Measuring Individual Growth as a Disciple
How can I determine how far down the path of discipleship a person actually is?
Let me begin by saying that what I’m writing today is my best attempt to measure where a person is on the discipleship pathway.1 I anticipate criticism, and I hope that those of you who disagree with me will respond respectfully in hopes that I will see your perspective. Today I’m sharing my perspective at this point in time. Also, this is not meant to determine whether a person is “really saved” or not. I’m trying to ascertain whether the person does the things that a disciple is called to do.
Why would I want to measure?
I work as a pastor who is charged to do as Ephesians 4:11-13 says:
11 And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, (LSB)
So to that end, I’m trying to properly equip believers. Part of doing that requires me to know where they are and then how to encourage growth from that point. My motivation for measuring where someone is on a discipleship pathway is so that I can encourage growth, and hopefully place them in a position to lead others toward spiritual growth. If I do my job well, the result should be exponentially different from acting as the resident expert on a topic. Instead, I’m aiming for a disciple making movement within our local body of Christ.
Ways to Measure (Categories)
For me it’s pretty simple. In my specific context, I am looking to see if people fit into one of the following categories… In fact I start from the higher stages, and work down. Yes, it takes time to get to know people well enough to discern exactly where they fit. How I “feed” these people through suggestions and conversation is looks distinct, and we will get to that later. My goal here is to encourage you to see where others are in terms of their walk with Jesus and encourage them to take the appropriate next step.
My goal here is to encourage you to see where others are in terms of their walk with Jesus and encourage them to take the appropriate next step.
Leader of Disciplemakers - Is this person a mature believer (knows scripture thoroughly and displays the fruit of obedience in their lifestyle) who also displays the practical interpersonal skills, and encouraging attitude along with ability to take instruction required to lead others in how they disciple people?
In my experience, people who fit this category are often taught to get here rather than just somehow finding their way here. They are often long-time followers of Jesus. Your church staff should be this level of person (though I wasn’t when I started at the age of 19 in a church of 35 people so have grace!). Depending on your church you may have a few of these, you may not have any, or hopefully there are many if you are at a very large church.
Disciplemaker - Is this person a mature believer who is willing to share that knowledge and life with others? This is a person who might lead a group Bible study or teach kids lessons (as opposed to watch kids). Maybe they meet with another woman or two for coffee and a talk every now and then. They are committed to growing and asking questions. I think 19 year old me fit into this category.
Disciple - Does this person understand what it means to follow Jesus? Are they actually attending church, reading the Bible, or serving somewhere? I’m looking for a habit that shows they have moved past simply understanding the gospel to where they are involved in the kingdom somehow.
Believer - Has this person decided to follow Jesus? Is there any evidence that they follow Jesus?
Curious - Is this person checking out Jesus? Are they open to hearing more about Jesus? Did they show up at church? Are they parenting a kid on my kid’s team and they asked me a question about church since (in their words) “I know you’re a pastor and stuff.” These people may not be believers, but they might be close.
Thinking this way…
When I meet a person I’m thinking about these things as I talk to them. For example, my son was at a kid’s birthday party the other night and I was talking to other dads. One guy was very interested in what I do, but was completely comfortable cursing in front of the group. The stories he told had a different plot-line than the stories I tell (if you know what I mean). I would imagine this guy is in the curious category, though I would have to get to know him more. On the other hand, I met student this semester who knows some people I know from ministry. She has shared with me about leading people to Christ, she’s asking for prayer for lost people, and she’s getting others involved in missions. She is a disciple-maker. To be sure, not every student is a disciple-maker and not every random parent is in the curious category. But it’s pretty obvious who fits where once you start thinking in these terms.
Implications
So, recognizing where people fit into these categories drives how I talk to them, or challenge them. This time, I’ll start from the bottom category and go up to show the differences in how I engage people in conversation once I think I know where they are.2
Curious - When in conversation with these folks, I’m trying to make a connection with something in their life so that they see me as “authentic” or feel connected to me in some way. Then I’m encouraging them to attend church, or hear how God has changed my life, or how being a believer causes me to parent in a certain way, etc. My goal is to show them Jesus in some way. If I hear them talk about a struggle with a sin issue, I may invite them to Regeneration Ministry.
Believer - When in conversation with a believer, I’m trying to get them to catch the vision for how incredible it can be to be a fully devoted disciple of Jesus. Yes, that means I want to connect with them personally. But really I’m looking for ways to encourage them to get involved in a church, or develop a spiritual discipline. I’ll talk about how a spiritual discipline has changed my approach to something, or I’ll invite them to a men’s or women’s event. If I hear them talk about a struggle, I’ll invite them to Regeneration Ministry.
Disciple - When in conversation with a disciple, I’m trying to get them to catch a vision for serving others in some way. I’m encouraging these people to be a part of a group Bible study, and make tangible steps of faith that result in their life looking very different from a person who is curious or just became a believer. I’m encouraging them to bear fruit in their life. If they have been a disciple long enough to see fruit in their life or significant life change, then I’m going to invite them to be a disciple maker.3 They may or may not take the step to be a disciple maker. Some people never do. But, as one man in his 60s recently told me, “I wish I would have done this sooner, I just really love it!”.
Disciple Maker - These people are already bearing fruit and leading in the kingdom. When I’m in conversation with them, I’m encouraging them about a specific issue. It might be asking a question like: “If I could wave a magic wand and solve one issue in your group Bible study, what would it be” - then figuring out how to solve it. It might be that I’m committing to praying for an issue for a period of time and then checking back in on that issue. I often recommend books to these people. I invite them to training sessions, etc. But, I’m also asking them what they are learning. Odds are I can learn just as much from these people as they can from me. After some time, I might look for ways to involve these people as leaders of disciple makers.
Leaders of Disciplemakers - I’m trying to encourage these people to keep growing, and not burn out. In coach-speak I’m trying to keep my starters fresh. So sometimes I encourage them to take a break, or take a season off of a responsibility. Other times, I encourage them to move in a new direction, or new commitment. It depends on the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
In my context, I spend most of my church work time and effort developing disciple makers into leaders of disciple makers. I’m also spending a good amount of time inviting disciples to be disciple makers. I spend some of my time leading my group Bible study with people who are disciples and believers encouraging them to take the next step. I try to start a new group out of our group every year. I’m not quite perfect at it, but its a goal.
I spend time with kids sports and activities trying to find the people who are curious and invite them to become believers. I know some people who are at the disciple or disciple maker category now who were far from that when I met them through kids sports. But it can take YEARS.
Other notes…
I try to post once a month on a Biblical Studies topic, last month it was:
I also try to post monthly on how my students responded to something in a college or seminary setting. The last one was:
My thinking about a discipleship pathway has been influenced in several ways, the most relevant two influences would be: 1) my missionary friend Sebastian Vazquez and the way he used https://disciplemakingstages.com as a way to walk people down a path toward spiritual maturity as a missionary. 2) My pastor friends (as well as my father and father in law from the business world) who have lead people to develop as leaders. I think of John Maxwell’s many helpful books.
I understand this may appear quite arrogant to some. That is not my intent. My intent is to be serious about seeing people disciple others so that the most people can experience the life Jesus talked about in John 10:10 of life to the fullest.
When I do this it involves a sit-down conversation about the weight of what I’m asking them to do, as well as an encouragement about why I’m asking them. It’s a challenge-encourage type of situation. I’m usually asking them to pray about being a disciple-maker in a couple of different scenarios, and then get back to me about what the Holy Spirit is leading them to do.