where does true spiritual growth happen?

that's the title of a blog entry referenced by joe myers on his blog.  it's created a little buzz on joe's blog, but the original entry comes from todd hiestand's blog.  i'm not sure who todd is (other than he's the pastor of a church called the well located in Philadelphia) but i like what he's asking about this quote from a church's website:

• "Loving God, Loving others, and Serving.  We believe that true spiritual growth happens in small groups of people.  That's the way Jesus taught his disciples, that's the way the early church was formed, and that's the way we're going to grow as well.  Imagine a church that doesn't just have small groups, but is a church of small groups.  Imagine these groups learning how to live more like Jesus.  Imagine these groups in alll corners of our city serving the poor, the broken, and the forgotten people.  Imagine these groups simply being the Church."
• In the meantime, we need everyone to sign up for a small group.  We have two ways for you to do this.  You can simply click "Find a Group" on this website, or you can sign up at the church kiosk on our campus.  Be sure to sign up today as small groups will fill up quickly.

afterwhich, todd asks these questions:

1. Do you think that "true spiritual growth really happens" in small groups of people?  Has that been your experience?
2. In your experience, where/how has your "true spiritual growth" happened?
3. If you had an opinion, what do you think of the "church of small groups model?"
4. Finally, would you sign up?  Would you join this if this were your church?

read people's responses here and here.  and then todd shares his response here.

what are your responses?

Comments

[Adam Lehman]

The Bible never speaks of “spiritual,” doesn’t even have a word for “spiritual,” and never uses the phrase “spiritual life,” thus indicating that all growth is spiritual (see Rob Bell’s “everthing is spiritual”). Physical growth is spiritual. How I pay my taxes is spiritual. For sure (as indicated by the number of times Jesus speaks about it) how we handle our money/possessions is spiritual. How i treat my neighbor is spiritual. Everything is spiritual.

I say this because is the church world we tend to hold “spiritual growth” up as the crowning form of growth. It seems that - in typical American Christian settings - it is great if you get into shape, but it is much better if you are a good, church member. We hold that up as higher. This is the beginning of a heresy that Paul was confronting: gnosticism. The view that God is only spirit and that all flesh is bad and that only the spirit is good.

That being said, I’ve experience (and my reading has backed me up) that people grow within relationship. The Good News is that we can be reconciled with God and with one another.

Richard Dunn writes that “trust produces relationship. Relationship conceives spiritual life exchanges. Such exchanges are the sacred places where the Holy Spirit reaches through the life of a Christian spiritual caregiver to change forever the life of a student.”

Read “How People Grow” by Cloud and Townsend. They give excellent insight in the murky water of growth.

[Shelley]

From everything I have read from those links, and from my own experience, I believe it all comes down to your intentions.
Yes, growth does happen unintentionally, but its when you stop living accidentally and start living intentionally that change really begins. Sometimes I have to re-evaluate this every day.

I sure would not be who I am if it wasn't for the people who have reached out to me to show me their and Jesus'love.

Spiritual growth also happens when you focus on all areas of your life and not just relational.

Asking me to sign up for a small group the way they do above would likely creep me out.
I like the way we do it at CCC.

Great brain food Eric. Thanks.

[metcalf]

thanks for the comments Adam and Shelley!