Copyright 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution prohibited.

What Is REVEAL? A research-based view of spiritual growth commissioned by Willow Creek Community Church Results published in 2007 Reveal: Where Are You? and 2008 in Follow Me: What s Next for You? Includes responses from over 150,000 people in more than 500 diverse congregations Helps churches measure and promote spiritual growth

How Does REVEAL Define Spiritual Growth? Based on the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:37 39 The Great Commandment Love God with all your heart, soul and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. REVEAL defines spiritual growth as: An increasing love for God and for other people Copyright 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution prohibited. (Adapted)

A Closer Look at the Spiritual Continuum Segments Exploring Christ: Have a basic belief in God, but they re unsureabout Christ and his role in their lives Growing in Christ: Have a personal relationship with Christ. They ve made a commitment to trust him with their salvation and their eternity, but they are just beginningto learn what it means to be in relationship with him. Close to Christ: Depend on Christ daily. They see Christ as someone who assiststhem in life. On a daily basis, they turn to him for help and guidance for issues they face. Christ-Centered: Identify their relationship with Christ as the most important relationship in their entire lives. They see their lives as fully surrendered to Jesus and his agenda, subordinating everything to his will and his desires.

Four Overarching Principles: It s all about Jesus 1. Involvement in church activities does not predict or drive long-term spiritual growth. But there is a spiritual continuum based on one s relationship with Jesus Christthat is very predictive and powerful. 2. Spiritual growth is all about increasing relational closeness to Christ. Copyright 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution prohibited. (Adapted)

Is this a contradiction? If the activities of the church are all about turning people toward Christ, why doesn t there appear to be a solid connection between participation in church activities and spiritual growth? Why is there this disconnect? The quick answer: Because God wired us first and foremost to be in a growing relationship with him not with the church There is a passionate instinct born in all of us that desires to draw closer to God. As we draw closer to God, we begin to see a dramatic change in how we live our lives and relate to other people. Copyright 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution prohibited.

How to increase relational closeness to Jesus? 3. Personal spiritual practices, especially those which facilitate an intentional two-way relationship with Christ, are the building blocks for a Christcentered life.

The critical importance of spiritual practices So if the church isn t the driving force behind the later stages of spiritual growth, what is? That s where the second external element of spiritual growth comes into play: personal spiritual practices. These practices include prayer solitude, studying Scripture things that individuals do on their own to grow in their relationship with Christ. While personal spiritual practices are crucial at all stages of spiritual growth they become most important for those who are more spiritually mature. (43) Copyright 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution prohibited.

How to increase relational closeness to Jesus? Spiritual growth is all about growing a relationship with God through a commitment to, and a deepening relationship with, Jesus Christ. Growing a relationship any relationship requires time and energy. Think about marriage. Great marriages are not built on the first rush of romantic love but on effort, attention, and listening. Couples with strong marriages work at them. Similarly, the most devoted Christ-followers spend markedly higher amounts of time dedicated to working on their relationship with Christ by engaging in personal spiritual practices such as prayer, Bible reading, and solitude. (44) Copyright 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution prohibited.

Church as Coach 4. The church is most important in the early stages of spiritual growth. Its role then shifts from being the primary influence to a secondary influence moving from parent to coach in nurturing a growing direct relationship with Christ.

To Be Continued More Study Findings Coming Out July 15