We are taking a new direction in our church when it comes to making disciples. The church is calling this “Trader”. In the realm of youth ministry we are calling it “Organic” It really is nothing new but I wanted to share with you a bit of what I will be sharing with our Small Group leaders this weekend.
In a churched environment there are words that are thrown around a lot and because of the loose way they are used the meaning has been clouded and diminished. Discipleship and Evangelism are two of those words to me. Discipleship has been relegated to a series of classes that teach doctrine and lifestyle do’s and don’ts. Evangelism has been relegated to raise your hand and repeat after me…and oh yeah sign the card. Now, the terms are fine but it is near impossible to separate the terms from their false meanings, so I am going to switch the terms and I am sure that I am not the first nor brightest to make these observations.
For the purposes of our ministry (and this blog) I am replacing the term “Discipleship” with “Followship” and the term “Evangelism” with “Surrender“. The apostle Paul made the audacious statement “Follow me as I follow Christ” – 1 Cor 11:1 How many of us live in a way that we can say, “follow me and you will have it figured out.”? However, as you read about Paul’s ministry he was the ultimate discipler. Whether it is he and Barnabas or he and Timothy or he and the dude that chained himself to Paul in prison, Paul got it! To create disciples you have to do life WITH them. You have to have people to follow and who follow you. Our youth ministry small group philosophy used to be here are our small groups, go sign up for one of them and go. Now, I am training our SG leaders to go to the students and pour into the students that naturally gravitate toward them and lead them closer to Jesus…Followship.
I woke up a while back terrified with the thought of all the students that I would be held accountable for because they are walking around with a false sense of salvation because I relegated it to a raised hand, recited prayer and a signature on a card. God forgive me. Accepting Christ is not in the Bible however Surrender is. A life of a student who has surrendered their life to Jesus will be obvious and there will be marked shifts in desires, pursuits and passions. Why can’t we get people to attend a New Believer’s class? Could it be that they are NOT a new believer? I don’t think we have to raise the bar for students to get saved, I don’t think we have to make it harder. I think we need to allow the Holy Spirit to draw students to himself and cultivate the decision the student has made by providing an environment for a surrendered student can fully express and discover their spiritual journey.
In Matthew 13:1-23 Jesus tells the parable of the sower. In our context, I am the sower, the SG leader is the waterer and the Holy Spirit causes it to grow.
As disciplers we need to…
Pray – for those who are following you and that you are bringing along in the faith.
Organic Structure – There is no 8 week program and it is not always cookie cutter perfect. It takes time and is often messy however it is pure.
Utilize Tools – We need to teach how to use the Bible not only read it. I love what YouVersion.com is doing with their reading plans.
Raise Disciples – When the students are ready, release them into the wild to find their own group to lead.
I recognize that none of this is new or even that cutting edge but maybe just maybe some youth pastor out there is ready for a change. I hope it helps.
How are you doing “Discipleship” and is it working in your environment?
Sean Rheaume 
You sir, are a Third Option Man. We salute you! I pray Trader and Organic truly change lives, and don’t become mere church programs used for growth’s sake or just to pass the time.