Spiritual Growth and Maturity Survey

As a part of my Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University I am to conduct a qualitative research project. I wrote about the master’s program in yesterday’s post. Read it HERE. I decided to survey the spiritual health of our church by asking a cross-section of people questions about their own spiritual maturity and growth.

Specifically this research will attempt to measure:

What contributes to a person’s spiritual growth most?
What has caused or will cause them to want to take next steps in their spiritual growth?

I am asking people to answer the following questions:

What do you believe is spiritual growth?
Do you feel you are growing spiritually now? Why?
What has caused your life to improve spiritually in the past? Were there key events/people/times? Can you explain?
How has Grace Community Church influenced your spiritual growth since you began attending?
What would help you grow more spiritually mature?
What changes do you need to make to grow more spiritually?
Are there any comments or thoughts you have about the church and what we are doing to spur people to “become growing followers of Jesus Christ”?

I am getting great responses so far. I will share some of my results in future posts.

Feel free to play along. How would you answer these questions?

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Cate · 817 weeks ago

Interesting questions, and bound to result in some interesting answers :) Let's see...

1. What do you believe is spiritual growth?

The process of becoming a closer image of our God, revealed in Christ.

2. Do you feel you are growing spiritually now? Yes

Why? Love, joy, peace (in particular), and the spiritual fruit as a whole are becoming more apparent in my life (at least to me :) )

3. What has caused your life to improve spiritually in the past? Were there key events/people/times? Can you explain?

I have always grown more quickly in times of trouble or great responsibility. Typically in times of betrayal or responsibility for work far beyond my natural capabilities I choose to focus only on obedience and time with God, drawing me more fully into dependence on God, and I believe that by being in His presence (abiding) more completely, results in a stronger graft onto His vine, and more of his essence being fed into my soul. A natural consequence of good food is growth.

4. How has Grace Community Church influenced your spiritual growth since you began attending?N/A

5. What would help you grow more spiritually mature? Continued trials, and being held to greater accountability by my brothers and sisters.

6. What changes do you need to make to grow more spiritually?

Exposure to more spiritually mature people, those further down the road than I, and more disciplined times of prayer, solitude and fasting. Greater efforts in service and participating in the community of the church. Deliberately placing myself in situations that ask for greater commitment.

7. Are there any comments or thoughts you have about the church and what we are doing to spur people to “become growing followers of Jesus Christ”?

Most of the church actually has no idea what it means to be "the church". To call even those who are spiritually mature to lay it all on the line for Christ is seen as unrealistic - and yet, if we don't, do we really have a true understanding of who God is? We are too quick to hide behind "family responsibility" (when most of us are simply too busy and engage in too many activities; or the complete opposite!), or "I could never be like Mother Theresa, she was special" (how special do you have to be to love a child?), or any number of other excuses. He is God! By His grace, we are his children! It wouldn't hurt most of us to get a little less familiar, and a little more in awe of our God.
.-= Cate´s last blog ..Becoming a Skillful Sailor =-.

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Mrs. W. · 816 weeks ago

I like what Cate had to say: I have always grown more quickly in times of trouble or great responsibility.

2 replies · active 773 weeks ago

Joe Sewell 48p · 773 weeks ago

That's interesting. For me times of trouble or "great responsibility" have caused me to fear all the more. I think it has something to do with old notions thrust upon me as a child that I couldn't be "good enough" for anything on my own. I am still "working through" all that and the notion that God doesn't abandon me to the consequences of my own stupidity and failure in my responsibilities (and in knowing what my God-given responsibilities are, vs. what I think they are).

ronedmondson 127p · 773 weeks ago

Interesting. I hadn't considered that perspective. Thanks for sharing. God certainly doesn't abandon us!

Got referred here by your more recent post on spiritual growth, but I'd like to join in, too.

1. What do you believe is spiritual growth?

Spiritual growth is growing spiritually. It's maturing in life in Christ, drawing closer to God in a fashion similar to how a married couple draws closer to each other (or should be, at least).

2. Do you feel you are growing spiritually now? Why?

Honestly, right now I am unsure of the answer to this question. I feel I am, but I'm not satisfied with my current level of spiritual growth & maturity. Not sure what I'm missing or why.

3. What has caused your life to improve spiritually in the past? Were there key events/people/times? Can you explain?

Solid applicable teaching of God's Word at church without the focus on what you do, but rather who you are. Teaching that cares about the individual, that encourages rather than criticizes. Having a group of people with whom I can share my journey, and who are interested in what I have to say, who can identify with a software engineer (I are one :) ).

4. How has Grace Community Church influenced your spiritual growth since you began attending?

Let me turn this around to the 3 churches I've attended in my life. (Disclaimer: I was not "raised in a Christian home." More precisely, I was raised in a home that rejected the only church in our small town after the church leadership rejected my parents for legalistic reasons.) The first church I attended was a highly "liturgical" church run by the congregation; until the "end" the only reason I stayed there was because God wanted me there as a light. The second church was a Calvary Chapel megachurch, where I grew under real Scriptural teaching. The third church is also a Calvary Chapel, though smaller; I'm still working through some issues from the second church and with my past to say that I've been able to grow spiritually during the past few years, in spite of my current pastor's help.

