How to foster spiritual disciplines in the church
If you asked most of the people in your congregation, it is very likely that they would say that
they desire to grow closer to Christ. But, if you asked them to outline how they plan on doing
that, you would most likely be met with silence. If you want to help your congregants become
more Christ-like, help them begin by taking spiritual disciplines more seriously. Spiritual
disciplines are biblical habits that aid in the spiritual growth of a Christian.
According to The Wesleyan Means of Grace, while God’s grace is not earned, Christians should
take part in “means of grace.” Divided into works of piety and charity, practices such as Bible
study, prayer and charitable service can help accelerate, fortify and confirm a Christian’s faith.
Without these, a person’s faith not only fails to grow but also becomes stagnant and ineffective
in the church. In addition, while there are communal disciplines (those that are meant to be
performed in acts of community), there also are many practices that should be performed
individually. Given the importance of spiritual disciplines or practices, how can you encourage
your congregation to make them a habitual part of their lives?
Preach about spiritual disciplines
While it may seem obvious that activities such as Bible study, prayer and corporate worship are
important, you cannot assume that all Christians realize the significance of these practices.
Familiarize yourself with Wesley’s ordinances and modern-day examples of each, then preach
about them. Use new ways to illustrate Bible lessons to capture the attention of your audience
and help them think creatively in terms of personal Bible studies. Check online for sermon ideas,
including sermons by John Wesley. Consider including cultural examples that illustrate the need
for Christians to become involved in activities that help seek justice, end oppression and aid the
poor.
Pray with and for your church
Don’t just pray for your church, pray with your church, specifically in an effort to teach the
people how to pray. Many people, including people who regularly attend church, are
uncomfortable praying. They think that there is a certain way in which prayers are to be said,
certain words that they don’t know, and certain postures that they aren’t sure how to emulate.
Help your congregation improve its prayer life by scheduling times in which you all can pray
together. Consider scheduling classes or workshops in which groups can explore ways to re-
energize their prayer lives with new practices. Encourage innovative ways to pray and help them
to pray more often.
Promote opportunities to put disciplines into practice
Most churches offer several opportunities for congregants to participate in worship and receive
the sacraments each week. By offering unique opportunities for worship in nursing homes, on
college campuses and in prisons, you may open the doors for the uncommitted or new Christians
to find a place in your church. Many people also may not recognize that charity, generosity and
self-sacrifice are actually spiritual disciplines. Promote service projects, such as food and
clothing drives, feeding the homeless, and prison relief ministries, and point out that they are
ways Christians can not only share love but also grow in their own faith.
Since getting started is often easier when you do it with like-minded friends, Sunday school
classes and small groups that meet in homes are great ways to encourage your congregation to
dig deeper into God’s word. Remember, it’s important that your congregants also begin to
incorporate these practices into their private lives. Ask your church to participate in special times
of individual prayer, Bible study and fasting for spiritual renewal.
Provide resources for your congregation
Help your church get excited about spiritual disciplines by providing resources. For example,
print a list of free internet sites, such as Bible Gateway, BibleStudyTools or YouVersion, that
offer personal Bible study plans, multiple versions of the Bible and commentaries for further
study. List them in your Sunday bulletin. Enlist a volunteer to teach a workshop on various ways
to explore Bible passages or creative ways to study the Word.
Consider offering classes or visual aids that will help Christians learn how to grow their faith.
Pass out read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plans for your congregation to follow. If you have a
church library, make sure that your congregation is aware of those resources. While spiritual
disciplines are as old as the church itself, they are as relevant today as when the church was
founded. Help your congregation not only to desire to grow in their spiritual walk but also act to
reach that goal. Help make spiritual disciplines a reality in the corporate life of your church and
in the individual lives of your congregants.
The spiritual disciplines are the product of a synergy between divine and human initiative, and
they serve us as means of grace insofar as they bring our personalities under the lordship of
Christ and the control of the Spirit. By practicing the spiritual disciplines, we place our minds,
temperaments, and bodies before God and seek the grace of his transformation. In this way, we
learn to appropriate the power of kingdom living.
These disciplines are both active and passive, both initiatory and receptive; they connect us to the
power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who manifests the life of Christ in us and through us. Thus
we should work hard but receive everything we are and have by God’s grace. It takes the touch
of God on our lives for us to form habits that are alive and pleasing to him.
Spiritual Disciplines
There is no standardized list of spiritual disciplines, but some are more prominent in the
literature than are others. For example:
Richard J. Foster develops a threefold typology of inward disciplines (meditation, prayer,
fasting, and study), outward disciplines (simplicity, solitude, submission, and service),
and corporate disciplines (confession, worship, guidance, and celebration).
Dallas Willard divides the disciplines into two classes: disciplines of abstinence (solitude,
silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, and sacrifice) and disciplines of engagement
(study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, and submission).
Other writers categorize other activities, including journaling, dialogue, witness,
stewardship, and listening, as disciplines.
