Making Disciples: It is More than a Bible Study

When Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His followers a clear command known as the Great Commission: “Go, therefore, into all the world and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19a). This commission is a mission to bring people from every background and culture to worship and follow Jesus. But how exactly do we go about making disciples?

While we can gain insights from the Gospels and the book of Acts regarding Jesus’ interactions with His disciples and the growth of the early church, there is not a step-by-step manual for the day-to-day work of making disciples. This may seem challenging, but it also makes our mission all the more beautiful and dynamic.

Rather than relying solely on a specific method, making disciples is ultimately about personal transformation and building relationships. It is about being a person who has encountered Jesus and allowing that encounter to shape us, while also reaching out to others and inviting them to experience the same transformation.

While there may be challenges in the process of making disciples, it is not just about following a rigid formula. Discipleship is about being a living example of Christ’s love and grace, sharing our faith, and investing in meaningful relationships with others. It is about walking alongside people, showing them the way to Jesus, and helping them grow in their own faith journey.

We need relationships where we can be honest about our wins and losses. We need to help each other in such a way that both individuals are the humble servant and the wise teacher. This is how Jesus leads. This is how Jesus makes disciples.

What Does It Take To Make Disciples?

GOSPEL Care Ministries says it simply,

Discipleship is helping one another abide in Christ.

The two key pieces in that definition are helping one another and abide in Christ. We can only help others abide in Christ if we are doing it ourselves. For our discipleship to be fruitful and enjoyable, discipleship relationships cannot be for the benefit of just one person. They need to be mutually beneficial.

Help One Another

Many of us may believe a lie about discipleship, that the leaders in a discipling relationship must be exceptional or the “expert.” This kind of relationship might make sense in sports or at work, but who really can say they are an expert at living like Christ?

We do not need discipling relationships where one is the “professional” and the other is the “amateur” because discipleship is not just teaching people a moral code or rules. We want disciples who see the gospel on repeat in our hearts. To do this, we need relationships where we can be honest about our wins and losses. We need to help each other in such a way that both individuals are the humble servant and the wise teacher. This is how Jesus leads. This is how Jesus makes disciples.

I still remember having been a Christian for only six months when a man much more mature in the faith sincerely invited me to give him honest feedback on a talk he gave. I will never forget that moment. I felt so honored that he valued my thoughts and empowered me to share them.

There have been many occasions when people I was discipling would pray for me after hearing about my struggles in life. The sense of dignity and worth instilled in them is priceless and it was good for me to humbly share my pain with them.

As we go about making disciples, we want to remember we all have something to give to one another. It will take vulnerability and trust for those we are discipling to really know us, but it will be worth the risk.

Abide in Christ

To help students stay close to Christ, we need to encourage them to be authentic. We need to create spaces where people can openly share their honest stories and trust one another. Discipleship goes beyond simply teaching people about God; it is about fostering relationships where individuals can experience a deeper connection with Him.

To do this, we must be able to “hold” their stories, giving them the freedom to be where they are. Any impulse you feel to “fix” anyone who shares a hard truth needs to be restrained. Instead, we need to first empathize with them. This will help us start with grace and then invite one another to hope in the promises of God.

I had a student who was eager to share their story with me. We sipped on coffee as he shared his story of experiencing homelessness and neglect and abuse from his drug-addicted father. When he was 9 years old, he prayed to God for help, but was hurt because he felt God ignored his call. Hearing his story, I knew there was no “fixing” his pain.

I was tempted to provide the young man with theological responses to his struggles. However, I realized that before diving into intellectual discussions, my priority was to genuinely care for him. I needed to empathize with the weight of his experiences and acknowledge the validity of his question: does God truly exist?

After I attuned my heart to his story, I could more clearly and sincerely point him to the truths in the Bible. Jesus was homeless. Jesus was abused. He was ignored and crushed by his Father on the cross. He could relate experientially.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (Jn. 15:9-11 CSB).

We can foster a culture of authenticity and truth by focusing on abiding in Jesus at any moment we are with students. Think about your small group environment, one-on-one meetings, and even large group gatherings and consider whether these spaces can be described as real and truth-telling. Are you and the students sharing real-life experiences?

Making disciples is less about a certain method or specific practices, but more about being transformed into a person that experiences Jesus and brings others along with them.

3 Essentials for Disciples

There are many options for content you can use for your disciples. Cru often recommends Thrive Studies for a simple, useable, small group curriculum. While content is important, there are some key practices that we want to model for our disciples no matter what content we decide to use.

