As Christian Reformed churches focus on multiplication through discipleship in conjunction with the denomination’s 10-year commitment, more are turning to one-on-one mentoring to prepare young people for profession of faith rather than relying primarily on a classroom-setting approach.
Rick Zomer, a faith formation consultant with Thrive, the CRC's equipping ministry for congregations, said, “The classroom approach can make profession of faith feel formal and impersonal for a younger person. In contrast, mentoring creates a comfortable space for young people to ask questions they might hesitate to bring up in a group.”
Thrive has curated a Professing our Faith toolkit that contains examples of courses, retreats, mentoring, and other initiatives that various CRCNA congregations have created or used. One platform gaining attention is 222Disciple from Port St. Lucie, Fla., which has seen an 18% increase in the number of people joining and using its online materials since the 2025 Multiply Conference in November. Because the network does not track reasons for joining, creator Scott Vander Ploeg hesitates to attribute the growth—from 1,730 members to 2,047—to the conference. However, he shared that the conference “generate(d) new conversations and follow-up with pastors and leaders from several regions.”
Vander Ploeg designed 222Disciple as a mentorship-style discipleship program patterned after 2 Timothy 2:2, where the apostle Paul encourages Timothy to take the things he heard from Paul and entrust them “to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” Vander Ploeg describes the pattern as a combination of doctrine and apprenticeship between a young person or developing Christian and a mature believer. Available in several languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and Hausa, it features a “structured sequence of short teaching videos and accompanying handouts designed to be used in real discipling relationships.”
Aaron Vriesman, pastor of North Blendon CRC in Hudsonville, Mich., has used the lesson sheets for four years. Previously, he walked candidates directly through the Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed confessions. While that approach provided important theological grounding, he sometimes found himself “lost in the weeds of doctrine.”
The 222Disciple lessons remain firmly rooted in Reformed theology and, as Vriesman observes, are “noticeably based on the Heidelberg Catechism” while maintaining a clear focus on the gospel. The format, however, allows something more personal to happen.
“It has a way of bringing the candidate’s needs, challenges, insecurities, doubts, or questions to the surface,” Vriesman pointed out. “The leader then has the opportunity to encourage the candidate with the gospel and explain how the gospel meets all their spiritual needs.”
Dave Bosscher, pastor of Lakeside Community CRC in Alto, Mich., has used the materials for seven years after being trained by Vander Ploeg. At Lakeside, mentors pray over a list of junior and senior high students before choosing someone to invite to disciple. The six- to eight-month process is considered a “win” if a student “either clearly loves Jesus or knows why they don’t,” Bosscher said.
“We want each student to graduate with a strong reaction to Jesus that is their own choice—anything but a shrug, we like to say.”
The 222Disciple model views making profession of faith not as the completion of discipleship, but a milestone within it. Vander Ploeg said, “We hope to see a mature, self–feeding, reproducing Christian—not merely someone who can give the right answer.”
About the Author
David Hanson attends Kentville (N.S) CRC with his wife and two children, where he serves as an elder. He loves spending time in the garden, studying Scripture, sharing the hope of Christ with others, and writing fiction.