The Established Path of Discipleship

A few days ago, I received an email from our church’s student pastor asking me if I would do a breakout session for an upcoming student discipleship conference in March. My first thought was to say no for various reasons, the most prominent being youth ministry is not my forte. I have no significant experience in youth ministry, and besides, would they even listen to someone old enough to be their grandfather? With those objections swirling around in my mind, I hesitated to respond.

After some thought and prayer, I agreed to do the breakout. As often is the case, God used Scripture to change my mind. I asked myself if these passages apply to youth:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt. 28:19-20).

Does the church, specifically me, who feels ill-equipped and clumsy around youth, have a responsibility to make disciples of youth? The answer is yes.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Col. 2:6-7).

Do I believe that students who received Christ Jesus the Lord can and will walk in Christ, be rooted and built up in Christ, and eventually established in the faith? The answer is yes. If I believe what Scripture says about discipleship and that the Bible is for all Christians, then I must believe it applies to youth.

My problem is that I often view students’ youth and immaturity as barriers to discipling them. So, I mistakenly reason that I can wait until they are older. That logic, of course, is biblically flawed. Consider Timothy, who was discipled by his mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois (2 Tim. 1:5). By the time the Apostle Paul came along, he had a solid foundation to build on in Timothy’s life. Paul was most certainly grateful for Lois and Eunice’s discipleship of Timothy.

Many youth in our student ministries do not benefit from the discipleship of loving, believing parents. Knowing this, we must be their mothers and fathers in the faith. If we believe Scripture, we must believe that God will use us who are established in the faith to root and build up students in Christ until they are established in the faith. There is no reason why we should believe that a high school student cannot be established in the faith. As awkward and clumsy as we can be, God has equipped us for the task. It is time we obey from a place of belief.