When growth stalls: facing the mid-life spiritual plateau
Part 1 - Spiritual drift happens
Source: Photo by Earl Wilcox on Unsplash
For those who’ve been following Jesus for years, it’s not uncommon to hit a spiritual plateau, often in mid-life.
You’re reading the Bible, going to church, part of a growth group, serving where you can—but it feels like you’re no longer growing. Not like you once did. Instead, it’s like you’re coasting.
Sermons don’t stir your heart like they used to. You’ve heard most of the Bible taught. Sin feels familiar, not fought. Evangelism has faded into the background. And passion for Jesus rarely comes up in conversation anymore.
Meanwhile, some friends drift away from church—gradually. The kids finish youth group, serving slows down, or a frustration simmers beneath the surface. Disengagement starts small but settles in deep.
We shrug it off: “It just happens.” And sure, life is changing. But spiritually, we’re not just plateauing—we’re quietly slipping.
Yes, we know we’re saved by grace. We’re confident that “he who began a good work … will carry it on to completion” (Phil 1:6). But maybe we’ve become a little too confident. Maybe it’s time to ask—should we be more concerned?
Could the church life cycle mirror our spiritual life?
In Advanced Strategic Planning, Aubrey Malphurs maps out a familiar curve in the life of a church: birth, growth, plateau, decline, and eventually death (or closure).
Source: Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning, 2013: Baker Books, p 9.
The plateau phase can last for years, but without fresh vision and renewed direction, it often slides into slow decline. Churches need to proactively embrace change before decline sets in. To enter into a second stage of growth, requires a significant paradigm shift, effort and prayer from both the leadership of the church and the church itself.
Source: Malphurs, ibid, p 15.
It got me thinking—what if the same is true for us as individual Christians?
Is there a warning here, that a mid-life plateau—if not addressed—naturally will lead to something more serious?
And what might it take to disrupt this cycle, to refocus and renew our discipleship for the next chapter?
Is God OK with plateaus?
In the letter to the Hebrews, the believers are facing significant challenges—suffering (Heb 2:18), imprisonment and mistreatment (13:3), ongoing struggles with sin (12:4) and disobedience towards God (3:7-4:11). On top of that, they’re weary and in danger of losing heart in following Christ (12:3).
The writer doesn’t dismiss this, but he does offer a clear rebuke to those who’ve stalled in their spiritual growth:
Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again ... You need milk, not solid food! (Hebrews 5:12)
There’s a strong contrast between where they were and where they are now—once passionate, now closer to complacent. Later in Hebrews 10, we hear a call to remember their earlier zeal:
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light … you endured ... you stood side by side … you joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property. (Hebrews 10:32–34)
It’s stirring—and sobering. But the tone is not one of resignation—it’s a rallying cry to persevere:
Do not throw away your confidence … You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35–36)
A spiritual plateau isn’t something to settle for. It’s a warning sign to regroup, refocus, and run with endurance.
Later they are urged:
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12)
Let us spur one another on toward love and good deeds ... encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24–25)
Plateaus may happen, but they are not meant to last.
Disrupting the mid-life spiritual plateau
Does any of this feel uncomfortably familiar? Can you spot signs of a spiritual plateau creeping into your life?
Maybe the idea of a “second curve” sounds intimidating—or just exhausting. Life is full, and comfort is ... well, comfortable. I get it. I feel it too.
But if God doesn’t want us to remain stuck-–and instead desires our ongoing growth until we’re presented fully mature in Christ (Col 1:28–29)-–then it’s worth asking:
What would it take to disrupt this plateau?
What rhythms, reflections, or steps might nudge us back into movement-–into deeper trust, greater joy, renewed passion?
That’s where I’m heading next. In upcoming posts, I’ll be exploring how Scripture can speak into this season and spark fresh momentum in our faith. I need it just as much as anyone else. Maybe you do too.
Let’s find it together.
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