Running Head: MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 1
My Emerging Model of Spiritual Formation
Tricia Williams
CLED 715
January 23, 2018
Dr. Mary Lowe
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 2
The Introduction/Overview
Being Conformed to Christ the term mentoring is still used by some, it would appear that
“spiritual formation” has supplanted both it and “discipleship” in the vocabulary of many.
However, spiritual formation is not equivalent to discipleship or mentoring for that matter.
“Some trace the roots of the Spiritual Formation Movement to 1974 when Father William
Menninger, a Trappist monk, found an ancient book entitled The Cloud of Unknowing in the
library at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. This 14th century book offered a means
by which contemplative practices, long used by Catholic monks, could be taught to lay people”
(Smith, 2017). As Menninger began teaching these contemplative practices, his abbot, Thomas
Keating, along with Basil Pennington, another Trappist monk, began to spread the concepts
Menninger was teaching. But it was Richard Foster’s 1978 book, The Celebration of Discipline,
which launched the popularity and present interest in spiritual formation. It was by this landmark
book, described by Christianity Today as one of the ten best books of the 20th century, which
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox disciplines, practiced by the Desert Fathers and Mothers as well
as monks and hermits, were introduced to evangelicalism. These disciplines were not completely
unknown to evangelicals who were familiar with church history, but they were now being
repackaged and offered as a means of spiritual growth and maturity.
In fact, the implication was that without the use of these ancient contemplative methods
true spiritual formation was not possible. Long accepted biblical disciplines, such as Bible study
and prayer, were framed as quaint and simplistic. Worse, believers were told that these biblical
disciplines were forged from a Western worldview of the head. If the believer wanted to move
deeply into the things of God, such practices were not enough, for they never really reach the
heart, leaving the unsuspecting Christian with little more than a superficial intellectual
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knowledge of the divine with no depth. Bruce Demarest, Salberg states, “The heart discovers and
experiences God; reason demonstrates and explains God” (2018) “The engaged mind, illumined
by truth, awakens awareness; the engaged heart, affected by love, awakens passion” (Norton,
2008) The rather explicit implication throughout spiritual formation literature is that Bible study
feeds the head, but if one wants to feed the heart they must turn to the spiritual disciplines.
As more and more authors, teachers, publishers and schools began to echo the same
refrain evangelicals became intimidated. They did not want to be left out of the newest, and
supposedly best, means of discipleship and so they began to read and listen to these new
contemplative teachers. On the basis of such promises the modern Spiritual Formation
Movement was birthed and now flourishes. It sometimes goes by different handles such as
Contemplative Spirituality or simply the Spiritual Disciplines, but they all refer to the same
thing. Lowe & Lowe offers this definition by stating, “Spiritual formation is an ancient ministry
of the church, concerned with the forming or shaping of a believer’s character and actions into
the likeness of Christ” (2010). Christian spiritual formation is a God-ordained process that
shapes our entire person so that we take on the character and being of Christ himself. This
sounds much like the definition of discipleship as found in Scripture, but before we relax let us
return to Salberg, who tells us that spiritual formation is not only concerned with orthodox
doctrine but with “many practices that open us up to the presence and direction of God” (2018).
This rather benign comment actually unlocks the door to the Spiritual Formation
Movement and how it differs from biblical discipleship.
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Part 2: Spiritual Formation
What distinguishes spiritual formation from discipleship it is not just source, it is
practices, and it is philosophy. Perhaps one of the most important factors to understand when
analyzing spiritual formation is its source or origin. Its teachers are fond of stating that their
disciplines have old roots, going back to the earliest days of the church. Blevins (2017), in his
book The Emerging Church, calls this the vintage church, while Newton (2015), author of
Ancient-Future Faith, refers to it as the classic stage of church history (approximately the second
through the sixth century). Such men have grown tired of superficial church life that has
dominated much of Christianity since the insurgence of the “seeker-friendly” model. They desire
something with more substance and more historical connection than what the modern church
experience offers. They suggest the past patterns of our lives, and churches should be vibrant of
spiritual dynamics that we supposedly find within spiritual formation.
I believe these men almost get it right – almost. In fact, we do need to look to the past to
see how we should live and function in the present. I really do not know if spiritual reformation
will ever be accepted as theologically truth, because there are so many perceptions of
reformations of freedoms; be it spoken or unspoken. We all whom exist operate in some form of
supernatural belief in a Faith system and the benefit of it. We, as born-again believers chose to
believe in God, and his triune nature and his creative deity of the usage of man to cause spiritual
change in the earth rhelm according to scripture in (Genesis 1). God gave man the responsibility
and the power to have dominion, to rule, to replenish and to govern. I believe in great influence
that has been given God given authority to rule has bought some form of spiritual reformation.
