Customizing Student Discipleship

Written by Leading Student Ministry Editorial Staff

One of the most exciting things that can happen in your youth group is to see students come into relationship with Christ, then to see the students become more and more like Christ. Most student ministers become discouraged because discipleship isn't a one-size-fits-all ministry. Not everyone experiences spiritual transformation in the same way. The best solution for discipleship is to encourage growth by discovering the needs of students and then creating customized experiences to meet the specific student's needs.

Beloved Disciple - Student Edition

Consider the following levels of spiritual maturity represented in your ministry and then take a look at what LifeWay has to offer your students.

Levels of Spiritual Maturity
It is generally accepted that spiritual maturity takes place in a believer's life at three levels: beginning, basic, and advanced. These are not hard and fast categories. They merely serve as guidelines to gauge spiritual development. Each of these levels includes knowledge and understanding, skill development, and hands-on experience.

1. The Beginning Level - includes foundational training for not-yet believers/new believers/new members in your student ministry: introducing them to what a relationship with Christ entails, encouraging them to spend time in regular Bible reading and prayer, and instructing them in basic skill development to participate in these spiritual disciplines.
2. The Basic Level - includes the basic beliefs of Christianity and steps to living out a relationship with Christ at home, school, and in the world.
3. The Advanced Level - includes more in-depth study and practice of how to engage the culture and encourage other believers in faith.

Being, Knowing, and Doing
In order for believers to minister effectively, there must be a spiritual transformation process (being); a knowledge and understanding of biblical truth (knowing); and exercise of skills and spiritual gifts (doing).

For most millennials, being is initially more important than the doing. It is not that they are disinterested in the doing part of life, but they are very interested in the why of doing anything that is going to require time and energy. It is important that they clearly understand the message of why the Christian life is one that brings about real meaning and significance. Once they catch the why, most of them are hooked for life.

Knowing comes more easily for many ministry leaders. Many churches encourage students to go through a series of studies to learn what it means to think, act, and live as a Christian. There are literally thousands of resources designed to provide students with handles on living the Christian life. It can become overwhelming for leaders who try to wade through all the offerings and choose what would be best to meet the needs of their students. (See the free resource download at the end of this article for a list of resources provided by LifeWay)

Don't stop at the knowing stage. Students who only know can quickly become self-righteous and ineffective in becoming Christlike. Doing is vitally important and must be kept in proper balance with being and knowing. Action that lines up with biblical teaching must be evident for a believer to be transformed into the image of Christ.

If you have not been intentionally planning for discipleship, it is best to start slowly. Keep in mind the following five objectives as you use an intentional, custom approach to discipleship in your student ministry.

1. Teach students the spiritual disciplines that can lead to a spiritually transformed life in Christ.
2. Teach students how to pray, meditate, and worship, and practice these disciplines daily.
3. Train students to articulate their relationship with Christ and share that with unsaved friends. Give them opportunities to build confidence as they witness on a regular basis.
4. Provide students with opportunities for fellowship and the development of strong and lasting relationships with family, friends, and other believers.
5. Equip students to identify their spiritual gifts, choose a worthy ministry, and perform ministry with compassion and competence.

FREE Resource Download: Download the Student Discipleship Guide (412kb PDF) to see some of the resources LifeWay offers to help you customize a discipleship program for your students.