About Imagine Ministries

Who is Imagine Ministries?

Imagine Ministries is a 501(c)-3 Non-profit Corporation. Our desire is for Christ's love to be spread to all students and adults alike. His love should be manifested in our daily lives and ministry. Imagine believes that in-depth bible study, devotion to prayer, God-centered worship, and being active in the sharing of one's faith in Jesus Christ draws people of all ages into a passionate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Imagine's mission is to glorify God by making Him the core around which everything in us revolves.

What does Imagine Ministries believe?

Click here to read Imagine Ministries' Statement of Faith.

What does Imagine Ministries offer?

Click here to discover an overview of what Imagine Ministries has to offer.

What is Imagine's ministry emphasis?

Imagine Ministries seeks to give God His ultimate glory by our threefold ministry:

1. To teenagers by teaching them the importance of true biblical discipleship as modeled by Jesus
   Christ
2. To college and seminary students by giving them an opportunity to participate in ministry while in school
3. To student ministers by giving him/her an opportunity to minister with his/her students rather than to his/her students. This allows the student minister time to build lasting relationships with his/her students rather than be so concerned with logistics of a Disciple Now Weekend.

How much does Imagine Ministries charge?

Imagine Ministries charges only a small administrative fee, but we do ask for the following:

1. Prayer, Prayer, Prayer, and More Prayer from the entire local church body
2. That the local church covers round trip travel expenses for Imagine's Bible study leaders, staff, band*, and drama group*.(*the band and drama group may have additional booking fees.)
3. Imagine Ministries administrative fee of $300.00.(*this fee is flexible to the church's financial situation)
4. That the local church, if possible, gives Imagine's small group Bible study leaders some kind of monetary honorarium. Imagine's small group Bible study leaders work strictly on a volunteer basis. They in no way expect to be paid for their ministry. However, the local church should know that these college/seminary students will be volunteering 60+ hours of their time. Imagine asks that the local church consider giving to the small group leaders whatever they can give.
5. That the local church body asks for a love offering for Imagine Ministries. Aside from the sales of our Bible study curricula, this is the only income Imagine Ministries has to continue growing.

If finances are an issue in determining whether or not your church can book Imagine Ministries, please contact us. God has provided for Imagine Ministries since 2001 and He will continue to provide. Please do not allow finances or, the lack thereof, deter you from booking Imagine Ministries if you feel God leading you that way.

How can my church purchase Imagine's discipleship curriculum?

You can purchase Imagine's discipleship curriculum by completing and submitting our online order form. Imagine does not accept credit cards at this time. Imagine Ministries will email the contact person a digital invoice after the curriculum order has been shipped. Student booklets range between $4 and $5. Leader curriculum for each study is provided free of charge and will be emailed in PDF format upon receiving your order request.

How can my church book Imagine Ministries for our Disciple Now or other event?

You can book Imagine Ministries' full-service Disciple Now ministry by completing and submitting our booking information form. Imagine Ministries will contact you shortly after receiving your request. Imagine suggests that you book Imagine Ministries at least three(3) months in advance of your event due to limited availability. Often times Imagine's entire Spring schedule is booked by early January.

What is a Disciple Now?

Disciple Now is a life-changing event that churches often use to jumpstart their student ministries. Disciple Nows normally occur over a weekend (Friday-Sunday). Teenagers have small group Bible studies in church member's homes led by leaders either outside of or within the church. Students will also participate in three (3) different corporate worship services and recreation or mission projects. Disciple Nows historically are for students who already have a relationship with Christ, however, the new trend in Disciple Nows is to have more evangelistic Bible studies without losing biblical depth thus encouraging non-Christians to attend Disciple Now as well.

What is included in a Disciple Now?

A typical Disciple Now includes single-sex, age-divided small group Bible studies, multiple corporate worship opportunities including an evangelistic service on Saturday evening, fellowship meals, and recreation or mission projects.

How much does a Disciple Now cost?

