by Dr. Paul Kelly
One of the implications of the research for my dissertation seems to be that discipling youth is the primary objective of youth ministries in the cultures included. Five of the seven objectives with the highest mean score related specifically to discipleship. Youth leaders indicated that youth ministry should . . .
- Disciple youth to follow Christ in every area of their lives.
- Teach youth to see Christianity as a relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Guide youth to build faith that will last for a lifetime.
- Disciple youth to the point that they can disciple others.
- Guide youth to spend time with Jesus in prayer and Bible study as a way of developing their relationship with him.
An important question is: How? Unfortunately, this study did not attempt to discover approaches to discipleship. It seems clear that our methods will vary from culture to culture. However, the end product . . . a teenager who is walking with Christ and who is able to disciple others . . . seems to be what we are looking for.
Perhaps this is a natural conclusion. During Jesus’ ministry on earth, he seems to have spent most of his time discipling the Twelve. Certainly, he did miracles and taught the multitudes. But, the focus of his ministry seems to be guiding and preparing his disciples to lead his church.