From Infancy to Impact: Spiritual Growth in Gary DeLashmutt's Developmental Framework

A persistent paradox within religious life is the presence of the chronologically old but spiritually young adherent. It is common to encounter individuals who have participated in a faith community for decades yet remain fragile when confronted with crisis or ethical temptation. theologian and pastor Gary DeLashmutt addresses this problem through a developmental framework drawn from his reading of the biblical text 1 John 2:12–14, a passage addressed to three groups within a community: children, young adults, and parents. DeLashmutt interprets these groups as stages of spiritual development. He presents growth as gradual, intentional, and relational, in contrast to an unpredictable sudden breakthrough. It moves a believer from the secure identity of spiritual Childhood, through the grueling battlefields of Young Adulthood, and ultimately into the reproductive legacy of Mature Adulthood.


Before this developmental trajectory can begin, however, a vital prerequisite must be met: spiritual birth. DeLashmutt draws a stark theological distinction between mere religious habituation and a genuine spiritual awakening. He compares it to physical birth: a life begins at a discrete event, though it is usually preceded by a period of gestation, such as dissatisfaction with earlier sources of fulfillment, exposure to information, or a personal crisis. Unlike physical birth, he holds that this event occurs by conscious choice and cannot be inherited through family or culture. Birth is only the starting line. Development follows from it, and he does not consider it automatic.


The first stage, Childhood, or spiritual infancy, centers on relational security. DeLashmutt identifies two provisions: the assurance that one's acceptance by God does not fluctuate with moral performance, and a personal relationship with God as a caring parent. He draws an analogy to child development, noting that children thrive when they are confident of a parent's love. The responsibilities of this stage are to learn and believe in that acceptance and to relate to God on that basis. He observes that some adherents never move beyond this stage, either because they were taught that acceptance depends on performance or because they cannot bring themselves to believe otherwise. While this stage is marked by genuine zeal and joy, it is also highly fragile. Spiritual infants are dependent on immediate emotional feelings and are easily destabilized by trial. Growth past this stage requires anchoring these volatile emotions in objective truth.


The second stage, Young Adulthood, is characterized not by comfort but by sustained struggle and active engagement. DeLashmutt describes two fronts: persistent habits and temptations that early assurance does not automatically remove, and resistance encountered when one tries to help others grow. He frames this opposition in theological terms, but the underlying pattern, in which early security gives way to a longer period of effortful change and outward service, is broadly recognizable. He treats the struggle as an expected sign of health rather than of failure. Strength in this stage comes not from willpower alone but from reliance on spiritual resources and deep familiarity with sacred texts and habitual ritual practice. A unique danger in this phase is the trap of legalism; as young adults experience legitimate victory over personal struggle and immorality, they can easily slip into self-righteous pride. Correcting this requires constant realignment with humility.


The third stage, Mature Adulthood, is marked by stability and by interconnectedness and existential alignment with one's core values. This is born over years of tested reliability. Mature adherents do not outgrow the earlier appreciation of equanimity or ritual practice, rather the appreciation grows. They also continue in the struggle of the previous stage, but with the steadiness of long experience. Because they now have a role as spiritual elder, they act as mentors, guiding younger adherents through stages they have already navigated, and DeLashmutt notes that this role brings its own deep satisfaction.


In his exegesis of Hebrews 5, DeLashmutt adds that maturity depends on in-depth understanding of sacred teachings. He describes three marks: the ability to work with more advanced concepts and material, the ability to explain basic truths to others, and the ability to evaluate ideas and experiences and distinguish helpful from harmful ones. He connects this to practice and adherence, and he cautions that emotional experience alone is an unreliable guide unless it is anchored in communal teachings.


Three principles run through the framework. First, the stages describe development, not chronological age. Second, development is neither automatic nor inevitable; it can stall or regress. Third, growth is relational. DeLashmutt notes that the passage uses family terms (children, young adults, parents) rather than skill levels such as novice, intermediate, and expert, and he concludes that isolated individuals do not develop spiritually and that deep growth takes place in community.

Where the Framework Meets the Research

DeLashmutt's model is a religious framework, not a scientific one. It has not been empirically tested, and it is not intended as a diagnostic tool. Its purpose is to give mentors, counselors, and individuals a shared vocabulary for reflecting on growth. Still, several of its themes echo findings from psychology and sociology. Attachment research on how people relate to a higher power suggests that felt security tends to accompany emotional steadiness, which parallels the emphasis on security in the Childhood stage; DeLashmutt himself uses attachment language in his 2015 teaching. Fowler's stages of faith describe a period of examining and taking ownership of inherited beliefs, comparable to the effortful struggle of Young Adulthood. Erikson's concept of generativity, the midlife shift toward investing in the next generation, resembles the movement toward mentoring in Mature Adulthood. And large studies such as Putnam and Campbell's American Grace find that the benefits of religious involvement come largely from close relationships within a congregation, which matches the framework's insistence that growth does not happen alone or in isolation. These are points of resonance, not proof, and the framework is best read as a lens for self-reflection rather than a measurement.


In summary, DeLashmutt's framework offers a clear, accessible map of spiritual growth. By describing the security, struggle, and service that characterize Childhood, Young Adulthood, and Mature Adulthood, it helps individuals, mentors, and counselors locate a user's current place on the journey and consider what may come next. Its central claim is that maturity is measured less by time spent in a community than by stability, trust, and a growing commitment to the development of others.




By Chaplain David F. Garner

Sources

Gary DeLashmutt, "Stages of Christian Spiritual Development" (1 John 2:12–14; John 3:5), Dwell Community Church, July 12, 2015. https://www.dwellcc.org/teaching/4362/bible/1-john/2/gary-delashmutt/2015/stages-of-christian-spiritual-development


Gary DeLashmutt, "Stages of Spiritual Development" (1 John 2:14), Dwell Community Church, November 13, 2005. https://www.dwellcc.org/teaching/1595/bible/1-john/2/gary-delashmutt/2005/stages-of-spiritual-development


Gary DeLashmutt, "Spiritual Maturity & God's Word" (Hebrews 5:11–14), Dwell Community Church, June 27, 1993. https://www.dwellcc.org/teaching/1772/bible/hebrews/5/gary-delashmutt/1993/spiritual-maturity-gods-word