Assessing pathways and challenges to growth in discipleship: a study among members of the Student Christian Movement in the UK

Abstract Drawing on data provided by 197 members of the Student Christian Movement under the age of thirty, this study examines the effect on two measures of growth in discipleship (depth of discipleship and strength of vocation) of four discipleship pathways (group activities, individual experience, church worship, and public engagement) and two contextual factors (church support and challenges to faith) after controlling for sex, age, and psychological type. The data highlighted the importance of the discipleship pathway styled individual experience in enhancing both depth of discipleship and strength of vocation. Personal experience focuses on ways of nurturing discipleship within the ecclesia domestica , involving personal prayer, bible study, quiet time, and reflection on life. Congregational activity alone is not adequate to nurture discipleship for this group of young people.