Discipleship is apprenticing someone in the Christian life and helping them develop spiritual disciplines. While Jesus could have reached the masses in His earthly ministry, He chose to devote the majority of His time to twelve men. He knew He needed to personally care for and form a small group of men who would be strong enough to do the same for others. In the end, this approach would multiply disciples and reach the masses. In other words, Jesus' plan to reach the world was through the multiplication of disciples, which is why He asked us to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19).

Jesus focused on a small group. Making disciples is very relational and time intensive. There needs to be a strong level of trust, communication, and support in order to create the environment for discipleship. In a small group a teen can feel known, loved, and cared for. A level of confidentiality can be achieved which gives teens the freedom to open up about their struggles and doubts. In a small group there is the greater possibility to catch the things that teens don’t understand and have a discussion. In addition, the small group allows the leader to know their disciples well and thus be able to customize the topics of discussion that best reach those teens.

Small groups consist of teens the same age and gender paired with adult mentors. Our small groups provide an enviroment of trust and transperancy where teens are known and loved. Their faith-filled adult mentors apprentice them in the disciplines of a disciple. Small groups draw teens out of a peer-dominated paradigm and call them to maturity through relationships with adults. They strengthen catechesis through testimony, discussion and faith sharing. YDisciple utilizes video lessens about faith and life produced by some of the top Catholic presenters from around the country. YDisciple also allows parents to demonstrate their support by hosting the small group in their homes. 

Teens are busy, busy, busy! Their schedules are constantly changing throughout the seasons based upon sports, activities and jobs. For that reason, YDisciple small groups work together with their Adult mentors and parents to set meeting times and locations that accomodate for their schedules. These times/locations can change based upon the lives of those in the group. Groups are to trive to meet twice a month. 

Study after study shows that no one has more influence on a teenager than his or her parents. YDisciple provides strategies for engaging parents and parent resources in both english and spanish  to help parents engage their teens in meaningful conversation. Parents support the groups by providing homes for meeting spaces as well as providing meals/snacks for the groups.

YDisciple Small groups are designed around meeting the five fundamental needs of teenagers. 

1. THE NEED TO BE UNDERSTOOD: The need to be understood is a great psychological need for us as human beings. Unfortunately, the majority of teenagers do not believe that adults understand them. When an adult takes a genuine interest in a teenager and seeks first to understand, that adult earns the right to be heard. If adults want to hand on the faith to teenagers, they must seek first to understand what is going on in their minds and hearts. Teenagers don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.

2. THE NEED TO BELONG: Teenagers are driven to meet the “need to belong” before higher growth needs like understanding and living the Christian faith. In fact, it is often the case that teenagers will compromise the morals in which they have been raised in order to belong somewhere. If adults don’t help teenagers build healthy, life-giving relationships with one another, then teens will find a way to meet that need themselves. On the other hand, if adults create an environment where teens are known, loved, and cared for, they create an ideal environment for discipleship.

3. THE NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT: Teenagers rarely have the freedom to be transparent today, especially with one another. It is too dangerous to be vulnerable in a peer-dominated world focused on image and popularity. Teens long for the opportunity to be transparent about their doubts, concerns, fears, insecurities, hopes, and dreams, and to have the confidence of knowing they will not be judged, but loved and supported. In fact, this is necessary in order for them to grow in self-awareness and self-esteem. A small group where trust has been established creates an environment where transparency can take place.

4 . THE NEED TO ENGAGE IN CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT FAITH AND LIFE: Teens are transitioning from concrete thinking to abstract thinking and are able to conceptualize ideas such as love, justice, fairness, and truth. They are also capable of pondering the big questions in life such as: Is there a God? Do I need religion? Can I know God’s plan for my life? In addition, they are in the process of establishing independence and becoming their own person. Deep down they desire to be treated as adults and no longer want to be told what to do or what to believe. They are critically evaluating what they have been raised to believe and are not that interested in answers to questions they are not asking. Thought-provoking questions, lively discussion, dialogue, and freedom of expression engage teenagers in critical thinking

5. THE NEED FOR GUIDANCE: Teenagers need dialogue, collaboration, and friendship with adults in order to become adults themselves. Relationships with adults help them answer deep fundamental questions like: Am I lovable? Am I capable? What difference does my life make? They are naturally idealistic and desire to be challenged to greatness through the direction, encouragement, and support of caring adults. It is a well-known educational principle that young people will rise to the level of our expectations of them. Teenagers will give their lives to Jesus through the witness and encouragement of loving, faith-filled adults.