If you read the report issued by Willow Creek Church a couple of years ago you know how a lot of people feel about their lack of spiritual growth. In fact, let me ask you a question: over this last year how much have you grown spiritually? This is not a minor question. I have been looking for a long time for a tool to use to help me, and the church overall, to be able to start measuring spiritual growth.
Too many times we think we are measuring spiritual growth, but we are only measuring one component – academic knowledge of the Bible. There is another area that is just as important – your personal life and growth, as well as your relational life and growth, such as with your mate and others in the church and the world.
Frazee has done a great job with this tool to help us do the measuring and planning for future growth. In the first part of the tool we assess ourselves in 10 competencies in three categories: beliefs, practices, and virtues. These answers assess how fully you have developed a Christlike profile. But you don’t stop there.
The Christian Life Profile is most effective when used in the context of biblical community, such as a small group where the members of the group provide support, encouragement, accountability, and prayer for each other, as you, individually and corporately, seek to grow in Christ’s likeness. The assessment tool even strongly suggests you allow three other people who know you well and care
about you to answer a set of questions about you to help you to develop a fuller assessment. I see this as one of the most beneficial aspects of this tool.
The last step is identifying two or maybe three areas where you want to concentrate your growth over this next year, and making a plan that is workable and attainable. To do this you need not only a mentor or small group, but most of all prayer that the Holy spirit will be the one to actually bring about the change