In this post, we’ll begin with a concise description of twenty disciplines.
Remember, however, that these disciplines are merely tools to help us grow. It would be a
mistake to claim that every follower of Christ should practice all of these disciplines in a
consistent or rigorous way. Some will be more essential for you at one time, and some will serve
you better at other times. You will find that some of the disciplines are nonnegotiable while
others can be pursued intermittently.
Depending on your temperament and circumstances, you will be drawn to some and indifferent
to others. Still, it is wise to engage occasionally in the ones you would normally dismiss, so that
you can experience their unique benefits.
1. Solitude
Solitude is the most fundamental of the disciplines in that it moves us away, for a time, from the
lures and aspirations of the world into the presence of the Father. In solitude, we remove
ourselves from the influence of our peers and society and find the solace of anonymity. In this
cloister we discover a place of strength, dependence, reflection, and renewal, and we confront
inner patterns and forces that are alien to the life of Christ within us.
2. Silence
Silence is a catalyst of solitude; it prepares the way for inner seclusion and enables us to listen to
the quiet voice of the Spirit. Few of us have experienced silence, and most people find it to be
uncomfortable at first. Silence is at odds with the din of our culture and the popular addiction to
noise and hubbub. This discipline relates not only to finding places of silence in our surroundings
but also to times of restricted speech in the presence of others.
3. Prayer
Prayer is personal communion and dialogue with the living God. Seen from a biblical
perspective, prayer is an opportunity and a privilege rather than a burden or a duty. It is the
meeting place where we draw near to God to receive his grace, to release our burdens and fears,
and to be honest with the Lord. Prayer should not be limited to structured times but should also
become an ongoing dialogue with God as we practice his presence in the context of our daily
activities.
4. Journaling
Many people have found that keeping a spiritual diary heightens their understanding of the
unique process of spiritual formation through which God has been taking them. By recording our
insights, feelings, and the stream of our experiences, we clarify the progress of our spiritual
journey. This discipline relates closely to those of prayer, meditation, and study; journaling
enhances personal reflection, encourages us to record perspectives we have received from
Scripture, and serves as another form of prayer.
5. Study
The discipline of study is central to the process of renewing the mind in such a way that we can
respond appropriately to the truths of God’s Word. Study of Scripture involves not only reading
but also active involvement in observation, interpretation, and application of its contents. This
discipline also includes devotional reflection on the beauties and intricacies of nature as well as
exposure to gifted writers and teachers in the past and in the present.
6. Meditation
Meditation is a close relative of the disciplines of prayer and study, and it also depends on the
disciplines of solitude and silence. Meditation has become such a lost art in the West that we
typically associate it with Eastern religions. Far from emptying the mind, however, Christian
meditation focuses the mind on the nuances of revealed truth. To meditate on the Word is to take
the time to ponder a verse or a passage from Scripture so that its truth can sink deeply into our
being. (One method of meditation is lectio divina, or sacred reading, which will be discussed
more later in this chapter and in the section on devotional spirituality.)
7. Fasting
The spiritual discipline of fasting is abstention from physical nourishment for the purpose of
spiritual sustenance. This difficult discipline requires practice before it can be effective, since it
is not natural for us to pursue self-denial. There are different methods and degrees of fasting, but
all of them promote self-control and reveal the degree to which we are ruled by our bodily
appetites. Fasting can also consist of abstention from other things that can control us, such as
television and other forms of entertainment.
8. Chastity
The discipline of chastity is relevant to all believers, whether they are single or married. This
discipline recognizes that the sexual appetite is a legitimate part of our natures, but it encourages
us to resist the painful consequences of improper feelings, fantasies, obsessions, and relations
that are so frequently reinforced in our culture. Chastity elevates loving concern for the good of
others above personal gratification.
9. Secrecy
The practice of secrecy is dependence on God alone for what should and should not be noticed
by others. Secrecy is the opposite of grasping and self-promotion, since it teaches us to love
anonymity and frees us from the bondage of the opinions of others. Secrecy is not a false
humility but a heartfelt desire to seek the praise and approval of God regardless of what people
may think.
10. Confession
This discipline sets us free from the burden of hidden sin, but it requires transparency and
vulnerability in the presence of one or more people whom we implicitly trust. When we uncover
and name our secrets, failures, and weaknesses, they lose their dominion by virtue of being
exposed. We are generally more concerned about the disapproval of people, whom we can see,
than we are about the disapproval of God, whom we cannot see, and this makes repentance and
confession before others difficult.
11. Fellowship
For some people, enjoying community is not a discipline but a delight. But in our individualistic
culture many people are more inclined toward autonomy and independence than to body life. For
them, a willingness to seek mutual encouragement and edification is a discipline that will
eventually pay dividends through regular exposure to a diversity of natural and spiritual gifts.
We will discuss and develop the discipline of community in the section on corporate spirituality.
