Discipleship Milestones

Milestones serve as markers along a journey. As each person walks their own path of faith, the many disciples of our church will travel along these milestones in unique orders and ways. This is not a rubric offering the precise development of faith. Rather, these milestones guide us as we create, build, lead, and participate in the ministries of Webster Groves Presbyterian Church. In doing so, we seek to ensure that every person, at every stage of life and faith, has the opportunity to grow his or her own faith as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel according to Luke, when quizzed by a lawyer about inheriting eternal life, Jesus replied: ‘‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Luke 10:27 NIV)

We have taken Jesus’ response to the lawyer as our foundation, and understand discipleship as living in love for God, neighbor, and self. As faithful followers of Jesus Christ at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, we strive to fulfill the Word of God with our heart, our strength, and our mind at all stages of life.

Life Stages

Click on a life stage to expand and read the accompanying milestones.

Pre-Birth – 4 years

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Read Bible stories to/with child; sing Christian songs with parents/grandparents	Read books to/with child; parents seek education on parenting skills	Connect with other families and church family
Heart (Spirit)	Baptism or dedication	Parents: attention to/awareness of own spiritual growth (ex: patience!) in times of challenge while parenting	Learn and practice kindness for and to siblings, playmates, and pets
Strength (Body)	Parents/caretakers say grace before meals with child and say bedtime prayers as they put child to bed	Parent/child time is a sacred gift (nursing, feeding, playing, cuddling, etc.)	Be in worship or nursery; be known by name!

Grade K – 5

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Able to tell basics of core Bible stories in own words (creation, Noah, Moses/Exodus, Abe and Sarah, Nativity, Holy Week/Easter, miracles, parables, baptism, Good Shepherd)	Participate in children’s ministries (VBS, Evening, Children’s Worship, etc); memorize core texts (Lord’s Prayer, 23rd Psalm)	Know names of a few adults at church (teachers, pew neighbors); name known by those adults
Heart (Spirit)	Offer prayers of thanksgiving; say grace and bedtime prayers; give offering in church; be present for/participate in Communion	Offer prayers for self (supplication, petition); offer prayers about mistakes/forgiveness	Offer prayers for others; pray for/articulate forgiveness of others; join and lead family in mealtime and bedtime prayers; practice ways of kindness at school and home
Strength (Body)	Participate in worship leadership (usher, greet, read, sing/bells, etc)	Know body as special and created by God; able to name/engage some of own gifts (and use them in church/at home!)	Participate in church and family mission projects (Hearts & Hands, etc); practice ways of kindness at school and home

Grade 6 – 8

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Apply scripture to life as a middle school student by learning, discussing, and wondering about how OT and NT lessons speak to experiences they are having and choices they are making.	Understand themselves as essential members to the Body of Christ, the spiritual gifts that they have to share, and the hope they find in their uniqueness. Including: sex/sexuality, faithful decision making, mental health, and leadership	Sharing spiritual gifts with peers, congregation and community through worship, fellowship, and mission.
Heart (Spirit)	Pray out loud with adults and peers and memorize one bible text.	Offer prayer requests for self and others	Pray for the specific needs of others and the world.
Strength (Body)	Participate in and develop prayers and liturgy for different styles of worship.	Experience personal faithful interactions with peers and adults that include learning, wondering, question asking, and fun. Including eating at least three meals a year with adults other than family.	Participate in middle school specific and church wide mission projects that take place outside of the church building.

Grade 9 – 12

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Apply scripture and faithful teaching to life as a high school student by learning, discussing, and wondering about how OT and NT lessons speak to current experiences and choices being made.	Developing a personal faith that speaks to God’s presence and Christ’s guidance in all of life's circumstances. Including sex/ sexuality, relationships, expectations of self, mental health, faithful living and decision making.	Understands the needs of the world through experience, education, and discussion and the role that we are called to take in addressing them as people of faith.
Heart (Spirit)	Learn spiritual practices that increase a connection to the Holy, and offer sustainable skills to be used throughout life.	Express faith questions, desires, hopes, and prayers both through prayer, art, music, writing, and other disciplines.	Regularly praying for the needs of friends, strangers, community and world.
Strength (Body)	Lead peers and adults in worship, discussion, and wondering.	Understand the importance of one's physical body in worship, service, and relationships including how it is seen and treated by self and others. Will have no less than four adults, other than family, whom regular contact is had.	Participates in mission and service in all aspects of life (church, school, community, and relational) out of a sense of call and the understanding of something to give.

