Following Jesus Apprenticeship Guide

The Apprenticeship Guide was designed to be used in partnership with the Following Jesus Bible Study Series. Each discipleship cycle uses the same scripture passage as the Bible study for that week. This means that you can host Bible study sometime during the week, and then invite a few people to meet again to go deeper and grow as apprentices of Jesus. You can use the material in the order it is written, or each discipleship cycle can also be used indepently. Either way, we suggest starting with the "Explore Your Network" and "Invite Well" sections, which can also be treated as one longer activity. Many of the exercises in this guide refer to that training, so it makes sense to do it first. We have chosen discipleship cycles that we think will give your team the skills they need to become effective apprentices.

Explore Your Network and Invite Well

John 1:35-51

The Lord has placed all of us in different spheres of influence. One of the first steps in planting is taking the time to name the people we know and inviting them to join us.

Take a Tisk of Generosity

John 2:1-11

When people who don't know Jesus experience unexpected generosity from us, it raises curiosity about who he is. This discipleship cycle challenges us to get outside our comfort zone by being generous with our friends

Share Your Story

John 4:4-42

One of the ways that our friends learn about Jesus is through hearing the story of how he has impacted our lives. When we share about what God is doing in our lives, it gives them a glimpse at what relationship with Jesus looks like. This discipleship cycle explores simple ways to share that story with others.

Explore a New Corner

John 12:20-36

Is the Lord calling you to start a ministry to an unreached group on campus? Maybe it’s your friends, teammates, or people in your dorm. Or maybe he is challenging you to reach those who are not like you. This discipleship cycle will help you and your community to seek Jesus for next steps in reaching a new corner of campus.  

Serve Someone

John 13:1-20

Jesus was abundantly clear with his followers; because he served them, they were supposed to serve one another. As a community that is seeking to follow Jesus together, how can we also serve one another? In this discipleship cycle, we learn to identify needs on campus and are challenged to respond as Jesus would.

Abide in Jesus

John 15:1-17

Everything we do on campus should be done out of an overflow of God’s love for us and our love for him. Abiding in Jesus is not optional. This discipleship cycle teaches us to spend time with Jesus.  

Practice the Holy Spirit Examen

John 14:12-17, 25-26, 16:7-15

Do you know how to recognize how the Holy Spirit is at work? In this discipleship cycle we learn to ask questions that will bring clarity to God’s presence in our lives.