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YOUNG LIFE DISCIPLESHIP
Resources for people who
help others become more like Jesus.
Quick FAQs
Where do I start?
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Whys & How-Tos is a library of short articles about things like discipling middle-schoolers, creative ways to read the Bible together, listening well, planning a small group, and more. Use these for your own learning or for leadership teams. Each post includes reflection and discussion questions.
For lessons (both single and series), check out Lessons & Devos and BibleProject & YL. The five-day reading plans on Bible App & YL are easy go-tos for discipling conversations.
In Useful Stuff you'll find ministry tools (like an identity assessment) and links to helpful sites (like Streetlights audio Bible).
And you'll find the whole library of Words & Ways episodes in Discipleship Podcast. At just 10 minutes each, these are great for your own listening or to use in a discipling group.
What is discipleship?
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We define discipleship as becoming more like Jesus. In fancy language, that's being conformed to the image of Christ. It's about a person's own life. It is "Christ in us." The definition can be expanded like this: Becoming more like Jesus by ______ (fill in the blank).
And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know our Creator and become like him. Colossians 3:10 (NLT)
You can read more about discipleship and discipling here.
What is discipling?
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We define discipling as helping others become more like Jesus. It's about a person's ministry to and with others. It is "Christ through us." The definition can be expanded like this: Helping others become more like Jesus by ______ (fill in the blank).
You can read more about discipleship and discipling here.
What matters most?
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In discipling, listening is more important than lecturing, knowing God is more important than knowing all the answers, going deeper is more important than going wider, your presence is more important than programming, and learning God's eternal truth is more important than hashing out current topics.
You can learn more about our discipleship values here.
What should we do in a small group?
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There are lots of great things to do in a small group, but we think the most important thing is to read the Bible together and discover what it has to say about who God is, how Jesus lived, what Jesus taught, and how his followers are called to live.
You'll find more info here and here about how to plan small groups.
What Bible translation should we use?
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For newer and younger followers of Jesus, we recommend using a translation that is easy to understand and digest. Many people use the New International Version and the New Living Translation. Some other common choices are the Good News Bible, ESV (English Standard Version), CSB (Christian Standard Bible), and CEB (Common English Bible). You can learn more about Bible translations here.
What part of the Bible should we read?
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Option 1: Read the same passage you used at club, but look at it through a fresh lens. Instead of just meeting Jesus through the story, see what the story says about following Jesus.
Option 2: Read through a book of the Bible together, story by story or section by section. Check out The John Project or Mark in a Month or Gospel of Mark: Jesus the Suffering Servant for ready-to-go resources.
Option 3: Use one of the resources in Lessons & Devos.
What's a discipleship model?
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A discipleship model is a way to think and talk about following Jesus, who taught that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. That's why our model is called Head-Heart-Hands. It's about living for Jesus as a whole person and following him with all our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. You can see the whole model and series here.
