Spiritual Growth Plan
Assessment of personal and ministry spiritual health
The main objective of a spiritual growth plan is to help in the protection of the passionate followers of Christ. An effective assessment of personal and ministry health will be conducted on the following parameters: loving God, loving the world, and loving one another. In terms of the extent to which I have been able to demonstrate the love for God, I have been attending church and ministry services regularly and expectantly. This has enhanced my ability to read and understand the word of God. In addition, it has also become a way by which I have been able to experience some level of intimacy with God using the information acquired from his word and music. However, despite the regular visits to the church I have not been able to develop an organized bible-reading plan. This is because of the disagreements between my class timetable and the time set by the ministry for personal and bible study sessions.
On matters of prayers, I have been able to spend much time following a regular, unhurried, and ongoing prayer schedule. These prayer sessions have not only enhanced my relationship with God but they have also helped me in understanding my role as a human being in promoting the objective of God. This explains why I chose to promote the activities of the ministry. I have become a generous giver. My generosity, since the beginning of this course, has been characterized by progressive giving, priority, and percentage.
In terms of loving one another, I have become an active and accountable member of the ministry. This is because I have been actively involved as a member of the ministry in outreach programs. Despite my efforts of creating a mutual relationship with the ministry, I am still in the process of developing a spiritual friendship with a prayer and accountability partner.
In the ministry, I became a service volunteer. By so doing, I was appointed to be in charge of designing and printing programs for different activities. This has not only improved the efficacy of the ministry in matters of organization but also improved the ability of other members to understand the plans of the ministry. Personally, I am bearing the fruits of the spirit since I started volunteering.
In matters loving the world, I was able to build a relationship with people who do not have information about Christ at the beginning of the course. This was aimed at providing them with the information about the role of my ministry in advocating for Christ. I was also able to invite non-Christian friends to church services and activities as a strategy of increasing the population of the members of the ministry. I have not been able to acquire sufficient resources to convince other members of the ministry to volunteer in a community organization outside the ministry. Such volunteering activities would ensure the ministry reaches out to more members of the community as commissioned by Jesus Christ. Despite the perceived setback, I have become part of the team that invites people to Christ who is also the savior and Lord. Loving the world however requires strict adherence to the possibility to the scripture to minimize the possibility of being drawn into worldly activities.
Measureable objectives and steps to reach the objectives
| Objectives | Steps to reach the objectives |
| · Engage in at least seven weekly prayer meetings with members of the ministry as a way of improving on my relationship with God and with members of the ministry.
|
· Organize bible study session
· Organize and participate in door to door prayer meetings with members |
| · Participate in at least one monthly community service meeting to improve on my interaction levels with members of surround community. | · Develop a work plan on community service
· Harmonize the community service work plan with the community · Mobilize members to participate in community service |
| · Organize and participate in at least one weekly outreach program to promote my ability to evangelize and attract more members into the ministry | · Develop outreach programs
· Brainstorm on possible outreach venues · Participate in outreach programs |
| · Organize and participate in at least two weekly bible study sessions to improve on the ability of members of the community to understand the bible and other spiritual matters. | · Organize for bible trivia questions to boost understanding of the bible
· Develop a leadership plan for bible study sessions to boost self-esteem · Brainstorm on the structure and the topics of bible study sessions |
Context of spiritual growth plan
El-Shaddai is a ministry that was created in 2008; the ministry has played an essential role in the growth and development of Christian members. The operations of the ministry are divided in three main categories. These are community outreach programs, bible study programs and evangelical programs. Through these programs, the ministry has been able to evangelize the word of Jesus to both Christians and non-Christians. The outreach programs were designed to enhance the spirit of giving back to the community. Bible study sessions are meant for members of the ministry to understand the scripture and improve on their connection with God. The process of developing a spiritual growth plan requires an understanding of individual roles in participating in the programs of the ministry and the essence of these programs in the development of spiritual personality.
