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Good SoilDiscipleship

Good Soil Discipleship

Discipleship questions to ask

Good discipleship questions help people listen to Scripture, speak honestly about life, and take a faithful next step with Jesus. Choose a few questions that fit the person and the passage. Listen patiently, respect what someone is ready to share, and turn the conversation toward prayer and practical love.

By Junior Saint-Val

Use questions to make room for a person

A question can open a conversation, but the way you listen matters just as much. Put away distractions, give someone time to think, and resist the urge to correct every sentence. You are getting to know a person who is learning to follow Jesus. The aim is understanding and faithful encouragement rather than collecting impressive answers.

Begin with a Bible passage. Ask what it says before asking how someone feels about it. Then choose one or two questions that connect the reading to ordinary life. If the person gives a short answer, you can ask, “Would you like to say more?” You can also accept a short answer and continue reading or praying together.

The audience groups below are starting places, not rules about what men, women, teenagers, or children must be like. Many questions work across groups. Adapt them to the person's age, understanding, responsibilities, and willingness. Avoid assuming that everyone is married, has children, works outside the home, or shares the same church background.

Seventy-five questions for discipleship conversations

Questions for anyone

  1. What has stayed with you from Scripture this week?
  2. What does this passage show you about Jesus?
  3. What part of following Jesus feels difficult today?
  4. Where have you noticed a reason to thank God?
  5. What question about faith would you like to explore?
  6. How has prayer actually looked in your week?
  7. What is one thing you need to confess to God?
  8. Whose forgiveness do you need to seek?
  9. Who has helped you understand God's love?
  10. What promise in this passage do you need to remember?
  11. Where could your actions better match your words?
  12. Who around you needs practical help?
  13. What is one faithful step you can take before we meet again?
  14. How can I support you without taking over?
  15. What would you like us to pray about right now?

Questions for men

  1. Where do you feel pressure to appear stronger than you feel?
  2. What does Jesus' example of service challenge in you?
  3. Who knows how you are doing beyond work and responsibilities?
  4. How are you learning to listen before offering a solution?
  5. What is shaping your understanding of success?
  6. Where do you need to ask for help this week?
  7. How do you respond when someone corrects you?
  8. What would integrity look like in a private decision?
  9. How are you treating people who cannot help your ambitions?
  10. What relationship needs your patient attention?
  11. How can you use strength or influence to serve someone?
  12. What habit is making it harder to be present?
  13. Where do you need to practice gentleness?
  14. Who could you encourage without expecting recognition?
  15. What does resting in God's care look like today?

Questions for women

  1. Where do you feel pressure to prove your worth?
  2. What helps you remember that you are welcomed by Christ?
  3. Which responsibility do you need help carrying?
  4. How are comparison and gratitude showing up in your week?
  5. Where would an honest boundary help you love well?
  6. What gift could you offer your church or neighborhood?
  7. Who makes room to hear your questions about Scripture?
  8. What does courage look like in your present season?
  9. Where do you need to receive care instead of only giving it?
  10. How does Jesus' attention to people shape your attention?
  11. What expectation do you need to bring before God?
  12. Which friendship could grow through a simple invitation?
  13. Where are you learning to speak truth with kindness?
  14. How can we celebrate someone else's good news together?
  15. What would a faithful next step look like this week?

Questions for youth

  1. What do you wish adults understood about your week?
  2. Which part of this Bible story surprised you?
  3. What question about Jesus are you hesitant to ask?
  4. Where is it hard to belong without pretending?
  5. How do your friends influence the choices you make?
  6. What happens to your attention after time online?
  7. Who at school might need a friend?
  8. How do you handle being left out or misunderstood?
  9. What would honesty look like in a difficult conversation?
  10. Which adult could help with something that feels too big?
  11. How could you show kindness when a group is being unkind?
  12. What does prayer sound like when you use your own words?
  13. Where do you see a chance to serve this week?
  14. What helps you remember that failure is not your identity?
  15. What would you like to ask God for today?

Questions for kids

  1. What happened in the Bible story we just read?
  2. What did Jesus say or do?
  3. What is one thing you wonder about God?
  4. What made you glad today?
  5. What made you sad or worried?
  6. Who was kind to you today?
  7. Who could you be kind to tomorrow?
  8. What can we thank God for together?
  9. When was telling the truth hard?
  10. Is there someone you need to say sorry to?
  11. What does forgiving someone look like?
  12. Who might need help or a turn to play?
  13. How could we share something we have?
  14. What would you like to pray about?
  15. What would you like to remember from this story?

Choose a few questions for the week

For a first conversation, try one question about Scripture, one about everyday life, and one about prayer. Read a short passage, let each person notice something, and ask what following Jesus could look like before you meet again. You can return to the same question several times if the answer is still unfolding.

If you are discussing Luke 10:25–37, for example, start with what the Samaritan actually does. Then ask who needs practical care. A concrete response might be checking on a neighbor or helping someone with a task. These are possible applications, not claims about what a particular reader has done. Let the passage and the person's situation guide the conversation.

For more structure, use the 90-day discipleship plan. It connects thirteen weekly topics with passages and check-in questions. You can also read how to disciple someone for help with invitations and a first meeting. A clear rhythm keeps questions from becoming a disconnected interview.

Listen differently when someone is struggling

When someone shares something difficult, slow down. You do not have to fill the silence with a verse or a solution. Ask what kind of support would be helpful, pray with permission, and follow up on what you agree to do. Remembering a concern next week can communicate care more clearly than asking a fresh list of questions.

Respect the person's choice about what to share. Do not demand intimate details to prove that the relationship is honest. Treat private information carefully, while recognizing that harm may require help beyond the conversation. A friend or group leader can offer faithful care without pretending to have every skill or answer a person might need.

Questions at home and in a group

With children, use short words and concrete experiences. Let them draw a scene, retell a story, or ask their own question. If they are tired, one question and a short prayer may be enough. The free Family Discipleship Kit offers a journal and A–Z resources for continuing these conversations through ordinary family moments.

In a group, leave room for everyone and allow a person to pass. Model a thoughtful answer without taking most of the time. If you want a small setting where people can know each other, explore discipleship groups. The site's two- or three-person model can help make space for Scripture, honest sharing, and prayer.

Download the printable questions

Download all 75 questions (PDF)Free printable. No signup required.

The free PDF includes all seventy-five questions, grouped in the same order as this page. No signup is required. Print it, keep it with your Bible, or bring it to a meeting. Mark a few questions ahead of time so the page helps you pay attention rather than drawing your eyes away throughout the conversation.

End by asking what the person wants to remember and what you can pray about together. Agree on one realistic next step and a time to reconnect. Good questions do not have to create an extraordinary moment. Used with patience and love, they can support an ordinary, continuing practice of following Jesus together.