Discipling Whole People

Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love God with one's whole heart, soul, mind, and strength — to be whole and holy people. Our Head-Heart-Hands​ series talks about this in detail.

As disciplers, we must think about connecting people to God in different ways — ​ through their minds, their hearts, and their actions. Most people connect to God through one of those lanes most easily and naturally. Which is it for you? If you had your choice of just one, which of these would you pick?

1. Read, think, and learn more about God and theology (head).
2. Spend time in contemplative prayer and worship (heart).
3. Serve God and others through practical actions and deeds (hands).

In your own life of discipleship, you should maximize your most natural way of connecting with God because it's how he wired and designed you. But you should also intentionally develop and practice the other ways so that you live a whole and holy life as Jesus commanded. We aren't offered the option of living a single-lane life of discipleship. Jesus didn't say to love God with your whole heart or​ whole soul or​ whole mind or​ whole strength. He gave us a collectively inclusive list that goes all the way back to the earliest days of God's communication with his chosen people (see Deuteronomy 6:1-7).

In your ministry of discipling, you should learn and leverage each of your students' most natural way of connecting with God because it's how he wired and designed them. If one of your students is a head person, be sure to engage their intellect and curiosity. If one is a heart person, be sure to engage their soul and passions. If another is a hands person, be sure to engage their involvement and service. But be sure to also introduce them to other ways of connecting with God so they are formed as whole people. That is one of a discipler's primary tasks.

In the short window of time that we disciple middle schoolers, high schoolers, or college students, we will not be able to fully explain or explore all three main ways of connecting with God. But it's important that we at least model, introduce, and practice all three so that our friends have a full vision of what it means to love and follow God with their whole selves.

It can be challenging to engage peoples' head, hearts, and hands each time you're together. But make it a goal to engage at least two of the three, even if one is highlighted more than the other.

If your small group focuses mostly on learning (head), you can include a time of prayer or worship (heart). If you'll be doing a service project with your students (hands), you can prepare by regularly praying for the project (heart). If you disciple someone by worshipping and reflecting on Jesus' sacrificial love, you can follow up by sacrificially loving and serving people in your community (hands).

Over time, head people will find that when their mind is connected to God, their heart also sings for joy and they want to act in ways that honor him; heart people will find that when they deeply sense God's love and presence, their mind hungers to learn more about him and they want to act in ways that bring glory to God; and hands people will find that when they are actively serving God and others, their heart is glad and their minds want to think about and understand him more.

We were created to be whole people. Sin spoiled our wholeness. But as we begin following Jesus more closely ourselves, our thoughts, attitudes, affections, and actions begin syncing up with him more and more and in the process begin syncing up within ourselves. As we disciple our students more wholly and intentionally, the same thing will begin happening for them. They will still have a favorite head-heart-hands lane, but they'll start living and learning in all three, sometimes even all at the same time.

Some general stuff about how people learn

• Head people often like to read, think, and discuss (and maybe sometimes debate).
• Heart people often like to experience, reflect, and express (and maybe sometimes emote).
• Hands people often like to try, practice, and do (and maybe sometimes overdo).

Some general stuff about how people teach & lead

• Head people often like to explain.
• Heart people often like to describe.
• Hands people often like to demonstrate.

Some general ways to initially engage with people in different lanes

• Initially engage with a head person by reading, learning, and talking with them about new ideas and deep truth, and by asking things like:

1. What have you been learning about God lately?
2. What's something about God or following Jesus that you want to understand better?
3. Why do you believe God is true and trustworthy?

• Initially engage with a heart person by praying, worshipping, and visiting with them, and by asking things like:

1. How have you been experiencing and hearing from God lately?
2. What is something you're praying for/struggling with/grateful for?
3. How have you been spending time with Jesus?

• Initially engage with a hands person by serving and helping alongside them, and by asking things like:

1. How did you serve God or others this week?
2. What do you most enjoy doing for others?
3. How do you sense God when you're serving others?

After initially engaging a student through their natural on-ramp, then expand your conversation topics and experiences to include the other ways of connecting to and loving God.

Reflect - Discuss

• How do you most naturally connect with God — through your head (reading, learning, discussing), heart (prayer, contemplative practices, worship), or hands (service, actions, hands-on)?
• How does that shape your discipling of others?
• What are some possible dangers of helping others connect with God only in the way that's most natural for you?
• How can you yourself grow into a whole person who loves God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength?
• How can you help those you disciple begin forming into whole people with the time you have? ​