The costs involved with Disciple Now vary.depending on what the church programs for their Disciple Now. You can count on the following average costs per student:

• weekend meals (3) = $15
• Bible study booklets = $5
• tshirt = $8

Other costs not structured on a per-student basis include:

• worship leader honorarium and travel
• speaker honorarium and travel
• small group leader honorariums and travel
• decorations
• weekend transportation
• miscellaneous printing expenses (ex. resources, evaluations
• evaluation meal (Sunday after church)
• Saturday afternoon activity supplies

You might be wondering, but how much does a Disciple Now cost? Well, it's impossible to accurately attach a figure to this question. There are too many variables that are different in every church from the amount already budgeted, to the number of students expected to attend, to the number of small group leaders. Since this is impossible to determine for all churches, we have built a Budget Management Tool that can assist you with your Disciple Now cost.

Where and when do I start in planning a Disciple Now?

NOW! It's never too early to start planning for your next Disciple Now. Disciple Nows involve a great amount of planning time and full church involvement from church staff, to deacon body, to parents and other adult volunteers. It's best to begin planning for a DNow at least 5 months in advance. I would also suggest that you form a Disciple Now team to help you in the planning process. This team might have a few parents and/or adult volunteers and a few leadership students.

When is the best time to schedule a Disciple Now?

The best time to schedule a Disciple Now is when nothing is going on in the life of your students or your church. But since there is no such time, here are some suggestions. The most popular times to schedule Disciple Nows are in the Spring (mid-January thru mid-April). The reason this is considered to be prime Disciple Now season is due to the following:

• this is considered the mid-point in ministry programming
• this is about six (6) months since the last youth camp/mission trip and is approximately six (6) months till the next youth camp/mission trip
• this is just after the busy holiday season
• there seem to be generally less school activities to juggle (football and other weekend sports, cheerleading, band, drama, etc.)

The second most popular time is much more brief and typically has significantly more scheduling conflicts to juggle. This time is in the early fall (September-October).

When scheduling a Disciple Now, you need to accept the fact that not everyone in your student ministry will be able to be involved. It's likely that many parents or adult leaders will try to influence your date to make sure that their son or daughter can attend. The reality is that the date for the weekend should come as a recommendation by your planning team, but ultimately decided by the student minister.

Is it best for my youth ministry staff or myself to plan the Disciple Now alone?

NO! This is an impossible task to be done by yourself. This will also take away from the church learning and growing through the process. My ministry style is to work myself out of a job. I do as much as I can to surround myself with people and to train them to do the Disciple Now so that my main job is ministering to the students and equipping the leaders. Delegation is a key. Ministry is much more effective when the students and church take ownership in what's being done. The same rings true with Disciple Now.

As suggested earlier in this section, form a team of parents and/or adult volunteers and a handful of leadership students. The team needs to be no larger than ten (10). Ask the team to vote on a chairperson to be the go-to person. This person will be your chief contact in regards to Disciple Now planning. Cast the vision of Disciple Now to your team, answer any questions that they might have, give them a budget and what you would like to see happen, and then let them run with me. Make sure they know that you are the final decision maker. Feel free to use our Disciple Now Planning Timeline and/or the Disciple Now Planning Guide on our "Imagine Etc." page.

What does a Disciple Now schedule look like?

Every Disciple Now should have a "Master Schedule" and a "General Schedule." The Master Schedule contains additional scheduling information such as staff meeting times. The General Schedule is very similar to the Master Schedule, but does not contain staff meeting times and other miscellaneous items. Click Master Schedule or General Schedule to view an example of each.

What are some options for the Saturday afternoon activity of Disciple Now?

On Saturday afternoon of Disciple Now, all of the homes typically come together for lunch at the church and then get ready for their Saturday afternoon activity. In the past, recreation has been offered during this time. Many times these recreation games are competition between homes or age groups. Some games are messy, some are athletic, and others are thinking games. I would suggest having a recreation coordinator plan all of these games. Make sure you have enough volunteers to assist.