The spiritual truths gained from the course’s materials
An important lesson learned from the course materials is that God is the originator of all that exists on earth. This presents a profound spiritual truth that without God man would have never existed. Man is highly dependent on God and the activities that define the life of man can never be separated from God because he created it all.[1]
God does not exist in time. He created time but his activities are not defined or limited by time. God created time for man to understand the seasons, attribute beginning, and end to activities. However, being all-powerful, God has been in existence since eternity. This does not mean that eternity had a beginning. Rather, it means that it is through God that the definition of time can be understood in relation to the life and activities of man on earth.[2]
God created man in his image and likeness to enable an intimate relationship with man. The main purpose of man on earth is to find ways of drawing closer to God while reflecting his character in the world.[3] From a spiritual perspective, man has the responsbility of evangelizing the word of God to the entire world because he was made to know God and make him known to other people. When man lives in accordance with this purpose, his life is a fulfillment of a divine calling. However, any rebellious tendencies against this calling results in spiritual pain in the life of man.[4]
For a Christian to acquire high-level spirituality he must be rooted and committed to Jesus Christ and ensure that he acts in accordance with the transformational understanding of life. This means that Christian spirituality is a process, which begins with the acceptance that Jesus is the savior and his death on the cross was a sign of freedom from years of bondage.[5] The process of nurturing this spirituality is guided by grace. This demands the understanding of the scripture, engaging in relentless prayers, partaking of the sacrament. Furthermore, Christian spirituality develops through Christian fellowships, which is grounded on the unity of believers who share the word of God.[6]
Effective Christian spirituality is possible through a deeper understanding of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This means that Christian spirituality is founded on the understanding that God requires man to know him and tell others about him. While God reaches out to man, his activities can be mysterious to the understanding of man and this explains why Christians need the Holy Spirit to guide them in matters related to understanding the activities of God.[7]
Spiritual growth requires that Christians must always read the bible and develop techniques of understanding the word. However, reading the bible on a regular basis does not guarantee spiritual growth. Instead, there is need for the leaders in church to teach congregants on the necessity of reading the bible and insist on it.[8] This can be enhanced by following activities with trivia quizzes that will challenge the congregation into reflecting into the scripture. This will inspire every congregant into developing some form of consistency in communicating with God through the scripture. The church will have influenced spiritual growth among its members making participation in church activities natural and important catalysts of growth.[9]
Strategies for personal and corporate growth
How to lead the ministry in church growth through spiritual renewal
Christian spirituality requires an understanding of the scripture. One way by which the ministry will realize growth is by organizing and participating in bible study activities and bible trivia questions. Through these activities, members will be motivated into reading their bibles and understanding the content of the scriptures.[10] Bible study sessions will be conducted twice a week and during these sessions, members of the ministry will be divided into groups and each group will be given a topic to discuss and present to the church at the end of the discussion. To ensure that every member participates in the bible study sessions, presenters from each group will be altered in every bible study sessions. This will improve on the self-esteem of members and increasing the possibility that they will be comfortable asking and answering questions regarding different truths as depicted in the bible.[11]
Prayers form an essential element in spiritual growth. For a ministry to establish itself, it will be important to ensure that members engage in purposeful and unhurried prayers. One way by which the ministry can ensure this approach to prayers is by forming prayer bands.[12]. The prayer bands will be charged with the responsbility of engaging in a 24 hour prayer system in which different prayer bands will be allocated different times within the day to conduct their prayers and upon completion hand over to other groups.[13] An essential value in the formation of prayer bands is that, it will drive members into prayers because of the reminder that true success emanated from the grace of God, which can only be actualized through the humble efforts of members of the ministry. Spirituality formation in Jesus is a multifactorial process that requires man to ask God what he should be doing rather than relying on personal skills and knowledge forms the basis of the prayer bands.[14]
Engaging in community service initiatives as a way of giving back to the society also forms an important strategy of spiritual growth among members of the ministry. By organizing these activities once every month, members of the ministry will develop the behavior of being generous and cheerful givers to the less fortunate in the society.[15] Giving from this perspective will be in the form of material possessions, information, time, knowledge, and skills. In his ministry, Christ, who is the foundation of Christian faith, was a cheerful and generous giver, especially through his teachings and his works. To emulate this behavior it will be important for members of the ministry to be involved in matters of the community development. This will also be a way of attracting more members into the ministry while at the same time actualizing the main objective of the ministry.[16] Such activities will be a demonstration that spirituality is manifested through sharing of the goods and the love of God with others while caring for his creation. Community service activities will therefore be ways through which members of the ministry will be growing their spirituality by participating in God’s plan for the restoration of the totality of his creation.[17]