College Age (18 – 23)

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Understands that the gift of knowledge and wisdom is something to be shared faithfully.	Engage in a Bible Study, Campus Ministry, and/or other group of common life circumstance.	Appreciation for the wideness of God’s creation (people and places) and seeking to find God in every creation.
Heart (Spirit)	Connects with a faith community outside of WGPC; Develops a sense of call for the journey they are on	Form intimate relationships shaped by faith; continue meaningful relationships with adults at WPGC	Deeper and more meaningful relationships with peers, elders, and the church are formed and God is discovered in new way through them.
Strength (Body)	Lead peers and adults in worship, discussion, and faithful discovery	Practice rhythms of Sabbath	Service and Mission are expanded beyond the local and national community to an international understanding. Service and mission become an increasing focus in daily living.

Young Adult (24 – 39)

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Offer daily work (job, parenting, housework) as prayer to God; practice balance of faith, work, family	Engage in Bible study, personally or in groups; find place/people to explore location in life and faith journey (mentor, friend, counselor, etc)	Engage in study of own religious tradition and other religions
Heart (Spirit)	Cultivate practice of personal and communal/familial prayer; lead prayers in church group settings (meetings, Bible studies, etc)	Awareness of gifts; sharing of gifts with church and community/world	Live into relationships (marriage, parenting, etc) with courage, creativity, and faith
Strength (Body)	Lead worship; rest in worship!; trusting in God, take creative risks in faith, life, leadership, stewardship	Engage in fellowship; accept hospitality (meals, prayers, gifts, etc) from church family and others when needed	Care for creation (recycling, shopping local, etc); engaged in community; participate in church and community mission; offer hospitality

Middle Adult (40 – 70)

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Study scripture in and outside of church; develop theological thinking; further explore church history and theology	Pursue old and new interests; seek new knowledge	Budget responsibly in order to give; consider legacy; share wisdom gained
Heart (Spirit)	Nurture practices of prayer; become comfortable with movement of Holy Spirit and the change the Holy Spirit brings!	Be attentive to and care for personal spiritual needs during times of transition (aging parents, retirement, kids leaving home, etc); accept hospitality from community when needed	Recognize and encourage gifts of younger people; seek to mentor and be mentored
Strength (Body)	Attend worship; teach Sunday School/VBS (share love of God and deepen own knowledge); seek to integrate faith into every aspect of living	Care for body through food and exercise; practice rhythms of Sabbath	Build up leadership of younger adults; organize/participate in mission projects; pray for community, church, and world; learn names of children in pews nearby

Senior Adult (71+)

	Love God	Love Self	Love Neighbor
Mind (Intellect)	Continue to visit and study Scripture, bringing wealth of life experiences to the study	Awareness of self-journey in faith and life; awareness of gifts, mistakes, mercy	Take stock of and share personal story of life and faith; take stock of and share wisdom gained
Heart (Spirit)	Participate in Communion (especially if homebound/hospitalized); recognize God’s presence in life transitions	Receive prayers of the community; seek/accept support in the challenges of aging	Pray for church, community, world
Strength (Body)	Plan for the support of the future	Known by name by individuals of every age in the church; know by name individuals of every age	Support rising and new leaders in the church (torch-passing); offer prayer and support to contemporaries

Definitions

Love God: Through Scripture, prayer and the presence of the Holy Spirit, we believe that we are God’s people, created and loved by God along with the entire world and all people. We have been reconciled to God by Jesus’ love and transformed by the Holy Spirit’s love to be able to love God. In response, we worship God, join God through the sacraments of baptism and communion, serve God by serving others, and share our gifts and creativity with God’s people and the world.

Love Neighbor: We believe that through the relationships in our lives we experience God’s love and provision for us and can practice how we share God’s love with others. Through prayer, sharing stories (Bible stories and our own stories) and time together we develop the skills to have healthy relationships with our closest neighbors [family, friends, church]. We use these skills and resources to share God’s love with neighbors in the communities to which we belong [Webster Groves/St Louis region, nation, global].

Love Self: We believe that each person is created in God’s image, holy and loved by God, and therefore inherently precious and unique. However, we continuously fall short of this ideal and recognize our brokenness and need for God’s forgiveness. Through prayer, confession, healthy questioning and doubt, faithful relationships and an ongoing awareness of God’s presence, we continuously strive to become the persons who God has called and created us to be in the varied stages of life.

With Heart: In our culture, we understand the heart to be the seat of emotion and the spirit. We seek to learn better the movement of the Spirit through the movements of our own spirits.

With Strength: The Word became flesh in Christ! We honor our flesh, made holy through the incarnation, and work to honor God with our strength: our physical bodies and actions.

With Mind: God gave us minds to know God, and to explore and better understand the complexity of God’s world. Through engaging our intellects, we learn ever more about God and God’s call to each of us.