BREAKING DOWN THE CAUSE CIRCLE
Breaking Down
THE Cause Circle
A Youth Leader eResource
by Greg Stier
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Greg Stier
Greg Stier has been used by God to impact the
lives of hundreds of thousands of teenagers
across America. He combines amazing true-life
stories with his own unique brand of humor to
communicate Biblical truth in a way that not
only inspires, but equips teenagers for action.
As founder and president of Dare 2 Share,
Greg leads his team toward the single goal of
mobilizing teenagers to reach their world with
the good news of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8). He
is the author of fifteen books and numerous
resources, including Life in 6 Words, Dare 2 Share:
A Field Guide for Sharing Your Faith and Firing
Jesus.
Visit www.gregstier.org.
Follow Greg on Twitter @GregStier.
© 2014 Dare 2 Share Ministries. Reprint/redistribution permission is granted for up to 50 copies. Not for
resale.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All
rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©
1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved
Scripture quotations taken from The Message are so noted. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000,
2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
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BREAKING DOWN THE CAUSE CIRCLE
Do You Really Believe God Can Use Your Teens?
(THE Cause Circle overview).............................................................5
Get Your Teens Praying for Their Friends
(Pray)................................................................................................7
Extravagant Love: Don’t Let Your Teens Go Bankrupt!
(Pursue)............................................................................................9
Don’t Be Afraid to Persuade
(Persuade).......................................................................................11
3 Keys to Making Disciples Who Make Disciples
(Accept Christ).................................................................................13
Is Church a Thing of the Past?
(Belong to a church).......................................................................15
How to Grow a Kingdom-Advancing Youth Ministry
(Commit to THE Cause)..................................................................17
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Do You Really Believe God Can Use Your Teens?
If you’ve been tuned in to Dare 2 Share for any amount of time at all, you’ve likely heard me
use the term “THE Cause” as our teen-friendly way of referring to The Great Commission.
THE Cause Christ has called all of us to is making disciples who make disciples.
That means YOU! That means ME! And it also means our TEENS.
Can Teenagers Actually Lead the Way?
Do you sometimes wonder if your teenagers are actually likely candidates for the job of
advancing the gospel and making disciples who make disciples?
Well, I’m here to answer that question with a resounding YES!! And here are 10 reasons
why I passionately believe teenagers can lead the way in reaching their generation with the
gospel:
1.Hormones + Energy Drinks + Jesus = the rapid spread of the gospel!
2.Teenagers can take the gospel further than adults (they average 425+ online and
face-to-face friends each!)
3.Youth groups tend to be underestimated and underfunded, perfect candidates to be
used by God.
4.Teens can spread the gospel faster than adults (they have already built relational
bridges with the lost!)
5.Text messaging makes teen fingers nimble for finding verses in their Bibles quickly as
they evangelize.
6.Jesus did (there is strong Scriptural evidence that most of the disciples were
teenagers!)
7.There are 67,342 mini-mission fields in America that we call middle schools and high
schools.
8.Teenagers are unrealistic idealists who want to make a difference – and can if we
equip them!
9.Teens are not the church of tomorrow but are the potential church transformers of
today.
10. God has used teens to win victories (David), save nations (Esther) and can use them
to spark revivals!
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Multi-Tasking, Less-Than-Focused Bundles of Energy
That said, it’s also true that teenagers are frequently multi-tasking, less-than-focused
bundles of energy who could use some coaching. And that’s where you come in.
To make disciples who make disciples, your teenagers will need you to coach them on
how to become more purposeful about sharing the gospel with their friends. This process
starts with prayer, moves into initiating spiritual conversations with friends and progresses
toward helping others explore Jesus’ message at a deeper level.
One approach to encouraging your teens toward more purposeful, relational efforts to
share their faith is THE Cause Circle. The Circle is a tool designed to help your teens identify
the friends they want to pray for with passion, pursue with love and persuade with truth.
Here’s what it looks like.
Teens identify two or three friends they want to share the gospel with, and write their
names in the “pray” section of the circle. As they find opportunities to pursue spiritual
conversations with these friends, they advance their name to the “pursue” area of the
circle. When they have opportunities to go deeper in their spiritual conversations with
them, it’s time to move those friends forward along the circle to the “persuade” section. All
with the hope and prayer that over time, they’ll be able to persuade their friends to…
• Accept Christ
• Belong to a Church
• Commit to THE Cause of making disciples, too.
