Understanding the Four Stages of Competence in the Christian Journey

Development of Character

God wants to show you wonderful things, but He needs to show you how developing elements of His character in you is prerequisite to experiencing more and more of these wonderful things. Your character is made up of feelings and actions. Feelings are automatic. Actions are deliberate. Your character develops one direction or another from the actions you choose based on the feelings you experience. The Four Stages of Competence represents a construct for how you associate with wisdom and understanding throughout your life.    

The 4 Stages of Competence

The Four Stages of Competence tell us about the psychological progression you carve out as you acquire new skills.

The stages are:

• Unconscious Incompetence

During the stage of learning, you don’t realize your lack of knowledge and understanding in a specific area of skill development and do not see it as something to be concerned with. You could even doubt the significance of acquiring the skill itself. Here, you must acknowledge your ignorance and begin recognizing the importance of skill acquisition before you can begin progressing in any area of development. The length of this phase depends on your level of motivation to acquire knowledge.

• Conscious Incompetence

At this point in time is the moment when you begin realizing your lack of understanding and knowledge about a particular area of skill development. When you are humble to admit the gap in your knowledge and understanding, you begin realizing the importance of acquiring a new skill to bridge it. Being patient with yourself and embracing mistakes as an inevitable aspect of skill acquisition is extremely valuable at this juncture.

• Conscious Competence

Now, you understand how to apply a skill but must focus attentively to perform it accurately. You might have to concentrate on all the steps involved with skill application and practice demands intentional effort. If your attention drifts away, you understand that you are likely to incur errors.

• Unconscious Competence

During this phase of learning, a skill becomes natural and fluid. Thanks to the persistent practice and repetition achieved in Conscious Competence, the skill has become a part of who you are. Knowledge can be applied effortlessly, even while handling multiple tasks simultaneously.

The concept of the four stages was first introduced in the 1960 textbook Management of Training Programs (1960) by three management professors at New York University. In February 1969, management trainer Martin M. Broadwell referred to this model as “The Four Levels of Teaching“. Paul R. Curtiss and Phillip W. Warren also discussed the model in their 1973 book The Dynamics of Life Skills Coaching. These early mentions highlight the model’s foundational role in the fields of management training and life skills acquisition.

Understanding the origins of the Four Stages of Competence provides a solid foundation, but for this discussion, the model will be appropriately applied to the Christian journey. This will offer a deeper, more personal dimension, for understanding how we all are responsible for using our freedom of choice to design our lives. 

Stage 1: Unconscious Incompetence

The first stage, Unconscious Incompetence, is where you start out unaware of the things you don’t know. This is where a large amount of knowledge is held for developing key areas of your life. At this stage, you may find yourself relying on old patterns or habits for navigating this world. These behaviors feel natural, perhaps even harmless, but soon, you begin wondering if there are things you don’t know that are keeping you from fully experiencing a life of purpose.

In Unconscious Incompetence, it’s easy to rely on thinking in ways that might seem like second nature, whether it’s doubt, impatience, worry, or egoism. You may think, “That’s just how I am,” or “I don’t need to change this part of me.” Challenges in your life have a way of opening your eyes to areas where change is needed. Your heart may begin to recognize that there’s more for you to learn, but you’re not even sure where to look. This is Unconscious Incompetence.

Imagine you are going to be flying a plane. You are seated in the cockpit; never before having flown an aircraft. Although, you have certainly spent several years happily enjoying the food, comfort, and service of business class, this offers no solace right now. Suddenly, you are facing the responsibility of flying a plane, keeping the passengers safe and secure as you hover a hunk of metal in suspense over the earth. This recognition propels you out of your state of ignorance into a clear, sober sense of incompetence.

This awareness marks the beginning of real transformation, preparing you to step into the next stage: Conscious Incompetence.

Stage 2: Conscious Incompetence

In the second stage, Conscious Incompetence, you begin noticing parts of you that are not harmonizing well, recognizing how maybe, just maybe, you are actually performing in ways that make life more difficult. This stage is often a humbling experience as you see, perhaps for the first time, that some habits, thoughts, or responses don’t align with character that you were created to develop into. Although this awareness can feel uncomfortable, it’s essential—it’s here that genuine growth starts.