The problem is that the spiritual formation leaders do not go back far enough. In their
march into the past they stop at the classical or vintage age of church formation instead of
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returning to the New Testament Scriptures. This is the fatal flaw in the whole movement. The
early church (post-apostolic, not New Testament church) did many things right and many things
wrong. Its pronouncements, views, rituals, organizations, and structures can be examined with
profit, but they were not without error. I recently taught a course on the history of Christian
doctrine using as a textbook Ward’s excellent book Our Legacy. In that course of study, I found it
most discouraging to discover how very quickly the early church departed from the teaching of
the epistles. Both doctrinally and ecclesiastically the church, during the “classical” stage, moved
beyond the inspired Word of God to establish its own views, doctrines, philosophies, rituals and
formats.
On a doctrinal level all one has to do is read a few pages in the highly acclaimed (by
those who promote spiritual formation) Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series. This
27-volume set (including the Apocrypha) is designed to enlighten this generation concerning the
views of the early church fathers and theologians. The need for such a series is stated in the
flyleaf of each volume, “Today the historical-critical method of interpretation has nearly
exhausted its claim on the biblical text and on the church. In its wake there is a widespread
yearning among Christian individuals and communities for the wholesome, the deep and the
enduring” (Bart, 2017). Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one
another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col 3:16-17). In other words, it is time to abandon
the historical-grammatical hermeneutical method and return to the fanciful and allegorical
methods of the early church fathers. When you read the interpretations found in these volumes,
you begin to wonder if some of the early church fathers are even reading the same bible. Many
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(not all, of course) of the comments on the various texts are so whimsical and imaginative that
any hope of a normal understanding of Scripture is lost. What this commentary series
demonstrates very well is why and how the church went astray early in its history. When you
twist Scripture to mean anything you want it to mean, where you end up can be quite bizarre.
A good example of what emerged from this type of hermeneutic is the monastic
movement in which the so-called Desert Fathers and Mothers migrated to the Egyptian
wilderness to live as hermits and supposedly contemplate God. In misguided zeal (and without
direction from Scripture) these men and women would often starve themselves, expose their
bodies to the elements, go as long as possible without sleep and live isolated from civilization.
Under these peculiar and extreme conditions many of them claimed to have visions and
encounters with the Lord that normal Christians did not have. As a result, some declared these
individual’s super saints and their visions and dreams as revelatory words from the Lord. They
were elevated to the status of Christian celebrities. Norton is the very one who states, the call
spiritual masters and from whom he draws his understanding of spiritual formation (2008). As
we will see time and time again, the teachings, methods, and concepts behind the Spiritual
Formation Movement are drawn from these early contemplative hermits, as well as the medieval
monks and nuns, principally from the Counter-Reformation period, not from Scripture.
It is absolutely essential to get this connection early in our study. Many, if not most, of
the disciplines and instructions found within spiritual formation are not drawn from Scripture;
they are drawn from the imaginations of men and women passed along through tradition. Ramos
tells his readers that for help in spiritual formation we are to “Turn to our Christian past to men
and women who understood how the soul finds satisfaction as we grow in God, and how His
Spirit finds a readier home in us” (2017). Spiritual formation is not founded on the New
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Testament Scriptures but mostly on the experiences of Roman Catholic mystics, with a few
Eastern Orthodox and Quakers thrown into the mix. This is important to understand from the
beginning of our study, so, I will repeat: The Spiritual Formation Movement is not based on
Scripture but on the experiences, writings, and imaginations of those who teach a false gospel
and misunderstand the Christian life as detailed in God’s Word. With this in mind, we need to
turn to the practices deemed absolutely essential by the mystics for spiritual formation. These are
usually termed spiritual disciplines. What disciplines are we talking about?
