Spiritual Formation — Where?
by Shirley F. Clement
If you ask a group of leaders where in the life of the church Christian spiritual formation and growth in discipleship take place, what would they say? What would you say? Worship, small groups, Sunday school, youth groups, women's groups, men's groups, and maybe groups that prepare/deliver Meals on Wheels or participate in prison ministry would be listed. How many would include the trustees, finance committee, ministry areas, and lay leadership team?
When we think of families, we sometimes ask,
"Is spiritual formation taking place in your household?" The real question is: "What kind of formation is taking place in your home?" Formation is taking place every time we make decisions about our living, our lifestyle, our relationships, our comments about others we do not know, and our use of God's resources in creation. What questions do we ask ourselves as we make those decisions? Are they based on what is best for us or on what the gospel requires of us? What are the foundational values for those decisions? We may profess one set of values grounded in the gospel, but the actual decisions we make reveal the real foundations of our living. The same is true
for every group in the church, whether it is focused on Bible study, use and care of the property (trustees), use of our resources (finance), or commitment/lack of commitment to outreach and ministry. The decisions we make reveal the real values and foundation from which we live as a body of Christ.
How does a ministry/administrative area stay centered in Jesus Christ and focused on our mission as Jesus' disciples?
- We are all called to be on a faith journey, maturing as disciples of Jesus Christ. All do not have to be at the same place in the journey; but all need to be deliberate about growing in the image and likeness of Christ.
- The group itself is called to be centered in Jesus Christ and God's mission for the group's particular time and place. Many ministry or administrative groups begin their time together with prayer or a devotion. What difference does this make to the group and to the plans being made for the specific ministry to which that group is called? How are we participating in the means of grace as individuals and as a group?
- Be willing to invite the group to pray even in the middle of the meeting if a need is raised or if the discussion seems to be dividing the group rather than bringing the group together in building on one another's ideas and suggestions. Be willing to pause to ask, "What is God calling us to do? How can we listen for God's direction?"
Every time we gather as church we are called to be engaged in Christian spiritual formation. It is important for the ministry and mission of the church as we seek to be the people God calls us to be in our particular context. The way we relate to one another and center ourselves and our time in Jesus Christ serves to model for those present how we relate to one another and are centered in our personal living and relating.
Dr. Shirley F. Clement, co-author of The Faith-Sharing Congregation, Lay Speakers Lead in Evangelism, and Staying Focused, in 2002 was the Director of Evangelism Ministries, General Board of Discipleship, The United Methodist Church. She retired in June 2003