God is very much a part of this conscious realization process, carefully arranging experiences for you that stimulate your thought processing. Here, it can feel overwhelming when you take a look at everything you believe needs to change in order for you to become the person who is good enough to follow God. While God is very much a part of this stage, the devil also recognizes the flower of your mind being drawn to the light of the Sun. He will feed you lies about who God is and who you have to be in order to be accepted into His clubhouse.

As you enter this stage, you may notice patterns of behaving and communicating that once went unchecked. Whether it’s a tendency to respond in frustration, struggle with trust, or an inclination towards a prideful spirit, you now begin noticing how the consequences from performing this way have significantly affected your peace. You might feel convicted to let go of these old reflexive habits and replace them with choices that better reflect where you are going rather than where you have been. This recognition might feel challenging to you, but it also brings with it a renewed desire to resolve this yearning in your heart. In fact, this awareness can even lead you to ask your self deeper questions, like, “How teachable and I?” and “What is my willingness to change?”

Keeping with the plane analogy, imagine coming to terms with what you are getting into, while sitting at the controls, surrounded by the complexities of aerodynamics and avionics. ‘What are all these lights, sounds, and instruments? How does the plane actually fly? What do these buttons do? How do you use the screens and controls?’ You want to know!

Here in life, you recognize that change is possible but that it will take commitment, practice, and, most importantly, a willingness to be humble and teachable. This stage of Conscious Incompetence calls you to look, consider, and entertain what God is showing you as you seek understanding. You develop a desire for surrendering old ways and inviting Him to reshape your heart. Now, the question is, “How do I do this?”

Growth takes time, and the journey is unique to each person. By acknowledging your need for God’s strength, you’re creating a foundation for realizing the desires of your heart that God created you to have. Conscious Incompetence shows you your inadequacies, yes, but now you begin recognizing a new way of associating with this condition. You feel hope now because God has begun shaping your perception of reality. With humility and a deep desire for change, you are prepared to step into the next stage: Conscious Competence.

Stage 3: Conscious Competence

In Conscious Competence, you’re moving beyond simply recognizing the need for change in your life, you are now actively practicing new ways of being that produce desirable outcomes. At Conscious Competence, you’re aware of your actions and making deliberate choices to align with God’s way rather than old, unhelpful patterns. You’ve come to a point where you’re learning to pause, consider, and then act in ways that reflect the person you’re becoming in Christ.

Here is where God attracts you to Himself and you experience the benefits of following Him. You observe people and circumstances in your life with more patience and understanding. You begin to notice how your impulsive and indulgent nature has been transformed in tandem with refocusing the lens through which you see the world around you. You are allowing God to create in you a new creature. You are being intentional and with this intentionality comes “heart muscle memory.” Each time you choose patience over frustration, kindness over criticism, or trust over worry, you’re strengthening neurological pathways to be reflective God’s character in you. New choices may still feel challenging, as they don’t yet come naturally, but you are making intentional steps that send continuous messaging to your subconscious mind that says, “This is who you are now!” Your desire is to begin making choices consistently even when it’s difficult or when you’re tempted to slip back into old habits. Conscious Competence is always about practicing.

Back in the cockpit of the airplane, Conscious Competence represents the ability to use balance and control for keeping the air vessel straight. You are calmly applying solutions when problems arise, and knowing what’s required of you for being a good navigator in the air. This level of competence helps you perform well, laying the groundwork for teaching a first officer how they can do a better job of reading the altimeter. The ability to teach is a natural byproduct of you knowing the ins and outs of the skills you are using. Similarly, in your faith journey, Conscious Competence is a season of intentional growth, where you actively focus on the decisions you are making and think about what you are doing.

Conscious Competence is a powerful time in your Christian journey, as each decision you make strengthens the foundation of the person you are becoming. You’re not only learning what it means to walk in faith, but you’re also seeing the fruit of your choices in how they impact your relationship with others, your relationship with God, and your relationship with your self. By intentionally practicing these new ways of performing in your life, you are drawing closer to a place where making good choices becomes your second nature—a place called Unconscious Competence.

