LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Spheres and Stages of Discipleship
Submitted to Dr. Dave Earley
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500 - B04
Discipleship Ministries
by
Bartley Nethery
January 30, 2022
Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………2
Stages and Spheres……………………………………………………………………………….3
Application…………………………………………………………………………...…………..7
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………..9
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Introduction
In the business world, many smart men and women have operated within the framework
that what is gauged improves. Famously, Peter Drucker said, “…only what gets measured, gets
managed.” While the local church and the process of discipleship are certainly not businesses or
practices in need of management, the principle is wise. Absent a picture of a fully formed
disciple, discipleship is like setting sail in the dark without a compass, but when setting sail the
boat was pointed at Great Britain. This would be a foolish endeavor considering the myriad of
places one could land, most of which not being the intended destination. In order to focus the
discipleship process within the church, the church must define the biblical end goal by which to
measure success. In Disciple Making Is…, Rod Dempsey writes, “A Disciple is a person who has
trusted Christ completely for salvation and has surrendered completely to Him. He or she is
committed to practicing the spiritual disciplines in community and developing to their full
potential for Christ and His mission.”1
From a clear, biblical definition the church can begin to curate God-honoring and
measurable strategies to lead people in that direction. The financial guru, Dave Ramsey, teaches
the concept of the “debt snowball.” The philosophy behind the process is that in tackling one’s
debts from smallest to largest hope builds. As a person pays off a $500 note, it gives hope and
builds excitement to then pay off the $1500 note. The momentum grows as the smaller debts are
paid one after the other, up to the largest and final goal. The same principle is true for leading,
guiding, and molding a disciple through a discipleship process. With a clear understanding of the
end goal, discipleship is a slow process of accomplishing measurable goals from smallest to
largest. In the same philosophy as the debt snowball, the hope and excitement build as the
1 David Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is...: How to Live the Great Commission with Passion
and Confidence (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishing Group, 2013), 28.
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disciple grows through the process. The framework of Stages and Spheres found primarily in
Discipleshift, by Jim Putman et al, is just that, a framework. The stages are a helpful tool to
gauge where, in the path to maturity, as a disciple, a person is. The spheres inform the process of
discipleship by pointing one to the realms of life that need spiritual attention and growth.
Stages and Spheres
In Discipleshift, Putman et al lays out five stages by which the disciple can be categorized
for the purpose of meeting him/her at that level as a discipler. When it comes to childhood
education, those systems operate with similar categorization. This allows students to be separated
out based on education level and taught accordingly. These five stages function as those
categories to inform the level of discipleship needed at the present in a disciple’s life. The first of
these stages is spiritually dead. This stage is the initial stage for every potential disciple. The
Apostle Paul calls people in this stage those that are “…dead in your trespasses and sins…”2
(Ephesians 2:1). Recognition of this stage is vital to the discipler. This stage is characterized by,
at worst, hatred for the things of God, and, at best, indifference towards them. The most
important need of the spiritually dead is the life-giving redemption that only comes through
Jesus. Putman et al suggest, “…they need a clear explanation of the gospel and an invitation to
trust and follow Jesus.”3
After trusting and following Jesus, the spiritually dead are born again and given new life
in Christ. This moves the spiritually dead to the second stage of discipleship, which is a spiritual
infant. Much like a physical infant, spiritual infants are not capable of meeting their spiritual
needs on their own. At this stage, disciples do not possess the depth of biblical or spiritual
knowledge evident at later stages, so the writer of Hebrews suggests they are still being sustained
2 New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).
3 Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington, Discipleshift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples
Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 63.
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by milk. During this infant stage, these disciples require almost constant attention and patience
from their discipler. While it is trying to disciple an infant, the encouraging aspect is to watch as
each new spiritual truth or teaching of Jesus blows their mind day-by-day. Infants need the truths
of Scripture “…taught and modeled for them…”4 as they develop the spiritual disciplines on
their own.
The third discipleship stage is grown into in much the same way as a physical infant.
Under the loving care of spiritual parents, those spiritual infants are nourished and grow into
toddlers. Putman et al labels the disciple at this stage a child. To develop this stage biblically,
Putman et al point to the language of the Apostles Paul and John. They both wrote letters to
Christians whom they spoke of as their spiritual children. Like physical children, disciples in this
stage have learned to do some things on their own. Putman et al describe them as having “…
learned enough of the Christian ‘language’--the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures--to be able
to converse with other believers.”5 In a sense, they have acclimated to the life of a believer a little
more. While this growth is evident, it remains clear that the spiritual child is still somewhat self-
centered in their approach to Christianity. Everything still revolves around their own needs,
wants, and desires. At this stage, the child is still dependent on others, but their independence is
consistently growing. The spiritual child’s greatest need is to be taught and to learn that their
obedience in response to God’s Word is paramount to their growth and path forward with Christ.
