JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Spheres And Stages Of Discipleship
Submitted to Dr. William England,
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN500-C02-202220
Discipleship Ministries
by
Stephen Heleman
February 27, 2022
Table Of Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………… 3
The Five Levels ………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
The Four Spheres ………………………………………………………………………………... 6
My Spiritual Stage ………………………………………………………………………………. 8
My Spheres …………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
Submission To Christ ………………………..………………………………………………… 10
Bibliograph ………………………………………………..…………………………………… 13
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Introduction
Jim Putman and Bobby Harrington give us a great gift in their book DiscipleShift. They
give us a framework to help us know where to start and what steps to take with their “Five
Stages of Spiritual Development” and the “Four Spheres.” While these are not a way to judge or
place value on a person, they do help us when “we are seeking to assess their level of spiritual
maturity in order to help them move forward and grow”1 This is especially helpful for those of us
who are leading growing churches. As we are looking to help not just one person grow in their
faith but an entire congregation. Having these stages and spheres allow us to help our leaders
identify where the people they are working with are and how to help them move forward.
The Five Levels
The first level are those who are “Spiritually Dead.” This describes a person who is not a
Christian. As Ephesians 2:1 says, you are “dead in your trespasses and sins.” 2 This level can
include those someone who is running from God, those who are seeking, and those who call
themselves a Christian but bear no fruit. 3 These is one goal for a person at this level. For them to
see their need for Jesus and to turn to him. This means we are only trying to share the gospel
with them. We do not expect them to act like a Christian. In fact, “If you expect a dead person to
be alive, you will be disappointed.”4
1 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
2 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Eph 2:1.
3 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
4 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
3
The second level are “Spiritual Infants.” Peter encourages people at this level to be, “Like
newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word.” 5 This is a person who has been saved but has
not grown in their faith. This may be a brand-new Christian, but may also be a longtime
Christian who has, “remained stagnant in their faith.” 6 They often look to a pastor, friend, or
other leader to cater to their needs.7 Sometimes the change in their life is dramatic and sometimes
it isn’t as easy to see. A Spiritual Infant needs someone to share with them. To share their life, the
truth of God’s Word, and new habits with them. They need someone to invest in them until they
can feed themselves. As Putman says, “Eventually they will learn to feed themselves, but at this
point, they don’t really know how.” 8
The third level are the “Spiritual Children.” This is who John is talking about when he
says, “14 I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father.” 9 These are
people who know the Lord and are growing in their relationship with Him. While there is
obvious growth, “much of their spiritual life still revolves around them—meeting their needs,
their desires, and their interests.”10 Like most children they are selfish always asking, “how will
this affect me?” Children need someone to connect with them on a deeper level and help them
connect with God on a deeper level. They need to connect with God, a small group, and most
5 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 2:2.
6 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
7 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
8 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
9 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Jn 2:14.
10 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
4
importantly their purpose. Many Christians are stuck at this level because transitioning to the
next level requires us to put God and others before ourselves.
The fourth level are “Spiritual Young Adults.” John address Spiritual Young Adults this
way, “I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. I have written
to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have conquered
the evil one.” 11 These are men and women who are fighting temptation of the devil and are
strong in God’s Word. They have made the shift from being self-centered to God and others
centered. Their lives are beginning to be oriented around God’s Word, his people, and his
mission. 12 People at this level need training to minister as well as opportunities minister and
commission to minister. Young Adults are not waiting for someone to do for them they are
making a difference in the world.
The fifth level are “Spiritual Parents.” This is what Paul is telling Timothy to do when he
says, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men
who will be able to teach others also.” 13 Paul is saying, I have taught you, now teach others. This
should be the ultimate goal for all believers. I love the question Putman asks when someone
declares they are spiritually mature. “I ask them who they are discipling. If they tell me no one,
then I am going to question whether they are spiritually mature.” 14 The goal of a Christian is not
to be a “good person” or even to have a large body of knowledge. The goal of a Christian is to
help people find life in Christ and grow into spiritual parents.
11 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Jn 2:14.
12 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
13 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 2 Ti 2:2.
14 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
5
I would go a step further than Putman as say that the highest level is when you can
disciple someone into a spiritual parent. This mean until I help someone who helps someone
grow I am not truly a spiritual parent. Spiritual Parents to be supported and released to make
disciples. They need to know the discipleship process and then released to disciple with help and
finally released to disciple alone. All along they need, “they need to have close peer relationships
with other spiritual parents who are involved in making disciples for encouragement.”15 We
always need support.
