What does it really mean to be a Christian? In His Steps was the first to ask “What would Jesus do? and quickly became a classic Christian novel and one of the best-selling books of all time. This story of a small group of church members who pledged themselves to a new step of faith that would change, not just a handful of people, but an entire town for good. Written in 1898, it remains the single greatest challenge to individual believers to mirror Christ in their daily lives.
In His Steps
Charles Sheldon
This book's Disciple Making Purpose
We use it at this point in discipleship to begin the discussion of self-sacrifice and choosing God’s ways above the world. We use it exclusively in Year One to provide a bridge from a growing awareness of God’s useful truths to our responsibility to take action. It refreshes the disciples to action in Steps One and Two of the Discipleship Pathway as God continues to convicts them to do good. We also use it to move disciples from Enlightened to Service (steps 4 and 6 on the pathway). It is comprehensive push for all the steps in Year One. The book also works well as a prequel preparation for Step 9 (consecration, all in) on the Predictable Pathway as there are many mature Christians who “sell out” to following God. We consider this irreplaceable and have never found a similar text that achieves these critical purposes.
Key Topics or Truths
Being a disciple
Being conformed to Christ
Choosing well
Applying God’s useful truths to living
This Book is Good For...
People who want to be disciples or those that have no practical idea of what a disciple is.
How We Use this Book to Make Disciples
In His Steps is a great novel and very easy to read. The story reflects the challenges faced and the joy of following God by adjusting our personal, family, and business lives to God’s truths. Disciples cannot read it without questioning why they became followers and what they will do with their faith. The story provides plenty of examples of how to discover God’s truths that apply to daily choices. It also provides a balanced view of hearing from God in His word and through His Spirit.
Discussing In His Steps reinforces and guides disciples to think about:
- Their God-given freedom to choose,
- The personal benefit of living the life of Christ,
- The call to be a real follower of God, and
- How the truths of God are useful in daily life and business.
We break the reading into four sections (one for each week) and discuss the book in a book club format (see below) after each week’s reading. This is our reading plan, theme, and a few sample questions that might help. Chapter breakdowns are listed based on 24 chapter versions.
Week 1: The Challenge of the Cross Chapters 1-6
Theme: The call to discipleship—taking Jesus’ example seriously
- How did the stranger’s message affect the congregation?
- What does it mean to take Jesus seriously in your everyday life?
- Have you ever made a commitment like this? What happened?
Week 2: Costly Choices in Real Life Chapters 7-12
Theme: Sacrifice, obedience, and consequences
- Which character’s decision most impacted you? Why?
- What sacrifices did they make, and how did people respond?
- How do you reconcile faith with professional or societal pressure?
Week 3: Transformation and Resistance Chapters 13-18
Key Theme: Personal transformation and public impact
- What changes do you see happening in the characters—and in the town?
- Why do you think some people resisted the movement?
- How can one person’s obedience impact a whole community?
Week 4: A New Kind of Christianity Chapters 19-24
Theme: Revival and lasting influence
- What does true revival look like according to the book?
- How is this different from emotional or short-lived change?
- How can you continue living “In His Steps” beyond this study?
Our book club format is simple. We still talk individually to each disciple individually asking the sample questions above but always concluding by asking each disciple in turn, “Tom, what was your main takeaway? Do you need to take action this week? Like does anything need to change?”
Real Life Story
Sheldon wrote and presented this story chapter by chapter on Sunday NIghts to call his congregation to follow God in their daily lives. He was calling them to a deep, meaningful, transforming faith. And it worked. Sheldon’s church members changed as they responded to the call to choose God in daily situations. Their community was deeply impacted and many became followers. Story after story can be told of Christians whose faith became “real” to them through the words of this book.
Know Issues or Controversies
No known controversies.
There is no doubt that modern marketing made the message of this book shallow. But Sheldon’s work is enduring and in no way shallow.
Some disciples have pushed back saying, “The examples and stories of followers are simply outdated.” That can be true but like other period books and movies that are so popular, the truths behind those stories are timeless. If disciples push back in this way, we simply remind them that it is definitely a period novel and to mine for the truths behind the examples.
MULTIPLE VERSIONS: Later printings have condensed the chapters without changing too much actual content – these versions contain 24 chapters instead of 31. Try to have everyone use the same version.
This was the first Christian novel that our Lead Storyteller read years ago. He found it among his grandmother’s library while staying with her in his freshman college year. Though unsaved, the words in this book echoed in his heart when he became a Christian pushing him to commit to not just getting saved but to commit to a life that honored, reflected, and shared Christ. It has become the single greatest challenge to our team to live our faith.
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Charles Sheldon
Book Details
Pathway Steps: 1-6, 9
- Phase: Year 1
- Book Type: Fiction
- Flair: Storytelling
- Tags: Applying Truth, Easy Read
Reading Time
Four Weeks
Start Reading After Week 34
9 Pages per Day
7 Minutes per Day
Related Reads
This book is great after Quick Smart Start and Search for Significance. It provides an easy reading break that is powerful close to the halfway point of Discipleship One. It pairs well with the more clinical reads of Improving Your Serve or How to Pray.