What is Discipleship?
Discipleship within student ministry is one of the core elements required to raise up men and women of God who desire to follow Christ with their lives. It is through discipleship programs that students learn not only about who Christ is, but begin to imitate Christ in thought and deed. With so much riding on this element within student ministry, it is imperative that youth leaders be very intentional about how they are carrying out the call to make disciples (Matt 28: 18-20). A youth leader becomes intentional only after asking the who, what, when, and why questions about their discipleship program. I call this a Youth Ministry Roadmap. The following material describes how you can form your own and provides an example.
A Youth Ministry Roadmap has 2 Parts:
Part one begins by laying a foundation by describing what we are doing in youth discipleship, who we are targeting, and when this will take place. The ‘What’ section explains the core beliefs behind what we are doing and provides rationale for the decisions that have been made. Then, the ‘Who’ section connects what we are doing with why it is important to students developmentally. Finally, the ‘When/Where/Specifics’section of part one gives the details needed to understand the curriculum.
Part two of this material contains the curriculum that will actually be used in the discipleship program. Included in part two is an explanation of the calendar, an example of our monthly rotation, youth bible studies for one month, and a discipleship roadmap for the rest of the year. By being intentional about programming, youth leaders can develop a holistic ministry that guides students into a personal relationship with their divine creator.
If you have not planned out your own Youth Ministry Roadmap, use the following as a free guide!
Please click to download the following PDF’s!Breakdown of a Discipleship Group