Mentor Basic Training

Disciplemaking: Asking, Not Telling

How Great Mentors Help Others Hear from God

At Rising Hope Rescue Ranch, our goal isn’t to raise well-behaved kids or create picture-perfect families. Our calling is deeper—we want to help people become disciples of Jesus. And disciples aren’t formed through instruction alone—they grow through relationship, reflection, and discovery.

That’s why we don’t rush to tell.
We ask.

We ask because Jesus did.

He didn’t hand His followers a workbook or preach nonstop lectures. He asked questions like:

“Who do you say I am?”
“Do you want to get well?”
“Why are you afraid?”

Jesus used questions to invite people into deeper understanding, to challenge their assumptions, and to lead them closer to the Father.

As mentors, we’re not here to be answer-givers. We’re here to help our mentees and their families learn to hear from God for themselves.

And one of the best ways to do that is to ask the kind of questions that open hearts and create space for the Spirit to speak.

Asking as a Spiritual Discipline

At the ranch, our rhythm is simple:
Pray. Listen. Do.

Pray – Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your words and your silence. Pray for ears to hear what’s going on underneath the surface—for both you and your mentee.
Listen – Let the conversation unfold without needing to fix, correct, or steer it.
Do – When God prompts you to speak, ask a question that points them back toward Him.

That’s spiritual mentoring in a nutshell: we create space, we ask gently, we point to Jesus—and we trust the Spirit to do the real work.

Questions That Help Make Disciples

Discipleship doesn’t begin with knowledge—it begins with awareness. The right question at the right moment can help a child or parent:

Notice what they’re feeling
Reflect on what they’re believing
Identify where they’re resisting God
Respond to His invitation in that moment

Questions like:

“Where did you see God today?”
“What’s something you’ve been thinking about a lot lately?”
“What do you think God might be saying to you about that?”
“Is there anything you feel Him inviting you to do?”

These aren’t deep theological probes. They’re simple, Spirit-led invitations that turn conversations into soul work.

Over time, these questions help mentees learn to recognize the voice of God and respond to Him. And that’s what makes a disciple.

The Power of Open-Ended Curiosity

Great mentoring questions are:

Open-ended – Not “yes/no” or leading to your preferred answer.
Timely – Not forced, but offered when the moment is right.
Respectful – Honoring their pace, their story, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

You’re not quizzing them—you’re cultivating space for them to discover what God is saying.

Some of the best questions we’ve seen unlock tears, spark laughter, or lead to silence that you can feel. And often, the response doesn’t come right away. It might surface later that night, or next week. That’s okay. Seeds take time.

Asking Is Slower, But It’s Stronger

Telling is efficient. Asking is transformational.

Telling leads to compliance.
Asking leads to conviction.
Telling may lead to outward change.
Asking opens the door for inner transformation—and that’s what discipleship is all about.

If we want our mentees and their families to follow Jesus with their whole lives, we have to help them learn how to listen to Him. And that starts with us asking—not telling.

Final Thought

You don’t have to be a theologian to make disciples. You don’t have to have the perfect response. You just need to:

Pray.
Listen.
Ask.
Trust.

Let God use your questions to open hearts, stir faith, and draw people to Himself.

That’s what mentors do.

That’s how disciples are made.

Articles in the Basic Training series:

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Disciplemaking: Asking Not Telling