A new option that our ministry has begun doing on Saturday afternoons is called the Missions Scavenger Hunt. The premise of this activity is to give each host home group a chance to do random acts of kindness in their community. this activity is not a race, rather it is simply trying to do as many activities on certain list in the alotted time. We would provide a list of twenty (20) generic items for the students to get ideas from. Each group of students would then take ownership in deciding exactly where to go, what to do when they get there, etc. No money will be given out and no other resources will be provided to the students unless they ask first. The idea is that they take complete ownership in this activity. Nothing is done apart from their initiative. Each team will have a digital camera to take pictures at each activity completed. After the Missions Scavenger Hunt is over, all memory cards from the digital cameras are accumulated and a video/slideshow can be created. Students have realized through this Saturday afternoon activity that these projects can be done not only during Disciple Now, but they can be done in their community on a daily basis. To view a possible list of Mission Scavenger Hunt items, click here.

Where do the students stay during a Disciple Now?

Students typically stay in host homes. These host homes are church members who are willing to volunteer use of their homes for the duration of the Disciple Now. Students will likely sleep on the floors. Small group Bible study sessions will also be held in the homes.

Where does the worship leader and speaker stay during Disciple Now?

Often times the speaker and/or worship leader will stay with the student minister or other church staff member during the Disciple Now. Some churches choose to add have a seperate host home host these leaders.

How do I enlist host homes?

The best way to start recruiting host homes is by examining a list of parents, youth Sunday School teachers or small group leaders, retired adults who have adequate space, time and patience to have students stay in their home, and church staff. From this list, narrow down the list to around twice as many as you actually need. Make sure that you cast the vision for the entire Disciple Now as well as making sure that each prospective host home knows exactly what their responsibilities will be throughout the weekend.

How should the homes be divided?

Imagine Ministries suggests that all homes be single-gender and divided based on the maturity level of the students while keeping their age or grade in mind. We understand that some 7th graders may actually be more mature than some of your 11th graders, but mixing 7th and 11th graders likely will not work. When deciding when to base the division of a student or group of students based on maturity level, consider only including these more mature students in age/grade groups that are one or two years in difference. We encourage churches to never "demote" a student based on maturity level unless that student has a strong relationship with some in that age/grade level.

Churches often divide homes similar to this...

7th Guys----------------------7th Girls

7th/8th Guys--------------------7th/8th Girls

or

8th Guys----------------------8th Girls

9th/10th Guys-------------------9th/10th Girls

Etc.

How many students should be in each home?

This answer varies depending on whether or not a co-host is in each home. Imagine suggests there be no more than 5 or 6 students per leader. Ideally, this number should be closer to 3, but this is often not practical. If co-hosts are used then more students can be in each home.

What resources do I need to give host homes?

Imagine Ministries offers a number of free resources for host homes found in our Resource Center's download central.

How do the students get to and from the host homes?

This is the host homes responsibility. Depending on your church's insurance policy, non-church members, which often are small group Bible study leaders, should never transport students in their vehicles. This is often outside of the bounds of a church's insurance policy. If host homes are not available to transport their students, a transportation coordinator position may need to be created on the planning team.

Should the small group leaders have their own bedrooms?

Yes, but this is not required. This allows the small group leader to get away to rest and prepare for each session. In most cases, the small group leader will only retreat to his or her room when lights out have occurred.

Who should discipline the students if trouble arises?

Discipline should always be handled by either the host home or the co-host. This often discourages a wall to be put up between the disciplined student and the small group leader if the small group leader has to discipline the student. This encourages more involvement in the Bible study sessions. This also protects the small group leader from disciplining in ways that your church might not support because he or she is not aware of church policy, etc.

Where are the small group Bible studies held?

The small group Bible study sessions are typically held in the host home. There is no better time to dig into God's Word than when students are in their pajamas, make-up removed, and sitting in a home setting. Students are ready to get real!

Who leads the small group Bible studies?

Small group Bible study leaders will lead these Bible study sessions. If you are using a ministry such as Imagine Ministries, these small group leaders are included in their full-service Disciple Now. It's a good idea to put new faces in front of the students during the Disciple Now Bible study sessions. This gives the students a new face to learn from.

How do I enlist small group leaders?

