It started with a question, and an uncomfortable realization.

Dillon sat at his desk looking over the Relational Discipleship Inventory from TENx10. He’d been part of early discussions about TENx10’s Faith Formation Framework, reviewed the Foundations of the Faith curriculum, and loved the vision: relational discipleship radically focused on Jesus. But as he read, something hit him hard.

“This is nothing like what I’m doing with my youth right now,” Dillon admits. “I realized my youth ministry model was built around programs and content, but it wasn’t centered on deep, intentional relationships.”

And that’s when God began to stir something new.

From Holy Discontent to Bold Action

Dillon, youth pastor at Pillar Church, a church in the reformed tradition in Holland, Michigan,  didn’t keep the conviction to himself. He walked into the office of his lead pastor, Jon, and laid it out. “I think we need to change how we disciple our youth,” he said.

Jon agreed something needed to shift, but they also both knew the church wasn’t ready for a total overhaul of its youth programming. “We decided instead of blowing it up, we’d try an experiment,” Jon explains.

The experiment would be called Journey: Following the Way of Jesus. It would be a yearlong Sunday morning experience for high school students that would run alongside the church’s regular ministries, embody TENx10’s values, and root everything in relationship.

A Simple Idea with Radical Potential

The plan: pair every student with one adult mentor who would walk with them for a year. In addition to attending regular Sunday services, the students and mentors would spend time on Sundays working through the Bible and TENx10’s Foundations of the Faith curriculum, they’d complete service projects together, go on casual outings, and eventually begin sharing what they were learning with the congregation. Parents would be involved from the beginning, to build trust and so that discipleship didn’t end at the church doors.

Dillon thought maybe five or six teens would sign up. Instead, nearly twenty students committed in the first year. “It felt like God was saying, ‘If you’ll step out in faith, I’ll meet you there,’” Dillon says.

Mentors Who Show Up Again and Again

The big sign-up brought a new challenge: Dillon needed a lot more mentors than he had planned for. That’s when Jon stepped in to champion the vision from the pulpit, casting a picture of a church where every teenager had multiple caring adults cheering them on.

Volunteers stepped forward — teachers, retirees, business owners, parents whose own kids were grown. Dillon prayed over each pairing and followed his gut, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide him.

Some pairs clicked instantly. Others took time. But what began to form surprised everyone.

One student, rarely seen in youth group, quietly battled anxiety. Dillon hadn’t known, but God had paired her with a mentor who had a counseling background. The mentor introduced her to a spiritual exercise called “saying hello” to her anxiety — acknowledging it without shame and inviting God into it. “It became transformative for her,” Dillon says.

Another mentor wrote to Dillon about a student’s growing desire to hear God’s voice. Together they practiced contemplative prayer, slowing down to rest in God’s love, and even confession. “I’ve appreciated her courage,” the mentor wrote. “I’m grateful to journey with her.”

Where Discipleship Really Happens

Not every meeting involved deep spiritual exercises. Sometimes it was ice cream runs, walks along Lake Michigan, cheering at a soccer game, or baking together.

“That’s where trust grows,” Dillon says. “Relational discipleship happens in the everyday moments, when you show up again and again.”

It was what Hebrews 10:24–25 describes: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together…but encouraging one another.”

A Church That Knows Its Youth

From the start, Dillon and Jon knew this couldn’t stay a “youth room” thing. The Faith Formation Framework had challenged them to engage parents and help the entire church champion the next generation.

Soon, students were reading Scripture before sermons, serving communion once a month, and sharing their testimonies during Sunday worship. “When youth serve in visible roles, it changes how the whole congregation sees them,” Jon says.

And it did. Adults began calling students by name, asking about their week, and showing up to support them. “Well-meaning people say young people are the church of the future,” Dillon reflects, “but I push back. This generation is the church right now. And mentors learn from teenagers, too.”

Parents as Part of the Process

Mentors didn’t just connect with students — they also built relationships with parents. They texted encouragement, chatted at sports games, and swapped updates at church events. The goal? To support parents in their role as primary disciplers while deepening the mentors’ own understanding of the teens they walked alongside.

Lessons That Shaped the Journey

The first year had its learning curves. Initially, Dillon called the program a “profession of faith” class, but Jon noted the phrase could intimidate students. So he and Jon rebranded it as an opportunity “to be animated by the gospel of Christ and compelled to live a life of faith,” which made it feel like an invitation rather than a test.

Two sisters are now preparing to make their profession of faith together. Several mentor–student pairs have continued meeting long past the official end date.

Coaching, Growth, and a Bigger Vision

Behind the scenes, Dillon was being coached by Jake Mulder, a TENx10 leader, who encouraged him to think bigger. In year two, Dillon plans to expand mentoring to every high school student who wants it, using TENx10’s Simple Mentoring resources to equip mentors.

The long-term vision? A culture where discipleship through intentional relationships isn’t just a youth ministry method — it’s how the whole church operates.

That’s especially important in Holland’s culturally Christian context. “Going to church is just what you do here,” Dillon explains. “But we want more than cultural Christianity. We want young people to actually follow Jesus with their whole lives.”

Evidence of Real Change

And the fruit is obvious. Teens are not only learning the content of the faith, they’re practicing it. They’re praying in new ways, serving their church family, processing struggles with trusted mentors, and making faith their own.

One mentor summed it up: “I see courage growing in them — courage to follow Jesus, to face challenges, to share their story. And that courage comes from a relationship with Him.”

Take That First Leap of Faith

Dillon didn’t start with a perfect plan. He started with a conviction — that discipleship happens best in relationship — and a willingness to take one faithful step.

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If you’re a pastor, youth leader, or elder, this could be your story too. You don’t need to wait for flawless strategy or unanimous buy-in to begin. You just need to start — one conversation, one mentor, one student at a time.

Because when discipleship is rooted in relationship and radically focused on Jesus, it doesn’t just grow young people’s faith — it has the power to renew your entire church.