Youth Discipleship Guide
Category 1:
No faith, Young faith / 12-14 year olds
Stage:
Foundation: Knowledge & Hope
Trust in God needs to be the center of this stage.
Students in this stage should be learning about Jesus
through ‘easy-to-understand’ scripture and by
observing the way you live.
Guys: Trust and friendship is built while doing things
together. Activities, sports, and challenges all build
trust and friendship between men. Less talk, more
rock. Place emphasis on the fact that God is love and
love is an action. Guys need to be reminded that God
is a Dad that approves and affirms. He’s a strong,
ever-present, encouraging Father.
Girls: Trust and friendship take a more intimate route.
It’s less about doing things together than sharing an
experience together like a talking on a coffee date,
sharing heartaches and struggles, or being around
each other. Emphasis needs to be on the fact that God
is love and is always there for you as a caring heavenly
Dad, no matter what you’re going through. He is a
father and friend that never leaves.
Practical:
• Get involved in their life: find out what they’re
interested in, meet with them outside of youth
group.
• Talk with them at every youth group function.
• Text, Facebook, IM, or call them every once in a
while. They should feel deeply cared for.
• Follow Christ personally so you’re giving from an
overflow. Remind them that the Christian life is not
a stroll in the park, it’s a strenuous climb.
• Keep them accountable in reading the Word, start a
reading plan.
• Pray for them and with them.
• Help them with any questions they have during their
reading. Don’t simply explain the answer, look it up
with them.
Category 2:
Some faith, More faith / 14-16 years old
Stage:
Framework: Faith, Love & Mercy
Building off the foundation of friendship and faith,
they now need framework on which to base their lives.
Make sure they’re focused on growing in their faith
and obedience. Teach them to show love and mercy
toward others so their ‘good’ life doesn’t turn into
gross legalism.
For both guys and girls, emphasis needs to be placed
on the following:
• Reading plans done with friends.
• Group prayers.
• Knowledge and comprehension of basic Biblical
truth (gospel, resurrection, baptism...)
• Humility in the face of God needs to be
practiced.
• Love for one another, shown through action.
• Joyful service in a ministry.
Drill in the truth that without God we are nothing, but
with Him we have the responsibility as His children to
obey our Father.
Practical:
• Continue to keep them accountable in regular Bible
reading.
• Encourage and guide them in learning to pray
everyday.
• When questions of faith or biblical truth come up,
equip them with resources to search for the answer
themselves.
• Make sure they’re plugged into an area of service. If
they’re not, help them find one and remind them to
live and lead them by example. Humble leadership
is service.
• Begin accountability in areas other than Bible
reading. What about sexual purity, dating
relationships, or witnessing?
Category 3:
Much faith / 16-18 years old
Stage:
Trim: Living & Sharing
Building off the framework, focus needs to be placed
on a consistent walk with God and a sense of
ownership and understanding when it comes to faith
and theology. Make sure the student is finding areas
in their life where growth is needed and equip them to
facilitate that growth, don’t try to do it for them.
For both guys and girls, emphasis needs to be placed
on the following:
• Daily prayer, reading, and walking in Christ.
• Sharing and being able to give an account for
what they believe and why they believe it. This
takes time and diligence, it’s not for the faint of
heart.
• A character of boldness.
• Identifying and killing sin in their lives.
• Learning how to use the body of believers as
support.
Practical:
• Teach them to share the gospel message with the
friends and classmates.
• Explore ways each of you can best articulate the
gospel to your particular social circles.
• Hold each other accountable to reading, praying,
purity, and growth.
• Continue to build friendship through activity and
intimacy, most guys and girl are ready to talk about
very deep, personal things at this stage.
• Practice humility and service together.
• Make sure both of you are accustomed to change,
so as not to become a legalist or traditionalist.
If you have questions or concerns when discipling
call Sam Eitzen at 253-509-2080 or e-mail him at
shinexsam@yahoo.com.