THE Cause Circle provides a purposeful framework for the incremental steps that are
frequently involved in sharing the gospel with a friend. It can help your students prioritize
relationally sharing their faith—simply by keeping it on the mental and spiritual radar.
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Remember, You’re the Coach
Because your job is to coach your teens as they share the good news, together we’re going
to unpack THE Cause Circle in greater depth and we’ll explore the Scriptural basis for each
of these three “P’s.”
But first, here a few personal action steps for you:
• Get familiar with this tool by watching THE Cause Circle video.
• Print the Cause Circle for your own use.
• Try it out for yourself. You can’t effectively lead someone else where you’ve never been yourself. Take the first step of identifying two or three people you want to share
the gospel with and simply start by writing their name in the “pray section.”
• Start praying for them regularly.
I encourage you to spend some serious time thinking through the above list of 10 reasons
why teens can lead the way in reaching their peers. Think about each one. Decide whether
you agree or disagree and why. Determine in your soul whether you really believe God can
use your teenagers to reach their friends. Then, as you read further, consider what you
might start to change in your youth ministry approach based on what you conclude.
Get Your Teens Praying for Their Friends
As you coach your students on the how-to’s of sharing their faith with their unreached
friends, it helps to provide them with some structure that breaks the process down into
bite-size pieces. Of course, the intent of providing some faith-sharing structure is NOT
to “formula-ize” the evangelism process. Each searching soul is unique in how he or she
responds to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and prodding, so “methods” or “formulas” are not
the intent.
Plus, each believer who sets out to share the gospel will have their own unique sharing
style that feels “right” for them, which is another reason to steer clear of a rigid formula.
You’ll want to help your students discover how God has uniquely wired them to share their
faith most effectively.
That said, I’ve found it immensely helpful to provide teenagers with a few small, easilyrelatable steps along the faith-sharing road. It helps make the process of reaching out to
their friends more concrete and approachable.
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Using THE Cause Circle
THE Cause Circle is a simple tool that breaks the evangelism process down into more
understandable, incremental sub-parts. The Circle’s three basic components—Pray with
Passion, Pursue with Love and Persuade with Truth—are simply steps along the way
that can help your students get a feel for the amazing privilege of introducing others to
Jesus. This tool can make them more confident, purposeful and effective, and it gets them
thinking about evangelism as both a mindset and a process.
The Circle’s initial step is simply to identify three friends they want to share the gospel with.
This gets their “evangelism radar” turned on and tuned in to faith-sharing relationships
and opportunities. But it’s the first of the three P’s (Pray-Pursue-Persuade) that really gets
things moving spiritually.
Why Prayer is an Essential First Step
Prayer. Scripture assures us that something
mysterious happens in the spiritual realm
when we pray. And while our human reasoning
can’t entirely wrap our minds around how
prayer works, Jesus tells us to pray, and to pray
specifically for God’s kingdom to come.
That makes prayer the bedrock foundation for any
spiritual endeavor we undertake. Prayer is so essential and powerful because it connects
us to God—His presence, His power and His wisdom.
If you can get your teenagers praying for just a few of their unreached friends, all sorts of
good things get set into motion—including the Holy Spirit’s work in hearts and minds! Plus,
when your teens are praying for their friends regularly, it also serves as an internal prompt
for them to consider and pray about their own role in the process of introducing their
friends to Jesus.
Keep it Simple!
Everyone can pray! While your students need you to model prayer and encourage them
to take praying for their unreached friends seriously, there are no secret passwords or
magic formulas needed for praying with passion. All it takes is a heart for the lost and
an authentic, honest and open conversation with God, begging Him for the souls of their
friends. We’re to pray with childlike faith—which further reflects the pure and simple
nature of this first step.
You’re the coach, so get your students familiar with THE Cause Circle (explain THE Cause, if
they aren’t already familiar with this terminology). Encourage them to identify three friends
they want to reach with Jesus’ message of grace, then get them started praying.
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If you want provide some more specific coaching for them on what and how to pray,
here are some “prayer request” categories, compliments of the Apostle Paul, along with a
Scriptural reference for each:
• Opportunities to share the gospel. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many
opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ (Colossians 4:3. NLT).
• The hearts and souls of unreached friends. Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of
my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved (Romans 10:1, NLT)
• Reliance on the Holy Spirit. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And
my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive
speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:4-5, NLT).
• The spiritual battle being waged as souls are being called out of darkness and
into His marvelous light. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but
against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark
world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12, NLT).
