Measuring spiritual growth
We have recently discussed the idea of "measuring" things in church. I thought this was a nice interview with Dallas Willard that touches on the subject: 'How Do We Assess Spiritual Growth?' (http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2010/spring/weassessspiritual.html).
In answering the question, "How can churches know if they are being effective at making disciples" he says...
Many churches are measuring the wrong things. We measure things like attendance and giving, but we should be looking at more fundamental things like anger, contempt, honesty, and the degree to which people are under the thumb of their lusts. Those things can be counted, but not as easily as offerings.
He ends by saying Pastors need to change their definition of success... "They need to have a vision of success rooted in spiritual terms, determined by the vitality of a pastor's own spiritual life and his capacity to pass that on to others."
I mostly just wanted to point out the article, but Willard also recommends a couple of tools to measure spiritual formation (Randy Frazee's 'Christian Life Profile' and Monvee.com). I wondered if anyone had any thoughts on either of these, or knew of any other tools you would recommend?
posted by dan at 1:22 PM
5 Comments:
Love the article and Willard's thoughts. Thank you for sharing. I will express cynicism to tools for measuring this, though. When one is trying to measure something as esoteric as the heart and the Spirit indwelling in another person...any measure that fits in a power point or graph or spreadsheet is a few steps shy of breaking out en E meter to measure my thetans.
The first apologetic is that we will be known for our love. Not sure you can measure that and if one claims they can, I will be skeptical. I think this is a messy and individual thing for the leader of communities to struggle with all their lives and do the best we can. I also think that tension of mystery is all right by Jesus. Why? We are forced to engage our community and be a prt of the community as opposed to analyze and pie chart our demographic. This is my family.
i agree with pat. quantifying spiritual growth so you can put numbers on a chart is (almost) impossible, to the point of being absurd, imho.
however, i do think you can see it in qualitative ways. for example, it would be difficult to put numbers onto a person's emotional maturity, and yet people often speak of someone as having matured, especially if they have known them from their youth. looking at how someone handles themselves, how they react to various situations, and how they pass on what they know, both by teaching and example: these are things which are hard to put on a chart, yet which are easily seen to those who know a person.
this kind of assessment requires churches to not be glorified country clubs, but to be communities of people who do life together, people who stick together through time and trials, who have been together to the point that they can really know each other, not just recite information like an internet profile.
one thing i've learned to relish are the times where a potential misunderstanding is cleared up by simply saying, "it's ok; i know you." short, yet deeply profound.
and it's that kind of knowing that will allow leaders to gauge how the Spirit has been at work in their churches.
I thought I commented on this post but it must not have worked so I'll try again.
I used to feel that measuring spiritual growth was not possible. While I do have reservations about the degree to which it can be measured, I now think that we can actually do quite a bit with it.
One of the best articles I have seen on the topic is one that Willard wrote several years ago.
http://www.dwillard.org/resources/CCCU2006a.asp
I also suggest clicking on his article button for a whole lot more.
I tend to agree with Tom here. Certainly we don't want to measure for the sake of putting numbers on a chart or in a powerpoint. But isn't there value in seeing if people are becoming more Christ-like? I mean, if we can't tell if people in our communities are becoming more loving, then it could be that they're becoming more hate-filled, and obstinate, and shallow.
I tend to believe the point is not that we DON'T measure, but that we need to make sure we're measuring the right things.
I think it was Reggie McNeal who said perhaps the best way to measure people's spiritual growth is simply to ask them: "Are you a better parent this year than last year?" "Are you a better husband/wife?" "Is your relationship with God better?" Etc., etc., etc.
I think we have to be careful to not throw the baby out with the pie chart. ;)
I am not advocating no measurements. I am advocating abandonment of the evaluation tools we have pragmatically relied on over the last few decades. We have set these evaluation tools up almost as idols, but if that is extreme, it is fair to say that assesment tests, tools, and so forth have become a substitute for relational engagement with our community and a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. This is a journey of entering their lives and sharong with them as members of a body, not analysis. One of the curses of the enlightenment is this foolish reliance on logic and reason. Logic and reason are parts of a whole and surely must be incorporated, but when we set them up as idols, the spirit of God takes a back seat or is left at the curb like a cheap prom date.
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