Coming back to Project for a second time, I have been asked the question, “How does this summer compare to last summer?”, multiple times. My answer is that I can’t even compare them because they are so different. The people, the culture, the focus, is all so different each summer and I think anyone who has come back to Project multiple times would say the same thing. Summer Training Project is special because it is a place that people can come back to multiple summers, but have a new role and experience a new area of growth. These different roles are disciple, room leader, team leader, and project director. It is designed in such a way that each role is being discipled and discipling another.
Something I believe Campus Outreach does really well is discipleship. Two weeks ago, team leader, Mary Hitt gave a message on the importance of discipleship. One aspect of her talk touched on the phases of discipleship in reference to how Paul discipled Timothy in the New Testament.
Phase One: Parent
Paul became a “parent” to Timothy because he mentored him (1 Timothy 1:2).
Phase Two: Pacesetter
Once Timothy understood the Gospel well enough, Paul invited him along to keep up with himself and the pace he was moving at in his Faith (2 Timothy 3:10-11).
Phase Three: Partner
Paul eventually no longer saw Timothy as someone who needed guidance in their faith, but he saw him as someone that he could do ministry with. He trusted Timothy with leading his own disciples, while still maintaining a relationship (Romans 16:21).
This is what discipleship looks like on project and back at on campus! The staff disciple students and as students grow they are encouraged to start to pour into the lives of other students or people in their lives. Project is the perfect grounds for practicing discipleship because it is such an intentional environment that helps participants learn and understand the value that is in being disciple and beginning to disciple others. One of the biggest lessons I have learned this summer, being a room leader, in a role where I am encouraged and expected to do life on life discipleship with the girls in my room is simply: it is not about me. All of the discipleship we do on this earth is not about if we are “good” at it, if we are doing enough for the person we are hanging out with, or even if the person we are hanging out with thinks we are cool! It is all about learning more about Jesus together and falling deeper in love with Him alongside one another! Life on life discipleship is so exciting because it allows us to see the intimate ways Jesus is working in the lives of those around us. Therefore, we are able to see and experience more of Him! I think this is truly what discipleship is all about: that we would know Jesus and make Him known together!