Facing the Midlife Spiritual Plateau

For those who’ve been following Jesus for years, it’s not uncommon to hit a spiritual plateau, often in midlife. 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 gradually drift away from church. 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 if we should be more concerned.

The Church Life Cycle and the Spiritual Life Cycle

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). 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; requires effort and prayer from both the leadership of the church and the church itself.

It got me thinking, what if the same is true for us as individual Christians? Is there a warning here that a midlife plateau, if not addressed, will naturally lead to something more serious? What might it take to disrupt this cycle, to refocus and renew our discipleship for the next chapter?

Is God OK with Plateaux?

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 all 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. Further on they are called to remember

those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. (Hebrews 10:32–34)

It’s stirring, and sobering. But the tone is not one of resignation, it’s a rallying cry:

Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 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. The author urges them:

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, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24–25)

Plateaux may happen but they are not meant to last.

Disrupting the Midlife Spiritual Plateau

Does any of this feel uncomfortably familiar? Can you spot signs of 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 it would take to disrupt this plateau.

What rhythms, reflections, or steps might nudge us back into movement; into deeper trust, greater joy, renewed passion?

In upcoming articles, I’ll explore how Scripture can spark fresh momentum in our faith. I need it just as much as anyone else. Maybe you do too. Let’s find it together.

This article was originally posted on Jo’s Substack.