Curious Church: Discipling Backward with Narrative Therapy, Spiritual Autobiography, and Life Mapping as an Adjunct to Discovering God’s Destiny, Personal Calling, and Missional Contribution

This dissertation is a qualitative study of the experience of participants in the Personal Focus Retreat, which is the last of four catalyst events in the discipleship pathway of Point of Change Church in Bloomington, Illinois. The project provides a study of the effect of discipling backward (looking back at one’s life to see God’s work) in order to fuel curiosity and build integrity in Christian leaders through forms of narrative therapy in order to enhance discipleship pathways for church leaders. This project highlights the history and context of the cities of Bloomington and Normal, the vision of Point of Change, the discipleship heritage of the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, and a Wesleyan soteriology that understands salvation is for the transformation and wholeness of a person’s entire life. The study results show the benefits of backward discipleship in a curious church using various forms of narrative therapy like a spiritual autobiography and life mapping. These tools can help participants look back over their lives to appreciate and understand God’s rich deposits in their lives to add present and future meaning and significance to ministry and work. This study also explores the leadership emergency theory of J. Robert Clinton who emphasized the fact that church leaders often encounter an integrity check during their maturation which keeps them frozen and unable to progress. This study identifies what can be discovered through the forms of narrative therapy to help leaders transition past their integrity check and either continue in their work and ministry with new meaning or follow God’s call to some other work or entrepreneurial ministry.