Discipleship Survey
The BCNet discipleship committee surveyed 107 college ministers with seven open-ended questions regarding their strategy for discipleship. From the results, which are below, four articles were written to help address several topics of discipleship.
1. Who discipled you and what did they do?
· 104 out of 107 answered the question
· 29% discipled by pastor or youth pastor
· 11% by their friends/peers
· 11% by their parents
· 11% by college ministry leader or BCM leader
· 11% said no one discipled them
· 9% by Sunday school teacher
· 8% other (Jesus, work supervisor, pastor’s wives, etc.)
· Over 90% said they were discipled in a relational environment
· No one mentions they were discipled in order to make other disciples
2. In one sentence, define successful discipleship.
· 107 out of 107 answered
· 36% multiplying disciples—leading students to reach and disciple their peers
· 25% building relationships—spending time with students
· 25% relationships with mentoring/teaching
· 7% by being an example
· 7% other
3. Briefly describe your vision/strategy for discipleship.
- 103 out or 107 answered
- 29% teaching by mentoring and one-on-one relationship with teaching
- 27% building relationships—spending time with students
- 26% multiplying disciples—leading students to reach and disciple their peers
- 8% meeting in small groups
- 10% other
4. How are you applying your vision/strategy?
- 98 out of 107 answered the question
- 82 different types of answers were given. From “To invest in the students” to “building relationships” to “meet and discuss struggles”
- Relationships and meetings are valued in the strategies but the purpose of the relationships and meetings are unclear
- 16% stated a strategy of multiplying disciples—leading students to reach and disciple their peers
5. What are the 3 best resources you have used in making disciples?
- 100 out of 107 answered
- 42% said Scriptures
- Most popular literature books--“Personal Disciplemaking” by Chris Adsit (8 people use), “One on One with God” by Jerry Fine (9 people), LifeWay material/Threads/Serendipity (11 people), “Habitudes” by Tim Elmore (11 people)
- 80 other Christian Literature books/resources
- Other resources: phone calls, food, sports, facebook, mission trips
- 1 person said they use student leaders to make disciples
6. What have you tried that didn’t work?
- 77 out of 107 answered
- 33% Wrong methods (Doing it all myself, not having a team, not having a plan, study too long, discipling in mass, forcing it, programming it, vision to broad)
- 20% Book studies
- 11% Not understanding the person or group
- 11% Students uncommitted or not teachable
- 9% Nothing—everything tried has worked
- 16% Other
7. What is your greatest obstacle in discipling college students?
- 103 out of 107 answered question
- 50% said lack of time
- Other: Not enough materials/resources, satan, students too busy, students know but don’t do, too many other good things to do, too close to the students age, students are too transient, lack of vision, desiring the large group too much
4 Discipleship articles based on the results coming soon…
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