FOUR YEARS OF CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH, 200 CHURCHES, 80,000 PEOPLE AND THE BREAKTHROUGH FINDINGS THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO CHURCH!
What began as a congregational survey in a few churches has become a revolutionary initiative talked about by church leaders around the world. The startling results were published in Reveal. But that was just the beginning.
Follow Me draws on the latest research to provide unprecedented insights into what drives—and derails—spiritual growth. It addresses questions every ministry leader wrestles with: How does spiritual growth happen? How do we help people move toward a more intimate and committed relationship to Christ? And it reveals the astonishingly honest responses people gave to questions about their spiritual lives.
More than anything else, what people really want is change—they want to become more like Jesus. And they're looking to the church—to you—to help them grow.
In Follow Me, you'll discover what the latest research reveals about:
- Core beliefs that promote spiritual growth
- Key sources of church dissatisfaction
- Three spiritual growth "movements"
- Catalytic church activities and personal spiritual practices
- Ways to overcome spiritual stumbling blocks
When Jesus says, "Follow me," he calls us to a journey of faith and growth. Now you have the breakthrough insights that will help you lead your congregation with confidence, knowing that the next steps you take together really will move people closer to Christ.
For the latest information about REVEAL, visit www.revealnow.com
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What's the Difference between Reveal and Follow Me?
Reveal discovered a spiritual continuum that identifies four segments of the spiritual journey:
- Exploring Christ
- Growing in Christ
- Close to Christ
- Christ-Centered
Follow Me focuses on movement—what catalyzes growth and moves people from one segment to the next on the spiritual continuum.
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What Is REVEAL?
REVEAL is three things: a research-based view of the spiritual journey, a book and a spiritual life survey.
- A Research-based View of the Spiritual Journey
REVEAL is a research-based view of how the spiritual journey unfolds, validated to date through survey input from over 157,000 congregants in more than 500 churches. The distinction of REVEAL is its ability to "measure the unseen," using a research approach that assesses how people's spiritual attitudes, needs and motivations align with spiritual behaviors.
REVEAL identifies a spiritual continuum comprised of four segments of people at different stages of spiritual development: Exploring Christ, Growing in Christ, Close to Christ and Christ-Centered. REVEAL's deeper value, however, is found in its insights about what creates movement along the journey; for example, which church activities, beliefs, spiritual practices or activities (evangelism, serving, etc.) are most influential to spiritual growth at different points along the journey.
- A Book
Published in 2007, Reveal: Where Are You? describes the initial aggregate findings based on input from 5,000 surveys completed by seven different congregations. Follow Me: What's Next for You? expands on earlier findings about the four segments in the spiritual continuum by describing the spiritual catalysts most influential to movement along the continuum. The findings in Follow Me are based on input from 80,000 surveys completed by people in more than 200 congregations.
- A Spiritual Life Survey
The Spiritual Life Survey is a research tool local churches can use to assess the spiritual health of their congregations. The goal of the Spiritual Life Survey is to provide church leaders with a research tool equivalent to the finest research tool used in the marketplace at a small fraction of the marketplace cost. For more information, visit www.revealnow.com
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About the Authors
Greg L. Hawkins is executive pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Since 1996, he has assisted Senior Pastor Bill Hybels in providing strategic leadership to Willow Creek's five campuses and to the Willow Creek Association. He also serves as point leader for REVEAL, a new initiative within the WCA that utilizes research tools and discoveries to help churches better understand spiritual growth in their congregations. Prior to joining the staff of Willow Creek in 1991, Greg spent five years as a consultant for McKinsey & Company. He has an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Stanford University. Greg and his wife, Lynn, live in the Chicago suburbs with their three children.
Cally Parkinson is brand manager for REVEAL, a new initiative within the WCA that utilizes research tools and discoveries to help churches better understand spiritual growth in their congregations. She previously served as the director of communication services at Willow Creek Community Church, a role she took on following a twenty-five-year career at Allstate Insurance Company. At Allstate, Cally held a number of different director- and officer-level positions in strategic planning, research, finance and communications. She has a BA in languages from Depauw University and a master's degree from the American Graduate School of International Management. Cally and her husband, Rich, live in the Chicago suburbs and have two grown children.
