I finished up my I-term class last week that was focused on College Disciple-Makers. This concept wasn't new to me but it was encouraging to see what disciples looked like at an older age, they looked liked disciple makers. I had the privilege of being taught by Max Barnett for the week who is recognized as one of the top disciple makers in the Southern Baptist context. It was a beneficial class where I learned many things that I hope I can transfer to the local church context. While trying to decide what to blog about regarding what I learned, I came across Benson Hines' article titled "The Tailored Impact" that actually contained some similar ideas regarding disciple making disciples, so I thought I'd share his article with you...
This blog post was originally posted on May 12, 2011 on exploringcollegeministry.com
All week long, I've been looking at "ingredients" that might be worth considering as you prepare next year's bountiful college ministry feast. Today's suggested ingredient is like the others: It's an element we'd all agree is wonderful, that some campus ministries have found enormously beneficial, and that's often in shorter supply than - perhaps - it should be.
Here's a question: How regularly are students in your ministry being personally discipled?
I'm not talking about small group discipleship or even the "organic" conversations that so often pop up within our contexts. Those things are highly important, but so is the more intentional, more systematic shepherding that happens when a leader disciples a college student, or one college student mentors another.
I was blessed to be in a college ministry and at a school where one-on-one disciplemaking was both natural and widespread. But I realize that's not most of our contexts, and unless we're involved in college ministries that have made this a pillar (like The Navigators), it's likely this awesome tool gets overlooked in light of methods that involve more people, more "performance," or more popular acclaim among students
In my mind, though, there are few methods that produce more individual growth...and yet because strong disciplemaking is always multiplicative, the impact can spread far and wide in only a few semesters.
Honestly, disciplemaking doesn't only have to come from a formal, "Sign up to get discipled/ Sign up to disciple somebody" format. In fact, that may not always be the best way to go (though it can be useful if it's done right and trained well). But what if small group leaders looked for someone within the group they might disciple? What if strong, older students [or adult leaders] made it clear they'd love to disciple a person or two in the coming semester? What if you too looked for a few individuals who are clearly teachable and ready for some tailored impact?
Sprinkle this ingredient liberally in your college ministry, and I bet you'll see some awesome fruit in the years to come!
This blog post was originally posted on May 12, 2011 on exploringcollegeministry.com
All week long, I've been looking at "ingredients" that might be worth considering as you prepare next year's bountiful college ministry feast. Today's suggested ingredient is like the others: It's an element we'd all agree is wonderful, that some campus ministries have found enormously beneficial, and that's often in shorter supply than - perhaps - it should be.
Here's a question: How regularly are students in your ministry being personally discipled?
I'm not talking about small group discipleship or even the "organic" conversations that so often pop up within our contexts. Those things are highly important, but so is the more intentional, more systematic shepherding that happens when a leader disciples a college student, or one college student mentors another.
I was blessed to be in a college ministry and at a school where one-on-one disciplemaking was both natural and widespread. But I realize that's not most of our contexts, and unless we're involved in college ministries that have made this a pillar (like The Navigators), it's likely this awesome tool gets overlooked in light of methods that involve more people, more "performance," or more popular acclaim among students
In my mind, though, there are few methods that produce more individual growth...and yet because strong disciplemaking is always multiplicative, the impact can spread far and wide in only a few semesters.
Honestly, disciplemaking doesn't only have to come from a formal, "Sign up to get discipled/ Sign up to disciple somebody" format. In fact, that may not always be the best way to go (though it can be useful if it's done right and trained well). But what if small group leaders looked for someone within the group they might disciple? What if strong, older students [or adult leaders] made it clear they'd love to disciple a person or two in the coming semester? What if you too looked for a few individuals who are clearly teachable and ready for some tailored impact?
Sprinkle this ingredient liberally in your college ministry, and I bet you'll see some awesome fruit in the years to come!
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Comments
to think that we also need to tweak our message somewhat from "disciple others" to "get discipled". Discipling in not Christianity 101, it is a graduate level course in how to live for Christ. I actually just wrote about this on my facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/notes/landmarks-of-the-faith-tours/a-swordsman-needs-to-be-trained/226545614025519