These spiritual levels are more than theoretical ideas for us to discuss in a church. They
are meant to be lived out in real and practical ways in our everyday life. This is why Putman and
Harrington go a step further and give us four spheres we need to consider as a growing disciple.
When discipling a person it is helpful to consider their overall spiritual level as well as their
spiritual level in each of the spheres.
The Four Spheres
The first sphere is our relationship with God. This must be the central and most important
relationship we have. “This sphere is the core, the hub that unites the other spheres together.” 16
If this relationship is broken are unhealth all of our other relationships will suffer. When
discussing and discipling in this sphere we need to consider if the know what Jesus teaches and if
they have truly surrender to his will. We also need to look and see if there are any visible changes
15 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
16 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
6
in the life of the disciple. Are they becoming more like Jesus? Finally, we need to observe if they
are following God’s direction in their life. 17
The next sphere to consider is their relationship with the church, the family of God.
Putman reminds us that, “when we are born again, we become part of the family of God and
have a spiritual Father as well as brothers and sisters in Christ. It can be easy for us to accept the
good news that we have a Father who loves us, yet fail to relate to other believers as brothers and
sisters, but the two are connected.” 18 We cannot love the Lord our God if we do not love what he
loves and he loves his bride. This means we need to help the disciple know what the Bible
teaches about the church and how important she is. We also need to encourage the cultivate a
growing love for the body of Christ. Finally, we need to help them develop healthy relationships
in the church as they use their gifts to serve her.
The third spere is the relationships we have at home. It does no good for us to be mature
disciples in the world, at church, or with friends if we are not mature disciples at home. When
Paul is telling Timothy what to look for in a leader in the church one of the requirements is that
they are spiritual leaders in their home. As Putman says, “not every Christian has the gift of
leadership, but every believer is supposed to make disciples, and the most important place to
focus is in our homes.” 19 We need to help our disciples learn how to be spiritual parents in their
homes.
17 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
18 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
19 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
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The fourth, and final, sphere is our relationship with the world. Jesus tells us that we are to be
salt and light. We are to make the world better and we are to be a light that points people to
Jesus. This means every interaction we have is a spiritual interaction and has potential eternal
consequences. Since most people spend a significant amount of time at work we must help a
disciple consider their spiritual maturity in that environment. As Putman points out, “when we
are in the world, we represent Christ, and in what we do, we do not simply work for other
people; we work for the Lord. In this sense, our work affects God’s reputation.” 20
My Spiritual Stage
In all humility I consider myself to be a Spiritual Parent. I consider Romans 12:1-2 to be
a picture of a mature disciple. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I
urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true
worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so
that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” 21 I am aware and
overwhelmed with all that God has done for me. I strive every day to offer all I am to be and do
who and what God calls me to. As Mounce states, “Holiness of life rarely progresses apart from
deliberative acts of the will. While sanctification is gradual in the sense that it continues
throughout life, each advance depends upon a decision of the will.”22
Additionally, while I pastor a growing church, I always focus on a handful of men who I
am pouring into. There are four men on my executive team and we meet weekly where the entire
20 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to
Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
21 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ro 12:1–2.
22 Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1995), 231.
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focus is for me to challenge them to grow deeper as a disciple. I also have two “huddles” of three
men each. All six are on a slightly different level but all are actively growing. Each year I kick
one out of the group as they no longer need me and pick up another the fill the hole. Twice a
month I meet with group of four other pastors for accountability and encouragement. It took over
a year for us to learn to trust each other but these men are essential for my spiritual health as I am
for theirs.
One of the requirements I have for the people I disciple is that they must also be actively
discipling another. While I agree with Putman and Harrington on the five distinct levels, I believe
it is best to teach people to disciple others as early as possible. You only need to be a few steps
ahead of a person to disciple them. This means a child can disciple an infant and a young adult
can disciple a child, if they are being discipled by a Spiritual Parent.
One of my favorite Pauline letters is 1 Thessalonians. Paul only spent a few weeks at
Thessalonica before being run out of town. You would think that Paul being forced to leave the
young church would be the cause of its death. Yet, Paul says, “you yourselves became imitators
of us and of the Lord … As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia
and Achaia.” 23 In a few weeks they imitated what they say in Paul and then they became an
example for others to follow.
My Spheres
I realize the danger in what I am about to say, but I can say with all honesty I am
submitting my life to the centrality of Christ in all these spheres. I am not claiming to be perfect
23 Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Th 1:5–7.