The fourth stage, naturally, is the spiritual young adult. The Apostle John suggests, “…I
am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one…” (1 John 2:13). The
young adult is marked by “…a shift from being self-centered to being God- and other-centered.”6
Young adults are becoming more Christlike in a multitude of areas of their life. They have grown
4 Putman et al, Discipleshift, 65.
5 Ibid., 65.
6 Putman et al, Discipleshift, 67.
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beyond a self-centered approach to their faith and are beginning to realize that being a disciple is
about following Christ and serving others. During this stage, a genuine love for other Christians
and the Church begins to develop. The motivations of the young adult begin to align with biblical
teachings. They want to serve others because Christ called them to be a servant of all, not
because everyone else is doing it. In the spiritual young adult, the mature disciple God calls them
to be is taking shape. The spiritual young adult needs deep relationships with more mature
believers. These relationships will provide them with accountability, direction, advice,
understanding, and more as they become more involved in God’s individual calling on their life.
The fifth, and final stage, is the spiritual parent. It is important to note that this final stage
does not mean the disciple has arrived at the pinnacle of spiritual growth. Rather, this stage
reflects a disciple who has reached a level of maturity to facilitate his/her own growth through
the Holy Spirit working in them. In addition to that, the spiritual parent is spiritually,
emotionally, and biblically capable of reproducing disciples and walking with them as they grow
through each stage of the discipleship process. The spiritual parent is easily identified by the
evidence of disciple and discipleship reproduction in their life. The Apostle Paul describes the
work of the spiritual parent this way, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence
of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2
Timothy 2:2). The primary need of spiritual parents is the encouragement, accountability, and
support of other spiritual parents. They participate in life together as they work individually to
multiply disciples throughout their lives.
The five stages of discipleship are helpful in establishing the growth and maturity level of
a disciple. Further informing the process of discipleship, Putman et al also point to the four
spheres of life that a disciple needs to grow in. These four spheres are the disciple’s relationship
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with God, the church, his/her family, and the world. Despite the stage of growth a disciple is in,
the discipler should be leading him/her to grow in each of these four spheres. Putman et al
suggests that “…in each sphere, a disciple understands God’s commands and submits to His
authority (head), is transformed by Jesus (heart), and joins Jesus on a kingdom mission (hands)
in all of these areas of their life.”7 The foundational sphere for every disciple is his/her
relationship with Jesus Christ. It is central to and formative of to every other sphere. Jesus
himself said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you” (Matthew 6:33). A disciple’s growth in his/her relationship with God is what
produces growth the other three spheres. This growth begins with the disciple’s relationship to
the church, or fellow disciples. The Apostle John was clear in stating that if I person genuinely
loves God, a love for the children of God will naturally flow from that. Therefore, it is only
natural that a love for God’s people would follow growth in relationship with God.
Again, flowing from the foundational sphere of life, the disciple should experience and
be led to grow in relationship to his/her physical family. In Ephesians 5-6, the Apostle Paul lays
out the biblical expectations of a healthy, God-honoring home. These expectations are radically
different from those of the secular world. This radical difference in the culture is one thing that
makes growing in the sphere of family such a difficult task. It is also what makes the disciple
stand out as one in the world, but not of the world. The truth is, whether a child, wife, or
husband, the disciple has a biblical responsibility in the home, and a major part of the
discipleship process is to grow in that sphere of their life. Beyond the home, that foundational
sphere of growth in relationship to Jesus should produce growth in the disciple’s relationship to
the world around him/her. In Ephesians 6, this sphere of life is a disciple’s work life. This is
probably better understood as the day-to-day business of life in the modern world. That is, how a
7 Putman et al, Discipleshift, 78.
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disciple is to relate to his/her boss, employees, friends, acquaintances, etc. As the disciple’s
relationship to Christ grows, this has a ripple affect into all of life. The ripple effect of that
foundational relationship with Christ sustains growth in the spheres of the church, the family, and
the world. In discipleship, no matter the stage, the process should work to facilitate growth in the
foundational sphere of a relationship with Christ, and supplement growth in the other spheres.
Application
Even though I have been a youth pastor for almost ten years, I believe I have only
recently moved from the young adult stage to the parent stage of spiritual development. I was
called to full-time vocational ministry when I was 16 years old. From that moment on, I was
looked at differently by leaders, teachers, and fellow students. I believe my surrendering to that
call and making it public adversely affected my spiritual development in my teenage and young
adult years. Having made call that public, it is as if everyone expected that I had arrived at
spiritual maturity, or, at the very least, I could work the rest of the way out for myself. I was
called to preach after all. The truth is, I was in the late stages of spiritual childhood progressively
moving toward spiritual young adulthood.
