Philip and Stefi Plimmer
For many of us, our university years with the Navigators were marked by a deep and personal one-on-one discipling experience. Those were formative times—meeting weekly with someone who cared for our spiritual growth, helping us apply God’s Word, and encouraging us to grow as disciples who make disciples. But as life moves on, discipling can feel harder to find and sustain.
The Reality of Life Beyond University
Life after those campus years looks different. We’re busy settling into careers, building new relationships, and sometimes moving to entirely new cities. Unlike the close-knit environment of university life, we’re often scattered across the city, facing long commutes and busy schedules. Full-time work limits our availability and, truth be told, we rarely see discipling modelled around us anymore. In many workplaces, mentoring has even been seen as a weakness—though, thankfully, that’s beginning to change.
Discipling Still Matters—But It Looks Different
Scripture reminds us, “Let us not give up meeting together… but encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 10:24–25), and “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
To do this, discipling now often takes new forms. Peer-mentoring is one effective model, which works regardless of what each person brings to the table. Those who are sent out, like the “apostles”, have a key role in helping others keep hold of the foundational things they were taught early on.
Let us be like Timothy, who Paul described as: “I have no one else who takes a genuine interest in your well-being” (Philippians 2:20–21).
Creative Ways Discipling Happens Today
While it may not look like the structured weekly meetings we once knew, discipling can still thrive when we’re willing to adapt:
- Groups instead of one-on-ones. For some, especially men unfamiliar with university ministry culture, one-on-one meetings can feel awkward. One person I knew, for example, declined to meet with me for two years—until it became a group Bible study, which felt more natural.
- Making it count, even if it’s less frequent. Stefi meets a few women for coffee every month or so, since distance and work limit regular gatherings. Those moments, though rare, are precious because everyone makes the effort.
- Casual but intentional connections. Even grabbing a beer one-on-one can be fruitful, as long as it’s intentional. It is easy just to share and empathise with each other’s life challenges, but ask challenging or thoughtful questions, and check up on building up the disciplines that point to Christ and growth.
- Neutral meeting spaces. Homes are great, but cafés or parks can feel less formal and more welcoming.
- Seizing the small moments. Discipling doesn’t need a formal meeting. A chat at the letterbox, a quick text, or a conversation at an event can all matter.
- Leaning into your strengths. Ministry doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. Partners may have different gifts and capacities—disciple in ways that fit who you are.
Keep Seeking Discipling
Discipling may not look as neat and tidy as it once did, but it is no less important. The forms can change, but the calling remains: to keep meeting together, keep encouraging each other, and keep pointing one another to Jesus.
Whether it’s a Bible study, a coffee group, a text message, or a deep conversation over a pint, let’s keep asking: Who can I encourage? Who can I help grow in Christ? Who can I walk alongside?
Because in every season of life, we are still called to make disciples—together, in community.