180° Symposium
March 25-27, 2025
Andrews University
Hybrid (In-person and virtual)
Created and Hosted by CYE
Sponsored by NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries
AdventSource

 

General Information

Topic: FOLLOWING JESUS

Subtitle: Discipling Young People

In Old Testament times, families passed on the faith with the support of the community, including the annual practices of feasts and festivals in addition to the weekly Sabbath. Young boys went to school to learn Torah. Those who completed the various rounds of study could become a direct follower of a rabbi with the hope of one day becoming a rabbi himself. Most dropped out along the way and returned home to follow in the craft of their father—farmer, herdsman, fisherman, tailor, carpenter.
When Jesus came to earth, he functioned as an independent rabbi with his own group of followers he called disciples. Rather than keeping them in classes for years, he sent them out to announce the kingdom of God was “at hand” (near/close). Since that time, those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and also as their lord began a journey of living for Jesus.
After Christ’s ascension to heaven, the Holy Spirit has continued this, making it possible for people in any part of the world to “follow Jesus” although somewhat invisibly. Mentors and role models have stepped in to teach or exemplify how to follow Jesus as a disciple. Instead of a year, of 3 ½ years like Christ’s disciples, or four-to-five years to get a college degree, those who follow Jesus are expected to do this for the rest of their lives.

If you grow up “following Jesus” today, what does that look like, especially as you change and mature along the way? What remains the same and what should a person expect to change for a 12-year-old compared to a five-year-old? What about a 15-year-old compared to a 25-year-old? Does discipleship affect maturity or does maturity affect discipleship?
Do young children who demonstrate obedience exemplify discipleship, or do those who challenge existing systems operate more like Jesus did? When vocational options seem plentiful and young people experiment with potential “callings,” should that be attributed to identity development or discipling? Should a young person choose to become a pastor because their pastor modeled this well? If a theology major changes their field of study, would that be a denial of discipling or another chapter in the process? With all of the many changes (physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual) from birth to thirty (the age Jesus officially began his ministry), what is “discipling young people”?

  • Potential sub-topics and questions to address:
    • Defining Discipling/Discipleship
    • Measuring Discipleship
    • Changes and Stages in a Life of Discipleship
    • Identity and Discipleship
    • Following an Invisible Jesus
    • Discipling and Church Life
    • Discipling and Spiritual Formation
    • Gradual and Seismic Changes in Discipling
    • Role Models for Disciples
    • Correcting Disciples
    • Disciples and Mentoring: Who Mentors Whom?
    • Discipling for Full-time Students
    • Discipling When You Have a Full-time Job
    • How God the Father Discipled Jesus
    • Models for Discipling
    • Curriculum for Discipling
    • Individual and Group Growth in Discipleship
    • The Role of a Faith Community in Discipling
    • Faith and Works in Discipleship
    • Intergenerational Discipling
    • Discipling Jesus When He Was a Teen
    • Internal and External Discipleship
    • Humdrum Discipleship
    • Continuity and Discontinuity in Discipling
    • Discipling and Church Structure
    • The Relationship Between Discipleship and Vocation
    • Discipling and Families
    • Who Determines Discipleship and How?
    • Formal Education and Discipling
    • Small Groups and Discipling
    • Pathfinders as Discipling
    • Graduations and Discipling
    • Resuming Discipling
    • Discipleship Dropouts
    • Distractions to Discipling

As of 10-15-24

For information, contact Steve Case.

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