If your church has booked Imagine Ministries, Imagine will recruit and train all of the small group leaders you need. If you are doing the Disciple Now without the assistance of another ministry, you might want to contact the local collegiate ministry or seminary to see if they have strong leaders that would be willing to lead a small group. If this is not an option, then you might want to consider using some of your Sunday School teachers or small group leaders. You may want to mix them up and have them lead different age groups from what they normally teach or lead.

I've heard about the "master teacher" philosophy of Disciple Now, what is that?

There are two dominant philosophies for Disciple Now.

1. Small Group-Based: This philosophy centers on the relationships being cultivated in the small group Bible studies. All main stage messages supplement what is being taught within the homes.
2. Master Teacher-Based: This philosophy centers on the messages by the speaker. Often the small group Bible studies simply respond or reiterate what the speaker speaks about. There are normally more full-group worship times associated with this philosophy.

Should the host home leaders participate in the small group Bible studies?

There are positives and negatives to having the host homes participate in the Bible study sessions. Sometimes they can add alot to the sessions and learn at the same time. But they can also discourage some students from opening up because the student might be afraid they tell their mom or dad. This is a call that only the student minister can make.

How many Bible study sessions should I have?

Typical Disciple Now curriculum is between 4 and 6 sessions. You don't want to have too many sessions, but you want to make sure and adequately cover the topic.

How long should the Bible study sessions be?

Bible study sessions normally last around one hour (1:00) to an hour and a half (1:30). Churches must consider the attention span of students when choosing a curriculum and how long each session should be. Most of Imagine Ministries' curriculum is written with the student's attention span in mind. There are numerous activities and illustrations through the sessions that gain additional attention from the students. A general rule of thumb on attention spans is one(1) minute for every year they have lived.(ex. 15 year old = 15 minutes) If activities, illustrations, stories, etc. are intermingled throughout the sessions, then the attention span starts over when that activity begins.

I'm considering having a co-host for each group, what would their responsibilities look like?

The co-host is an extremely valuable asset to a Disciple Now small group. The co-hosts responsibilities are primarily to build relationships with the students and discipline unruly student if necessary. They are also invited to infuse their insights into the Bible studies, but they are not considered to be the primary small group leader. The main asset to having co-hosts is that when the Disciple Now is over and your small group leaders have returned to their campuses or homes, that co-host (who is from the church) has begun a relationship with certain students. The students then realize that

How many worship times should their be during a Disciple Now?

Imagine Ministries suggests that a Disciple Now have three(3) worship services including the normal Sunday services. These three services are:

• Friday Night: Opening Ceremonies (Brief "pump-it up" music set and an opening challenge from the speaker)
• Saturday Night: The Gathering: Community-wide Service (full worship music set and evangelistic message from speaker)
• Sunday Service(s): Normal full-church services

How long should each worship time be?

The Opening Ceremonies service on Friday night should be as brief as possible so that the students can get to their host homes and begin their Bible study sessions. The Gathering service on Saturday night should be scheduled to last at least an hour and a half (1:30) depending on the work of the Holy Spirit. This includes an invitation time. Sunday services vary depending on your church's typical weekly schedule.

How do I enlist a worship leader?

If you are using Imagine Ministries for your Disciple Now, Imagine can book a worship leader to suit your budget. If you are not using another ministry, you might want to contact some fellow student minister's to see who they have used before. Another good source for worship leaders is the local campus collegiate ministry. If you have a very small budget and your church has a worship band, you may want to consider using this band.

Should the worship leader be there for the entire Disciple Now?

YES! Having the worship leader be there throughout the Disciple Now adds stability and also allows the the entire church to experience what the students have been experiencing.

Should the worship leader have other responsiblities during the Disciple Now?

Sure! With Imagine Ministries' Disciple Nows we require that our worship leaders "get off the stage" and hang out with the students. Too often do worship leaders and speakers think that they are on a seperate pedestal because they lead from the stage. We require that the worship leader hang out with the students during meals, recreation/mission activities, and visit the homes when the Disciple Now leadership team visits the homes.

How do I enlist a speaker?

