Please read completely before you begin the Spiritual Assessment. After reading select the "Complete the Assessment Now" link at the bottom of this page.

Do people see a likeness of Jesus Christ when they observe your life? Is His life forming in you?

The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 4:19-20, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now.” Paul’s words speak to the mission of the church—to see a person establish an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ that grows and develops until Christ is seen in them as His fully developing followers. Your spiritual life began by placing faith in God’s grace to forgive you from your sins. That same faith and a heart open to God enables the Holy Spirit to progressively grow you in the likeness of Christ. Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 3:18: But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. (NLT)

Spiritual Formation is not about working harder. Notice in the passage above that the Spirit of the Lord does the “work within us”. Our action is to “turn to the Lord” and to make choices in our lifestyle that cooperates with the Holy Spirit. By doing this, we place ourselves where the Spirit can grow our understanding of Christ, helping us “become more and more like him”. We hope this assessment tool will help you identify areas where God might want to grow you into His likeness as a fully developing follower. This is not a pass/fail test and scores are not reported or retained. It is for your personal use only to help you recognize areas of strength for you spiritually, and to identify areas of potential growth.

So what specifically does a fully developing follower of Christ look like? At St. Mark’s we have identified five Christ-like values that are common to those whose lives are being transformed as followers of Christ. We use these Five Core Discipleship Values to gauge our spiritual condition.

Community

Having a relationship with God by personally receiving the saving work of Jesus Christ (Grace), and by connecting with others in loving, authentic relationships through participation in the local church (Group life).

Growing

Having the likeness of Christ formed in us as we intentionally turn ourselves toward him through spiritual disciplines (such as prayer, fasting, study, solitude, etc) and making changes in whatever area we feel He is calling us to grow.

Worship

Actively living out our full devotion to God through the daily routine of our lives.

Serving

Honoring God and supporting the mission of the local church by serving according to our spiritual gifts and by giving of our material resources.

Reaching

Sharing the message of Jesus Christ to others in our immediate circle of relational influence, so they may understand how much they matter to God and receive His saving grace.

It is our hope that this assessment will be useful in helping you evaluate your spiritual condition with regard to these five Core Discipleship Values and then prescribe some opportunities that may help you progress on your spiritual journey. Keep in mind that this tool does not compare your level of spiritual maturity with someone else’s. It only compares you to the model Christ set forth. It is designed to help you discover the areas where you are strong, as well as areas where you need to grow spiritually. In other words, it is a tool to encourage spiritual movement, not guilt.

We hope you approach this assessment with great anticipation and openness to the wonderful life God has in store for you as you seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, “until Christ is formed in you.”