Copyright © 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights …1f8917f88efccdf523ff-ee8dd84a09eace6d81fee7e053ad80a1.r65.cf2… · 2013. 4. 29. · What Is REVEAL? •A research-based

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?

Copyright © 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution prohibited. (Adapted)

• 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

Understanding How People

Grow Spiritually



A Closer Look at the

Spiritual Continuum Segments

•Exploring Christ: Have a basic belief in God, but they’re

unsure about 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 beginning to learn what it

means to be in relationship with him.

•Close to Christ: Depend on Christ daily. They see Christ as

someone who assists them 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 Christ that 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.


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 Christ-

centered 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)


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)


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

Copyright © 2009 The Willow Creek Association. All rights …1f8917f88efccdf523ff-ee8dd84a09eace6d81fee7e053ad80a1.r65.cf2… · 2013. 4. 29. · What Is REVEAL? •A research-based

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