Foundations of Student Ministry: Discipleship & Study by Charles Smith
Why We Do What We Do:
Foundations of Student Ministry
Core Value: Discipleship & Study
At 2BC and in our Student Ministry, we believe in five foundations of our faith, five essential practices of the Christian life. You may have heard us talking about these around church as we've studied The Walk by Adam Hamilton. We believe that through following these practices, living them out, and letting them guide our thoughts and actions, we are able to attain the abundant life, the life to the fullest, that Jesus offers. We build the whole of our student programming and ministry emphases around these foundations. These are the reasons why we do what we do.
We recently had our Disciple Now retreat. With this experience of spiritual growth and discernment fresh in our minds and on our hearts, we thought this would be a good time to talk about one of our core foundations: Discipleship and Study.
Students, we know you know all about and have a complex relationship with study. It's in the name. So then, what does the word discipleship mean and how is it connected to study? A disciple is one who learns the ways and teachings of their leader, and beyond learning also follows in this way, allowing the teachings to guide their life. As Christians, we strive to be disciples of Jesus, to learn about the ways Jesus wants us to live, and to put these teachings into practice.
A student with a rather archaic way of speaking asks when assigned a project or test: "How then should we study?" and likewise, "How then should we live?" One of the first steps is to realize that God speaks to us in many ways, so our pursuit of knowledge about God can be just as multi-faceted.
God speaks to us through nature, like when we go to Miracle Hills or hike the ridge in South Dakota; through our life experiences and sharing in memories like skiing the Rockies or swimming in the Gulf; through the Holy Spirit, discerning God's guidance and wisdom in our lives like our focus at Disciple Now; and through the Bible, as we learn examples of God's providence, grace, and love, and find direction in the life and teachings of Jesus.
We can hear God speaking to us through these and so many more ways. In these ways we can feel the call of God, feel this conviction, and live into the truths we know to be real. In Student Ministry, we sculpt our times together to spend time growing our knowledge of God together, devoting space to slow our pace, to listen to God, to pay attention to God working in our lives, and to turn our will over to God's direction, seeking to follow God. As we slow ourselves, as we pay attention, as we pray and meditate on how God is speaking to us, we deepen our knowledge and understanding of our faith and our spiritual life.