Stage 4: Unconscious Competence

In the final stage, Unconscious Competence, your self-disciplined responses have become second nature. After working through each stage with growing intentionality, you’ve now developed habits and reactions that reflect the personal relationship you have with Jesus. You’re no longer focusing on “getting it right” because you are scared of what happens if you don’t, but rather, you are doing the best you can to create a character that will harmonize with the Holy Spirit’s leading. Understanding how living God’s way takes persistent practice, you can relax more into being authentic and free. Because you see God as a coach now, motivating you, teaching you with the playbook of life, you holding yourself accountable and begin take responsibility for the choices you make. God wants to imprint His word on your heart. Following Jesus means to emulate Him. When you emulate Him, this presents the conditions where His power is able to be manifested through you. To follow is to focus upon. Jesus becomes a part of who you are by focusing on Him. Unconscious Competence represents a beautiful point of maturity in your Christian journey, where the heart is disciplined and conditioned into producing the Fruits of the Spirit.

In Unconscious Competence, you’ve reached a place where your persistent practice of choosing reasonably and objectively crowds out choosing emotionally and reactively. You no longer struggle to choose peace over worry or forgiveness over resentment; the Fruit of the Spirit have become your instinctual responses, refined over time by connecting with the Source of all that is good. This is the “flow state” you can achieve in your life, where you are living in alignment with God’s will because you are experiencing His love being actualized in your heart. When you are unconsciously competent at living making good choices, you become sensitive to the Holy Spirit leading, helping you stay vigilant and mindful of how the devil is trying to persistently deceive you away from your connecting with God. The closer you get to Jesus, the more power you receive, but likewise, the closer you get to Jesus, the more power the devil exerts on you to tempt you way from Him.

To the cockpit once more: at Unconscious Competence, you are an experienced pilot, flying smoothly and confidently. It may be difficult imagining this journey of competence from the viewpoint of a complete novice pilot to the mastery of the pilot who landed the seemingly doomed aircraft in the frigid Hudson Bay in 2009. But think, with consistent and dedicated practice, over time, you can fly like you breathe.

Unconscious Competence isn’t an end point; rather, it’s the beginning of a new phase. As you continue to move through life with the Holy Spirit as air traffic control, you may face new situations or challenges that draw you back to earlier stages of growth. But this cycle is part of God’s plan to refine you continually, preparing you for every good work. In Unconscious Competence, you’re also able to intuitively witness and inspire others, illustrating for them what is possible through applying God’s way as requisite to the choices you make.

Remember, reaching this stage doesn’t mean you’re perfect; it means God’s love is woven into your heart and that you can expect have resilient peace in the stormy situations life inevitably brings. Embrace this stage as an invitation to live intuitively, freely, and fully, knowing that each day offers new ways to deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the Four Stages of Competence offers a valuable perspective on your Christian journey. Each stage—Unconscious Incompetence, Conscious Incompetence, Conscious Competence, and Unconscious Competence—reflects the growth process we experience in every single thing we do in life. Practice. Practice. Practice. What are you practicing and conditioning into the person you are becoming? It can seem overwhelming to look at the journey ahead. Just focus on the choices that you are making today, and allow the Holy Spirit to show you how to make better choices, helping you identify where you are, where you want to go, and what steps to take as you move forward the person God created you to be. Recognizing these stages can be deeply empowering, reminding you that transformation is a gradual process, one where God is waiting to help you every step of the way.

As you journey through these stages, remember that progress isn’t always linear. You may find yourself moving back and forth between stages as you learn new lessons in life. As you grow, new challenges emerge and new responsibilities are undertaken. This is all part of the beautiful, ongoing process of growing into a relationship with God. Each stage has value and purpose, even Unconscious Incompetence, where you are being draw toward a good experience.

So, wherever you find yourself today, know that God is working in you. The journey from knowing very little about what it means to live for Christ into a personal and intimate relationship with Him is unique for each person, yet God promises to complete the good work He’s begun in you. Growth takes time and patience, but each small step, each moment of surrender, moves you closer to a life you are happy to live in.

Keep pressing forward, trusting that God will continue to shape you into the person He has created you to be. As you embrace the Four Stages of Competence in your faith journey, you’ll find that you are becoming a true expression of authentic peace and resilience.

Works Cited

• Broadwell, Martin M. “The Four Levels of Teaching.” The Gospel Guardian, vol. 20, no. 41, 1969, pp. 1-3.
• Curtiss, Paul R., and Phillip W. Warren. The Dynamics of Life Skills Coaching. Life Skills Associates, 1973.
• New York University. Management of Training Programs. New York University Press, 1960.
• The Miracle on the Hudson | Remastered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCpyeix_5AY