Small Groups

In the last several years, small group discipleship has caught on significantly in many progressive churches across America. But many youth ministries got a jump on the rest of the Body of Christ. Twenty years ago church and parachurch youth ministries had seen the incredible impact small group discipleship was having on teens. It's not surprising the small group ministry is so appealing to kids—the interaction, the relationships, the opportunity to take in spiritual truth by talking about it—and the pizza!

But there is a big difference between "just another Bible study," and real, biblical, discipleship. Here are five issues that make all the difference:

1. Keep the Vision Clear

• Challenge your kids to a vision. In Matt 4:19, Jesus started his "small group discipleship" with a clear call to a clear vision. He was challenging them to get outside themselves, and follow Him. He was calling them to learn about Him and pass on what they learn to others. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." (NIV)
  
  
• Remind them of the vision. One good blow-your-socks-off message at the beginning of the semester is not enough. On a weekly basis, you should remind your students of why we are doing this stuff…"I'm committed to helping you learn how to live exciting and dynamic Christian lives so that you can take what you learn and pass it on to others."
  
  
• "How you get them is how you keep them." We should be reminded that we want to call kids to discipleship on a high level. They respond so well to great causes and visionary appeals. Why waste your time trying to entertain them or reproduce the things they already get at school, athletics and the movies. We have a call to something eternally significant and satisfying beyond anything this world has to offer.
  
  

2. Gather broadly - Select carefully

• When it comes to selecting the members of your group, make it a matter of prayer. Luke 6:12-13 says, "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles." (NIV) If Jesus had to spend all night prayerfully considering who He would pick, how do we think we can do it by throwing darts at the wall and hoping to hit the right pictures?
  
  
• Challenge individuals, not groups. Discipleship is such a personal issue of the heart. Just because kids hang together doesn't mean they have the same hunger for God and desire to apply what they learn.
  
  
• Try to see not only "who they are," but also "who they can become" (Check out John. 1:42.). Try to see these young people through God's eyes. Get beyond your own personal biases. Have your antennas up for heart and raw potential.
  
  
• Look for "FAT" Christians: Faithful, Available, Teachable.
  
  

3. Teach "Transferable Truths" – 2 Tim 2:2

• Use the KISS method: "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Resist the temptation to wow them with your intellect or the most recent thing you've learned. Teach fundamentals. It is the secret to any endeavor requiring commitment and discipline. Stick with the "basics."
  
  
• Make no assumptions when it comes to discipleship. The worst mistake you can make is to think a particular student knows more than they really do, just because they have "been around."
  
  
• Be "a collector" of illustrations, stories, and physical demonstrations of spiritual truth. Computer programs or web pages can help, but you need to keep them organized or they magically disappear.
  
  

4. Spend Quality Time Together

• Jesus used this technique of teaching and training- Mark 3:14 "He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that He might send them out to preach." (NIV)
  
  
• "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." If the only time they see you is during the small group time, you've failed. They must see you in everyday situations demonstrating the realities of what you have been teaching.
  
  
• Your life is a model to help them understand spiritual truth. Their life gives you practical ideas of what to teach.
  
  

5. Move with the Movers

• Continue to challenge the hungriest and the most mature. If you always cater to the "new student", then you are favoring them over the others who have been faithfully leaning and applying Biblical truth.
  
  
• Don't prefer the "half-hearted" over the "whole-hearted."
  
  
• In order to continue to challenge the more mature kids, you will have to set up a system where higher-level discipleship groups will be "closed". If not, then the group will always keep "returning to home, do not pass go." New groups can be led by your most mature teens- those who have been discipled a while and are ready for a leadership challenge.
  
  
• Oh yeah, Jesus "moved with the movers". Check out Jn. 6:66-68.
  
  Small group discipleship is so dynamic in youth ministry for two reasons: It fits youth and it follows Jesus. Our Lord modeled this style of ministry to raise up a new generation of spiritual leaders that "turned the world upside down." Likewise, our world is desperate for Spirit-filled young men and women, who are on fire for Christ, committed to His Word, and reaching out to the lost with love and conviction. I don't know any way to produce these young leaders apart from biblical discipleship in a small group setting.
  
  

If you would like more resources on discipling young people, The Coaching Center (a ministry of Student Venture in conjunction with the Campus Alliance) can help. Our team of friendly coaches stands by to assist youth workers, parents, or students in putting together a plan to reach their local junior or senior high school campus. Check out our Web site at www.gocampus.org for Bible study, evangelism, and training resources or give us a call at 1(877)gocampus.