• Boldness and wisdom. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I
can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike
(Ephesians 6:19, NLT).
This week, nudge your teenagers toward praying regularly for their friends who need Jesus.
Help them catch a glimpse of the ongoing—frequently incremental—process involved in
sharing their faith. Let them know that whether seeing the gospel impact another’s soul
takes 10 minutes, 10 months or 10 years, prayer is a great first step on the journey!
Extravagant Love: Don’t Let Your Teens Go Bankrupt!
Using THE Cause Circle as a simple, concrete guide to outreach can help your students
grasp the effectiveness of a balanced approach to sharing the gospel with others – one that
is both lovingly relational and doggedly relentless.
Most teenagers (and adults, for that matter) naturally tend toward one end or the other
of what I’ve dubbed the “Relational and Relentless” spectrum. Perhaps you’ve noticed that
you have some students who are comfortable and skilled at relating to others with the love
of Jesus, but hesitate to bring up the gospel for fear of offending. While you have other
students who are more adept at logic, reasoning and spiritual debate, but frequently fall
short when it comes to expressing loving concern.
This is entirely natural, since most of us go with our strengths and shy away from our
weaknesses. Still, the most impactful faith-sharing generally combines both – loving,
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relational caring and purposeful, focused, persuasive conversation that communicates the
truth of the gospel. Both play a pivotal part in effective outreach.
THE Cause Circle helps to bring these two distinct aspects of faith-sharing into a more
focused balance. As we move past the first step in The Circle of “Praying with Passion,”
we see that the second step – “Pursuing with Love” is highly relational, while the third
step – “Persuading with Truth” focuses on patiently, unswervingly communicating a clear,
compelling gospel message.
Pursuing with Love
Maybe you’ve heard the old saying: “I don’t care how
much you know, until I know how much you care.”
Wise words for anyone seeking to introduce others
to Jesus.
But I have it on even higher authority than this old
adage. Consider the oft-read, highly familiar passage
on love in 1 Corinthians 13. Only this time, let’s take a fresh look at it by reading it from The
Message paraphrase. As you read it below, consider the implications these words have for
how we should go about lovingly sharing the gospel:
So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end…
… But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward
that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the
best of the three is love (1 Corinthians 13:3-7; 13, The Message).
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Bankrupt without Love
What does the “extravagant love” referred to in this passage look like when it comes to
sharing our faith? Here are just few adjectives that should apply when our evangelism
efforts are drenched in agape love: determined, selfless, humble, considerate, patient,
forgiving, truthful, trusting, positive, all-encompassing, tireless, unswerving, hope-filled.
I encourage you to take a look at this Scripture passage in your youth group and together
unpack the following questions. I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the creative,
practical ideas your teenagers come up with for pursuing others in love for the sake of the
gospel.
• “So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love”
(1Corinthians 13:3, The Message). Bankrupt is a strong word. What are the implications
for sharing our faith if our efforts aren’t wrapped in the love of Jesus?
• List at least 10 characteristics of love we see described in this passage from The
Message.
• What does it look like to lead with love, when it comes to sharing our faith?
• What are a few practical, specific ways we can communicate our love and care for
others? (i.e., write a note, buy lunch, take time to listen, sit with someone who needs a
friend, help others with homework, encourage someone on Facebook, etc.)
• Love “takes pleasure in the flowering of truth.” Is it an act of love to introduce others to
Jesus’ message of grace and truth? Why do you think that?
• Acts of kindness and caring are important, but “pursuing someone with love” also
includes helping them get to know Jesus and His gospel message. This means we must
look for ways to move our conversations with others in a spiritual direction. What are
some examples of how we might transition from loving others with our deeds to loving
them with our words by sharing Jesus’ message of grace?
Close out your discussion by giving your teenagers a call to action of pursuing at least one
unreached friend with the love of Jesus during the coming week.
Don’t let your teens go bankrupt when it comes to loving those who need Jesus! Coach
them on how to ground all their faith-sharing efforts in the love Christ so that they become
living, breathing messengers of God’s gospel of grace as they live out 1 Corinthians 13:13
before the watching world: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly.
Don’t Be Afraid to Persuade
In our “live-and-let-live” culture, persuade is a word that can sometimes feel out of synch
with embracing diversity and nurturing individuality. So you may be wondering why I chose
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persuade as the third stage in THE Cause Circle’s “Pray-Pursue-Persuade” approach to
sharing your faith.
