The Cord of Discipleship —Randy Riggins
The cord of discipleship runs deep, basic, and consistent throughout my spiritual journey. When I was in the 7th grade, a man named Ross Hargrove invited me to be on junior staff of a Christian coffee house that he started near the high school I would eventually attend. It was in that setting where I learned how to make nachos at the snack bar, but most importantly where I discovered what it meant to be a follower of Christ. Ross took an interest in my spiritual development and taught me how to study God’s Word and share my faith. 
The following year, I vividly recall when Thomas Stone , my youth pastor, invited my best friend and me to help him paint the youth room. A flawlessly painted youth room wasn’t his goal it was all about building relationships. ( II Tim. 1:3-4 )
Fast forward two years to a new church and a new youth pastor named Johnny Derouen . Over the next 10 years, I was involved in Johnny’s youth ministry as a volunteer, a summer intern, and as his associate. Johnny made sure the ministry never stopped being personal, intentional, prayer-drenched, and focused on Jesus. ( Hebrews 12:2 )
After serving 10 years in full-time youth ministry, I eventually found myself in a conversation with another ministry friend and mentor, Michael Holt . He happened to be on staff with Reach Out at the time. What I remember most about that encounter was being confronted with the reality that I had been more concerned with my leaders filling the spaces in my org. chart than I was with their spiritual health. I realized that multiplying myself in ministry meant building and leading a team that was thriving spiritually.
The next year, I invited Barry St. Clair to spend some time with my leaders. I was keenly interested in introducing them to this man who had dedicated his life to training and equipping youth leaders around the world. It was during Barry’s visit that he said to me, “You do youth ministry the same way we train leaders to do ministry.”

That conversation eventually led me into partnership with him, training disciples around the world from Siberia to Cuba to Germany and beyond. Now, as Reach Out Youth Solution’s International President, this has become the primary focus of the ministry God has for me.
Over the years, each of these men shaped my understanding of youth ministry, and what it means to follow Christ, make disciple-makers, and build strong teams. They taught me that ministry is more than the big event, and that if it fails to be personal, then we have missed the point. It has always been “personal” with Jesus. ( Matthew 9:36 )
At Reach Out, we believe God has entrusted us with a mission to see that same chord of personal and intentional discipleship runs throughout the course of youth leader’s lives and ministries around the world.
Would you consider partnering with us as
we continue this exciting and powerful mission? 
Jesus is Lord,
Randy Riggins, International President