Why Disciple Now? As a youth group leader/pastor, you’ve got lots of options of programs, trends, strategies, and events at your finger tips that are fun and effective. But as you seek to bring something new to your church, you may wonder which is best for impacting your kids for Christ.
Disciple Now (DNOW) has gained popularity recently for creating a holistic opportunity for youth to find their place in the church. In this weekend camp alternative, kids are actively discipled by the adults in the church and encouraged to join in the ministry of the church as part of the body, rather than as the kids of the body.
So as you look for new ways to engage your students in Christian life and create opportunities for them to grow in their faith, you may be asking yourself, “Why Disciple Now?” We hope these 3 reasons will help you bring this effective strategy to your church this year.
Why Disciple Now?
It’s Their Time
In his book, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church . . . and Rethinking Faith, David Kinnaman, reveals that almost three out of five young Christians disconnect from church after reaching 15 years of age.
This shocking fact should ignite a passion in youth leaders, parents, and the whole congregation to make the most of this crucial time in their kids’ lives. DNow engages the entire church in a 3-4 day long event laser-focused on giving students the tools, the relationships, and the vision for living the rest of their lives as disciples of Christ. With DNow, you acknowledge that your kids are at the most spiritually vulnerable time in their lives. And many students will take hold of their faith in a way that they never had before.
It’s Your Calling
When you first got into youth ministry, it may have been a small step like volunteering to provide snacks or drive kids to the lake. But whether you knew it or not, you were taking a baby step into following God’s call to make disciples.
In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commands, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This command is our purpose as Christians. And as a youth leader, the disciples you’re called to make are within your youth group!
With DNow, you’ll make your call to discipleship the priority and goal of your ministry.
Disciple Now T-Shirt Designs
Browse Designs Now
It’s The Church
One of the most exciting elements of DNow is the way it integrates with your church as a whole. Students are assigned to host homes where they eat and fellowship with strong Christian families (often the elders, deacons, and other church leaders) launching new relationships with a diverse and spiritually sound mentors. From there, both the host families and the youth become connected in new ways for the purpose of ongoing relationship and mentorship they wouldn’t have discovered without DNow.
Students are also exposed to the seniors in your church whose maturity and lifetimes of faith make them an overflowing resource for growth in Christ. DNow encourages small group and one-on-one intergenerational relationship building that they’ll never forget.
But it’s not just the students who are affected. Through DNow, church leaders, host families, and seniors are given the opportunity to become who Jesus called them to be – disciples who make disciples.
Why does your church do DNow? Share your story of church-wide discipleship and intergenerational mentorship in the comments section below.
Looking for t-shirts for your DNow that everybody will love?
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