Two Kinds of Discipling

All discipling falls into two basic categories.

Organic discipling

When leaders spend time with students outside of a small-group or other structured context, there are opportunities to guide conversations and experiences in ways that help them become more like Jesus. These conversations and experiences, combined with the leader’s attitudes and actions, are organic discipling moments.

Though it may sound counterintuitive, organic discipling only happens if leaders are prepared for those moments. You can be ready to disciple organically by developing these skills:

Be a good conversation starter

• Have good conversation-starting questions ready at all times. These can be general or specific, as long as they open the door to back-and-forth dialogue.
• Some students are quiet, cautious, and don’t believe an adult would be interested in what they have to say. Prove them wrong.
• Don’t give up if your first question flops. Students are too often on the receiving end of someone who gave up on them. Don’t be one of those people. Be persistent (without being pushy).

Be a good listener

• Take careful note of everything they say. Listen for what lies behind and beneath the actual words.
• Do not plan a response while they are talking. Just listen.
• Ask relevant and engaging follow-up questions to keep the conversation going.
• Be on the lookout for moments when a follow-up question could make a natural turn towards faith, truth, doubt, God, or following Jesus.

Be aware of your surroundings

• Note where you are, who else is present, and what’s happening. Context and surroundings can provide a helpful frame for organic discipling.
• Be on the lookout for ways you could naturally and safely serve or help someone.
• Model natural and enthusiastic service and kindness.

Formal discipling

As leaders spend time with students in a planned spiritual context (like a small group or a one-on-one) and engage in planned experiences (like worship, Bible reading, or service), they intentionally guide both conversations and experiences to a place of learning and growth.

Though it may sound counterintuitive, formal discipling is often most powerful when it feels organic. But in order for formal discipling to feel truly organic, it must be carefully planned and skillfully executed. In the case of a small group Bible study, these steps will help you prepare for organically styled discipling:

Know the Bible passage inside, outside, upside down

• Make it the focus of your personal daily Bible reading for the week prior.
• Read what comes before and after it — an entire chapter at least, and the full book if possible.
• Read what wise teachers and theologians have said about it. Free online commentaries abound.
• Serve the meal (the specific passage of your planned reading and discussion) but be sure it is grounded in solid nutrition (the overarching doctrinal truths that shape and inform the passage).

Lead students toward truth by way of guided discovery

• Telling students “what the Bible means” is not the goal (though you should have studied this for yourself and should feel confident about your own knowledge, and you should make sure the conversation doesn’t lead down a road of untruth).
• Use guided questions related to observation and understanding (for example, “Why do you think Jesus said that to the women?” or “What do you think the woman expected Jesus to say?”) rather than factual questions (for example, “What did Jesus say to the woman?”)
• Teach students how to notice things before asking them what they noticed.

Be flexibly focused

• Welcome questions and doubts. They provide opportunities to learn and grow.
• Be ready with your own observations based on your personal study, but allow for students to observe something new and sometimes far more profound than you ever expected or imagined.
• Do not force the passage toward personal application. Sometimes the most meaningful part of reading Scripture is simply spending time in God’s truth, getting to know him better, listening to his words, and being with him. There does not always need to be an immediate follow-up action step. Demanding Scripture to function in this way reduces it to a behavioral handbook.

Any time a leader is with a student or students, there is an opportunity for discipleship (becoming more like Jesus myself) and discipling (helping others become more like Jesus). Everything we do, say, and experience matters. Our whole life, and all our interactions, are places where God will show up, teach, and transform if we allow him.

Reflect - Discuss

• Think of a time when you discipled someone organically. What was the situation? How were you discipling the other person? Did you realize it at the time?
• Describe what your formal discipling looks like. How do you make it feel organic and natural?
• Do you think you're stronger at organic discipling or formal discipling? Why?
• How can you become stronger at both kinds of discipling?