discipleship

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English disciple Proto-Germanic *skapjaną Proto-Germanic *-skapiz Proto-West Germanic *-skapi Old English -sċiepe Middle English -schipe English -ship English discipleship From disciple + -ship.

1. The condition of being a disciple.

   “Near-synonyms: followership; apprenticeship, tutelage”

   “The weaknesses of the many make the leader possible—and the man who craves disciples and wants followers is always more or less of a charlatan. The man of genuine worth and insight wants to be himself; and he wants others to be themselves, also. Discipleship is a degenerating process to all parties concerned. People who are able to do their own thinking should not allow others to do it for them.”

2. The period during which a person is a disciple.