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in all these areas. After attending a “Doing Church As A Team Sport” with Jim Putman these four
spheres have been part of my life and accountability with the pastors I meet with on a regular
basis. Every month I prayerfully examine these four areas with men who know me. We ask
questions of each other, challenge each other, and follow up when work is needed. This has
changed my life and allowed God to rule these four areas of my life.
As Bonhoeffer says, “The disciple's answer is not a spoken confession of faith in Jesus.
Instead, it is the obedient deed.” 24 I truly seek to do what Jesus wants me to in my relationship
with him, in the church, with my family, and the world. When I fail, I confess my sin, seek to
make it right, ask for help and move on. Know there is always growth it is freeing to know God
continues to push deeper in my life making me more like him.
Submission To Christ
The idea of submitting our life to Christ is often lost in our me centered world. It is
common to hear Christians talk about what Jesus can do or did for me. It is less common to talk
about what Jesus is telling us to do for him. Bonhoeffer reminds us that, “Because Jesus is the
Christ, he has authority to call and to demand obedience to his word. Jesus calls to discipleship,
not as a teacher and a role model, but as the Christ, the Son of God.” 25 We do not follow Jesus
because we like him, because he can do good things for us, or because we have nothing better to
do. We follow Jesus because he is God.
24 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945; edited by John D. Godsey, fl. 2000, Geffrey B. Kelly, fl. 2000 and Martin
Kuske, fl. 2003; in Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4 (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003,
originally published 1937), 74
25 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945; edited by John D. Godsey, fl. 2000, Geffrey B. Kelly, fl. 2000 and Martin
Kuske, fl. 2003; in Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4 (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003,
originally published 1937), 74
10
One of the most important parts of following Christ is being part of his mission. We are
called out of this world and to be on mission with God.26 We want to expand God’s Kingdom and
help people find the fullness of life only found in Jesus. When you look at the activities of the
early church you see them studying the Apostles teaching, fellowshipping with each other,
Breaking bread together, praying, living in unity, meeting needs, gathering for worship, spending
time together daily, and living a life of praise. Being a Christian was not something they did on
Sunday; it consumed their entire life.
This is why following God means we have to leave our old life behind. We see this when
Jesus tells Matthew to leave his tax booth and follow him, as well as telling Andrew and John
and Peter to leave their fishing business and be his disciple. We even see this when Jesus tells
Peter to get out of the boat and walk on water. “Staying in the old situation and following Christ
mutually exclude each other.”27
One of the greatest examples of this is the rich young ruler who believed that he was
follow the rules. When Jesus asked him to leave his wealth and follow him, he was unwilling to
go. Bonhoeffer reminds us that in this moment Jesus is saying to the man I don’t need you to
follow rules I need you to follow me. “I am calling you, that is all.”28
The question we must ask ourselves moment by moment is, “what my Lord wants me to
do right now.” This applies to my time with God, the time I spend with church, my, and my
work. It applies when I alone and when I am with people. It applies when life is great and when I
am struggling.
26 Innovate Church. “What is God’s Will for My Church? Discipleship!”, 4
27 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945; edited by John D. Godsey, fl. 2000, Geffrey B. Kelly, fl. 2000 and Martin
Kuske, fl. 2003; in Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4 (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003,
originally published 1937), 79
28 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945; edited by John D. Godsey, fl. 2000, Geffrey B. Kelly, fl. 2000 and Martin
Kuske, fl. 2003; in Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4 (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003,
originally published 1937), 91
11
Early gives three stages we go through to get to submission. The first stage is declaration,
I will give my life to Jesus. The second stage is development. I am learning to follow Jesus and
grow in him. The third stage is deployment. I am giving my life to make a difference in the
world.29 Each level goes deeper and deeper and gets us to the point of total submission. I pray
submission to our loving father will be the goal of our life.
29 Dave Earley, “Understanding the First Step of Obedience,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to Live the Great
Commission with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2013).
12
Bibliography
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1906-1945; edited by John D. Godsey, fl. 2000, Geffrey B. Kelly, fl. 2000
and Martin Kuske, fl. 2003; in Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 4.
Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003, originally published 1937.
Christian Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020.
Earley, Dave. “Understanding the First Step of Obedience,” in Disciple Making Is . . .: How to
Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H
Academic, 2013.
Innovate Church. “What is God’s Will for My Church? Discipleship!”
Mounce, Robert H. Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1995.
Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help
Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
2013.
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