A Primer on “Practicing the Way” — A Book Reshaping How We Think About Discipleship
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We’ve spent years in conversation with many hundreds of Christian thought leaders, asking them questions. Among these questions is this: What resources have made the biggest difference in your spiritual life? Their answers have been remarkably consistent. This is one of the ten most recommended.
We are all being formed by something. The question is whether we have chosen what that something is.
That is the premise at the heart of “Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did” — John Mark Comer’s manifesto for Christians who sense that following Jesus should look like more than attending services and holding correct beliefs. Published in January 2024, the book became a New York Times bestseller and won ECPA’s Christian Book of the Year, a sign of how deeply it has struck a nerve.
Formed in a Post-Christian City
Comer spent nearly two decades as the founding pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon — one of the most secular cities in America. It was there, working out discipleship in a place where Christianity could not be assumed, that his vision took shape. What does it mean to follow Jesus when the culture offers no support, when the habits of faith must be chosen against the current?
He is now the New York Times bestselling author of “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” and “Live No Lies,” and he leads Practicing the Way, a nonprofit that creates free formation resources for churches. For many younger evangelicals — especially in urban, post-Christian contexts — his voice has become one of the most influential guides to spiritual formation in a generation.
“If we followed its vision, our lives would change and the world would change.”
Discipleship as Apprenticeship
At its core, “Practicing the Way” reframes discipleship as apprenticeship — learning to live the way Jesus lived by doing what Jesus did. Comer argues that transformation does not happen through information alone. It happens through practices: rhythms of life that slowly reshape our desires, our attention, and our character.
The book walks readers through what Comer calls a “rule of life” — an ancient concept borrowed from monastic tradition, adapted for ordinary believers. Sabbath. Silence and solitude. Prayer. Fasting. Generosity. Scripture. Community. These are not boxes to check but doorways into a different way of being human, one organized around presence with God rather than productivity for God.
Reviewers have called it a “curriculum for Christlikeness” — ancient wisdom made surprisingly accessible for people trying to follow Jesus amid hurry, distraction, and digital noise.
A Book Sparking Conversation
The response has been significant. Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren praises the book as “eminently readable,” while Alpha pioneer Nicky Gumbel says Comer’s vision is exactly what many believers need. Ministries across traditions are pairing the book with Comer’s free course materials for small groups and entire congregations.
Some critics have raised theological cautions, which is part of why the book has generated such robust conversation. It is shaping the discipleship agenda in countless churches — and when a book does that, scrutiny is a sign of influence, not irrelevance.
A Long Obedience, Not a Quick Fix
Do not expect a devotional you can skim. “Practicing the Way” invites you into something slower and more demanding: rearranging your calendar, your habits, and your relationships so that life with Jesus becomes the organizing center rather than an afterthought.
For the exhausted volunteer, the burned-out pastor, or the skeptic who suspects there must be more to faith than what they have seen, Comer offers a path. It is simple but not easy: slow down, adopt ancient practices, and discover that apprenticeship to Jesus is not only possible in the modern world but may be the only way to become a person of love.
“Practicing the Way” is available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook wherever books are sold.