If you are using Imagine Ministries for your Disciple Now, your event includes Matt Hubbard as the speaker. If you are not using another ministry, you might want to contact some fellow student minister's to see who they have used before. Another good source for speakers are local seminaries. If you are still having a hard time finding a speaker or Imagine Ministries is already booked, contact us. We have a pretty extensive list of speakers that you might consider.

How often should the speaker speak?

The speaker should be prepared to issue an opening challenge at Opening Cermonies on Friday night, to share an evangelistic sermon on Saturday night, and evangelistic messages for Sunday full-church services.

Should the speaker have other responsibilities during the Disciple Now?

Sure! With Imagine Ministries' Disciple Nows we require that our worship leaders "get off the stage" and hang out with the students. Too often do speakers and worship leaders think that they are on a seperate pedestal because they lead from the stage. We require that the speaker hang out with the students during meals, recreation/mission activities, and visit the homes when the Disciple Now leadership team visits the homes.

How do I ask my pastor/church staff for permission to have the Disciple Now personnel lead the Sunday AM service(s)?

Having the Disciple Now continue through the Sunday morning worship services that are typically held not only allows the entire church to experience a little bit of what the student ministry has been experiencing, but it also shows the students that the entire church supports what has been going on. When asking the pastor and/or church staff for permission to have the Disciple Now personnel lead the Sunday services, simply ASK! Some pastors might have a hard time giving up "their pulpit." If this is the case with your church, consider having the speaker for the weekend contact the pastor or have the pastor listen to a recorded sermon of the speaker. If the staff is concerned about the worship style during the Sunday services, make sure that the worship leader for the Disciple Now understands the worship style for the church.

Is it OK to ask the church for a love offering?

Absolutely! When Imagine Ministries does Disciple Nows for churches, this is how we pay our bills. Love offerings are tremendous blessings in disguise. Love offerings do not come from any certain ministry budget, which often frees up budget space for other ministries. Love offerings come straight from the church--the people. Often love offerings are much larger than what churches can budget for.

How should the church ask for a love offering?

It is the opinion of Imagine Ministries, that no "oustide ministry" should ever ask a church congregation for a love offering! Someone from the church should always ask for a love offering on behalf of the "outside ministry." Imagine Ministries coordinates with the student minister or pastor of the host church on asking for a love offering prior to the Disciple Now. We have received love offerings in a variety of ways but are mainly summarized in:

• formal passing of the plate during a Sunday service
• standing at the door as people exit to shake hands and accept monetary gifts

The church normally accumulates all individual love offerings and sends a check to the "outside ministry."

What is the best curriculum for Disciple Now?

Guess what, there is no perfect curriculum. There are a variety of ministries that publish Disciple Now curriculum. Some of these include:

• Imagine Ministries
• Lifeway
• Student Life
• Student Discipleship Ministries

Each ministry has a different philosophy for their curriculum. Imagine Ministries curriculum is all discipleship based, meaning the topics of each study focuses on discipleship practices such as personal Bible study, prayer, biblical priorities, worship, sharing one's faith, making disciples, etc. Lifeway produces more topical studies such as True Love Waits. Student Life is fairly new to the Disciple Now curriculum market. All of SL's studies are web based. Student Discipleship Ministries has probably been in the Disciple Now arena the longest, yet their studies are somewhat dated.

What about doing True Love Waits for a Disciple Now?

Many churches tend to do more topical studies on sexual purity or True Love Waits. Imagine Ministries' Disciple Now philosophy is to focus on discipleship during Disciple Nows. We are saying that sexual purity is not a topic that needs to be taught. Sexual purity is a very important topic to lead, however, do a seperate event. If a church focuses on sexual purity at a discipleship event, discipleship gets pushed to the side. Lifestyle practices and discipleship foundations are equally important.

How much does curriculum cost?

Costs for curriculum varies significantly. For Imagine Ministries, each student booklet costs $5. Leader curriculum is FREE with the purchase of at least five student booklets. Most other ministries such as Lifeway and Student Discipleship Ministries have different prices for their student booklets and their leader material. Student Life has a completely different price structure for their web based curriculum.

