A complete discipleship system for leading intentional preteen and youth ministry

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Deep Discipleship Year 5: A Clear Path for Disciple-Making Youth Ministry

Youth ministry has never been louder.

There are more curriculum options, more teaching topics, more events, more social pressure, and more expectations than ever before. But even with all the activity, many youth pastors and leaders are asking the same question:

Why does discipleship still feel unclear?

Students stay busy. Calendars stay full. Leaders work hard. Yet many ministries still struggle to create lasting spiritual growth.

At Deep Discipleship, we believe the issue is not effort.
It’s alignment.

That’s why we created Deep Discipleship Year 5.

Not to give you more to manage—but to help your entire ministry move in the same direction.

What Is Deep Discipleship Year 5?

Deep Discipleship Year 5 is a complete year-long youth ministry curriculum and discipleship strategy designed to help churches build a disciple-making culture.

It’s more than weekly lessons.

It’s a fully integrated system that aligns:

  • Weekly teaching
  • Small groups
  • Volunteer training
  • Parent partnership
  • Student leadership
  • Retreats
  • Mission trip discipleship
  • Spiritual formation

Everything works together to help students develop a lasting faith.

The Problem With Most Youth Ministry Planning

Most ministries plan in pieces.

We think:

  • “Let’s do a series on relationships.”
  • “Students are asking questions about anxiety.”
  • “We should teach something relevant.”

None of those topics are bad.

But over time, many ministries unintentionally create a scattered approach to discipleship.

Students hear good lessons.

But they never build a complete understanding of the Gospel.

Students don’t just need relevant topics.

They need a framework for discipleship.

DRIVE: The Deep Discipleship Youth Ministry Strategy

At the center of Deep Discipleship Year 5 is DRIVE—our youth ministry strategy designed to align every part of ministry around one clear mission: making disciples.

Relational Volunteer Teams — The Engine

Discipleship moves at the speed of trust. Students need adults who know them personally and walk with them spiritually.

Intentional Programming — The Steering

No more disconnected events or random series. Every part of the ministry year works together with purpose.

Transformational Discipleship — The Fuel

Biblically rich teaching rooted in Scripture and reinforced through practical application.

Partnering With Parents — The Navigation

Parents are the primary faith influencers. Deep Discipleship helps families continue discipleship conversations at home.

Student Leadership — The Headlights

When students lead, they internalize what they believe. Deep Discipleship helps ministries develop leaders now.

DRIVE gives youth ministries clarity, alignment, and momentum.

What’s Included in Deep Discipleship Year 5?

Deep Discipleship Year 5 includes a complete year of ready-to-use youth ministry resources.

Weekly Teaching Series

A full calendar of teaching series designed to help students grow in biblical understanding and spiritual maturity throughout the year.

Series include:

  • Rule Breaker
  • The Art of Forgiveness
  • Origin Story
  • Arrival
  • Extraordinarily Ordinary
  • Ripple Effect
  • Set Free
  • Faith in Action
  • Who’s My Neighbor?
  • Practice Makes Perfect

Each series includes:

  • Large group teaching outlines
  • Small group discussion guides
  • Student guides
  • Graphics and slides
  • Teacher prep videos
  • Social media graphics
  • Devotions
  • Parent communication tools

Everything is designed to work together—not as isolated content, but as a discipleship system.

The 8 Roots of the Gospel

Every lesson in Deep Discipleship Year 5 is built around the 8 Roots of the Gospel.

These roots create a repeatable discipleship framework that helps students build a well-rounded, biblical faith over time.

The 8 Roots are:

  • Rescue
  • Kingdom
  • Knowledge
  • Worship
  • Identity
  • Apologetics
  • Outreach
  • Community

Instead of random teaching, students experience intentional spiritual formation.

Truth builds on truth.

Confidence grows over time.

And leaders know they are leaving fewer gaps in discipleship.

Volunteer Training That Builds Confidence

Many youth ministries struggle because volunteers care deeply—but don’t always feel equipped to disciple students.

Deep Discipleship Year 5 includes:

  • Volunteer training events
  • The Discipleship Pathway
  • Volunteer encouragement resources
  • Student leadership development tools

This helps adult leaders move from “helping at youth group” to intentionally discipling students.

Parent Resources That Continue the Conversation at Home

One of the biggest challenges parents face is knowing how to talk about faith naturally.

Deep Discipleship includes:

  • Parent communication guides
  • Drive Time Discipleship Cards
  • Faith at Home activities
  • Family night resources

These tools help parents move discipleship beyond the church building and into everyday life.

Mission Trips, Retreats, and Summer Camp Resources

Deep Discipleship Year 5 also includes:

  • Disciple Now retreat options
  • Student leadership retreats
  • Mission trip preparation curriculum
  • On-trip devotionals
  • Post-trip discipleship tools
  • A complete summer camp curriculum

Everything is designed to support one discipleship strategy—not disconnected experiences.

Why Youth Pastors Need Clarity More Than More Content

Most youth pastors are not asking for more ideas.

They’re asking:

  • “How do I create consistency?”
  • “How do I build a disciple-making culture?”
  • “How do I align volunteers and parents?”
  • “How do I help students develop a lasting faith?”

Deep Discipleship Year 5 was created to answer those questions.

Not with more complexity.

But with clarity.

A Youth Ministry Curriculum Built for Long-Term Discipleship

Deep Discipleship is designed to help ministries move from:

  • Event-driven → disciple-making
  • Reactive → intentional
  • Scattered → aligned
  • Busy → transformational

Because students do not need more noise.

They need a clear path to follow Jesus.

Start Your Deep Discipleship Free Trial

The best way to experience Deep Discipleship Year 5 is to explore it yourself.

Take a look at:

  • The teaching series
  • The volunteer training
  • The parent resources
  • The discipleship strategy
  • The 8 Roots framework

See how everything works together to help your ministry build disciples and develop leaders.

Start your free trial today.

Try Deep Discipleship Students

Deep Discipleship Students is a complete curriculum and system with everything you need for ministry to junior high and high school students.

  • Bible-based Teaching Series
  • Series Graphics
  • Calendars
  • Parent Resources
  • Leadership Lessons and more!
  • Bible-based Teaching Series
  • Series Graphics
  • Calendars
  • Parent Resources
  • Leadership Lessons and more!

Doug Franklin

Doug Franklin is the president of LeaderTreks, an innovative leadership development organization focusing on students and youth workers. Doug and his wife, Angie, live in West Chicago, Illinois. They don’t have any kids, but they have 2 dogs that think they are children. Diesel and Penelope are Weimaraners who never leave their side. Doug grew up in Illinois and graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in Christian Education. He started in youth ministry as a adult volunteer, leading a small group of junior high boys. The experience shaped the way Doug thinks about youth ministry and how students learn. After spending six years as a volunteer, Doug become the full-time high school youth pastor at a church in Wheaton, Illinois. He served as a youth pastor for 12 years in various churches. As Doug thought about what was really working in youth ministry, he came to the conclusion that everything becomes more effective when students lead. So in 1994, Doug started LeaderTreks to partner with youth workers to help them develop their students as leaders. In 2003 LeaderTreks added leadership training for youth workers. It started with five youth workers coming to LeaderTreks for intense training and grew into LeaderTreks’ Refuel Retreats. Doug understands that being a youth worker requires us to lead students, adult volunteers, parents, and church leaders. He wants to help youth workers lead well and to see them become more effective for the purpose of helping students love God.

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