Daniel Gates, who serves with Navigators Collegiate ministry, challenged the students at Kennesaw State University to participate in active discipleship: helping others to grow in Christ through reading the Bible, praying, and doing everyday life together. He realized that they were willing to learn about the concept of discipleship and meet with someone, but they didn’t specifically know what to do in a discipling relationship. So, Daniel issued a challenge for the spring semester: Commit to five weeks of Bible memorization, have a quiet time twice a week with a partner, and share the gospel twice during the five-week challenge.
“My hope and prayer is that these practices become life habits, so that 20 years from now, they will spend time in Scripture, have a daily quiet time, and be sharing the gospel,” says Daniel.
To kick off the challenge, Daniel walked the students through how to have a quiet time with a partner. Alex, one of the students, modeled how to use One-Verse Evangelism® to share the gospel, and the students practiced sharing the gospel with their partner. Daniel wanted the participants to get used to the idea of regular conversations about faith, so when they have opportunities to read the Bible with a friend, they are comfortable following through.
Now in his fourth year on sta ff at Kennesaw State, Daniel is applying the spiritual practices he learned as an undergraduate with The Navigators at University of South Carolina. He participated in a similar challenge as a student and saw the value of committing to active discipleship. While he adapted the challenge for his current campus, his goal is to model and teach discipleship principles that create spiritual generations of disciples.
PRAY for the spread of the gospel at Kennesaw State University and for students to grow in their relationship with Jesus.
Loved this article! Thank you for the practical steps shared in this article, that I can use on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University, where I hold bible study.
This is great, and I’ve always respected the discipling ministry the collegiate arm of The Navigators has developed. And I realize this is at the beginning of the Christian life for these men and women. Can I ask, though, how you will develop this to lead to life as a member of the local church, the Body of Christ that gives shape and form (as nourishment and sustainability) to the Christian life? And are you seeking to develop the practical, nurturing, justice-and-compassion-based “neighbor as yourself” that Jesus puts such emphasis on, Paul stresses so much, and John shows the Lord insisting on in the Asia Minor churches?