Discipleship is the life-long pursuit of growing in faith (knowledge, assent, trust) in Christ, and by His free grace, being renewed in his image, and as a result dying more and more to sin and living to righteousness. This faith expresses itself in love for one another (John 13:35) which confirms that we are Jesus’ disciples.
Functionally this boils down to three main foci for discipleship:
Instruction
What does God say about himself in Scripture which impacts me and my life?
Mentorship
How does the Holy Spirit help me to obey God’s revealed Word and as a result guide others to do the same?
Accountability
How does accountability to others shape my mind, heart and behavior?
At their core, discipleship, mentoring, and accountability are all about relationships. You don’t need to know everything to disciple or mentor someone. You need to love them enough to walk through the challenges of life with them, continually pointing them back to Christ. Discipleship, mentoring, and accountability cannot exist without deep lasting relationships rooted in our mutual union with Christ.