Disciple Now Curriculum

By Doug Franklin December 12, 2018

DNow season is here! That means it’s time for promoting, writing emails, recruiting leaders, arranging housing, managing student registration…and choosing the right Disciple Now curriculum.

Below you’ll find some great topics that each feature small group materials, large group talks, administrator resources, media and more to make this year’s Disciple Now retreat the best (and easiest) one yet.

Because at the end of the day you want your Disciple Now curriculum to help create a powerful and meaningful experience for your students, one that challenges them, encourages them, equips them and leaves a lasting impact.

Ready to get started? Here are a few topics to get the ball rolling for your next DNow weekend.

 

5 Disciple Now Curriculum Topics You’re Sure To Love

 

Lost. We’ve all been there. And we’ll probably be there again. 

Jesus was pointing to that truth when he told the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32). When he compared the brothers in this story, Jesus showed us that there are two kinds of lost people: those who know they are lost and those who don’t. He wanted us to know that there’s more than one way to be lost and wandering from him. Thankfully, he also gave us a way to come back home; not through rule-following or self-righteousness, but by receiving our heavenly Father’s unconditional love. Wherever you’re wandering, are you ready to come home?

 

Beyond our Preference to Christ’s Purpose 

We want people to think of us in certain ways: the fun one, goofy one, or smart one. It turns out Jesus wants the world to think of Christians in a certain way too. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 | Jesus’ words leave no wiggle room; people should recognize us because of our love for one another—because of our unity. The truth is that living this way isn’t easy. But good news! Jesus has a purpose for our unity, and he holds us together even when it’s hard. When we understand why God calls us to unity and what it looks like, we’ll find a reason to come together that goes beyond our preferences.

 

Outsiders welcome.

We see outcasts everyday—people who fit under a different stereotype, don’t look like us, like what we like, or believe the same things. It’s easy to walk away from the outcast, leaving them forever in that category, but Jesus never did. Instead, he walked into the difficulty of their lives to bring them the ultimate insider experience—belonging in his family.

At a quick stop at a well on a hot day, Jesus shows us how it’s done. And now we are called to go to the outcasts and bring them in. After all, we’ve all been outcasts at some point.

 

Heart. Soul. Mind. Strength. 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

Sometimes our lives get complicated and messy. We lose our focus and make the unimportant things seem important. In these moments we would give anything to get back to that newness we had when we first started to follow Christ. To Renew means to turn something that has grown old into something brand new. Just as Jesus healed people who were sick and made them well, he can take our whole lives -our heart, mind, strength, and soul, and make them new again.

 

Loved. Broken. Redeemed. Called.       

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 | When we start following Christ, we start the beginning of forever. Like how you felt on the very best day of your life, over and over again. Everlasting means that we know how the story ends. Everlasting means that we get to be friends with the God of the universe who knows our future and is crazy about us. Everlasting means we live forever, but the first bit is on earth. The Bible tells a rescue story. This study is designed to give your students sneak peaks into how that story fits together and works into their lives.

 

Disciple Now Curriculum is one thing, but what about all the retreat planning and logistics? No worries – we’ve got you covered with 5 Secrets to a Great DNow!

Check it out: https://www.leadertreks.org/5-secrets-great-disciplenow/