When should I order curriculum?

Imagine suggests that all curriculum orders are confirmed no less than two weeks before the Disciple Now. Imagine also suggests that curriculum queries be made at least a month before the Disciple Now so that inventories of requested curriculum can be confirmed.

What is a Disciple Now budget?

A Disciple Now budget is a financial plan for income and expenses associated with the event. Often churches have existing line items within their overall student ministry budgets to better fund a Disciple Now event.

What if my church doesn't have a Disciple Now line item in our budget, can we still have a Disciple Now?

Definitely yes! Don't sweat not having a Disciple Now budget item to work from. You do not have to have a pre-budgeted amount of your overal student ministry budget to do a Disciple Now. Doing a Disciple Now, however, may be a little more challenging this way. You may have to charge each student a little more to help account for some of the expenses. You may have to utilize key church members to possibly help out financially or materially. Ideas such as asking local businesses to donate one of the Disciple Now meals, goes a long way. The Budget Management Tool will also help you see exactly where your expenses are and where you could possibly lessen those expenses without having to charge too much.

How much does a typical Disciple Now cost and what are the major budget areas to consider?

The costs involved with Disciple Now vary.depending on what the church programs for their Disciple Now. You can count on the following average costs per student:

• weekend meals (3) = $15
• Bible study booklets = $5
• tshirt = $8

Other costs not structured on a per-student basis include:

• worship leader honorarium and travel
• speaker honorarium and travel
• small group leader honorariums and travel
• decorations
• weekend transportation
• miscellaneous printing expenses (ex. resources, evaluations
• evaluation meal (Sunday after church)
• Saturday afternoon activity supplies

You might be wondering, but how much does a Disciple Now cost? Well, it's impossible to accurately attach a figure to this question. There are too many variables that are different in every church from the amount already budgeted, to the number of students expected to attend, to the number of small group leaders. Since this is impossible to determine for all churches, we have built a Budget Management Tool that can assist you with your Disciple Now cost.

How much do I charge students?

Imagine Ministries suggests that churches charge students at least the actual costs which include meals, Bible study booklets, and tshirts. Typically this amount is around $25. Churches might also consider putting a cap for families that have multiple teenagers that desire to attend Disciple Now. Imagine suggests that the family cap be around $60 for three or more students.

What about providing scholarships for certain students?

Scholarships can be both tremendous blessings and can cause all kinds of trouble. I heard from a student minister recently that one of his student's parents told him that if the church really wanted their child to come to the event so bad then the church should have to pay for it. Scholarships can be a tremendous asset to families that might not be able to pay for a youth event every month. Offering scholarships for every event might cause some families to always request scholarships even if they can afford to pay for some events. We suggest the following in regards to providing scholarships:

1. Require the student and family to complete a scholarship request form for every event that the student or family needs a scholarship to help pay for fees.
2. Limit the number of scholarships a family can receive per year. This allows for scholarships to be issued by other students and families as well.
3. When offering scholarships, still require the student or family to pay some amount even if it's only $5. If a student isn't completely sold on attending a certain event, like Disciple Now, yet the sign up and request a scholarship and then all of a sudden don't show up because it really didn't cost them anything, this can cause financial hardship on the student ministry budget. Students are more inclined to follow through with a committment if there is some kind of cost to them.

I've heard of doing phased registration, does this work well with Disciple Now?

Imagine Ministries always recommends a phased registration process. This lessens certain budgetary constraints that are often caused by last minute registrations, which seem to be inevitable in student ministry. A phased registration process for a Disciple Now might look like...

• Early Registration Period ($5 discount from base fee): Ends exactly one month before Disciple Now
• Normal Registration Period (Normal base fee): From one month before to two weeks before Disciple Now
• Late Registration Period ($10 increase of base fee): Less than two weeks before Disciple Now

Having such a registration period rewards early registrations and also penalizes late registrations. This also allows the church to pre-order items (ex. tshirts) knowing that every one(1) late registration pays for two additional tshirts or bible study booklets.

What should I pay small group leaders?

