Friends Following Jesus
Dr. Carson Weitnauer Executive Director, Uncommon Pursuit
Friends Following Jesus is a ministry initiative of Uncommon Pursuit
Friends Following Jesus
helps your church members follow Jesus together
What happens between Sundays?
The Gap
Small groups are often “strangers performing community.”
People watch a video, answer rote questions, and drive home unchanged. They complete the tasks but don’t connect as friends.
Then they go spiritually dark until next Sunday.
No Homework Tax
You shouldn’t have to complete a workbook to hang out with friends.
Friends Following Jesus doesn’t require hours of study, but it doesn’t skip the Bible either.
What if…
Friends in your church were discussing the Scriptures together during the week?
Not because you assigned it or organized it, but because their friend texted them a Bible study.
It was just a part of Christianity that I never even knew existed, but having someone intentionally care about you and pour into you really exemplified Christianity to me really well.
The Research
For my Doctor of Ministry at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, I asked pastors to identify their most spiritually mature members under 40.
Then I asked those people to name the best Christians they knew. I interviewed 30 of them.
They all said the same thing.
30
in-depth interviews with spiritually mature disciples
What Did They All Have In Common?
- ✕Not a specific program or curriculum
- ✕Not a particular church size or style
- ✕Not a special discipline or method
Close Friendships
were the #1 factor in their spiritual growth
“It’s more what happens between the weeks that creates growth.”
Discipleship is imitating Christ together.
“Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:1 CSB
Imitating Christ Together = Friends Following Jesus
The first disciples walked with Jesus and then they walked with each other.
Paul asked the Corinthians to imitate the Christlikeness they experienced in their friendships with him.
Research confirms it takes roughly 200 hours of shared time to move from acquaintance to close friend. That’s why we design for regular conversations.
Why Does This Matter Now?
Half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness. Among 18–34-year-olds, 30% say they’re lonely every day or several times a week.
The Surgeon General calls it a public health crisis. Your members aren’t just drifting between Sundays. They’re disconnected from one another.
Thriving disciples have friends who walk through the good and bad with them.
What Is Friends Following Jesus?
Donor Supported
No curriculum to buy. No login required to read.
Bible Studies
Short, honest studies on real-life topics—anxiety, doubt, identity, faith.
Built for Friends
Every study is designed for friends to discuss.
How It Works
No prep needed!
Find a Study
Get The Daily each morning, search for a topic, or browse our studies.
Text It to a Friend
Tap share to discuss it with a friend.
Talk About It
Each study ends with honest questions and one thing to try.
How It Works
Everyone gets a short daily study through a book of the Bible
Members text studies to each other and discuss in a private group space
By the time you meet, people actually have something to say
This isn’t another solo devotional app. The conversations are built in.
In the research, participants showed little interest in books, podcasts, or apps as standalone tools.
They valued resources only when experienced in the context of trusted relationships.
FFJ is built for them.
I do think that when given the opportunity, if people were willing to really be vulnerable and be real, that there’s a new experience to doing life alongside fellow Christians that you can’t really experience in another way.
The Feedback Loop
- 1You share a study with a friend
- 2They read it on their phone
- 3You see that they read itFFJ
Someone opened the study you shared
Friends Following Jesus
- 4Their response appears in your feed
Bible Study Group
Sarah, David, and Maria
DThat part about the shepherd really hit me…
2d - 5You’re following Jesus together
I have so many teens and young adults who ask me what daily devotional they should start with. I’m excited to send them to such an accessible and trustworthy resource.
Sunday is the launching point. It’s the icing, not the cake… Ultimately, where I’ve grown the most is in those Tuesday night Bible studies where we’re sitting around hanging out together.
Easy to Use
- ✓No curriculum to buy
- ✓No budget approval needed
- ✓No app to download
- ✓No volunteers to recruit
- ✓No prep for small group leaders
- ✓No admin dashboard to manage
Invite Your Church to Be Friends Following Jesus
Practical Steps:
- Try The Daily with a friend on staff
- Invite small group leaders to try The Daily
- Share the QR code with your congregation
- Send Gather to help people find a friend
- → Build a culture of friends following Jesus
God designed us to follow Jesus together.
Dr. Carson Weitnauer
Uncommon Pursuit