Anytime we meet with students to study God’s word together, there are some essential rhythms we want them to practice regularly:

1) Receive the Word

As we read the word of God, His Spirit is actively giving life to those who will receive it. A good practice we can use to help prepare ourselves and the students we are engaged with is: “Open your heart to God before you open the Word of God. You can spend 2-5 minutes processing where you are emotionally, mentally, and physically.”

We may see things in our lives that bring us joy or cause us stress. Be open with each other about joys and concerns. You can start and invite any others in the group to share too. Once we know where we are, God’s truth can uniquely encourage and invite us to trust him and respond in faith.

Let’s say you start a Bible study group on campus. While sharing where each person is, a student realizes she was feeling anxious about an upcoming conversation with her mom. She was particularly afraid of how her mom might respond. Then maybe she read something like Psalm 46 during the Bible study…

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…

Because she took time to connect with the fears she had about the conversation with her mom, this passage is deeply meaningful to her specific circumstances. She was ready to receive God’s truth because she took a little time to recognize how she was doing and then share it with the group.

2) Pray the Word

After we receive God’s word, we can come to Him in prayer and invite Him to change us. This might seem like the one practice to skip over, but this is where greater intimacy and deeper life change is found.

We could receive a truth from God’s word and we could even live it out. However, if our heart remains unchanged, we will only be going through the motions. Real-life change comes when our hearts align with God’s so much that we do not just obey because we have to. We begin to obey because we want to.

In our example (the girl who was anxious about talking to her mom), she could ask God to help her understand He is with her in every situation and she does not need to fear. She may even invite Him to help heal some feelings she has toward her mother. As she invites God to change her, maybe she will begin to recognize how she has added to the tension with her mom or how mistrust of her parents has misshaped how she sees God.

God can do more than we can think possible when we invite His Spirit to have full access to our hearts and minds.

3) Live the Word

A disciple obeys the commands of Jesus. This is how we abide or stay with Jesus. Every time we open God’s Word with a disciple, be ready to help call them into action. Help them see how God is challenging them.

It could be a promise to believe, a specific action to take, or a scripture to memorize. Make sure you are trusting God to give you the wisdom to help them see their next steps. Also, never be afraid to ask them how they did putting God’s word into action the next time you meet. This is not an attempt to be pushy or to shame them; to be consistent and provide an example, invite them to follow up with you on how you also need to live the word.

When we attune our minds and align our hearts with His, we will also need to adjust our lives. Disciples who abide in Jesus will show it through their words and actions. Always remind your disciples that living out the word includes showing it and sharing it with others; this means they will begin to be disciples who go out and make disciples.

Discipleship is Relationship

One of the most important elements in disciple-making is the life-on-life component. When making disciples, most of what is passed on is caught rather than taught. So you must invite students to be with you when you do the ordinary things of life, not just to do a Bible study.

Getting started in these relationships can be difficult and messy, like all relationships. It will take steps of faith and time. You may need help making a discipleship plan, but the most important thing is to be transformed by Jesus and share that transformation with others.

Next Step

Pray and ask God to show you individual students who are ready for a discipleship relationship. Write their names down, pray over them, and ask one to start meeting with you. Check out our Thrive Studies series "DISCIPLING OTHERS" to learn what to look for in a disciple and what to do when you first get together.

DISCIPLING OTHERS

5 Key Features of the Claim Your Campus App

Pray Now:
This section is designed to lead any student through a daily 15-minute prayer time for their school. The format is simple: Listen, Thank, Ask. Each day students read a passage of scripture, thank God for something specific He is doing in their school, and ask Him for help at their school and schools across the country.

21-Day Challenge:
Habits take time to build. The 21-Day Challenge can help you and your students build the habit of praying together daily.

Share Your Story:
Students from all over the country are using Claim Your Campus at their schools. This video feature gives students one minute to capture what God is doing at their school and then share it.

Groups:
Use the Groups section to form your own prayer group and/or join other groups. Students praying together in community for their school(s) is the foundation of CYC. The group feature keeps students connected, motivated, and encouraged to keep pressing on!

Prayer Walk Your Campus:
This feature describes how to prayer walk a campus in three easy steps. Invite. Pray. Report. It includes a brief tutorial and a downloadable prayer walk guide.

Social Media:
Stay connected through Tik Tok, Instagram, and Youtube pages; News and Updates can also be found in the app.

