“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our very lives as well because you had become so dear to us”
1 Thessalonians 2:8
“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be able to teach others also”
2 Timothy 2:2
What is one-to-one discipleship?
One-to-one discipleship is one Christian meeting with another regularly to read the bible, pray and share life together. It’s a very simple way of entrusting the gospel of Jesus to another person who will then be able to teach it to others. As we share the truth of God’s word and our lives together we grow to be solid disciples of Jesus.
Why should I do one-to-one discipleship?
Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The way we do that is by teaching people the very words of Jesus, as we share our lives together. One-to-one discipleship is an easy way to make disciples of Jesus Christ but there are other ways. We regularly preach the gospel from the bible as well as meet together in homes around God’s word in Growth Groups. These are both keys areas of discipleship. However, one-to-one discipleship adds a deeper level of discipleship to our church family.
How do I do one-to-one discipleship?
One-to-one discipleship is very simple. It’s as easy as meeting weekly or fortnightly with someone, reading a passage from the bible, making a few comments where appropriate and then praying for each other.
How do I start a one-to-one?
Simple. Just ask someone from church if they’d like to meet up to read the bible and pray together regularly. Then arrange a time to meet and just start! (NB you might want to suggest trying it for a few weeks before committing to regular meetings)
Who should I meet with?
One very helpful guideline: Guys meet with guys and girls meet with girls. It’s also easier if you already know the person a little beforehand but not impossible to begin with someone completely new to you.
How often should we meet?
Weekly is a best but fortnightly is OK too. Our lives are busy and there will be times when you can’t make it. I aim to meet weekly but if often ends up fortnightly. If you go for fortnightly the danger is that it ends up monthly.
Some people meet before work, others during their lunch break. Some meet at a coffee shop, others meet in someone’s home. Where and when is totally up to the two of you.
How long should we meet for? Does it ever end?
It’s a good idea to agree on a start and a finish date. Many 121’s begin in the new year and finish before Christmas. It’s also a good idea to make this clear before you start by saying something like, “Hey, do you want to read the Bible and pray together regularly til the end of the year”
What should we do when we meet?
There are 2 traps that can easily be fallen into when meeting together. The first is that you chat for so long about stuff that you run out of time to read the Bible and/or pray. The second is that you jump straight into reading the Bible and praying and don’t chat about stuff. Here’s a guide for what to do:
Grab a coffee and ask each other about how your past week has been
Read a passage of the Bible
Make a few comments on what you think its saying
Here’s a few questions you might like to ask:
What stands out for you from the passage? Do you have any questions regarding the passage? How would you summarize this passage to someone else? How should you apply this passage to your life now? What in this passage can we pray for?
Pray for each other and for non-Christian friends/family
What part of the Bible should we read together?
The best way to read the Bible is to start a book and slowly read through it together. If you jump around from passage to passage you risk missing things that God wants to say to you. We read and preach through books of the Bible to allow God’s word to set the agenda rather than us. This forces us to deal with passages that we might not choose to read normally.
It’s wise to begin with a gospel and then move onto a letter (eg Mark and then Ephesians). You could also choose to read the passage that is going to be preached on at church that week. Make sure you don’t bite off more that you can chew
The One Who Leads 