Being in God's family means we are not alone; we have each other for support. You weren't just meant to believe; you were made to belong.
Below, you’ll find a table with some beginner, intermediate, and advanced next steps to help you grow in your community. While you may need to challenge yourself to step up to the task, you also need to be realistic in your expectations, otherwise you might become discouraged and give up.
So consider starting off with a crawl step—a target you can easily hit in the next thirty days. Then you can move on to a walk step—a tangible goal that will stretch you over the next sixty to ninety days. Finally, choose a run step—something that will require a leap of faith, but through the power of the Holy Spirit will bring you to a whole new level of spiritual maturity.
When you have selected the step(s) you want to take, we encourage you to share your decision with a trusted friend who can help you stay the course by praying for you and holding you accountable. Don’t try to do this alone. Isolation can lead to procrastination. But a loving friend can encourage you if you’re feeling discouraged and help you up if you fall down.
Below those next steps, you’ll find some resources like books, studies, and bonus suggestions to help you dig deeper.
| GROWTH AREA | CRAWL | WALK | RUN |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am genuinely open and honest with others about who I am. | Have a friend or spouse complete the Spiritual Health Assessment on your behalf. Discuss openly the differences between how your friend/spouse views you and how you view yourself? | Honestly share your faults and struggles with someone who will commit to praying for you on a regular basis. | Give a testimony to your group or church about how God helped you in your struggles. |
| I regularly use my time and resources to care for the needs of others. | Pray for a need that someone has. Make it a point to ask them about it when you see them and pray for them on the spot. | Find someone who has a need in your small group or at church, and then meet that need. | Rally your small group to care for someone who has a need. Contact the church for more information on people who have needs in the church or community. |
| I have a deep and meaningful connection with others in the church. | Attend a worship service, small group, or class on a regular basis. | Take First Step or a similar church membership class, and become a member of your church. | Invite others to church. |
| I have an easy time receiving advice, encouragement, and correction from others. | Establish a friendship and share something of your life with that person. | Find a spiritual partner and meet with him or her about a specific issue in which you would like to grow. | Be a spiritual partner to someone else. |
| I gather regularly with a group of Christians for fellowship and accountability. | Attend a small group weekly. | Invite others to your small group. | Lead a small group weekly. |
| There is nothing in my | |||
| relationships that is currently unresolved. | Pray for someone you have a conflict with. Make this a regular prayer that will move you towards reconciling the relationship. | Make it a point to seek forgiveness or give forgiveness to someone you have a conflict with. | Mend a broken or hurting relationship in your life, and seek to reconcile with that person. |
| There is nothing in the way I talk or act concerning others that I would not be willing to share with them in person. | Don’t participate in gossip. | Challenge those who gossip to speak with the person directly. | Make it a point to share directly with a person instead of talking about the person behind his or her back. |