Student Strategies

Discipleship Filters

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

• Target – Consider how existing members, new members and prospects are motivated to participate.
• Goals & Purpose – Identify the spiritual development purpose.
• Measures & Success – Identify how quantitative and qualitative success is measured.
• Follow-Up – Design a follow-up or follow-on strategy to the ministry or event.

Discipleship Strategy Examples

II. STUDENT MINISTRY
Grow students spiritually utilizing Sunday morning Bible Fellowships, Sunday evening home discipleship groups, Wednesday evening outreach ministries and summer camps. Provide varied connection and relationship-building opportunities throughout the year to enlarge the reach of our student ministry.

• BIBLE FELLOWSHIPS – Provide for quantitative and qualitative growth in student Bible Fellowships with new classes, teacher growth and development, and a consistent inreach and outreach plan.
  • New Classes – Form 2 new classes for middle and high school students at the 8:15 a.m. Bible Fellowship hour to facilitate growth across the full spectrum of ages at that hour.
  • New Teachers – Evaluate potential student Bible Fellowship teacher candidates once per month based upon The Discovery Class ministry survey responses.
  • Teacher Facebook Group – Communicate with student teachers with weekly Facebook posts to provide lesson updates, inreach tasks, outreach assignments, schedule information and other news.
  • Inreach Plan – Develop an overall student inreach plan and lead each student Bible Fellowship teacher to make regular contacts with absentee members.
  • Outreach Plan – Develop an overall student outreach plan and lead each student Bible Fellowship teacher to make home visits with prospects assigned to their class.
  • Teaching Methods – Renew efforts to biblically train students during the Bible Study time on Sunday mornings. Implement a new high school Bible study curriculum dealing creatively with key doctrinal truths of the Bible. Use media in large group time and break into small discussion groups. Encourage participation and use student worship time to create a more inviting environment.
• DISCIPLESHIP – Disciple students through middle (MS) and high school (HS) Sunday evening home groups, as well as the annual DiscipleNow weekend (February), MissionServe (June) and Leadership 101 (July).
  • HS Wednesday Evening Amplify – Renew the investment in teaching through sermon series and themes. Challenge students through real worship and the teaching of truths that transform.
  • Student Disciple Now Weekend – Promote this weekend as a major discipleship event. Highlight the guest speaker and band and add a community service project as well as group recreation time on Saturday afternoon (February).
  • Parents Discipleship Weekend – Add a parent emphasis during DiscipleNow to equip parents with tools to become disciple-makers in their homes. Ask the conference speaker to address parents on Saturday morning (February).
  • HS Service Saturdays – Engage students in serving our community 3-4 times a year. Serve the homeless, organize and implement backyard Bible clubs, share the gospel and serve CFBC members.
  • MS Big Serve – Big Serve is the Middle School missions opportunity designed to teach students the importance of serving others (January, March, June, July and November).
  • Student Discipleship Groups – Provide students with the opportunity to connect in smaller Bible study/accountability groups on Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
  • MS Summer Camp – Focus this year’s weeklong camp on each student’s relationship with God (June).
  • HS Summer Camp – Bring in a band and guest speaker and create an event that builds on the year’s discipleship emphasis. CFBC leaders will be key discipleship leaders at camp (July).
• CONNECTIONS & RELATIONSHIP BUILDING – Provide around one middle school connection event and one high school connection event each month to facilitate relationship-building among students, volunteer leaders and staff. Schedule four “Crazy Nights” per year to encourage regular members to invite their friends to church.
  • Student Super Bowl Parties – After launching multiple home groups throughout our community, plan Super Bowl outreach parties in those homes. A student and/or leader at each group will be responsible for sharing their faith story that evening. Guests will be registered (February).
  • MS Winter Jam – Invite middle school students to Winter Jam, an early Spring event at FedEx Forum featuring a collection of Christian musicians. This will be a great opportunity to expose our students to Christian music (March).
  • HS Wet and Wild Field Day – Offer a connection event featuring crazy and messy games including egg football, the flour and water war, gladiator contests with cool whip and other messy weapons, and the alka-seltzer water gun war (April).
  • MS Crazy Nights – Offer Crazy Nights once in the spring and once in the fall. Crazy Nights are intended to be upbeat and fun so that students will bring friends who don’t normally come to CFBC. Each student will be registered, allowing follow up communication with each student (April and October).
  • Student Post-Exam Jam with Block Party – Host a huge block party on campus with high energy games, music and activities. Provide an information handout for upcoming summer events. This is a relationship-building activity and an opportunity to connect with new students in a fun, relaxed atmosphere (May).
  • Student 5th Sunday Breakfast Fellowship – Provide a quarterly breakfast for all students on Sunday morning. Encourage students to invite their friends and build relationships during the fellowship time (May).
  • MS Corn Maze – Corn Maze is a fun fall event that allows leaders the opportunity to get to know students in smaller groups (September).
  • MS Bonfire and Cookout (November)
  • HS Christmas Party – Host a huge Christmas party with festive games, egg-nog drinking contest and white elephant gifts. Read the Christmas story and communicate the true meaning of Christmas (December).
  • MS Christmas Parties – Ask each teacher and Bible Fellowship class to fellowship together during a December Sunday morning class. Read the Christmas story and communicate the true meaning of Christmas (December).
• OUTREACH – Create major weekly community outreach opportunities on Wednesday night with Surge for middle school students and Amplify for high school students.
  • HS Winter Jam – Featuring a band and guest speaker, this back-to-school event is an entry point for students who have fallen away during the summer. A commitment time and invitation will be offered and guests will be registered (January).
  • MS Today Only – Today Only are one-day events devoted to outreach. They are designed so that students will bring their friends and connect with new friends (June and July).
  • Scavenger Hunt and Worship in the Park – Replace regular Wednesday activities with a scavenger hunt and gathering at Johnson Park. Make a big push to get first-time guests there. Present the gospel and have decision cards available (July).
  • Student Last Blast – Encourage students to connect with other students on an outrageous theme park trip. The gospel will be shared and devotional lessons will be taught (July).
  • HS Overtime Events – Schedule Overtime Events once a month after football games on Friday nights. Include at least one lock out, providing an opportunity for students to hang out, play exciting games and hear the gospel (September-November).
  • HS Buckaroo Bash – Offer a November event with a hayride, cookout, bonfire and pumpkin carving contest. Eat smores around the fire and then share the gospel (November).
  • HS Coffee House – Schedule an on campus Coffee House for high school students after the Collierville Christmas Parade. Provide snacks and coffee. Include a band, special games and giveaways. Share the gospel and use decision cards on chairs to register visitors and record decisions (December).
  • MS Winter Slam – Plan Winter Slam, a lock in at Incredible Pizza Company, with an outreach purpose. Ask students to bring unchurched friends to hang out with Christian students and leaders (December).
  • MS Surge – Emphasize Surge, our Wednesday ministry for middle school students, as a regular weekly outreach event. Include worship, games, a message and a regular presentation of the gospel.
• MISSIONS – Lead each teacher and class to implement a regular outreach and evangelism plan.
  • Mission Guatemala – Lead a mission trip to Guatemala and anticipate the participation of 20+ students. Require participating students to learn how to share their faith and to serve in Service Saturday opportunities in preparation for the trip (March).
  • Navajo Mission Trip – Provide the Navajo mission trip as a more affordable mission trip for families. Lead students and whole families to minister to children and adults in Arizona. Projects include leading worship for students, offering back yard Bible clubs, providing food and toys to families and sharing the gospel. Require participation in preparatory meetings and service events leading up to the trip (June).