Video Transcript: Lesson 6 Section 1

The role of the youth pastor is to lead ministries that engage teenagers in faith development.  This begins with evangelism and continues with discipleship. This lesson will focus primarily  on the role of the adult leader in the discipleship of teenagers. How Jesus discipled the 12  apostles gives us insight into biblical mentoring. When Jesus began His ministry on earth, he  had large crowds following Him. Jesus chose 12 disciples in whom he could invest time,  knowledge and training, so that they would pass this along to others. Mark chapter three  describes the start of this journey. Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those  he wanted, and they came to him, he appointed 12 that they might be with him, and that he  might send them out to preach. Jesus chose 12 men. However, the Bible shows he gave  different amounts of attention to each of them. Jesus mentored Peter, James and John to a  higher level of knowledge and access to his miraculous glory. Only these three disciples  accompany Jesus up the hill of transfiguration and into the house of Jairus to witness Jesus  resurrect his daughter. These three men are central to the development of the first church in  Jerusalem, and the expansion of Christianity after Jesus's ascension to Heaven. All 12 of Jesus  disciples were important to him. They witnessed many miracles, and he taught them all. But  Jesus example of selecting 12 disciples and mentoring three shows us that we should not try  to do it all. Jesus had a strategy for how to teach those who would carry on after him. We can  learn from and duplicate this model in our own ministry. There are two key things to learn  from Jesus discipleship strategy. Number one, limit the amount of care you as the leader are  expected to show. Number two, identify a few students you can personally mentor. The  number 12 is biblically important. And it's interesting to note that small groups tend to be less effective when any larger students may feel intimidated to share their opinions. With so many people listening. It's difficult to make sure everyone is engaged and their needs are being  met. Divide larger groups in two so they do not exceed 12 students, you will need to train a  second leader to help. One good idea is to have an assistant leader join the small group early  on, so they're ready to break off and lead when the group grows large enough to divide.  Limiting the small group size allows the leader to care for each student. It also means the  leader can invest extra time in a handful of more mature youth who are ready to be  mentored. One way to think of spiritual mentoring is to consider the training required for an  apprenticeship. They involve the same elements. In an apprenticeship, the student serves  alongside an expert with the goal of learning their trade or art. In a spiritual mentorship,  spending time together is also key. An apprenticeship is taught by skilled workers and a  spiritual mentor is also imparting wisdom gained from their faith journey. Finally, both an  apprenticeship and a spiritual mentorship involves learning by experience. The goal is not just to talk about theory, but to put ideas into practice in daily living. In this lesson, we will discuss three ways to spiritually mentor youth. The first thing is engaging students in spiritual  discussions. We'll talk about how to foster conversations that are more than just the youth  leader talking and the student listening. The second step is developing spiritual disciplines.  We'll learn a few methods that students can easily integrate into their daily lives. The third  key way students will grow is through their small group. We'll examine ways you can lead a  small group that builds trust and encourages spiritual growth in each student. Once you  understand these steps, you will be equipped to train other youth leaders and volunteers to  help you in this important work. Remember that in general, it is a good idea to pair male  mentors with male students, and female mentors with female students, guys and girls will be  dealing with different issues in their lives at this stage, and adults who have walked this  journey will be better able to help them. Mentors are also encouraged to spend time  personally getting to know their students in one on one situations. And it's important to avoid  the potential for inappropriate perceptions.