Imagine Ministries actually does not have a set charge of small group leader honorariums. All of our staff volunteers their time for the Disciple Now. We do, however, request that churches consider paying an honorarium to each of their small group leaders. Our small group leaders have been paid anything from $25 WalMart gift cards to $300 cash.

When deciding what to pay small group leaders, remember that the American dollar goes a long way especially with college and seminary-aged students. When deciding how much to actually pay small group leaders, we suggest that churches consider how much time these small group leaders will volunteer to give up in Bible study prep and actually leading the Bible study. During the typical Disciple Now weekend, small group leaders volunteer at least sixty (60) hours in preparation for the event or actually leading the event. Often times thinking from this perspective gives a church a clearer picture of what should be budgeted for small group leader honorariums.

What should I pay a worship leader?

How much to pay a worship leader is similar to how much to pay small group leaders. However, more often than not, small group leaders do not consider leading Disciple Nows as their only source of income. Worship leaders, whether full band or single worship leader, often travel and lead worship as their occupation.

Imagine Ministries networks with a number of worship leaders that fit a variety of budgets. We normall suggest that a church pay a single worship leader at least $500 for a Disciple Now if they lead worship at least three times. If a full band is leading worship, we suggest a minimum honorarium of $750 due to the additional band members. The average pay for a contract musician is $100-150 per "show." These honorariums should be in addition to travel expenses to and from the event.

What should I pay a speaker?

How much to pay a speaker is very similar to paying a worship leader. For Imagine Ministries Disciple Nows, the $300 administrative fee covers this speaking honorarium. This is an extremely cheap rate for this field of ministry. On average, speakers get paid $150-300 per speaking session. Matt Hubbard, President of Imagine Ministries, has been paid to speak at events anywhere from $200 for one session to over $1500 for four sessions.

What about the meals during a Disciple Now?

Our philosophy of Disciple Now requests that churches consider meals to be a chance for all that attend Disciple Now to fellowship with one another. We request that the Friday night meal, Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday breakfast be held at the church or other central location for all Disciple Now participants to fellowship together.

Meals can be costly if you don't watch out, or they can also be extremely cheap if you plan well and ask around. Often times, groups within the church, such as the ladies or mens group, might be willing to cook and serve a meal for free. Family-sized lasagnas, which can be purchased at warehouse outlets like Sam's of Cosco, are always budget friendly.

Our church would like to have a Disciple Now tshirt to remember this event, who can I order Disciple Now tshirts from?

Tshirts are a must have with almost every major student ministry event. Disciple Nows are no different. About two years ago, Imagine Ministries took on a massive search to find a tshirt company that shared the same ministry values in addition to providing great quality products at low prices with no minimum order. This was nearly an impossible task, but we did find a company that resides in northwest Arkansas called Allstar Screen Printing and More. Imagine has built such a strong relationship with Allstar, that they have have agreed to give any church that mentions Imagine Ministries the same corporate rate that we receive. To view these rates click here. If you'd like to contact Allstar, please get in touch with us.

Remember, if you purchase curriculum from Imagine Ministries, Imagine will provide you a free tshirt design that coordinates with the curriculum purchased. Allstar Screen Printing already has the screens ready to go for these designs.

What happens after Disciple Now ends?

The Disciple Now is over. The students have gone to crash at their real homes. Your head is pounding and your eye lids won't stay open, what now? EVALUATE! I'm sure that's exactly what you wanted to hear. Imagine Ministries suggests that at the very least you evaluate with your small group leaders who you may never see again. Talk with them over a meal about some of the things that went on during their small group Bible studies. Have each leader share their thoughts about every individual student in their groups. Have the leadership evaluate how they felt the Disciple Now as a whole flowed. It's best to do an initial evaluation while the Disciple Now is still fresh on their minds. A full evaluation can come afterwards.

Follow-up...be sure to follow up with those students who made decisions during the weekend. Also, be sure to mail a thank you letter to every one of the host homes that were involved and the rest of your key leadership team.

Where can I find free resources to help plan our Disciple Now?

