THE REVEAL STUDY
A lot of conversations & misunderstandings have arisen as a result of the Reveal study done by Willow Creek Church. Because the study can be so helpful, I thought I would set the record straight. No, Willow is not abandoning its long-standing concern for the seeker. No, Willow has not been a failure. No, Willow is not changing course & recreating itself. No, Willow is not suggesting that churches drop all their programs. No, Willow is not going to stop measuring how many people show up. So what is Reveal about?
Reveal is a survey to uncover the depth of spiritual growth in a congregation & what triggers that growth. They defined spiritual growth as “an increasing love for God & for other people.” So far the survey has been taken in over 200 churches & with more than 100K people, making it a reliable research. Willow has discovered what most of us have known for some time – participation in church activities does not make spiritual giants. So Willow is going to also start measuring the heart. They are now asking of everything they do: “Will this make & grow disciples.” Not a bad question to ask. The study divides the church into 4 groups of people – explorers of faith, growing in Christ, close to Christ, & Christ-Centered. The study showed the most important thing the church can do to move people from one level to another is to provide opportunities to study & reflect on Scripture. Several other insights were gained through the study.
• Involvement in church activities does not predict or drive long-term spiritual growth. The only predictor of that is a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
• The study also shows that spiritual growth isn’t linear. You could couple this insight with Larry Osborne’s concept that people grow in spurts – when they need to know something or when they need to grow.
• As people grow in Christ they depend less & less on their church, but at the same time want their church to challenge them & hold them accountable.
• The more one grows the more one donates, serves, & evangelizes.
• As one grows in their relationship with Christ, public worship becomes less important. This doesn’t mean they don’t attend church. It just means they receive more of their spiritual growth through personal disciplines.
• The most effective outreach strategy by a mile is to motivate the most Christ centered people. They are the best evangelists, givers, & servants, both in & out of the church. Whereas before the study Willow was more focused on the seeker than their most committed folks, now they are focusing more on the Christ-centered group. What they learned is that this group is the one that makes or breaks the church.
• Willow also found that the Christ-centered group is the most likely to leave their church because the church isn’t providing them enough challenge & taking them deep enough into the Scriptures. The study supports my recent article _“People are Being Programmed to Death.”_ Most churches have too many programs that are never scrutinized. Every program should be evaluated regularly by asking one question – “Is this program making or growing disciples?” If not, drop it. That way you can focus on those programs that do make & grow disciples. The study also supports the 2 questions we have been asking now for more than a decade – “What is it about my relationship with Christ my neighbor needs to know?” & “How do I share my faith without coming across as a bigot?” The study also supports the use of 3 other metaphors we’ve used for some time now – Spiritual Incubator, Spiritual Midwife, & Equipper.
Our churches need to be a safe place (incubator) in which people can grow, birth their gifts (Spiritual Midwife) & be equipped to share their story. That’s why it’s so important to lovingly confront dysfunctional people before they get the church in an uproar. One of the key recommendations in the book is that leaders need to coach people to take the next step along the continuum of spiritual growth. Instead of doing so many programs, church leaders need to function more as coaches & guides. As the midwife coaches the woman through the birth process, so the spiritual midwife coaches the person along the spiritual growth continuum.
The way the survey works is church members take the survey online & then Willow analyzes it & sends the church a report. I’ve only used Reveal with one church, but I am very disappointed in Willow’s report to that church. Other than the excellent graphs, the report didn’t give much guidance or recommendations for the church. You’re mostly on your own to figure out how to proceed. Would I recommend Reveal? Yes, but you may need a consultant to help you figure out what you’ve got.
--Bill Tenny-Brittian
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