From Dejected to Disciple
They didn't know what to do next. That's when he found them.
It had been a tough year or so, filled with frustrations. Life had been marked by a lack of freedom. Folks were calling them a generation with few prospects. Many were anxious, some were angry. Others were depressed.
Who am I describing? It’s actually the young men and women we today call 'the disciples' - the very first followers of Jesus over two thousand years ago.
When Jesus found them, the disciples were a dejected group. Life was hard. They lived under a Roman occupation which took away their freedoms and suppressed their opportunities in life.
But I could be speaking about many of the people in our churches.
Many people in the 18-30 age bracket find themselves in a similar situation right now. Their social lives have been restricted for the past year. Education and work experiences have been curtailed by Covid. The future seems quite uncertain. As a result, there are many young people in our churches without any plans for the coming year.
But perhaps a lack of plans means finding something even better?
Introducing: ID
ID is an opportunity for young Christians to take stock, grow, explore their purpose, and invest in the most important thing: their relationship with the Lord.
ID is a year-long church internship and discipleship programme. Interns spend their year serving in a church and being mentored by leaders. They can do ID with their current church family or somewhere else in Europe. Over the year, ‘IDers’ (as we call them) receive life-changing teaching and make life-long friendships that set the foundation for a long and fruitful walk with Jesus.
We recently gathered the 2020-21 ID interns for a brilliant week of camping together. One night, the gang told their stories around the campfire. They shared how they grew up, where they were when Jesus found them, and what led them to do ID. A good two-thirds of the group said something along the lines of "I didn't know what to do next … so I did ID. And I'm so glad that I did."
Know any dejected disciples?
Who are the young people in your church without a plan for next year? Many among this age group are feeling especially disconnected from Church right now, after a year of online meetings. You may need to reach out them - but please do, and have a conversation about ID. It could be a huge investment in both their discipleship and in the Church.
The course starts in mid-September, and we’ll take applications up till the 9th of September.
Folks can find out more by looking at our website (www.intentionaldiscipleship.org.uk) and checking out our Instagram (@intentionaldiscipleship).
by Matt Fell
Matt lives on the Cambridge Fens. He regularly gets lost out there but nevertheless enjoys the space to walk, pray and contemplate. He’s married to Laura, and they have three kids. Matt leads the Intentional Discipleship (ID) training programme for Relational Mission. The course helps men and women to put down deep roots in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Matt’s also writing his Ph.D. His thesis is on how we understand being made in the image of God in our modern scientific age. He likes running, tickling his kids, climbing trees, and enjoys hipster craft ales.