Ward, in his Celebration of Discipline, provides a chapter each on the following
disciplines: meditation, contemplative prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission,
service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. Do your best to present yourself to God
as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of
truth (2Tim 2:15). InterVarsity Press has a line of books it calls Formatio which offers individual
books designed to teach each of the above disciplines plus the sacramental life, silence,
journaling, spiritual mentoring, pilgrimage, Sabbath keeping, sacred reading (lectio divina), and
the need for spiritual directors. If the spiritual disciplines, as are being taught by the leaders of
the Spiritual Formation Movement, are not actually found in Scripture, how can Christian
authors be so assertive in recommending them? They often do so because they are convinced that
the human authors of Scripture were strong practitioners of the spiritual disciplines, but the
disciplines were so much a part of first century life that the inspired authors saw no need to
mention them in the New Testament. Blevins, the mentor of Richard Foster, writes that Paul, for
example, lived out the spiritual disciplines but did not write about them in the epistles for,
“Obviously…for him and the readers of his own day, there would be no need to write a book on
the disciplines for the spiritual life that explained systematically what he had in mind…But quite
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a bit of time has passed – and many abuses have occurred in the name of spiritual disciplines
since that time” (2017).
What Ward is saying is that, “The only reason Paul and the apostles did not write about
the disciplines are because they were already being practiced and modeled by the apostles to
such an extent that no one at the time needed more information and insight into them” (2018).
This is of course not only an argument from silence but a bit ludicrous as well. Did not the
believers see Paul modeling prayer, preaching, body life and the study of Scripture? If so, why
did he bother to write about the importance of these while completely ignoring many of the
disciplines about which spiritual formation leaders are excited? The answer to this question is of
extreme importance. Willard believes that, if Christians today are to live as the apostles and early
disciples did, it is important that they somehow share in their experience but since, of course, we
do not live with them, all we can do is read about their lives. This leaves us alienated from the
lives of early disciples and therefore lacking in their spirituality. What can we do? “The only way
to overcome this alienation from their sort of life,” Bart suggests, “is by entering into the actual
practices of Jesus and Paul as something essential to our life in Christ” (2017). By this he means
that we must engage in the spiritual disciplines that he assumes the early believers practiced
(although we are never told so in the New Testament, nor mandated to do so).
This leads us to a fork in the road early in our studies. Do we, as believers in sola Scriptura, take
our marching orders from the written Word, or do we look to the “white spaces” in Scripture to
determine how we live? Do we actually believe that the Lord has given us in Scripture the
teachings and practices, He wants us to follow, or do we believe that we must supplement the
authentic words of God with our imagination and traditions of men? This is increasingly
becoming an issue within almost all branches of evangelicalism. Once it is accepted that we can
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enhance the Christian life by augmenting the inspired words of Scripture there is no limit to
where we might end up. Newton states, “He was first exposed to spiritual formation, and he
resisted, but in time he claimed he got over being biased and accepted the teachings behind it. He
writes, admittedly I found that certain beliefs and traditions remained foreign to me, being based
more on tradition than solidly on Scripture. All denominations have their blind spots. But I also
found that, once I got past my old prejudices and misunderstanding, I accepted more than I
rejected” (2015).
Part 3: Spiritual Formation
We can discern at least eight essential processes of forming faith, informed by Scripture,
theology, research, and contemporary reflection that promote faith growth and discipleship with
age groups, families, and the whole faith community. The very terms spiritual formation and
spirituality imply the role of God’s Spirit in our growth. While prayer and Scripture study,
spiritual direction and the practice of various disciplines, may all be part of our journey, it is the
Holy Spirit who works in our lives to convict of sin, to transform us, and to bear fruit in our lives
(Gal 5:22 - 23). Our role is to live in accordance with the Spirit and allow ourselves to be
controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit (Rom 8:1 - 17). We must keep in step with
the Spirit walking by the Holy Spirit and being led by God’s Spirit (Gal 5:16 - 25). “The eight-
essential faith forming processes involving knowledge and practices of the Christian faith
facilitate faith growth and make a significant difference in the lives of children, youth, adults,
and families. These eight faith forming processes are central to Christian lifelong faith
formation” (Lake, 2016, p.88). They provide a foundation to address the challenge of religious
transmission from generation to generation and promote lifelong growth in faith and
discipleship. The eight processes include:
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1. Caring Relationships. Growing in faith and discipleship through caring relationships
across generations and in a life-giving spiritual community of faith, hope, and love in the
congregation and family.
2. Celebrating the Liturgical Seasons. Growing in faith and discipleship by experiencing the
feasts and seasons of the church year as they tell the story of faith through the year in an
organic and natural sequence of faith learning.
3. Celebrating Rituals and Milestones. Growing in faith and discipleship by celebrating
rituals, sacraments, and milestones that provide a way to experience God’s love through
significant moments in one’s life journey and faith journey (Salisbury, 2018).
