Stages of Discipleship

Taken from the book Discipleshift

Stages of Discipleship

As we look at the circle above it could be easy for us to think that being in one stage of discipleship is more important or of greater weight than being in another. It is important that we realize that being in one stage or the other is not more significant than any other stage or discipleship. All people are loved by God and live in His grace. Yet our readiness to be used in His mission and purpose varies. This is based on a person’s discipleship development stage, but value does not. This journey of discipleship is put into a linear view to help us grasp the concept of development as a disciple, but this process is truly cyclical. We can find ourselves going back to an earlier stage and find areas of our lives where we are undereducated and self-centered. We are complex beings; growth is not a simple straight process. We can often slip right back into immaturity is we are not careful. These stages of discipleship simply remind us that in our definition of discipleship is the key understanding that disciples of Jesus grow and mature. We start with the Holy Spirit creating faith in Jesus, followed by a commitment to trust and follow Jesus, and then over time we are changed by Him, we mature. This shows itself as a growing desire to love and serve God and others.