Effective spiritual growth among members of the ministry would be through the understanding of the spiritual chasm, which asserts that sin separates man from God. The gap created by sin is so enormous that human being cannot bridge it through individual efforts.[18] This means that it is important for members of the Christian faith to learn to depend on God through Jesus Christ. Teaching members of the group to depend on God will be enhanced by emphasizing on the essence of different factors that define a Christian. These include relentless prayers and believing that through God, everything is possible.[19]
Development of Christian spirituality requires an in-depth knowledge of oneself. This means that it is important for members of the ministry to understand their personal relationship with God and develop a personal strategy on how to improve on the relationship. Self-knowledge is a means to the realization of Christian spirituality.[20] Thus other than participating in group activities, members will be encouraged to engage in partaking of sacrament. Before partaking of the sacrament members will be required to engage in personal scrutiny. This will be important in developing a level of spirituality, which leads to the realization of the unique self as ordained by God in every Christian. When individuals understand the nature of their relationship with God, it will be easier to enhance spirituality among other members of the ministry.[21]
Home and school visits among members can also be considered as an important strategy of improving on the personal and corporate spirituality levels among members of the ministry. This is based on the understanding that individuals are often faced with different temptations in life.[22] However, through visitations, it will be easier for members to develop a social bond, which allows them to share their challenges. The social bond created among members helps in the development of a community of believers who understand the shortcomings of each other and help in the development of the best techniques of handling these challenges.[23] Visitations will also be a way of evangelizing to other members within the community who do not subscribe to the Christian faith, evangelism in this perspective will be demonstrated by the love shared among believers, and this will possibly attract more members into the community of believers. Spirituality is often enhanced when believers stay together as members of a family. This is because it makes it relatively difficult for one member of the group to be swayed away by worldly pleasures considering that other members will be ready to bring him back to Christ.[24]
Christian spirituality is a unique form of spirituality because it is developed in the context of suffering. This means that it will be important for members of the ministry to develop an understanding of the suffering of Christ and develop the awareness of the possibility of individual suffering in the course of their spirituality.[25] This will only be possible by teaching members of the ministry that suffering is an inevitable part of Christian life. In addition, members will also be reminded that by opening up to suffering they will be experiencing some openness in life. Teachings on suffering in Christian life will be provided while focusing on willingness. This is because for an individual to be a strong Christian he must demonstrate openness to life. This will be in demonstration of life as lived by Christ with willingness.[26]
The process of developing a spiritual growth plan at a personal and corporate level will require members of the ministry to abstain from sin. There is need that they start engaging in activities that increase the possibility that God will grant ignition. This will be realized by providing clear answers to the questions who, what, why, when, where and how. From a personal perspective, these questions will be answered while reflecting on the following areas. How will I grow in my love for God; how will I grow in my love for others; and how will I grow in my love for the world.[27]
In terms of spiritual growth and my love for God, I plan to improve on regular church attendnace and participating in my ministry’s activities. This will be enhanced by the development of a schedule on how to read and understand the bible. Spending time in regular, unhurried and ongoing prayers will also be a technique of developing an intimate relationship with God while at the same time limiting the possibility of falling into temptation. Improving my relationship with God also involves constant communication with God through music. This explains why I have a plan of joining the choir and participating in the composition and singing of gospel music. This will not only improve my understanding of God but it will also be a way of using my skills as a tool for evangelism.[28]
On matters related to loving one another, I have a plan of engaging every member of the ministry. This will be through communicating messages of hope to the members and providing each member with the freedom and opportunity of expressing their views and ideas on how to improve the activities of the ministry.[29] Improving on individual spirituality and that of other members of the groups will require that I build a spiritual friendship with one member of the group. This friendship will be important in enhancing my association with God and with humans. The understanding that Christian spirituality makes man more human will be the sole purpose of the spiritual friendship since we shall understand our iniquities and pray upon them. Together with my spiritual friend, we shall develop a prayer schedule, which we shall use as a platform of dedicating each other in prayers.[30]
Christian spirituality requires constant engagement with members of the community in ways that enhance an individual’s relationship with the world. To achieve this objective I will be an active member in community service and volunteering activities organized by the ministry. This will not only help in building a relationship with individuals who are yet know Christ but also provide a platform that I can use in inviting people to put their faith in Jesus Christ.[31] This will be a way of evangelizing to the world. An additional way of communicating the love of Jesus as an element of spirituality will be through inviting members of the community to church services and activities. Through this approach, I will be engaged in a strategy of increasing the population of believers. Being the leader of the ministry, I am accountable for the success or failure in relating spiritual growth as documented in the above plan.