5. What would help you grow more spiritually mature?

I wish I knew. Right now something's out of balance, but I have no idea what it is, and neither my pastor nor my wife has been able to determine what it is.

6. What changes do you need to make to grow more spiritually?

See above. I suppose spending less time on Facebook & Twitter wouldn't hurt, though that does help me come down from the stress & anxiety of the day. (I do have physiological problems that contribute to stress & anxiety, FWIW.)

7. Are there any comments or thoughts you have about the church and what we are doing to spur people to “become growing followers of Jesus Christ”?

KEEP CHRIST FIRST! Anything else is idolatry. That includes programs, ministries, edicts from the denomination, flakoid thoughts from "respected leadership," and the like. One thing I would tell both my previous churches is to get over yourselves. The "order of worship" is not God, and neither are the "5 C's" or the "performance" (both in terms of what gets recorded and/or transmitted to the satellite video campi, and what people are "doing" in "service"). Some find meaning in those. In the first case, I suppose that's OK, though I cannot comprehend it. In the second case, it has caused a shift in focus that will not be healthy in the long run. Return to your first love!

1 reply · active 773 weeks ago

Thanks for answering!

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Comments by IntenseDebate

Join the discussion 5 Comments

Joe Sewell
Twitter: joe_sewell
says:

June 13, 2010 at 3:54 pm

Got referred here by your more recent post on spiritual growth, but I'd like to join in, too.

1. What do you believe is spiritual growth?

Spiritual growth is growing spiritually. It's maturing in life in Christ, drawing closer to God in a fashion similar to how a married couple draws closer to each other (or should be, at least).

2. Do you feel you are growing spiritually now? Why?

Honestly, right now I am unsure of the answer to this question. I feel I am, but I'm not satisfied with my current level of spiritual growth & maturity. Not sure what I'm missing or why.

3. What has caused your life to improve spiritually in the past? Were there key events/people/times? Can you explain?

Solid applicable teaching of God's Word at church without the focus on what you do, but rather who you are. Teaching that cares about the individual, that encourages rather than criticizes. Having a group of people with whom I can share my journey, and who are interested in what I have to say, who can identify with a software engineer (I are one ).

4. How has Grace Community Church influenced your spiritual growth since you began attending?

Let me turn this around to the 3 churches I've attended in my life. (Disclaimer: I was not "raised in a Christian home." More precisely, I was raised in a home that rejected the only church in our small town after the church leadership rejected my parents for legalistic reasons.) The first church I attended was a highly "liturgical" church run by the congregation; until the "end" the only reason I stayed there was because God wanted me there as a light. The second church was a Calvary Chapel megachurch, where I grew under real Scriptural teaching. The third church is also a Calvary Chapel, though smaller; I'm still working through some issues from the second church and with my past to say that I've been able to grow spiritually during the past few years, in spite of my current pastor's help.

5. What would help you grow more spiritually mature?

I wish I knew. Right now something's out of balance, but I have no idea what it is, and neither my pastor nor my wife has been able to determine what it is.

6. What changes do you need to make to grow more spiritually?

See above. I suppose spending less time on Facebook & Twitter wouldn't hurt, though that does help me come down from the stress & anxiety of the day. (I do have physiological problems that contribute to stress & anxiety, FWIW.)

7. Are there any comments or thoughts you have about the church and what we are doing to spur people to “become growing followers of Jesus Christ”?

KEEP CHRIST FIRST! Anything else is idolatry. That includes programs, ministries, edicts from the denomination, flakoid thoughts from "respected leadership," and the like. One thing I would tell both my previous churches is to get over yourselves. The "order of worship" is not God, and neither are the "5 C's" or the "performance" (both in terms of what gets recorded and/or transmitted to the satellite video campi, and what people are "doing" in "service"). Some find meaning in those. In the first case, I suppose that's OK, though I cannot comprehend it. In the second case, it has caused a shift in focus that will not be healthy in the long run. Return to your first love!
- ronedmondson says:
  
  June 13, 2010 at 9:44 pm
  
  Thanks for answering!
Mrs. W. says:

August 12, 2009 at 12:27 am

I like what Cate had to say: I have always grown more quickly in times of trouble or great responsibility.
- Joe Sewell
  Twitter: joe_sewell
  says:
  
  June 13, 2010 at 3:28 pm
  
  That's interesting. For me times of trouble or "great responsibility" have caused me to fear all the more. I think it has something to do with old notions thrust upon me as a child that I couldn't be "good enough" for anything on my own. I am still "working through" all that and the notion that God doesn't abandon me to the consequences of my own stupidity and failure in my responsibilities (and in knowing what my God-given responsibilities are, vs. what I think they are).
  - ronedmondson says:
    
    June 13, 2010 at 9:43 pm
    
    Interesting. I hadn't considered that perspective. Thanks for sharing. God certainly doesn't abandon us!