Discipling Students’ Minds

One of the more consistent discussion-topics in youth ministry is the idea of “discipleship” - how students are trained and equipped for ministry. Many pastors struggle with the challenge of developing students amidst decreases in interest, attention spans, and depth amongst students. The tendency, then, is to become a “gospel minimalist” - one who focuses on the few key truths necessary for salvation. The intent is to “get them saved,” by appealing to their felt needs: finding whatever is important to them emotionally, and presenting Christ as the solution, with some “do’s and don’ts” thrown in after the fact. However, this approach will hinder the overall effectiveness of discipleship. To illustrate just how this happens, let’s refer to C.S. Lewis and the Apostle Paul.

The Goal: Holistic Disciples

Paul wrote that the goal of discipleship is for Christians to mature and grow up in godliness so that they will not be deceived by every “wind of doctrine” or “human cunning.” Then they will be able to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:13-16). The path for the Christian is never completed in this life, as they are to continue their path forward seeking to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). This includes both knowledge of the truth and a restructuring of their desires through the Holy Spirit.

C.S Lewis writes about this in The Weight of Glory, “The head (mind) rules the belly (desires) through the chest (will).” His claim was that for the well-rounded Christian, all three of these pieces must be in place for them to thrive. The desires of mankind need to be controlled through the will, and the will depends on the mind to function properly. Remove any of these three parts, and you have the end result, which is an immature Christian.

The Gateway: Renewed Minds

What both Lewis and Paul emphasize is the necessity of the mind in the formation of a true believer in Christ. Lewis argued that Christians have desires that are constantly changing with our emotions, and the way to avoid succumbing to them is through the utilization of our will. This is something minimalistic discipleship simply doesn’t account for. As humans are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), they have the capacity for making free choices, but their sinful nature prevents them from living as they ought. As Lewis says, “Their head and chest are driven by their belly”. There is no amount of willpower, good intentions, or behavior modification that can effectively change this process - we need God’s grace to sanctify us as we trust in him! This is the process of discipleship.

For the Christian, the presence of the Holy Spirit changes things. The heart of a believer is a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17), where now the “chest” has been remade through the work of the Spirit and the ministry of the Word (Rom. 12:2). The Christian now has the ability to discern how they ought to live, and their transformed will can now fight the desires that were keeping them enslaved. The transformed and renewed mind is what allows a person to make a conscious choice of the will to act rightly. This renewed mind allows Christians to test and see what is the will of God. Believers can now connect “the head to the belly through the chest.” However, without the mind being transformed through the Scriptures, our students will struggle to make this connection.

Paul argues for holistic formation of a disciple, where the gospel in its entirety compels believers towards maturity. They no longer survive on spiritual milk, but desire and consume solid food as they walk with Christ (Heb. 5:12). The hope, as Paul states later, is that Christians, who possess a transformed will and a renewed mind, will be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). Minimalistic discipleship runs the risk of students becoming spiritual punching bags, unable to discern the true gospel in light of counterfeits, or their base desires from the conviction of the Spirit.

The Guide: Transformed Conformity

The danger that Lewis and Paul recognize is the end result of a minimalist gospel: they are church attendees, outwardly professing to be followers of Christ, but they are dead inside. This, I believe, is the state of many self-identified “Christians” today. Their wills have not been changed, and their minds not renewed, which means that although they can mimic certain behaviors of a “True Christian”, it is only for a season. Eventually, their belly takes over. I hope my students share a different outcome.

Translating this to student discipleship, when we seek discipleship shortcuts we train up ineffective, stumbling Christians. Even worse, we might give a living diagnosis to a still-dead person. If we minimize the gospel’s transformative effect on the whole person (encompassing the head, chest, and belly), we run dangerously close to teaching, as Paul says, “…a different gospel…” (Gal. 1:6). There is no path forward in Christ without the revitalizing work of the Holy Spirit.

The Groundwork: Moving Minds

To counter these dangers, there are two practices we need to reclaim: the first is an intellectual curriculum. Students need a basic understanding of the doctrines of man, salvation, and God. They need apologetics to distinguish the gospel from counterfeits. They need biblical interpretation guides, so they can study effectively on their own (2 Tim. 2:15). The second practice is guided application. Students need to be challenged to share what they have been learning through the Word. They need tips on talking about other belief systems, false doctrines, and cultural lies with their peers. This way, there is nowhere for a dead person to hide. Not only will the truth be proclaimed consistently and holistically, but their inability to live it out will become more apparent.

If we don’t challenge students, we will hinder the effectiveness of our ministries. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind,” (Matt. 22:37). If we are claiming to follow Christ, then we cannot afford to minimize the truth of what that means. We must see it as the journey into deeper understanding of who Christ is and how we become like Him. Teach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). It may cost some of numerical growth we hope for, and it could make some uncomfortable, but if our goal is discipleship, then our ministries should be focused on students’ hearts and minds.