There we will see that our experience with God is mediated through the body of Christ and that
koinonia (communion, fellowship, close relationship, association) with other believers plays an
essential role in our spiritual formation. This dynamic of fellowship should not be trivialized by
reducing it to punch and cookies or potluck suppers. It’s also important in today’s society not to
allow our fellowship to be mediated, at least not exclusively or even primarily, by technology.
Relationships are analog, not digital; while mobile technology can serve as a helpful tool in
relationship building, there’s no substitute for actual, in-person presence.
12. Submission
The discipline of voluntary submission to others as an expression of our submission to Christ is
based on the biblical mandate for us to seek the good of others rather than our rights. Mutual
subordination and servanthood free us from having to be in control and to have things go our
way. By imitating Christ in this discipline of self-denial, we become increasingly concerned with
the needs of others.
13. Guidance
The discipline of guidance involves the recovery of spiritual direction. In recent years, the
evangelical community has become aware of the need for seeking spiritual guidance; this comes
through accountability to mentors whose credibility is established by experience and maturity.
Guidance is also a corporate discipline in which a body of believers seeks a Spirit-directed unity.
14. Simplicity
These disciplines reinforce each other, since they relate to our attitude and use of the resources
that have been placed at our disposal. The discipline of simplicity or frugality refers to a
willingness to abstain from using these resources for our own gratification and aggrandizement.
A mindset of simplicity helps us resist the cultural endorsement of extravagance and
consumption that entices us away from gratitude, trust, and dependence on the Lord. This
discipline frees us from the multiplicity of fleshly desires and anxiety over trivial things, and it
helps to deliver us from the bondage of financial debt.
15. Stewardship
The related discipline of stewardship encourages us to reflect on our lives as managers of the
assets of Another. In addition to the usual trilogy of time, talent, and treasure, I include the
stewardship of the truth we have received as well as the relationships with which we have been
entrusted. In this discipline, we periodically review the ways we have been investing these
assets.
16. Sacrifice
Sacrifice is a more radical discipline than simplicity in that it involves the occasional risk of
giving up something we would use to meet our needs rather than our wants. This is a faith-
building exercise that commits us to entrust ourselves to God’s care.
17. Worship
To worship is to be fully occupied with the attributes of God—the majesty, beauty, and goodness
of his person, powers, and perfections. For the individual, worship often involves devotional
reflection on the person and work of Jesus Christ as our mediator to the Father. In a corporate
setting, believers are united in heart and mind to honor and extol the infinite and personal God.
The discipline of worship expands our concept of who God is and what he has done.
18. Celebration
Celebration focuses on all that God has done on our behalf. It is the discipline of choosing
gratitude rather than grumbling and remembrance rather than indifference. When we celebrate,
we review and relive the history of God’s blessings, and this stimulates a renewed sense of
devotion. Celebration, whether individual or corporate, is taking pleasure, amazement, and joy in
how good God has been to us in specific ways and times. To revel in God’s goodness is to gain a
new sense of perspective.
19. Service
The discipline of service does not call attention to itself but concentrates instead on the needs and
concerns of others. True service does not look for recognition but is born out of love for Jesus
and a desire to follow him in washing the feet of the saints. In this discipline, we take on roles
that are passed over and that do not call attention to ourselves; we steadfastly refuse to live for
appearance and recognition, choosing instead to show kindness, courtesy, sensitivity, and
concern for people who are often overlooked.
20. Witness
The reason many believers are not involved in evangelism is that they do not see it as a discipline
that requires a corresponding lifestyle. To witness is to choose to go beyond our circle of
believing friends and to walk dependently in the power of the Spirit as we invest in relationships
with those who have not yet met Christ. The discipline of witness takes seriously the biblical
mandate of bearing witness to Jesus by building nonmanipulative relationships with eternity in
view.
The Spiritual Disciplines are useful means but inadequate ends.
The disciplines of the faith are never ends in themselves but means to the end of knowing,
loving, and trusting God. As we implement them in a consistent way, we cultivate holy habits.
As these habits grow, they guide our behavior and character in such a way that it becomes more
natural for us to live out our new identities in Christ. Our daily choices shape our habits, and our
habits shape our character. Our character in turn guides the decisions we make in times of stress,
temptation, and adversity. In this way, the godly actions of maturing believers are outward
displays of increasing inner beauty.
If we fail to see these disciplines and habits as responses to divine grace, we will slip into the
trap of thinking that they have value in themselves. Those who think this way suppose that when
they meditate or fast, they are spiritually superior to those who do not. Their disciplines become
external, self-energized, and law-driven. They are tempted to quantify spirituality by reducing it
to a set of external practices rather than an internal, grace-drawn process of transformation.
Instead, we must see the disciplines as external practices that reflect and reinforce internal
aspirations. Spiritual growth is inside out, not outside in; our focus should be more on the
process of inner transformation than on outward routines. This understanding will free us from
thinking that the disciplines we practice are magical in themselves or that others should be
engaging in the same activities that we practice. Spiritual disciplines are good servants but poor
masters; they are useful means but inadequate ends.