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Bibliography
Anders, Max E. What You Need to Know About Spiritual Growth: 12 Lessons That Can Change
Your Life. Nashville: T. Nelson, 2012.
Faulls, Gregory. From Dust to Destiny. prevailinglife.com, 2014.
Gilbert, Greg. What is the Gospel. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. ISBN: 9781433515002.
Hansen, Collin, and John D. Woodbridge. A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch
And Stir. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010. ISBN: 9780310327035
Hawkins, Greg L., and Cally Parkinson. Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual
Growth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. ISBN: 9780310325253
Johnson, Aubrey. God’s Game Plan: Strategies for Abundant Living. Nashville, Tenn: Gospel
Advocate Company, 2013.
Michael, Chester P. An Introduction to Spiritual Direction: A Psychological Approach for
Directors and Directees. New York: Paulist Press, 2004.
Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010. ISBN:
Tozer, A. W. The Crucified Life: How to Live Out a Deeper Christian Experience. Ventura:
Regal, 2011. ISBN: 9780830759224
[1]Gregory Faulls. From Dust to Destiny. (prevailinglife.com, 2014), 7
[2] Anders, Max E. What You Need to Know About Spiritual Growth: 12 Lessons That Can Change
Your Life. (Nashville: T. Nelson, 2012), 100.
[3] Gregory Faulls. From Dust to Destiny. (prevailinglife.com, 2014), 7
[4] Hawkins, Greg L., and Cally Parkinson. Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 15
[5] James Wilhoit, C. Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 18
[6] Ibid
[7] Gilbert Greg. What is the Gospel. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 27
[8] Hawkins, Greg L., and Cally Parkinson. Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 18
[9]Anders, Max E. What You Need to Know About Spiritual Growth: 12 Lessons That Can Change
Your Life. (Nashville: T. Nelson, 2012), 101
[10] Gilbert Greg. What is the Gospel. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 27
[11] Hawkins, Greg L., and Cally Parkinson. Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 21
[12]Gregory Faulls. From Dust to Destiny. (prevailinglife.com, 2014), 41
[13] Gilbert Greg. What is the Gospel. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 27
[14] Ibid.,. 30.
[15] Gregory Faulls. From Dust to Destiny. (prevailinglife.com, 2014), 71
[16] Hawkins, Greg L., and Cally Parkinson. Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 22
17 Anders, Max E. What You Need to Know About Spiritual Growth: 12 Lessons That Can Change
Your Life. (Nashville: T. Nelson, 2012), 110
[18] Johnson, Aubrey. God’s Game Plan: Strategies for Abundant Living. (Nashville, Tenn: Gospel
Advocate Company, 2013), p.88
[19] Ibid.. 90
[20] Gilbert Greg. What is the Gospel. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 33
[21] Hawkins, Greg L., and Cally Parkinson. Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 25
[22] Michael, Chester P. An Introduction to Spiritual Direction: A Psychological Approach for Directors and Directees. (New York: Paulist Press, 2004), 70.
[23] Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Church. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 12
[24] Ibid,. 10
[25] Gilbert Greg. What is the Gospel. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 50
[26] Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Church. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 11.
[27] Tozer, A. W. The Crucified Life: How to Live Out a Deeper Christian Experience. (Ventura: Regal, 2011), 22
[28] Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Church. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 22
[29] Gilbert Greg. What is the Gospel. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 53
[30]Tozer, A. W. The Crucified Life: How to Live Out a Deeper Christian Experience. (Ventura: Regal, 2011), 14
[31] Hansen, Collin, and John D. Woodbridge. A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch And Stir. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 22