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I recently blogged about the issues involved in encouraging and “measuring” discipleship in the local church. Several of you chimed in and, while we didn’t solve the problem, it was a great discussion.

At the time I knew about a tool that could revolutionize our approach, both as church leaders and individual believers, but I was sworn to secrecy. Now it’s in beta and I can blog about it!

Monvee is a new tool which some are calling “the eHarmony of spiritual formation.” Despite my annoyance with eHarmony, I’m willing to give this one a try. Monvee first discovers what’s unique about you with a short online survey: how you learn, the ways you grow, and the ways you like to connect with God. After this Discovery phase, it maps out a customized plan, or Roadway, with suggestions for growing in My Time, My Mind, My Experiences, and My Relationships. This plan would be great in itself, but the site also shows you where to start, links you with resources in each area, AND delivers the customized strategy to your email inbox. It can sync with your calendar, you can track your progress and connect with others online, and, if you take time to rate the resources, Monvee learns what works for you and further customizes its recommendations.

Best of all, the program is designed for use in the local church, so a staff team, a small group, or even the whole congregation can participate together and share the journey. Monvee also provides real-time reporting for church leaders so they can track the effectiveness of various programs.

The friends who introduced me to Monvee shared there’s a whole theological “back end” to the site, so it not only avoids generalized pat answers—”you need to journal”—it’s also more than a 2.0 way to sell products.

For years churches have wrestled with the best way to help their members grow. Small groups, church-wide Bible reading plans—despite the great intentions behind them, none are that effective. Even in-depth Bible study classes only go so far.

As John Ortberg says in the video below, disciples cannot be mass produced, they must be hand-crafted.  Monvee helps us take responsibility for our own spiritual growth while leaving room for The Potter to work with us individually…….and I really doubt it will recommend you build a relationship with someone who can’t match his clothes.