10 Marks of a Mature Anglican Christian

At this year’s diocesan convention, our retreat leader, Fr. Jack Gabig, a Nashotah House professor, focused on discipleship and catechism, which is something that every church should be doing, all the time.  Discipleship is not something that one merely does to prepare for a confirmation class and then breathe a sigh of relief after the service.  It is something that every Christian disciple does for the rest of his life.

Several years ago, one of my former parishes came up with a list of what they call the “10 Marks of a Mature Anglican Christian.”  While many catechism/discipleship programs teach only basic knowledge of the Christian faith, the 10 Marks are a roadmap for all of us to grow in a lot of areas of our faith, not only in knowledge, but in practice as well.

Here are the 10 Marks of a Mature Anglican Christian:

1.  Has made a personal commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior (baptized and confirmed)

2.  Is active in the worship and fellowship of the Church

3.  Has a clear understanding of the Gospel and the Nicene/Apostles’ creeds

4.  Has a strong understanding of the Biblical story, and has made a commitment to on-going Bible study

5.  Is disciplined in daily prayer

6.  Has made a commitment to sacrificial stewardship

7.  Has a basic understanding of Anglican history and tradition

8.  Has come to understand him/herself as Christ’s representative in the world

9.  Is comfortable sharing and defending the Faith in a secular context

10.  Is involved in a servant ministry that uses his/her God-given spiritual gifts

Most of us, if we are honest, will find that we do really well in some areas, and need work in others.  The purpose of the 10 Marks is for us to make a realistic self-assessment.  In addition, we will make sure that the various programs we have at Christ the King Anglican Church will help all of us to grow in these 10 areas.

One of the things that really struck me at convention was something that Fr. Gabig taught.  He said, and I paraphrase, that we can only be effective at discipling others if we are committed to being discipled ourselves.  May God use these marks as a tool to make us stronger, more committed disciples of Jesus Christ.