Conversations in Spiritual Maturity

Since Daring Faith first launched in 2015, Saddleback members have taken great strides to become equipped as trained leaders in ministry. To help meet this “T” goal, our Spiritual Maturity Team recently launched Conversations in Spiritual Maturity.

These quarterly discussions are relevant to spiritual growth, and also help our members articulate their faith to become ambassadors for Christ in their spheres of influence.

“This is training all the way,” says Doug Jones, Pastor of Spiritual Maturity. “These events are designed to help broaden the spiritual understanding of our people and help them deepen their relationships with God through valuable topics and discussions.”

On March 21, the latest gathering entitled, “Discovering the Story of Reality,” drew a live audience of 224 members from 7:00-9:00 PM in the Refinery Theater. Led by special guest, Greg Koukl, the topic specifically targeted those seeking a clear picture of where they fit into God’s story.

In his talk, Greg narrated the Christian story in a way that was refreshing in its simplicity and clarity. Greg described the basic concepts that form the cornerstones of all worldviews, and developed the five simple words needed to outline the plot of the Christian account of reality: God, Man, Jesus, Cross, and Resurrection.

The talented lecturer came highly recommended by Pastor Rick who read his book, The Story of Reality, calling it: “The clearest explanation of the Christian worldview I’ve ever heard.”

As a recent guest of the Doable Discipleship podcast, Greg was invited to return to Saddleback for Conversations in Spiritual Maturity. The goal was for him to share the big-picture narrative of the world. Equipping him for this topic is his background as a professor and the President of Stand to Reason, an organization that trains Christians to effectively defend classical Christianity and convey the truth to others.

“The discussion really helped strengthen our members’ understanding of the faith and equip them for evangelism,” says Pastor Doug. “It also provided a place for skeptics to hear a clear explanation of Christianity.”

This most recent event follows previous discussions led by Pastor Buddy Owens on “The Purpose and Power of Prayer,” and Pastor Ken Baugh speaking on “Breaking Through Spiritual Barriers.” Tentative plans are in place to host a fourth event on “The Wired Soul: How To Follow Jesus in a Technological World."

In the meantime, the Spiritual Maturity Team will be releasing a new two-part conversation on April 10 and April 17. Readers can find the podcast on iTunes or watch episodes at saddleback.com/grow. To view Greg’s March 21 discussion, visit, saddleback.com/conversations.