Discipleship Model - Level 1

Level 1 - Measuring Discipleship

Level 1 of the Discipleship Model has all the stocks and flows that measure the number inside and outside the church, and the grades of discipleship within the church. Thus it can measure how many are in each category of people, e.g. how many in church are at the beginning of discipleship, how many at later stages, how many unbelievers etc. This is the static view. It can also measure how many transfer from one category to another each year, the dynamic view. There is no model of why people transfer, how it is controlled or resourced, at level 1.

Basic Assumptions of the Discipleship Model - Level 1

Categories of People

The model consists of six basic categories of people:

• Unbelievers: This is the wider community in which the church is immersed. These people show little evidence of any interest in, or commitment to, Christianity or Jesus Christ. They may attend church on special occasions, but it is the interest and commitment that is lacking.
• Potential Converts: Those who are interested in Christianity, perhaps attending church, but are not Christian. They have not made any meaningful commitment to Jesus Christ. This is the church's fringe.
• Basic Discipleship: Those who have just been converted and are learning the basics of the faith, and how to be a Christian. They are seeking to move forward or actively engaged in the process of moving forward.
• Early Mature: Those who have passed the basics stage and have a spiritual involvement in the church. E.g. They may contribute to a Bible study, or pray in a group, or be part of a church group that do spiritual things, e.g. a worship group. They are able to take on responsibilities, e.g. teach a Sunday School class, but not in a leadership role., or at least not in a role where they are able to take the lead in discipling others.
• Mature: Those that can take on lay leadership, run a housegroup, lead worship, run a discipleship course, elder etc. These are the category who resource and lead the discipleship process, whether formally or informally.
• Inactive: The category for those who were once mature or early mature, but have stopped participating in spiritual activities. They may still attend church and do participate in "non-spiritual" work, but that work does not disciple others or produce resources in which spiritual growth takes place. They have stopped growing spiritually themselves. Inactivity may occur through choice, age, external circumstances or decisions made within the church.
• In addition there are categories of people who have stopped progressing after conversion, basic discipleship and early mature. They have reached their particular stage, but although they may participate in spiritual activities (unlike the inactive) they are not interested, willing or able to progress in discipleship. After these categories people may leave the church and form a group who are not open to re-joining church for some time.

Bigger Groupings

• Church. This is the sum of all the believing categories: Basic Discipleship, Early Mature, Mature and Inactive; as well as those who have stopped at each stage.
• Congregation. This is the church plus the potential converts, as these are deemed to be attending worship or other church functions.
• Outsiders. The unbelievers who are open to being attracted to the church, plus those who have left the church.

External Processes

In addition to movement between categories there is also movement back and for with areas outside the model:

• Leaving. This is mainly people who give up on church but could also be used to represent those who move away geographically. Leaving is from the inactive or stopped categories.
• Deaths. All categories have deaths at the same rate.
• Transfers In. These are either people who change from another local congregation to the one modelled. It could also represent those who move in geographically. People can move in to any active category up to Mature. People may also move in to unbelievers to represent a widening community.

Not Modelled

There is no model of the mechanism as to how people are converted, or how they start attending church, as in the Limited Enthusiasm Model. The number of new people attending the church each year is set in advance. It may be constant or it may vary.

There is no model of births. People who are born into church are dealt with under transfers. This reflects the fact that many young people brought up in church usually move away from home in late teens and join a different church. Of course there are many who leave church completely. Thus there is no attempt to model child and Sunday School dynamics which is regarded as beyond the scope of this model.

Purpose of the Discipleship Model at Level 1

• To challenge people's perception of their church by comparing their static view of the church - how many are in each category, with their dynamic view - how it is changing over time through the processes they think are happening.
• To search out the true reasons for growth and decline in a congregation, if the growth is not primarily through conversion.
• To investigate ways the church can effectively manage the discipleship process to keep a balance of spiritual maturity and new Christians in the congregation.
• To investigate issues raised by varying the patterns of new attendance at the church .  

Systems Dynamics Model for the Discipleship Model

Each year some unbelievers attend church, the Potential Converts. Some get converted and want to go deeper into Basic Discipleship. Some get converted but decided to go no further. They keep attending church but do not progress much in the Christian life. The others are not converted, and say no thanks. They spend a while as people now hardened to church, dipped toe in church, but do again become open to trying church again.

Of those in Basic Discipleship, some progress no further, but other progress on to Early Mature and play a full spiritual part in the church.

A fraction of those stop at each stage leave the church each year.

The remainder of the model progresses from "Early Mature". Some take on lay leadership and become mature, some do not and stay at the early mature. Both Early mature and mature eventually retire from active service and become inactive in the church. Although those who stopped at conversion and the basic discipleship stages are also inactive in a spiritual sense, the "inactive" category represent those who were once active but are no longer.

Parameters

• Timescales
  • Time spent as a potential convert before conversion, or they say no thanks.
  • Time spent in discipleship before those who will progress to early mature take on responsibilities.
  • Time Spent in early mature before those who progress to mature take on leadership roles
• Fractions
  • Fractions of potential converts who are converted and who are not . The fraction of those countered who progress and those who do not.
  • Fraction of those in basic discipleship who progress to early mature and those who do not.
  • Fraction of early mature who progress to mature and those who do not.
• Stock values - The numbers (or percentages) in Potential Converts, Dipped Toe in Church, Stop at Conversion, Basic Discipleship, Stop at Basic Discipleship, Early Mature, Stop at Early Mature, Mature and Inactive
• Leaving Rates. The fraction of those who have stopped progressing who leave the church each year.
• Joining Rate. The number who start attending the church each year.

The parameters are listed in detail on the handout from the October meeting

Challenge

Select a particular church. Then carry out two exercises:

Exercise 1: Make a guess as to how many were in each category in the church - the static perception.

Exercise 2: Make a guess as to what fraction progress from one category to another, and what fraction never do, and over what time period that progression takes place - the dynamic perception.

Running the model will show to what extent these two perceptions agree or disagree with each other.

Links to Construction and Results

Level 1 Construction, Principles Established, Experiments

Level 2 Construction, Experiments

Level 3 Construction, Experiments

Level 4 Construction, Experiments

The work of adding material is ongoing

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