Cast the Vision: Prayer Equals Change

Use these videos to get excited about how God could change your campus through prayer and how He could use you to build a prayer movement at your school.
General Promo video
Marion School video

Invite Students to Be One in the Million

Students download the app using the QR code graphic & claim their campus!

We encourage all campus movements to emphasize prayer and the Claim Your Campus app is a great way to engage students in prayer.

4 Different Ways Students Can Claim Their Campus

Start a Weekly Prayer Group. The CYC app provides prompts that change weekly.
Host a prayer walk around your campus. The CYC app features a Prayer Walk Guide.
Embed 5-10 minutes of Prayer into Your Weekly Cru Club Meeting. Build a CULTURE of prayer. CYC has done all the work for you. Click here for the Leader’s Guide and here for premade slides for up to 20 weeks. That is enough for an entire school year. CYC’s GRAB-N-GO resources make praying EASY.
Participate in Annual National Events such as SYATP.

Invite the adults in your community to support SYATP by signing up for The Prayer Walk Project. This project offers a way for caring adults to join hands in prayer on the Saturdays before and after SYATP.

Prayer is the real power in any campus movement. Make it a non-negotiable in your ministry to emphasize prayer with adults and students and see how God moves.

Next Step

Download the Claim Your Campus app and consider how you could use it on your campus today. Do you have a prayer strategy for your plans? If not, send the app to a few student leaders and invite them to start praying for their campus!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

4 Ways to Prepare for a Prayer Walk

Prepare Your Heart

Surrender the Prayer Walk to the Lord. Ask the Lord for one or two scriptures to help prepare your heart. Jot them down. If you like, use them to inspire the people you invite, or share them with your team the day you meet to prayer walk. Pray for:

Divine appointments with people.
Connections with insiders at the school who are like-minded and willing to help.
God to guide your steps.
Open eyes to see the spiritual needs of the campus.

Prepare Your Team

Pray for Names. Ask the Lord to bring to mind specific names of students, volunteers, parents, pastors, and/or faculty you can ask to join your prayer walk. Keep in mind, this is not about numbers. Even one prayer partner is enough. Matthew 18:20 says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.”

Invite the People that He brought to mind. Decide what mode of communication is best: text? social media? phone call? Give them a brief description of what a prayer walk is and what they can expect that day. Share what has motivated you to gather a team to pray. Be sure to tell them the date, the start and end times, and the location. Give them an RSVP date.

Send them any final details on the day before. Remind your team what time you will begin and end and the location to meet. Let them know what to bring and any adjustments needed due to weather or other factors.

(During a Prayer Walk) Pray for: Divine appointments with people. Connections with insiders at the school who are like-minded and willing to help. God to guide your steps. Open eyes to see the spiritual needs of the campus.

Prepare Your Campus

Check with an Insider at Your School. Once you choose your campus and gather your team, you may want to check with an insider at the school to see if there is anyone you need to notify ahead of time. Most likely, it will not be an issue if you are prayer walking after school or over the weekend on the parts of the campus that are open to the public. Avoid prayer walking on campus during school hours without permission.

Prepare Your Details

“WHO” DETAILS: By now, you know WHO is coming. But here are some other “WHO” questions to think about if you have a larger group. Who will…

begin the prayer walk (introduce/explain it)?
end the prayer walk?
lead smaller groups (if your team is large)?

“WHAT TO BRING” DETAILS: You may want to bring copies of the Prayer Guide and the Leader Guide.

“WHERE/WHEN” DETAILS: Make sure everyone knows the date and time you will meet. Include starting point (address of meeting spot) and ending point (time and meeting spot).

“HOW” DETAILS: For your convenience, this Campus Prayer Walk Leader’s Guide provides a general flow and includes sample scripts of what to say from start to finish. If you can read it, you can lead it. But you may need to think through the unique needs of your prayer walk.

Would you like the prayer walk to be more casual or more organized? Do you have people who are comfortable prayer walking or more new people who may need more instruction?

You have prepared your part. Time to grab your walking shoes. Let’s do this!

Next Step

It is time to get on the campus to pray. Text one friend today and ask them if they would be willing to go to the school to prayer walk with you this week. Get your feet on the campus and pray together. Once you have done it yourself, it will be a lot easier to gather others to do it with you.