4. Reading the Bible. Growing in faith and discipleship by encountering God in the Bible,
and by studying and interpreting the Bible its message, its meaning, and its application to
life today.
5. Learning the Christian Tradition and Applying It to Life. I am confident of this: that the
one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus
Christ (Phil 1:6). Growing in faith and discipleship by learning the content of the
tradition, reflecting upon that content, integrating it into one’s faith life, applying it to life
today, and living its meaning in the world.
6. Praying, Devotions, and Spiritual Formation. Growing in faith and discipleship through
personal and communal prayer and being formed by the spiritual disciplines.
7. Serving and Justice. Growing in faith and discipleship by living the Christian mission in
the world engaging in service to those in need, care for God’s creation, and action and
advocacy for justice.
8. Worshipping God. Growing in faith and discipleship by worshipping God with the
community of faith praising God; giving thanks for God’s creative and redemptive work
in the world; bringing our human joys and dilemmas to God; experiencing God’s living
presence through Scripture, preaching, and Eucharist; and being sent forth on mission
(Barrett, 2016).
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“For well over 100 years in the United States, Christian churches had a highly integrated
religious ecosystem” (Wallace, 2017). It was comprised of multigenerational family faith
practice and religious transmission at home; strong congregational community relationships and
church life, especially participation in Sunday worship; weekly Sunday school for children and
youth (and in many cases adults); and church groups (youth, men, women). God works in us “to
will and to do his good pleasure,” states Philippians 2:13. Nevertheless, as verse 12 asserts, we
have a role to play: we must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” While God is the
one who forms us, we must respond to the divine initiative. We have the responsibility of acting
in obedience to the Lord’s commands. Many Christian traditions relied heavily on the ethnic
faith traditions of their people to transmit faith from generation to generation at home and at
church. And all of this was surrounded by an American culture that explicitly or implicitly
supported the Christian value system and Christian practices. There is no way to go back to this
older ecosystem it has eroded over the past several decades because of all the changes in the
culture and society, the family, technology and communication, and more. The environment has
changed, and the relationship between congregational faith formation and its environment has
changed. We need a new faith formation ecosystem that reflects this changed context. This new
ecosystem incorporates five, essential, interconnected components:
Intergenerational faith formation in the congregation. Intergenerational faith formation
and whole community faith experiences are at the center of the new faith formation ecosystem.
“Throughout Scripture there is a pervasive sense that all generations were typically present when
faith communities gathered for worship, for celebration, for feasting, for praise, for
encouragement, for reading of Scripture, in times of danger, and for support and service. To
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experience authentic Christian community and reap the unique blessings of intergenerational, the
generations must be together regularly and often infants to octogenarians” (Ramos, 2017).
Age group and generational faith formation in a variety of physical places and online
spaces. Age group and generational faith formation addresses the unique life tasks, needs,
interests, and spiritual journeys of age groups and generations across the whole lifespan. The
eight faith forming processes are the framework for an age-specific or generationally-specific
curriculum, which also includes life issues appropriate to that stage of life and missional
initiatives to engage the spiritual but not religious and the unaffiliated and uninterested. Age
group and generation faith formation needs to be connected to the events of church life and to
family life.
Family faith formation at home. The family is the single most important influence on
religious transmission and faith practice a truth demonstrated in research studies, the Christian
tradition, and pastoral experience. The faith of parents and grandparents, their role modeling,
their teaching, their warm and affirming parenting style are key factors in religious transmission
and developing highly religious children, youth, and young adults. In the new faith forming
ecosystem, congregations need to equip families as centers of faith formation developed around
three essential elements.
Missional faith formation to the spiritual but not religious and the unaffiliated. First,
missional faith formation expands and extends the church’s presence through outreach,
connection, relationship building, and engagement with people where they live moving faith
formation out into the community. “This involves developing targeted approaches and strategies
designed around the particular needs and life situations of the unchurched and dechurched”
(Smith, 2017). These approaches and strategies need to be contextual built around the
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congregation, community, and the needs of people. Second, missional faith formation provides
pathways for people to consider or reconsider the Christian faith, to encounter Jesus and the good
news, and to live as disciples in a supportive faith community. Missional faith formation guides
people as they move from discovery to exploration to commitment. The catechumenal process
provides one example of a pathway with its ritual stages and formational content participation in
the life of the faith community, education in Scripture and the Christian tradition, apprenticeship
in the Christian life, intimate connection with the liturgy and rituals of the church, moral
formation, development of a life of prayer, and engagement in actions of justice and service.
