Chart a Course for Spiritual Growth

A young woman was recounting her salvation experience to me and several others in a group when someone asked her about growth as a Christ-follower.

“You know, that’s the hardest part,” she said. “You don’t know what to do next.”

Unfortunately, her experience is too often the norm in the world today. Christians put such a huge emphasis on the salvation experience that discipleship - the process by which we move from “milk to meat” as believers and grow in our relationship with Christ - doesn’t get much attention. Or maybe we just don’t know what to do.

The majority of churches have some type of new member class, which is either a roadmap you must follow to be baptized in a church or the first steps you take post-baptism.

After that? In a great many churches you are on your own. Some, however, route new believers through some version of Saddleback’s 100-200-300-400 level studies and classes, which walk you through everything from prayer to sharing your faith to preparation for a mission trip.

At Threads and LifeWay, we don’t claim to have tablets carved out of rock that give you specifics on discipleship, but we do have some ideas and expertise that can help you.

Give a new believer someone to walk with through the journey.

Bible studies are great and so are wonderfully defined processes, but unless you place a new believer in the care of a more seasoned Christ-follower, spiritual growth will not bloom. You must have someone available to answer the hard questions, to give guidance where it is needed and generally show love to a new Christian when they are embarking on the journey of their life. They may meet weekly or monthly for a time period from six months to three years, but the important thing is that an intentional pairing takes place.

Find the people in your church who are equipped and motivated for this holy task and get them going. For a whole host of reasons that you understand, make sure men are mentoring men and women are mentoring women.

Follow some type of basic plan.

Claude King, one of the most godly men I know, is working on a series of discipleship study books called the Growing Disciples series from LifeWay. The first study, The Call to Follow Christ, is an overview of six basic foundational principles of believers—Abide in Christ, Live in the Word, Pray in Faith, Witness to the World, Fellowship with Believers and Minister to Others. Six individual study books cover these disciplines in detail. These would be great resources to follow in a group or one on one.

They are many other options out there. Just make sure you pick one and don’t go freelance. There is no need.

Make certain scripture memory is a part of the plan you choose.

Biblical literacy is at an all-time low among believers and at least part of the reason can be attributed to a lack of intention to scripture memory. It’s non-negotiable and anyone who tells you otherwise is not giving new believers what they need.

When I was in college, God gave me the great privilege of being involved in The Navigators ministry, where my mentor, Barry, gave me a box of wallet-sized scripture cards called the “Topical Memory System”. I still use these cards today for refreshing my memory and I buy them for new believers who are looking to hide God’s Word in their hearts. I don’t get a royalty for endorsements, I just think it’s a great tool. Use whatever you like, just use some method to enable people to help them recall the Bible whenever and wherever they need it.

If you need more help building a discipleship process for your young adult ministry, I would be glad to help. Just email me at jim.johnston@lifeway.com.