Transformational Discipleship: The Research Behind the Book

Earlier this year, Philip Nation, Michael Kelley, and I coauthored Transformational Discipleship. Based on the research behind the book, we discovered that transformation is most likely to occur in the life of a believer when the person has truth applied to his heart by godly leaders while in a teachable posture. We called this the “transformational sweet spot.” The transformational sweet spot is the synergy between truth, posture, and leaders in the life of a believer.

Throughout the year, LifeWay Research has been releasing the data for the massive research project that helped form the content of the book. In 2011, as part of their biggest discipleship study to date, they interviewed discipleship experts from eight countries, as well as surveyed 1,000 pastors and more than 4,000 Protestants from North America.

Here are those releases. Also, each release is accompanied by infographics, a full report of the stats, and the questions we used in the research. As we start 2013, I encourage you to assess whether or not you’re growing in your faith.