A few weeks ago, I wrote about the process of discipleship with teenagers in a small youth group. (Okay, the process is not really all that different in a small youth group from the process in a larger youth group, but I think some of the dynamics are different.) I said that you probably work with kids at four different spiritual places. Some of them are Lost, some are Converts, some are Disciples, and some are Disciple-Makers. (I called them level 0, level 1, level 2, and level 3 kids.) The goal in youth ministry is to help teenagers move from their current level to the next level.

Of course, your group is not evenly distributed among these groups. My guess is, your youth group has more level 1 kids–Converts–than anything else. They show up at church. They give Sunday School answers to your questions. They have positive feelings about Jesus and have made a commitment to him. However, their relationship with Christ is hardly what defines their life.

So, how do you help teenagers to move from Level 1 to Level 2? How do you help them to begin to really pursue Christ as His disciple?

I wish I knew a simple formula. It would be nice to give you three steps that help a teenager move from being a worldly Christian to being a full-on disciple. I just don’t really think that formula exists. I will share a few principles that I think are important.

First, a lot of students don’t become Disciples because they don’t know what that looks like. They assume everyone is focused on what kind of tennis shoes they wear and what kind of phone they use and has Jesus to turn to when life gets really stinky. Your students need a chance to see a real Disciple up-close and personal. Ask yourself: How much of your spiritual life do kids really get to see? I’m not suggesting you invite them to move in with you, but I am suggesting that you provide opportunities for them to see you living out your faith when you aren’t at a Jesus meeting.

And not just you. What other believers do you get your teenagers rubbing elbows with? When I was a teenager, one of the biggest influences on my desire to follow Christ daily was a kid who was a little older than me. He was the kind of kid who just couldn’t get enough of God. I always assumed my youth pastor was a spiritual guy, but he was old. He was 25 or something. When I saw a guy my age living out the call of Christ, it made me think about my faith in a different way.

Second, level 1 teenagers need challenge. They have bought the status quo of faith and need to realize that there is more than consumer-driven, feel-good religion. Help them to see who Jesus really is. Rip away the Santa Claus veneer than people seem to have about Christ, and give them heart-ripping pictures of the God-man, His heart, and His mission. I think students will respond differently when they see Jesus differently.

Third, pray.The work you are doing is spiritual work. I suppose this could go without saying, but I fear that one of the biggest sins of the American church is our prayerlessness.

Finally, never give up. Students are not going to get there at the same time. Some of them are going to disappoint you. In fact, if I understand Jesus’ teaching, some of them will never get it. But, always look for the spark that will move them from being a good church kid to being a kid who is in love with Jesus.