Well, I was admittedly casting about for a third “P” word, but I invite you to reflect on the
powerful, evocative definition of the word persuade:
1: to move by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action
2: to plead with; URGE
(Source: merriam-webster.com)
Can you think of anything in this world (or the next), that it’s more important to
purposefully and relentlessly apply our skills of persuasions to than urging others to
embrace Jesus’ gospel message of salvation by grace?
We Implore You on Christ’s Behalf
The Greek word for persuade is used eight different
times in the New Testament in direct connection with
evangelism. This is not a used car salesman-type
pitch, but a sincere, yet convincing appeal to the heart
and mind of the unbeliever. It’s the same approach
that Paul used when he wrote, “We are therefore
Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be
reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Sure, persuasion can easily become manipulation or coercion if done in the flesh. But
when we lay the groundwork of “Praying with Passion” and “Pursuing with Love,” then
“Persuading with Truth” should pour forth out of a pure heart that is overflowing with the
Spirit of God.
Ask – Admire – Admit Style Persuasion
How can we help our teenagers learn to compellingly persuade their friends to consider
Jesus and His life-giving message?
At Dare 2 Share, we teach teens to use an Ask – Admire – Admit style of persuasion. You
can check out this video that more fully explains this approach, but in a nutshell, here it is:
1. Ask: Ask your friends questions about what they believe. Not to “test” them or “trap”
them, but to understand them and break down any relational barriers that are keeping
them from considering Jesus.
2. Admire: Admire everything you can about what they believe in order to help people
open up. Don’t affirm their heresy but their honesty. Find areas of common ground you
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can compliment them on.
3. Admit: Admit that the reason you are a Christian is that you know you’ve fallen short
and need someone to rescue you. That someone is Jesus.
4. Then share a clear gospel message.
Coaching Your Teenagers to “Persuade with Truth”
If we bring an urgency to coaching our students on how to effectively share their faith, the
whole idea of “persuasion” fits more naturally. Once they realize their friends’ souls hang
in the balance, sharing relationally AND relentlessly makes more sense. In contrast, when
we’re casual about prioritizing evangelism, then “persuasion” is more apt to strike them as
overbearing or manipulative.
So here are some specific, sequential steps to help you coach your teenagers through the
“Persuade with Truth” section of THE Cause Circle:
1.Lay the groundwork by communicating the urgency of evangelism.
2.Train your students in the “Ask – Admire – Admit” approach to sharing their faith.
3.Equip them to clearly share the gospel. (Consider using the free D2S app.)
4.Take some time in your group to role play steps 2 and 3 above.
5.Challenge your students to use THE Cause Circle and purposefully reach out to
a friend who needs Jesus by actively Praying with Passion, Pursuing with Love AND
Persuading with Truth during the coming week.
“Persuade” is not a dirty word. In fact, “live-and-let-live” should take on a whole new
meaning in light of the gospel – more like “give-and-let-live.” Because when we give a
clear, winsome, persuasive explanation of the gospel to those around us, the doorway
to everlasting life opens wide – which is the “A – Accept Christ” part of THE Cause Circle’s
ABCs.
3 Keys to Making Disciples Who Make Disciples
The Pray – Pursue – Persuade elements of THE Cause Circle provide teenagers with a
simple, concrete outline for how to go about reaching their friends with the gospel.
But THE Cause Circle is about more than “conversion.” As eternally important as the
point of trusting Christ is, Jesus calls all of us – including our teenagers – to do more than
convert souls. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus tells us to “go and make disciples…teaching them
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to obey everything I have commanded you.” We’re not just to be about bringing people into
a relationship with God. Our job also includes helping them become disciples who make
disciples. We want to see new believers growing into fully-devoted followers of Jesus and
helping others to do the same.
The ABCs of Making Disciples
The “ABC” notation in the Persuade section of THE
Cause Circle is a short-hand way of capturing three key
essentials of this disciple-making focus.
These three keys we’re driving toward in our
evangelistic efforts are:
Accept Christ.
This is the point in time when someone believes the gospel message and trusts in
Jesus as their only hope of salvation.
Belong to a church.
The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25 that we shouldn’t forsake the assembling of
ourselves together. It is vitally important to help newly converted teenagers connect
to other Christians so that they can learn how to follow Jesus and grow strong roots
in their newfound faith.
Commit to THE Cause.
Teens who come to Christ and connect to a church should also be challenged
to commit to THE Cause of making disciples who make disciples. They must be
motivated and equipped to live and give the gospel in word and deed and multiply.