Programs like The Alpha Course cover the basics of Christianity in a multi-session course in a
supportive small group environment. These types of programs and processes provide pathways
for people to grow toward a life of discipleship and lifelong faith.
Online and digital faith formation. Digital media and the online environment provide the
means to connect church life, age groups/generations, and daily/home life through continuous
faith formation connecting participation in church life and events with daily/home life by using
online content and connections or reaching people at home and in daily life with online faith
formation content and experiences that connect to church life and events.
Faith formation incorporates seven learning environments, in online spaces and physical
places, to provide a variety of ways for people to learn and grow in faith that respects their
preferred styles of learning, their life situations, and their time constraints. The seven
environments provide a way to offer a diversity of programs in different learning environment, as
well as to offer the same program content in multiple learning environments all of which
provides people with more options to participate in faith formation and broadens the scope of
faith formation offerings. The seven environments include: independent (on your own/self-
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directed), with a mentor, at home, in small groups, in large groups, in the congregation, and in
the community and world. A variety of learning methods can be used with each of these seven
learning environments. Creating this variety of learning environments is aided by the
development of an online platform that integrates, delivers, and communicates the faith
formation offerings. God designed us to mature spiritually. We cannot cause our own growth or
transform ourselves no matter how hard we try any more than we can save ourselves. Rather, the
Lord is the author and perfected of our faith (Heb 12:2), and the One who began a good work in
us will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1: 6).
Part 4: Spiritual Formation
Many people consider that the role of facilitator is to strive for neutrality. Actually, the
role of a facilitator is to work with all shades of opinion within a group, to encourage discussion,
honest expression, and respect for other opinions and to create an atmosphere whereby all
perspectives can be included. “This does not mean that a facilitator doesn’t have any opinions,
that the facilitator agrees with every perspective or that the group has to accept all opinions.
Facilitators and groups must work towards expression and understanding and as much inclusion
or at least expression of diverse opinions/perspectives as possible” (Pettit, 2008). Facilitation is a
way of working with people. Facilitation enables and empowers people to carry out a task or
perform an action. Facilitation is a developmental educational method which encourages people
to share ideas, resources, and opinions and to think critically in order to identify needs and find
effective ways of satisfying those needs. Facilitation is a method that can be used in many
settings. Although it is usually used with groups of people, individuals can be facilitated too.
The following are examples of where facilitation occurs:
Therapists may use facilitation with clients.
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Teachers may use facilitation skills to encourage learners to think and develop
opinions and ideas.
Career planners may use facilitation skills to enable clients to chart a career path.
Churches may use facilitation skills to discover the needs of lone parents in
her/his area. Pettit states, “It is the Trinitarian understanding of God that informs
our understanding and application of ministries to reflect the character of God in
the local church. The implication of this for church membership challenges
contemporary “lone-ranger” thinking: no one can claim hope in salvation apart
from involvement with a local church. If God is creating a people among whom
he dwells, that part of the story of redemption results in tangible evidence by
commitment to a local body of the Church” (2008).
In particular, facilitators must work with awareness of people who experience poverty
and how this has impacted on their lives lack of opportunity, access, equality, and participation in
community and society. Stereotypes exist of people from different classes. In the group this may
cause problems, or these differences can be put to good use to widen the range of approaches
adopted to achieve the group’s aim. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth because
they were struggling with issues that threatened to tear the church apart. First Corinthians
redirects our attentions toward our true identity found only in Jesus Christ. Together we will
learn some practical truths to implement in our relationships in order to live, love, and even
disagree without compromising our own beliefs. Stereotyping inhibits genuine interaction and
may manifest itself in the group through snobbery, trouble-making, putting down or dismissing
some people, or not being interested in listening to others who are not from the same class
background or gender.
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Class background can determine the value set on certain events, people or activities.
Obviously, differing sets of values will affect group decision-making and planning but if
addressed adequately, will not inhibit the achievement of the group’s aim or goal.
Mixing social classes can inhibit some and encourage other types of behavior. Both
facilitator and members must acknowledge class difference where it exists. Only then can
strategies be devised to counter the negative effects of a class clash and enable the group benefit
from the broader experience of all class backgrounds.
A middle-class person in a predominantly working-class group might question her/his
contribution and a working-class person may not be as confident about her/his contribution in a
predominantly middle-class group. But, given the status placed on middle-class values, this
person may be less worried than a working-class counterpart in a similar situation.
