by: Dakota Scott
As I grew up, I felt as though being a Christian was easy. I thought this way because it appeared to me that all being a Christian entailed was going to church and trying to be a good person. However, even though I had a desire to do more and to be more, I didn’t know how and wasn’t taught how. Not that I am trying to speak ill about my student pastor that I had while I was growing up, because I don’t think it was his fault at all, I simply believe that he didn’t have the tools to help me with what I truly needed -- discipleship.
I grew up in a church that was primarily focused on being evangelistic, which isn’t a bad thing at all, but I wasn’t taught how to be a disciple, especially a disciple who makes disciples. When I arrived to college, I knew I was lacking in the area of discipleship, I knew I needed to have time with the Lord but didn’t know where to start in the Bible, I knew I needed to share the Gospel but didn’t feel adequate to do so, I knew I needed to pray more but didn’t know how that looked, and I knew I needed to make disciples but hadn’t been discipled myself.
I knew that I was called to be a student pastor, but how could I be a student pastor when I didn’t even know how to be a proper disciple? This began my journey and desire to pour into students in a way that they would be prepared to face life when they left highschool and would be able to own their faith and live it out confidently unlike me when I went to college.
One on One with God was not only a life changer for me but also an answered prayer. It impacted my wife and I’s life so greatly that we began to see the lack of discipleship within the church and have made it our mission to change that by incorporating discipleship into every aspect of our student ministry. The main and most important way we do that is by using One on One with our students and adult volunteers. One of the best things about One on One is that it works!
At our previous church, we had eight students go through One on One and out of those eight, four of them are taking two more through it currently even after we have left. At First Baptist Choctaw, we have multiple adult leaders and students equipped to lead groups through One on One and as a result, multiplication is beginning to occur. More than anything, people want truth and how to be an obedient Christian who puts their faith into action and One on One teaches them how to do that.
Discipleship may start off rocky, especially with the busyness of life and the plethora of time eating non-essential activities we are faced with daily, but don’t give up! We must keep reaching out and showing others that we love them and are making time for them, they will make time for you and will be more open to participating in One on One. I believe God used One on One to open my eyes to the need for true discipleship and why we should never give up on the task of making disciples.
If you are interested in joining a One on One group or learning more about small group discipleship opportunities at First Baptist Choctaw, send us an email here. Our prayer for you is that you become a disciple who makes disciples so that we would have an exponential impact for the Kingdom.