Prayer Walking

After the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert, God called Joshua to bring His people into the land He had promised them. The commander of the army of the Lord appeared to Joshua with instructions essentially for a prayer walk around the city of Jericho. And let’s just say the Israelites’ obedience to his words, made history. (If you are unfamiliar with this incredible story, you can read the whole story here.)

What is Prayer Walking?

Prayer walking is just what it sounds like—praying as you walk. And you can do it anywhere: around your neighborhood, through your city, or even on your daily commute. Invite others to join you! As you walk together, let the Spirit of God use what you see to guide your prayers. Then, trust God to respond in His perfect way and timing.

One of the most impactful places for a prayer walk is around a school campus that means something to you. It puts you right where the students are—like God’s boots on the ground—allowing you to connect your heart to that specific location as you pray. And who knows? It might even lead to a chance meeting with a key person on campus. Many ministries have started with a simple “Hey there!” to a student or administrator during a prayer walk. A casual stroll can open unexpected doors!

If you have never done this before, no worries! Joshua—the young leader from the Bible—had not done it before either. It was his willingness and availability to God that mattered most. And the same goes for you—no experience required!

Prayer walking is just what it sounds like—praying as you walk.

Prayer Walk in Three Easy Steps

Meet Up (5 minutes)

Grab a friend or two and meet on campus- ideally after school or on the weekend. Select and read a meaningful passage from the Bible together. Take a minute to pray a blessing over this time, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers.

Walk & Pray (10-20 minutes)

Start walking the perimeter of the campus and let the Holy Spirit use who/what you see guide your prayers. Here are 5 ways you could begin praying:

Ask God to move by His Spirit on this campus and be glorified.
Pray people here would hunger and thirst for God.
Pray for the believers here to live wholeheartedly for Jesus and make others feel seen, known, and loved by God.
Pray for leaders in this school’s community (students, parents, administration, faculty, coaches, etc.)

Wrap It Up (5 minutes)

Select a spot to close your time together. Talk about how it went. Was there anything that stood out as significant or meaningful? Take a few minutes to thank God for this time. Express your love for Him and your confidence that He will respond to the prayers He heard today.

Other Prayer Walking Guides

If you would rather have a more specific guide to help you in your prayer walk, try one below:

CYC Prayer Walk Guide
Locations on Campus Prayer Walking Guide
The Launchbox Prayer Walking Guide
Make a list of prayer requests to pray about your specific campus
Just invite people to pray for things that come to mind as they walk

One of the most impactful places for a prayer walk is around a school campus that means something to you.

Why Do It?

Prayer Walking Knocks Down Walls

What effect did Joshua’s and the Israelites’ obedience have on the fortified and powerful ancient city of Jericho? Well, the God of the Universe infused their faith-filled feet with power, causing the otherwise insurmountable walls of the city to collapse. That’s how they fought and won the battle of Jericho—without ever throwing a punch!

Now, maybe you are not planning to tear down any physical walls around your school—in fact, let’s definitely avoid that! But in the spiritual realm, every school is a battlefield for souls. On every campus, there are barriers to the gospel that need to be broken down. Inside every person, there are walls that separate us from God or keep us from fully experiencing the abundant life He wants for us.

Looking for a more current example of a battle fought and won with prayer? Check out this powerful story of what happened when a group of students in Marion, Indiana consistently and prayerfully put feet to their faith and watched God win the battle for their campus. If you want to read about more victories won with praying feet, check out Exodus 14 and 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.

Some Other Great Reasons to Prayer Walk Your Campus

It is a place to gather other believers who have a heart for the campus.
It is a way to be on campus with a purpose.
Sometimes God uses these times to introduce us to key gatekeepers on campus.
It might surface some needs on the campus with which you could help.
It helps your team become more familiar with the campus and less fearful of going there.
It is better than doing nothing. Sometimes God moves when we take action.

Within the campus ministry of Cru, prayer walking has actually been shown to be the single most effective strategy in seeing new gospel movements started.
– Dan Allen, Director of Mission Expansion

The powerful presence of God always has and STILL does mix with our prayers and supernaturally connects us more deeply to God, ourselves, and others. Prayer breaks down barriers that lie between us and wins the battle for souls.

Prayer walking can be your lead foot on any campus. Ready to grab a friend and step into the unknown with Him? Prayer walking is something anyone can do.

Next Step

Plan 15 minutes this week to stop at your local high school, walk around, and pray for the school. Bring a friend or do it alone; just get your feet on the campus and pray. Ask God to show you what next steps He would like you to take.