Imagine Ministries is all about equipping the local church to do what it is called to do, particularly the student ministry. Knowing that, Imagine Ministries offers a wealth of free planning resources on our Imagine Etc. page.

Where can I find free resources to better get our entire church involved in Disciple Now, particularly with prayer?

Once again, our Imagine Etc. page has a vast assortment of resources to better involve the entire church in the Disciple Now. Imagine has also begun selling silicone prayer bracelets that have "Pray for Disciple Now" which churches can purchase to better involve the entire church in the prayer ministry of Disciple Now. To order these prayer bracelets complete and submit our online order form.

Where can I find free resources to give to students who either (1) accepted Christ during Disciple Now or (2) felt a call to vocational ministry or missions?

The North American Mission Board(NAMB) a few years back created a tremendous free resource that specifically helps students that made these decisions. Imagine Ministries has been given permission to provide student ministries a copy of each of these CD-roms which you can reproduce as often as you need to. We ask that you do not charge any thing for these CDs. Feel free to add your own ministry artwork and packaging to these CDs. Below is more specific information on each CD-rom. If you'd like to order this resource, please complete and submit our online order form.

The Pursuit CD (New Believers):

Info: 

What are you holding in your hand? The Pursuit is about understanding that there is more to a life with Jesus than just a one time prayer. God affects every decision in your life. He is the boss because He made you. He knows everything about you. He forgave you. He loves you. Your life is not over because you met God. Your life is just beginning.

Contents: 

Three Months of Daily Bible Study / Devotional Reading - Anyone called to ministry or missions must know how to read the Bible and listen to God's direction. These quiet time guides assume that you are interested in going deeper into God's word and that you are asking serious questions about God's call on your life.

Six Month Mentor Guide - We need the wisdom of individuals who have lived life with God. Mentoring relationships are a key element of support for most individuals called to ministry.

Vocational Resources - Many individuals that are called to ministry or missions immediately feel that they must know the vocational path that God has for them, but a call to ministry or missions is not a call to a vocation. It is a call to a person, Jesus! Jesus will direct you to a vocation, just like He directs anyone to a vocation. This section of the CD will help you explore possible ministry paths and read biographical conversations with people of varied vocations who are called to ministry or missions. It also answers some frequently asked questions about a call to ministry.

Spiritual Growth Resources - This section includes documents like a peer accountability guide, scripture memory ideas, additional reading resources, and links to get more help in ministry.

Holman Christian Standard Bible and Bible Study Helps - Included on this CD is a full version of the HCSB and numerous Bible study helps.

The Discovery CD (Ministry/Missions):

Info:

What are you holding in your hand? The Discovery CD is designed for a person that has just come to the realization that God has called them to ministry or missions. The call to ministry or missions can be both exciting and intimidating. The information on this CD can help a person exploring God's call sort through the thoughts, feelings, and questions that they may have about the call. Start the daily Bible study on this CD right away and take the time to explore the other areas that are included. Whatever you do, don't lose this CD! It may be the key to your new and amazing journey with God.

Contents:

Three Months of Daily Bible Study / Devotional Reading - Anyone called to ministry or missions must know how to read the Bible and listen to God's direction. These quiet time guides assume that you are interested in going deeper into God's word and that you are asking serious questions about God's call on your life.

Six Month Mentor Guide - We need the wisdom of individuals who have lived life with God. Mentoring relationships are a key element of support for most individuals called to ministry.

Vocational Resources - Many individuals that are called to ministry or missions immediately feel that they must know the vocational path that God has for them, but a call to ministry or missions is not a call to a vocation. It is a call to a person, Jesus! Jesus will direct you to a vocation, just like He directs  anyone to a vocation. This section of the CD will help you explore possible ministry paths and read biographical conversations with people of varied vocations who are called to ministry or missions. It also answers some frequently asked questions about a call to ministry.

Spiritual Growth Resources - This section includes documents like a peer accountability guide, scripture memory ideas, additional reading resources, and links to get more help in ministry.

Holman Christian Standard Bible and Bible Study Helps - Included on this CD is a full version of the HCSB and numerous Bible study helps.