Stuck in Your Faith? The 4-Part 'GROW' Framework for Real Transformation

In most areas of our lives, we actively seek growth. We want our careers to advance, our families to flourish, and our skills to sharpen. Growth is a necessary and desirable part of every positive aspect of life. Yet, for many Christians, their spiritual life can feel stagnant. It's a frustrating, sometimes guilt-inducing, place to be. They may feel "stuck," unable to experience the blessings God intends for them as part of their salvation.

This isn't always from a lack of desire. Often, Christians don't grow simply because they don't know how. They want to move forward but lack a clear, practical path. If that resonates with you, there is a simple, memorable, and actionable framework that can help guide you toward genuine spiritual maturity. It’s an easy-to-remember acrostic: GROW.

The "GROW" Framework for Spiritual Maturity

The following four steps form a simple acrostic to help you remember the key areas of spiritual development. Each step is essential for building a mature and fruitful faith.

1. Gather: You Can't Grow Alone

The first step is to Gather with other Christians regularly. Christian growth is not a solo activity; it’s a community project. We need fellow believers in our lives to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

It takes a community to grow a Christian. When we isolate ourselves from other believers, for any reason, we become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. The encouragement, accountability, and support of a church community are not optional—they are God’s designed environment for our growth.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

2. Relate: Speak the Truth in Love

Next, we must Relate to others based on truth and love. On one hand, we are called to speak God's truth to one another—the Gospel and all its implications—without compromise. On the other, we must do so in a way that builds up, rather than cuts off, our relationships.

This balance is both crucial and incredibly difficult to maintain. There are two common pitfalls. The first is speaking truth without love, which damages relationships and pushes people away. The second is prioritizing feeling good over truth, which compromises our faith. This is a difficult balance because one path appeals to our desire for righteousness, while the other appeals to our desire for relational peace. True maturity holds both in tension.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

3. Obtain: Your Growth is For Others

The third principle is to Obtain training for works of service. A common misconception is that salvation is only for our personal benefit. In reality, our salvation is for the sake of others. God wants us to become like His Son Jesus so that we can be His partners in doing the good works that He wants to do in the world.

This partnership requires intentional training. God provides this equipping through apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Their role is to prepare God's people for works of service, which in turn builds up the church and helps us all mature in our faith. Your growth is not just for you; it's a gift meant to be given away in service to others.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

4. Witness: Be Authentic, Not Perfect

Finally, a growing Christian will Witness to others about Jesus. God desires for us to be a light in a dark world, helping people who are lost find their way back to Him. Our role is to live in such a way that others are attracted to Christ through us.

This can sound intimidating, but here is a relieving insight: we don’t have to be perfect to do this. We just have to be honest and authentic. This doesn't remove the need for integrity in our lives. In fact, true authenticity is living with integrity—closing the gap between what we believe and how we live. This honest journey, not a flawless performance, is what draws others to Christ.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

Conclusion: The GEC of Christian Growth

The GROW framework provides four actionable steps for spiritual maturity: Gathering with believers, Relating in truth and love, Obtaining training for service, and Witnessing to the world.

While the GROW acrostic gives you the what, there’s a foundational principle that governs the how. It’s the engine that powers all four steps. To truly unlock spiritual growth, you must remember this:

“Christian growth is spelled GEC - grace, effort, and community.”

This simple phrase captures the essential truth of our journey. God’s grace is the foundation, but it is not against effort; it is only against earning our salvation. And we cannot apply that effort alone; we need the community of other believers to help us grow.

Looking at your own life, which part of the GEC principle—grace, effort, or community—do you need to lean into most this week?

Note: This article was written with the help of NotebookLM using my own teaching notes.