National Christian Teachers Summit, 2018.

Day 2 – 3rd August 2018

Discipleship Seminar

Psalm 144

Regardless of the cognitive training that a child receives, his heart must be the first target. So while we do our best to teach the students very well and to expose them to do great cognitive excellence, we must go ahead to train their hearts as well. But there is no way a teacher can train or disciple their students unless they have been discipled themselves. As teachers are being discipled, they are better placed to also raise and disciple their own students as well.

Mat 28:19-20  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Teachers must remember the great commission. We have a commission to go into all the world and make disciples. Our students are our world and teachers must go ahead to disciple them. Teachers must show them the correct life of Jesus. They must display the humility, righteousness and calmness that is visible in Christ. As teachers themselves grow in their discipleship with Jesus and discipleship relationship with their human disciplers, they will be able to disciple their students as well.

Teachers in the Primary Schools

Children in Primary schools are not too young to be discipled. You can reach them for God.

They also have a heart and we can reach them as well. As we do this early, we set them up on the right path early in life. And like the bible says, when we train them early, they will not depart from it no matter how old they become.

Another key strategy is to take time to pray for your students. Either as a subject teacher or much more as a class teacher, praying for your students opens their hearts unto you and to your words. Make it a duty to pray for them, asking God to give you an opportunity to reach every child as the Lord leads. As you pray, open your eyes and observe them. Some may come in sad, hungry or discouraged and as we prayerfully observe these little traits, we can reach them and help them.

Teachers in the Secondary Schools

Another strategy, especially at the secondary school, is to use the opportunity of selecting and preparing school prefects to do leadership and discipleship training for the young minds. Every year, you have the privilege of having new sets of prefects, it can be an opportunity to train the hearts of those young leaders and disciple them. Some will even develop personal discipleship relationship with you as a teacher or as an administrator in the secondary school.

Teachers in the Tertiary Schools

At the tertiary level, one tip that works is modelling. Teachers and lecturers must strife to be visual examples, real-life models to students. They watch the teachers first before they open up to them. At this level, they are more matured and so need real-life examples to see and pattern their lives after. As teachers continue to grow as Christians, they will be good examples for their students to follow.