Blog | Jun 17, 2010 | 6 Comments

Knowledge Nuggets from Jeremy West: Discipleship On base and On Outreach

I was skyping with good friends Gary & Anna Brndiar and they thought it’d be cool to post notes on some of the training we have been getting after hearing a few of the points. Jeremy West has been training staff about discipleship on base and off, tips for outreach, etc. He has such a wealth of wisdom and knowledge on the subject as he heads up a program called DTS Equip. Camille and I are trying to absorb it all up. Some of this stuff, I’ve added to but the core is from Jeremy.

Here are some great nuggets of knowledge he gave us about discipling students:

Campus/Class

• Start preparing for outreach early. Pray for a heart for the nation and it’s people and strategies to reach them. Delegate research on the location, currency, weather, history. Learn about the strongholds over the area and pray into them.
• Break fear of man early. Get students to practice their testimony or role play as if you don’t know Christ. How will they present the good news?
• Guidelines actually create security in many students (helps answer the question: does this program have it together? Are they really wanting what’s best for me?)
• Students many times are just testing authority. Are we being genuine? Do NOT pull out authority card. It might work to get them to do something but in the long run it undermines trust.
• Be a friendly leader don’t be just a friend. Staff is called to disciple and it might be hard
• Are students wanting to be discipled? Hopefully! Since it is a discipleship training school, it should be about growing in maturity spiritually and in character.
• Find the leader-student and champion them. It will allow the other students to grow easier.
• Start observing your team dynamics early (who takes charge, lone rangers, trailing behind). Think about cultural differences among students.

Specifically Outreach Prep Tools & Exercises (I really like these):

Click the image below to download a PDF to give students. This is a great tool to get the heart of your students, get some tangible goals, cultivate the gifts they have and look back on throughout outreach. The spiritual gifts section is great when the situation for the need of a certain gift comes up. I designed up  the PDF that can be printed on 8.5 x 11 and cut in half:

Download (741 KB)

Another exercise is to ask students to write 10 attributes they want to experience/use (Intercession, worship, signs and wonders, etc) and then assign a student to each one with the goal of getting 10 scriptures on the attribute. Looking at these during outreach will increase faith and fire students up when a situation needs one of them.

Outreach

• Hit the ground running (slow start sometimes leads to sluggish students)
• If outreach was a ship the leaders should move from the bow to the stern as the outreach progress. Progressively give the students more and more responsibility. Share each others burders and work as a team.
• As a leader “go low” by showing an example (clean the worst part of your accommodations first). Be a servant leader and make students as successful as possible.
• Girls get the best rooms preferably upstairs (chivalry isn’t dead)
• Students Goal for outreach: Bringing the Good News to the people/nation and being obedient to what God is leading us to do.
• Leaders Goal for outreach: Students. This means we are involved in their goal and helping them toward it. The discipleship doesn’t stop when outreach starts. (In fact, really we should be challenged to continue the discipleship well beyond the end of outreach)
• At least 1 meal-a-day together (even with big group)
• Celebrate with a party 1st person saved (and the second and the third). They are having one in heaven!

Two of the golden nuggets that I gleaned was that prayer and worship is a priority before and during outreach (give the Holy Spirit room to work) and that there is no way to prepare for the unexpected (I guess that’s why its unexpected). Really great wisdom in those statements.

I think it’s important for myself and Camille and other discipl-ers (just made up a word haha) to realize much wisdom comes from experience and as much as people can give great wisdom, God holds all the wisdom in the world and to seek Him in all things. Its going to be a fun, challenging experience for sure.

Author: Calvin

My wife and I are part of the Awaken Community. We desire restoration and reconciliation in the broken and lost. We both love God and are committed to following his will. I enjoys taking photographs of my travels as well as blogging about awesome things God does or teaches me. To see more photos, visit our gallery. More about Calvin and Camille

6 Comments

This is good stuff! I love the leadership style at YWAM!

melodie

6/21/2010

Hey Calvin! :)
I just wanted you to know that what you write is very encouraging and exciting to me.. I love reading about how the Lord is teaching you and then it is through these blog posts that I am already learning so much! Can’t wait to get out there and start this journey! See you and Camille in 16 days!

Kristin K.

Kristin

6/22/2010

Kristin, Thanks so much! It is great to hear feedback from readers of my site. I’m glad it encourages you! I’m excited to meet you in person and this class! In the works is a website specifically for this DTS. We are also working on a intro video! This quarter is going to be so fun. See you soon!

Calvin

6/22/2010

[...] Discipleship Tips from Jeremy West for on Base and on Outreach [...]

Episode 017 – 3 YWAM Magazines, 30-Days of Prayer, Discipleship Tips and Prizes | YWAM Podcast

6/22/2010

Calvin!! It’s great to read this, so good to have things written down and remind you about what it is to be a leader now and then. Looking forward to see you soon. Good luck with the preparation :)

Stina

6/28/2010

Stina! I know, Jeremy west is an amazing teacher of this too! I had to share it. Cam and I are excited for Fika with you when you get to Kona!

Calvin

6/28/2010

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