These are the ABC’s of making disciples who make disciples.
But how do we help our teenagers do this? Let’s unpack each of these keys a bit further.
A – Accept Christ
When your teenagers help a friend, family member, teammate, classmate or stranger put
their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, it is an absolute miracle. A soul is transferred out of the
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13) and Scripture tells us that
several amazing things take place at this point of conversion. Here are a few of them:
• John 10:28: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them
out of my hand.” (We receive eternal life and are secure in God’s hands.)
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• 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great
mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven
for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation
that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (We receive new birth, a living hope and a
heavenly inheritance.)
• John 10:10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (We receive
abundant life, both now and eternally.)
• John 1:12: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God.” (We become God’s children.)
• Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” (We can’t be separated from God’s love.)
• 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!” (We become a new creation.)
Equipped to Help Others Accept Christ
Helping you help your teenagers share the gospel and play a part in bringing others
into this amazing new relationship with Jesus is what Dare 2 Share is all about. You very
likely already know that we have loads of free faith sharing resources for teens, as well
as evangelism training curriculum and catalytic weekend training conferences. As your
students’ coach, it’s your job to design a strategy for getting them the training they need.
We’d love to help you, but whatever training approach and resources you decide to use,
make a plan. Get the equipment you need. Then motivate, train, equip and unleash your
teens!
Consider laying the motivational groundwork by doing a Bible Study with your students
(or student leaders) on the verses noted above. Read the verses together and after each
is read, ask your students to help identify what it says about the changes that happen
when someone believes in Christ. Compile your students’ responses into a group list on a
dry erase board or flip chart. Then ask them the following bedrock question: Is this Good
News? Should this motivate us to share the Good News of the gospel with our friends who
need Jesus?
There’s only one right answer to these questions: ABSOLUTELY!
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Is Church a Thing of the Past?
“Belong to a church.”
This simple statement drips with commitment. It can trigger panic attacks in grown men
and send them running for the doors… so is it any wonder that our teenagers may look on
these four short words with apathy or skepticism?
Yet this blunt phrase plays a foundational role in THE Cause Circle. “Belong to a church”
boldly sits smack in the middle of the “ABC” notation in the “Persuade with Truth” section of
the Circle. Remember, these ABCs are shorthand for:
Accept Christ.
Belong to a church.
Commit to THE Cause.
Why did we give such an “old-fashioned” concept like plugging into a church such
prominence in THE Cause Circle?
Because Scripture does.
Active involvement with a body of believers is critically important—and especially so for
newly converted teenagers as they learn how to follow Jesus and grow strong roots in their
newfound faith.
When your students successfully introduce a friend to Christ, they’ve helped them take a
huge step of eternal significance. But their job’s not done. They need to understand the
important role they have to play in helping their newborn babe in Christ get plugged into
a church or youth group. Because it’s the local church that provides the shelter, nutrition,
love and nurture a new believer needs in order to grow into a healthy, thriving, kingdomadvancing follower of Jesus.
Helping Teens Understand Why Church Isn’t Passé
Do your students understand why church should never be seen as passé? Is it embedded
in their spiritual DNA that doing life with Jesus is designed to be done in relationship with
other believers?
Staying connected to the body of Christ is a win-win, both for them and for the believers
around them. When they’re plugged in and regularly gathering with other Christians, their
own spiritual growth will be positively impacted. But it’s about more than “what’s in it for
them.” If they’re missing in action, an important piece of the Body of Christ is missing. They
need church and church needs them. It’s both/and.
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I encourage you to do a Bible Study with your students or student leaders and explore
these biblical truths more fully together. Spend some time digging into the following short
list of verses about the functioning of the body of Christ. Let them sink into their souls and
kindle a Jesus-focused passion for living a life where involvement in the local church is a
non-negotiable, bedrock priority. For how can they lead new believers down this road, if
they aren’t convinced themselves of the importance of the local church in the life of those
who seek to make disciples who make disciples?
Jesus designed the body of Christ to help us…
• Grow and mature in our walk with Him. Then we will no longer be immature like
children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be
influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead,
we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the
head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part
does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy
and growing and full of love (Ephesians 4:14-16, NLT).
• Do life together and be nurtured. We were gentle among you, like a mother caring
for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not
only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us (1
Thessalonians 2:7-8).
• Love and live for His glory. And let us consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching
(Hebrews 10:24-25).
