My wife, Michelle, and I have been married for right at two years now. In that two year time, we’ve had both the best and the worst vacations of our lives so far. This past spring, we went to Panama City Beach, FL for the one of the best vacations of our lives. Since we’re both from the southeast, we love the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf’s beaches, restaurants, etc. The Gulf is like home to us.

Last fall, we decided to do a cheap vacation to Myrtle Beach. It was the worst vacation of our lives yet. We had never been there before, and we had no plan once we got there. We ended up driving long distances for restaurants and shopping, we didn’t get a room on the beach, and the weather was terrible that week.

All of this to simply say: the WHERE is important. Many Student Pastors wonder, “Where is the best place to do disciple making groups?”

#6 Do Disciple Making Where the Mission is.

Everywhere

Jesus never told us specifically where to make disciples, but He did tell us “As you go, make disciples” Matthew 28:19. Jesus is reminding us that disciple making is not a part or compartment of our life, but disciple making is our lifestyle. We have to remember that disciple making is not ultimately a group, a meeting, or a session. Disciple making is how our lifestyle and conversations are consistently shaping the hearts and lives of others to follow Jesus with their heart and life. Our life itself is a mission, so we must be making disciples all the time on the mission. Take advantage of every conversation, every encounter, and see every appointment as a divine to make disciples “as you go.” Where do we make disciples then? Everywhere!

Where To Do Disciple Making Groups 

This is the question of course that we’re answering with this article. There are two schools of thought. Should we do our disciple making groups publicly for the world to see or privately to enhance intimacy?

I don’t believe there is a bad place to do disciple making groups, but my personal preference is publicly for the world to see. If the purpose of Jesus’ disciple making was mission (Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men), then I believe we must make disciples in public places that are missional.

I meet with my disciple making group of guys at 6am at Starbucks. The reason I meet that early with them is because I want to communicate that I’m not making disciples as a pastor, but as a Christian. The reason I meet with them at Starbucks is because I want to communicate the importance of open Bibles, biblical discussions, and shameless prayer in public places. Not only does this give my guys courage in public, but it also is a witness to the public.

Just last week, when we were in our disciple making group, there was a random college student who had beat us to our regular corner in the coffee shop. We decided to join her with her permission. Get this: As she studied for her biology exam, we were studying the gruesome and gory details of the animal sacrifices and how they pointed us to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Leviticus 1-7). We may never know what impact that made on her, but I guarantee she heard guys talk about their faith in the Gospel-death of Jesus!

After our discipleship group session, we also spread throughout Starbucks and pray for one another so that the world can watch and hear.

Other Places to Make Disciples

If you want to make disciples in areas for the purpose of mission, I also highly suggest public school campuses. Why have your students do their disciple making groups before or after school elsewhere when they could meet right on their public school campus publicly?

Another place to strategically make disciples is on the church campus before or after a weekly service. This place of discipleship helps students with transportation or scheduling conflicts. Its much easier for a parent to drop off a student an hour before or pick them up an hour after an already scheduled service.

While I believe that public places are the best environments to make disciples for the purpose of mission, I realize that they are not the only environments we could use. There certainly may be times that you want your disciple group to meet privately in a home every once in a while for more private conversation that encourages confession of sin. Always make sure you have both parental permission as well as multiple people in your group while in a home. I would encourage you to never meet with a student alone in their a, and rarely one on one anywhere.

Student Pastors, you can kick start a disciple making culture in your student ministry by thinking strategically about “the where” to do your disciple making group sessions. Make disciples where your mission is. 

You can read the other articles in this series or check out more disciple making resources at https://youthgrouptruth.com/category/disciple-making/

Chip Dean

Global Student Pastor

Liberty Baptist Church

Hampton, VA

@chipdean

cdean@libertylive.com

www.youthgrouptruth.com