The Unknowns in Discipleship: A Student Ministry Update

By Nick Frede

I’ve worked with youth in some capacity for my entire adult life. Between positions at camps, my time as a temporary foster parent, and now leading student ministry at Oak Hill, I’ve had countless conversations with young people. These talks consistently move—often rapidly—from whatever currently interests them, to the laughable silliness of what they find funny, and to the deeper questions of life (in no particular order). That’s one of the reasons I’ve always enjoyed talking with students: they are at an age where they’re beginning to ask serious questions, yet they are still unafraid to be blunt and open about who they are.

One of these conversations took place over the course of more than a year with one of our students at a previous Winter Retreat. After one of the sessions, we split into small groups for discussion. Once I managed to calm everyone down from the retreat’s constant sugar highs, I decided to be direct. I went around the group, asking each student if they had accepted Christ, and if so, why—and if not, why not. One student was just as blunt in return, saying he had not yet believed the Gospel. His reasoning was vague and displayed a general disinterest in it all.

I sensed there was more beneath the surface, and I knew a group setting wasn’t the place for that conversation. After the retreat, we planned to meet at Daily Grind for a follow-up. Busy schedules delayed it, but a few months later we finally sat down together. After the initial small talk, we quickly turned back to the Gospel. We spoke about sin, works versus faith, the urgency of salvation, the holiness of God, and more. Eventually, it all seemed to click. He understood the Gospel and the urgency of our condition apart from Christ. He admitted his sin, accepted Christ as Lord, and said “Today is kinda like my second birthday, then…”

I smiled and replied, “You better write down today’s date.” …

But honestly, in the moment, I wasn't sure what would come of it. I had encouraged him to go speak with Pastor Ben as a next step, but weeks went by, and I didn’t hear anything. Eventually, I filed it away in my mind as just another one of the many conversations I’ve had with students—valuable relationally, but not transformative spiritually.

Almost a year later, Pastor Ben and I were talking, and in the flow of conversation, he remembered... “I forgot to mention to you,” he said, “did you hear that [student] is getting baptized?” The news caught me off guard as Ben continued, “Yeah, when he came to talk with me about it, he specifically mentioned your conversation at Daily Grind last year—and how he’s been mulling it over ever since.”

What? That same conversation I had written off as insignificant? And yet, God had used it. Slowly, yes—but truly. And soon, a few weeks later, my heart was filled with joy, gratefulness, and awe by God’s work as I listened to the testimony and watched him be baptized in front of the church.

It is not often that we get to see the fruits of our work (they might not even always have the “fruit” that we think of), but sometimes God blesses us with cases like this one to encourage and strengthen us. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3, sometimes we are called to plant seeds, sometimes to water them, and sometimes to witness the harvest. Despite knowing this, it’s easy to be discouraged when we don’t see the full process of discipleship play out. However, we ought to be encouraged by Who is in control of that growth: “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7).

“So neither he who plants

nor he who waters is anything,

but only God who gives the growth...”

(1 Corinthians 3:7, ESV)'

We are not promised to see the full painting of what our efforts accomplish—or whether they accomplish anything at all. But we do know the glorious Artist directing it all. So let’s work faithfully for Him in every opportunity He gives us, pointing others to the gospel for the glory of God. The duty is ours; the results are His.

Pray that the Gospel and the Lordship of Christ would continually grow as the priority of the lives of our students,

God Bless, my friends.