Grounded

Motivated to follow Jesus and want to grow, yet experience barriers in practicing evangelism and discipleship as a lifestyle

"Living in today's society is not easy, but my faith keeps me grounded and secure."

People in the Grounded stage want to grow spiritually in community and maintain a strong relationship with God. Growing spiritually and serving others is what they think makes a mature Christian. They are not doing evangelism or discipleship yet or were once doing so and now no longer are for whatever reason.

NOTE: Further research on this stage is currently in process.

What people in Grounded say

“If I’ve been given this ‘second life’ [after a car accident], I should use it to the glory of God.”

“[A mature Catholic] is not a cafeteria Catholic. They understand the profoundness of the Mass and what a gift it is.”

“Jesus is the best thing that has happened to me…He is our Savior.

At-a-glance

Three main desires for their spiritual growth:

Maintain a strong relationship with God
Grow in community
Serve others

May have formerly been in Engaged doing evangelism and discipleship but have intentionally stopped.

Insights & attributes

Definition of Maturity

Define spiritual maturity as growing spiritually and serving others.

View of Community

Growing spiritually in the context of community is important to them.

View of Evangelism

Unlikely to do evangelism because they see this as forcing their beliefs on others.

Dechurched

If Dechurched, are following Christianity on their own terms outside of community. May display clear signs of growing closer to God, but also may display characteristics of "Professing".

View of Discipleship

Do not disciple others because they don't feel ready and they don't see opportunities for discipleship.

Formerly Engaged

Some people in this stage were formerly in the Engaged stage but have stopped doing evangelism and/or discipleship for whatever reason.

Where and why people move

Danger

Grounded can become an end state for those who have been Christians for a longer amount of time or after a certain point. They stop growing toward Multiplying.

Sin and Trials

Those in the Grounded stage can succumb to sin or be affected by trials in a way that causes them to move back to Professing or Growing.

Involvement & Opportunity

Can move to Engaged when they try evangelism or discipleship (usually evangelism). This typically follows increased church involvement, intentionally getting to know non-Christians, clearly seeing opportunities, being asked to join an evangelism or discipleship ministry, and (rarely) learning it as part of a calling to full-time ministry.

Renewed Passion

Occasionally, a person moves from Grounded back to Growing, but this is not ultimately negative. This movement tends to come from a renewed passion, curiosity, or love for Jesus.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would give them a desire to participate in the Great Commission.
Pray for insight into how to cast vision for them in ways that do not confirm their misunderstanding of evangelism as “forcing their beliefs” on others.
Pray that you can trust God with their spiritual growth and avoid the temptation to pressure them to take next steps in your timing.
Many times a defining experience moves these people beyond this stage. Pray that God would give them such an experience.
For many of them, starting to do evangelism and/or discipleship means going back to a painful place they have been before, which is hard. Pray that they would take this step of faith!

For those in Grounded, distinguish between motivation and skill as the source of their lack of involvement in evangelism/discipleship. If skills are needed, consider ways to offer training; if they lack motivation, consider ways to encourage them.
Help them understand God’s heart for the Great Commission and see evangelism and discipleship as a way to express his love for them.
If they have chosen to grow apart from a church community, help them practice God’s love and forgiveness and take steps of faith to enter back into Christian community.
Be patient with them. Pray consistently for them and encourage them. Listen to them as they process their fears and the pain they may have experienced from other Christians. Help them move towards extending grace and forgiveness.
Invite them to do life with you so that they can see evangelism and discipleship as a way of life and participation in church as an essential part of their faith journey.

These people may feel intimidated or judged by people who do evangelism and discipleship, so approach them with empathy.
Many of these people feel the desire to do God’s work, so the right approach can release great potential!
Be aware of a tendency to give up on them because they are not growing as quickly as others or as quickly as you want them to. At the same time, do not hold back on your own evangelism and discipleship to match their pace. Continue to engage them with grace and patience while inviting them to join you in ministry.
Avoid shaming and manipulation to get them involved in E/D.
You will need discernment from the Holy Spirit to know when to exhort them to take steps of faith to move past their fear and pain.
Helping the dechurched go back to a church community may be a long process. This will require building trust with them first and may take time. Do not give up.

Experiments, Tactics & Studies

Solutions and resources that have been created or used to understand better or reach this audience.
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