• Learn and discern God’s wisdom and maintain a thankful heart. Let the message
about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the
wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts
(Colossians 3:16, NLT).
• Display God’s love to a watching world. A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are
my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35).
Sure, many teens initially get involved in youth group for the fun and games and social
connection. But it’s our job to help them grasp the larger, deeper truth that Jesus designed
the church as a vital component in the life of the believer. It helps them grow into healthy,
effective disciples who, in turn, make disciples, sharing His message and accomplishing His
mission.
Remember, it’s so important that Jesus promised that even the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it!
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BREAKING DOWN THE CAUSE CIRCLE
How to Grow a Kingdom-Advancing Youth Ministry
Through my 20+ years of ministry, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the immense potential
and incredible responsibility youth leaders like you hold in your hands. The ability to
influence young peoples’ relationship with God and impact their understanding of His
desire to advance His kingdom in and through them is a high calling. Your imprint on your
students’ spirituality can last a lifetime.
But we’re all familiar with the dismal stats that show the dramatic evacuation of young
people from our churches post high school graduation. Granted, there are a variety
of factors that appear to be contributing to this dire trend, but I believe, and research
supports my theory, that there’s one particularly key reason why young people disengage
from the church after they graduate from high school. And here it is: because they have
never truly grasped that Jesus intended the church to be a movement of God’s people
on mission for Him—knowing Him, making Him known and multiplying disciples for His
Kingdom’s advancement.
Sadly, for many of our students, church is viewed as just one more social event that they’re
free to opt in or out of on a whim.
Charting the Course for Kingdom Impact
So as a leader of youth who wants to take seriously your God-given calling to shepherd
your students, what can you do to change this?
Here it is in a nutshell: equip and unleash your students for the God-sized mission He’s
called them to of making disciples who make disciples. Set the course and nurture a youth
group environment that is gospel-advancing, evangelism-focused and disciple-multiplying.
And model it for them in your own life. (Check out our free “Get Multiplied” webinar for
more insights.)
If you want your students to develop and maintain a deep, thriving faith, it’s critical that
they grasp the missional nature of their walk with Christ.
Committing to THE Cause
That’s why the driving end goal of Dare 2 Share’s Cause Circle evangelism strategy is not
simply conversion, but multiplication. Note the repetitive, cyclical nature of the arrows in
the Circle. They go on and on, just like Jesus intended the multiplying process of making
disciples who make disciples to go on and on.
The “C” section of the “ABC” notation in the Circle is designed to capture this principle. The
C stands for “Commit to THE Cause.”
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BREAKING DOWN THE CAUSE CIRCLE
Teens who Accept Christ and Belong to a church should also be challenged to Commit to
THE Cause of making disciples who make disciples. As their coach, it’s your job to challenge
and equip your students to live and give the gospel in word and deed and multiply.
The Power of Multiplication
The power of multiplication is one of the critical keys
to growing a gospel-advancing youth ministry. Take a
fresh look at the power of multiplication diagramed
out in the chart here. Start with just one believer on
Day 1 who made just one new disciple every day. Then
if each new disciple also, in turn, made a new disciple
every day, in just 50 days everyone on Earth would be
reached with the message of the gospel!
But it starts with one. One life at a time, transformed
forever and on fire for advancing the kingdom of God.
One student at a time in your youth group sharing
their faith with their friends.
Unleashing New Believers
New believers are usually brimming with excitement
about their newfound relationship with Jesus. What
better time to tap into their natural desire to share
with everyone around them the amazing news that
God longs to be in a relationship with every single person on the planet? Your youth group
should be a safe place for them to find the help and encouragement they need as they
begin to share their new faith with their friends.
Committing to THE Cause of Christ to reach the lost and make disciples isn’t something
that should wait until their walk with God is polished and perfected. It should start just as
soon as someone understands the message of the gospel! Of course they’ll need coaching,
prayer, encouragement and help finding answers to any questions that arise out of their
conversations with others. But the very process of stepping out and sharing their faith will
accelerate their discipleship growth because it makes them eager to learn more about
Jesus.
Dare 2 Share is here to help you do all those things. That’s why we provide you with loads
of free training and tools—to help you build a gospel-advancing ministry!
Let’s help our teenagers spread Jesus’ message of hope and grace like wildfire through
their circles of influence, schools, community and beyond. Wouldn’t it be incredible if God
chose to use this generation to reach the world for Christ!?!
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