Since becoming a college pastor, I am asked one question more than any other: “What’s the biggest difference between youth ministry and college ministry?” I am just as surprised by my answer as those who ask the question: “Not much.”
If anything, becoming a college pastor has only reinforced many of the convictions I had while serving teenagers. While I do pause for a moment to consider, “Did I call my students too high?”, I feel affirmed in believing that students simply need us to call them to follow Jesus in accordance with the teachings of Scripture.
As kids get older, I become less interested in asking, “How can I prepare this student for college?” and more interested in asking, “What do I pray this student looks like five or ten years from now?” Youth ministers, preparing a senior in high school needs to look the same as preparing your seventh grader. To borrow Paul’s words, students must “train [themselves] for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:7-8).
The Five Marks of the Disciple We’re Praying (and Working) for
So, what do I hope every student is like five or ten years from now? Here are five marks of a disciple that we should be praying (and working) for.
1. A disciple who feeds on God’s Word.
Five or ten years from now, teenagers may not have a Wednesday night Bible study or Christian roommates. They certainly won’t have their favorite youth minister, although I’m sure we all remain available. They will always have God’s Word.
In Psalm 1, we read about a “blessed man.” The root of this man’s blessedness is his delight in God’s Word. Psalm 1 says he is “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:3). This tree has a continual source of life, yields fruit, and prospers. Likewise, disciples who feed on God’s Word have a continual source of life, yield fruit, and prosper.
God’s Word will also keep them strong and stable. I don’t mean physically strong. Psalm 112:7 perfectly describes what I do mean: “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.” As ministers, we must help students see that they can be strong and stable, knowing they have a continual source of fuel through their connection with God. Remaining connected to God makes all the difference in a disciple’s life.
If we believe this, it is our duty as ministers to equip students to not only know Bible stories, but to know how to study Scripture, remain in it, and truly love it. One way you can do this is by turning your message into a Bible study. When I rolled out the dry-erase board on a Wednesday night, our students knew it was time to annotate. Every so often, I write a passage of Scripture on the board and live-annotate it to help students see that the truths I teach come straight from Scripture. They aren’t made up or found on ChatGPT. This is an easy and fun way to teach students to study and love God’s Word.
2. A disciple who belongs to a local church.
In Acts 2, believers didn’t just attend an age-based gathering; they shared life together across households, needs, experiences, and generations. The church is healthiest when generations disciple one another (Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:11-16). Age-based ministries, whether youth ministry or college ministry, do not replace the church as a whole. Instead, these smaller gatherings contextualize ministry to help students become deeply rooted in the life of the church. Five or ten years from now, teenagers will need to find and join a church of their own. They will learn to know others and be known by others; to receive care and give it.
This can start now. Free your students to attend Sunday morning church gatherings. Empower them to serve in preschool or kids’ ministry. Train them to become members of your local church right now. Don’t wait until they graduate to give them the opportunity to belong to a local church. They can learn what it means to belong under the safety and security of your leadership now.
3. A disciple who serves.
1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 says that God “has made us sufficient to be ministers of the new covenant.” Scripture assumes that every disciple of Jesus has been gifted by God for his glory and the good of his people. Serving isn’t reserved for the spiritually mature; it’s part of being a disciple. Remind students that God doesn’t call us because we have, in ourselves, what we need to accomplish his purposes. He calls us because he is able, he is with us, and he will empower us with his grace.
As ministers, we must be careful that our ministry to students is creating contributors rather than consumers. If students spend six to seven years believing the church exists to meet their needs by creating fun programs and offering free food, they will carry that expectation into their early adulthood. We have the privilege and responsibility to raise up young disciples who recognize the church thrives when every member contributes.
Give students meaningful responsibility now. Invite them to run your social media, greet at the beginning of a midweek gathering, share their testimony on stage, pray fervently with church members, etc. Partner with your preschool and kids’ ministries by promoting opportunities for students to serve. Choose today to invite your teens to help build the church they get to be a part of.
4. A disciple who prays.
Imagine meeting a friend for a walk every morning. You may not talk constantly, but they are present with you. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you share something deep, and sometimes you just walk in silence. That’s prayer in its most basic form. It’s not always formal; it’s the ongoing presence and communion with God—a relationship, not a ritual. In five to ten years, students will have faced numerous decisions, challenges, questions, temptations, disappointments, and praises. As disciples of Jesus, it is essential that they know they have continual access to the Father through prayer.
Prayer is often better caught than taught. As ministers, the best way to teach a student to pray is to pray yourself. Create opportunities to pray before youth gatherings, on Sunday mornings, after a football game, during Bible study, and on mission trips. Allow students the opportunity to hear prayers of confession, thanksgiving, and lament.
Sometimes growing in prayer is more about becoming comfortable and confident than being taught about it. A good method is to provide opportunities for group prayer out loud. Let’s say you want your ministry to pray for your new 6th graders at the beginning of the ministry year. Place the sixth graders in the middle of your room, encourage students to surround them and pray out loud for them at the same time. Then, as the holy roar quiets, you can close the prayer.
5. A disciple who sees college or career as a mission.
North American Mission Board Collegiate Director Paul Worcester defines college as “a four-year (or more!) window in a person’s life when God has maximum opportunity to build a foundation into a life lived for him.”1 Five to ten years from now, I pray students aren’t asking, “Does God want to change me and use my life during college or career?” but rather putting their “yes” on the table and letting God use them where he sees fit.
Jesus gives us a clear example of our mission. In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus looks upon the crowds “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd,” and tells his disciples that “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” As youth ministers, we have the privileged burden of helping students see every classroom, sports team, household, and campus as a mission field that God has intentionally placed them in.
A helpful tool ideated by Worcester is to “Pray for B.O.B.”: Burden, opportunity, and boldness. This framework stems from Matthew 9. The heart of Jesus showed the burden he felt, the assessment of Jesus showed the opportunities available, and the command of Jesus invites us to be bold in prayer and evangelism.
As youth ministers, it’s easy to ask the question, “How can I prepare a student for college or career?” but the greatest gift we can give to our students is a vision for following Jesus wherever he leads. I pray that Robert Coleman’s observation remains our heart for ministering to young people: “Jesus’ concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men and women whom the multitudes would follow.”2
It’s not too late to attend the 2026 Rooted: Biblical Humanity Conference, which explores the biblical story of humanity—from creation to fall to redemption to final glorification—and how it shapes the way we disciple children and teenagers. Join us October 22-24 in person in Nashville or digitally via our brand-new livestream option for churches and individuals.
- Steve Shadrach and Paul Worcester, The Fuel and the Flame (CMM Press, 2022), 17. ↩︎
- Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Revell, 2006), 21. ↩︎
