by Eddie Pipkin
It’s the time of year when we celebrate graduates. We pause our worship services to recognize those who have achieved academic success. We attend parties for those we know who have put in the work to earn that diploma. Or we might even have a preschooler who is all suited up in their adorable cap and gown, cheering them on as they transition to big kids’ school. These are memorable moments, worthy of our acknowledgement. Schooling is structured to make the progression clear, so checking off this major life event makes sense. We know what has been achieved and what’s involved in the achievement; we know what the options are for what comes next. When it comes to spiritual advancement in our local churches, however, maybe not so much.
It is still true that most local churches have no discernible path of progress for spiritual growth.
There is no equivalent to the progression we are familiar with as children who, as they grow to adulthood, pass through the well-defined stages of the educational system. There are no recognizable credentials through which we can quickly identify the level of spiritual wisdom / knowledge achieved (well, that is, except for those who actually embrace seminary and/or their calling to professional or ordained ministry). I speak in general terms here. You may appropriately call me out that there are levels of official spiritual leadership status in various denominations, positions such as elders and deacons. These can mean different things in the different denominations, but within those denominations they usually specify a fixed criteria and a process of certification.
What I’m really addressing here is the progression of spiritual growth among the members of the general congregation. We all know who the people are in our communities who are considered “deeply spiritual,” but it’s more of a general vibe they emanate or a practical application of a wise spirit rather than an actual demonstrable expertise. In this sense the graduates we are currently celebrating in this season are different: It’s not just that they are smart or accomplished; they have demonstrated their expertise, proven their command of knowledge and decision-making in an organized meritocracy.
Discipleship by test-taking would be an unsettling notion. But discipleship should at least be a clear and accessible process, shouldn’t it? There should be a progression of levels of maturity with offerings tailored to the growth needs of Christ-followers as they pass through those levels. What a beginning disciple needs is different than what a mature disciple needs. And a beginning disciple thrust into a mature disciple environment is going to feel disoriented and discouraged. A mature disciple who only ever spends time in a beginning disciple environment is going to be bored and unfulfilled.
Discipleship is not schoolwork. It’s not the equivalent of progressing through age-based classes. It deals with life as life comes, and so we are sometimes forced to do spiritual calculus when we are really only experienced enough for spiritual algebra (if that!). We are partnered in ministry on teams with people at all levels of soul maturity, and this is good. It’s how we learn. But this pattern, as old as the church itself, should exist in alliance with an organized program of spiritual growth. That’s how it works best! We should be constantly honing our spiritual skills by study and reading and small group accountability, while we are simultaneously serving and worshipping with teams composed of people of various levels of maturity and diverse experiences. One is the classroom; one is the lab!
Alas, spiritual growth in the local church is too often too random. A class here. A small group topic there. Generally, these options are determined by whoever is willing to lead them and whatever that leader is interested in. These can be excellent opportunities for spiritual growth; don’t get me wrong. It’s not that the individual classes or small groups or sermon series aren’t beneficial and instructive. It’s that they are not connected together in any grand strategy that leads to long term, measurable progress in spiritual growth.
Who is worrying about these questions on your leadership teams? How do people know the basics? How do people move beyond those basics?
If we have an exciting array of options through which people can progress and grow, we can celebrate the work that people are doing taking their spiritual growth seriously. We can have “graduations” as they transition from one spiritual growth milestone to the next. If people know what those milestones are, they have a fixed sense of expectations for what we are hoping for those who have stated their commitment to living as disciples of Jesus. We can move beyond a squishy sense of “becoming more like Jesus” and hold ourselves accountable to metrics of hospitality, service, study, prayer, and generosity.
People love accomplishment. People love personal progress. People love to celebrate. What greater goal is there to accomplish than progress in our discipleship journey? What more wonderful thing to celebrate as a community? It fires others up to want to be part of the excitement, to bring meaningful change to their own lives and the lives of the people they love.
If all of this seems like way too much, start with more actively celebrating what you are doing well now.
We are proficient at making lots of announcements in our local churches (spoken in worship, written in print, and posted electronically on social media). It is, however, rare that we give participants a chance to celebrate what they have accomplished or share what they have learned or tell how an opportunity has changed them for the better.
For every announcement of a spiritual growth opportunity that we make publicly, there should be a corresponding moment of celebration for what that opportunity produced for those who chose to engage them. Testimonies; witnesses; affirmations; whatever you choose to call them and however you choose to creatively present them – and do please take the time to present them creatively – this is how you speak truth to the impact these opportunities have for participants. This is how you help others see why they should make the leap to embrace growth and try something new.
Symbolism and ceremony forge forever memories. They encapsulate our faith journeys together and give us narratives we can share: “Here’s what we accomplished together.”
I saw a recent social media post from the youth group which I helped get off the ground decades ago. The graduating seniors have a tradition of signing a large wooden cross on “Senior Night.” This ceremony first happened as part of a dedicated senior retreat long ago, and the cross is now covered in the signatures of hundreds of young adults who have passed through the program. This cross inhabits a special and sacred space, and every year the rising seniors look forward to adding their names to those who have gone before. It’s a beautiful, physical confirmation of community connection across time. It captures a profound sense of belonging.
Youth ministry frequently does a great job of creating such powerful manifestations of connection.
Adult ministry (the space where we live in for the rest of our discipleship lives), not so much. What if we changed that by creating more moments of celebration for spiritual progress and demonstrations of discipleship? What if we publicly and unabashedly lifted one another up in joyous commemoration of the steps we are taking on our journey to be more like Jesus?
Share your awesome ideas and your reasonable objections in the comments section below!
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