As a teenager, my outlook was ostensibly self-centered, but the Lord was slowly forming
my heart and mind to feel and think more like His. By my first year of college had progressed
into a spiritual young adult. That childish self-centeredness had been replaced with an
overwhelming desire to serve in that calling to ministry. That led me into youth ministry, where I
served for almost 9 years before I realized I had never been discipled myself. I realized my need
for a discipler. God answered that need as if He had only been waiting for me to ask.
The pastor I served under in my last youth ministry post recognized that need and took on
the task willingly. It was his discipleship and example that I believe moved me from spiritual
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young adulthood to spiritual parenthood. It was his discipleship of me that led me to begin
discipling others on a personal level. Youth ministry had allowed me to say I was discipling
students, which I was, in a sense, corporately, but personally that was a lie I told myself. Now, in
the present, I have 3 guys that I am passionate about helping move toward the stage of young
adulthood. The Apostle Paul suggested that the spiritual parent stage is to “…be strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many
witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2).
It is my belief that I am in this stage spiritually. My life is patterned by a solid, growing
understanding of God’s Word and the ability and desire to pass those things on to others.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “What is said about the content of discipleship? Follow me,
walk behind me!”8 One thing I have learned over the last couple of years is that being a disciple
of Christ means sacrificing control. That sacrifice means relinquishing control of the steering
wheel. It is no longer me charting the path of my life, but Christ charting the course while I
follow. Christ is front and center in all four of the spheres mentioned above. The sphere I
struggle to sacrifice control in the most is the sphere of the world, specifically in my work. I am
an entrepreneur. I started my own small business five years ago. The entrepreneur in me, often,
refuses to relinquish control to anyone or anything. It is as if I feel like I can run my business and
take care of my customers better than God. Bonhoeffer suggested that “Discipleship without
Jesus Christ is choosing one's own path.”9 My biggest struggle is choosing my own path in the
sphere of work in my life. According to Bonhoeffer, that is an area of discipleship without Jesus.
In my own estimation, relinquishing control to Christ in the business sphere of my life is the area
to work on.
8 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Discipleship,” in Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, ed. Martin Kusket et al., trans.
Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss, vol. 4 (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003), 58.
9 Bonhoeffer, “Discipleship,” 59.
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Conclusion
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his
cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). For a person to deny himself/herself and follow Christ is the
first step in biblical submission. Jesus calls the person to sacrifice control of their life and submit
it to Him. This submission is necessary to follow Christ. Robyn Huck concludes that “If we don’t
express a heart of submission, we are superficial Christians at best.”10 Jesus describes that
superficial, unsubmitted person saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 7:23). That superficial Christian is the one who claimed to
be fully submitted on the outside, but on the inside, they are as in control of self as ever.
Biblical submission is a much deeper call, and it cannot be approached in any way other
than whole heartedly. Jesus is not interested in superficial, halfway disciples. Paul talked about
submission in the context of marriage. He said:
“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of
the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the
body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their
husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:22-24).
The crazy part about his passage is that so many people in the world today feel like its oppressive
toward women. That is a complete misunderstanding of submission. Huck points out the
overlooked aspect of submission that causes this misunderstanding, “Biblical submission has
nothing to do with mindless obedience.”11 In the next verse, Paul suggests that the wife is to
submit to her husband as he loves her in the way Christ loves the church. The wife submits to the
husband, not blindly, but willingly because of the love she knows he has for her. This is a picture
of submission to Christ, albeit an often-flawed picture.
10 Robyn Huck, “The Dreaded S-Word: Submission and Our Proud Hearts,” The Journal of Biblical
Counseling 29, no. 3 (2015), 22.
11 Robyn Huck, “The Dreaded S-Word: Submission and Our Proud Hearts,” 22.
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The Christian is to submit himself/herself fully to Christ because he/she knows and
understands the love He has for them. In fact, He paid the ultimate price on their behalf. That
love is evident. That love gives the disciple the assurance that Christ only wants what is best for
them, and that He will work to bring that about in real time. What does that true submission look
like in real time? Obedience. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”
(John 14:15). The difference in a superficial and a real submission to Christ is a life patterned by
obedience. That is, obedience in the public square as well as the private closet. It is an obedience
with integrity.
Bibliography
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. “Discipleship.” In Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, edited by Martin Kusket,
Ilse Todt, Geffrey B. Kelly, and John D. Godsey, translated by Barbara Green and
Reinhard Krauss, Vol. 4. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion
and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2018.
Earley, David, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is...: How to Live the Great Commission with
Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishing Group, 2013.
Huck, Robyn. “The Dreaded S-Word: Submission and Our Proud Hearts.” The Journal of
Biblical Counseling 29, no. 3 (2015). https://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?
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