinking. I was welcomed. I had a voice. Thank you.”

• “The class really helped me get to know Jesus and helped me to be a follower of Jesus…You don’t have any idea how much this class has done for me. Thank you so much!”

• “I now feel more intimate in my relationship with Jesus. I liked the deep exploration in the class. It left me wanting more of the class—and him!”

• “No acronyms, no applications, no techniques! I loved the way you used music, film, discussion—all different aspects.”

• “Excellent subjects, teaching, and facilitating! Also loved the fellowships and varied activities. The preparation, teaching, subjects, discussion, activities, fellowship, and new friends all made a big impact on my life.”

• “I can grow when the ground is plowed deeper. I liked the questions that made me look at truths in a new light.”

• “I felt as though I was on holy ground. I felt challenged and encouraged.”

Class or Small Group?

While we’ve taught this material as a Sunday school class, it works equally well as a study in a small-group setting.

After the pursuit was over and we had a chance to catch our breath, we realized we’d been a part of something powerful. When we saw people who’d attended the class in the hallways at church—a wide spectrum of participants from teenagers to senior adults—they stopped us with a kind of a hunger in their eyes to ask when we planned to offer the class again. Many expressed that for the first time, their insights and input were passionately valued in the study. We not only gave participants the opportunity to think more critically and make their own discoveries about Jesus, we kind of forced them to do it. And they loved it because they “owned” it! They loved the atmosphere of participation, dignity, and respect that grew up around our joint pursuit.

Why This Class Works

I think the best metaphor for a typical class or small-group study is a jet—one pilot controls pretty much everything about the craft’s navigation, and a lot of passengers just go along for the ride.

The metaphor that best describes this series is a viking ship—the ship has a captain (you, the leader), but everyone rows. Each individual helps determine how far, how fast, and what direction the ship heads. The captain provides strong leadership, overarching direction, expert navigational insight, and prods the rowers to row. And when you get to your destination in a viking ship, everyone feels the satisfaction of playing a key role in the journey. Of course, that’s not the case with passengers on a jet.

We first led this class in the summer of 2006. That fall, Joani Schultz (the Chief Creative Officer at Group Publishing, where I’ve worked for 20 years), asked about the best part of my summer. I could barely wait to answer, and blurted out, “The ‘In Pursuit of Jesus’ class Bev and I taught!” Joani listened to me excitedly describe the impact of the class, then—with her characteristic enthusiasm—said, “We’ve got to get this published so others can do it!”

You now hold the result of that conversation in your hands.

Bev and I believe that true transformation comes when you get closer to Jesus. We feel so strongly about this, I’m tempted to just write that sentence again:

We believe that true transformation comes when you get closer to Jesus.

The aim of this pursuit isn’t just to get closer to Jesus, but to get infected by him. To move him from the fringes of everyday life to the bull’s-eye of everyday life.

As you prepare to launch into this adventure, know that we’re with you. We couldn’t be more excited about the journey you’re about to take!

—Rick and Bev Lawrence