Groups may replicate the social and economic dominance of certain groups in a society.
For example, in the northern hemisphere, white, middle-class, male, heterosexual values
dominate. This leads to negative and damaging stereotypes of values other than those that
conform to this norm. Prejudices, discrimination, inequalities and an undervaluing of any value
outside the norm will occur where negative attitudes are not dealt with. With equality as a core
value the facilitator must challenge such stereotypes. God loves like that. “Not that I seek the
gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit” (Philippians 4:17).
People have different intelligences which are stimulated by different learning styles,
techniques and methods. For example, some people learn best by doing, others by following
examples, yet others by using trial and error, and others again by reading and discussing. To
stimulate people’s different approaches to learning, facilitators and trainers need to use different
techniques, for example, visual, verbal and practical methods of presenting material. As a
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facilitator, it is important to include a broad range of techniques in your repertoire so that the
work undertaken with groups can stimulate the different intelligences of the group members.
Accessing the strengths of all of the group members by attending to the methods and materials
used also contributes to a fuller set of outcomes from the group’s work.
Part 5: Spiritual Formation
I believe that time has afforded the Christendom to embrace leaders, some spiritual
reformers that stood on values and morals that revolutionized our cultural to seeking the true and
living God. I was told in a previous conversation that there are only one preacher that is
considered as America’s minister, that touched so many lives across the globe that he was a true
and legend of what Spiritual Reformation looks like, Billy Graham was, relevant until his death,
he had a standard that challenged individuals to love God more than their sin, his compelling
messages were filled with passion but yet full of God’s love, he exemplified what I have been
trying to express in every chapter on Spiritual Formation. His life spoke volumes of principles
and strategies on how to change a generation who was confused in a time when our world was
divided during the 1960’s in segregation, in the 1970’s when life was meaningless, drugs and
alcohol seemed to be the social norm but through it all he stay persistent and dedicated to his
assignment of the cross.
As I reflected through each part of this research paper, it amazed me how I was searching
for a model that could bring this paper to life and it was not until the transition of Rev. Billy
Graham is when I noticed that I had been penning a description of his life and ministry.
Evangelizing is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, with the deepest identity. We
exist in order to evangelize. The purpose of evangelization is to bring about faith and conversion
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to Christ. Therefore, the proper role of catechesis is within the Church’s mission of
evangelization. Within the Church’s mission of evangelization, catechesis promotes and matures
initial conversion, educates persons in the faith and incorporates them into the life of the
Christian community. Bart states, “Catechesis must take the form of the primary proclamation of
the Gospel because many who present themselves for catechesis have not yet experienced
conversion to Jesus Christ” (2017). Some level of conversion is necessary for catechesis to be
able to fulfill its proper task of education in the faith. Initiatory catechesis incorporates those
preparing for the sacraments of initiation into the Christian community that knows, lives,
celebrates and bears witness to the faith. In seeking to foster the initial faith of the catechumen in
the person of Jesus Christ, catechesis leads to a genuine profession of faith.
The New Testament insists that we are a new community one based on gifts,
equality, and shared responsibility for God's mission to the world. But too often, we import
secular patterns of leadership and management into the church. Some secular expertise is helpful
in church administration and overall leadership development. Paul’s call is for unity, not
conformity, because too many of our differences have no real bearing upon our salvation. What
actually bears upon our salvation is the extent to which we can all abide in love in spite of our
differing convictions. This is how the conversation develops: The church is stronger when it
focuses on matters that have real bearing upon our salvation; “Food will not bring us close to
God” (1 Corinthians 8:8). Paul agrees with the strong and knowledgeable believers in Corinth
that “no idol in the world really exists” and that “there is no God but one” (8:4), but he argues
that since it really matters not whether we eat or do not eat meat offered to idols, the strong
should refrain from it if it causes the weak to stumble (8:8-9). Paul holds the “weak” as
accountable for unity in the body as those with “strong conscience. At its heart, however,
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congregations are communities of transformation places where people come to encounter God
and know God more deeply. The congregational educator is responsible for communicating a
vision of this reality and helping people live into it. Samara states, “Adult education is not a
program to attend, what it is? It is a process by which people grow in faith, learn to mentor
others in faith, and practice Christianity in the world” (2008). You are not creating an audience
for theology, Bible study, or spirituality. You are providing an environment in which the basics of
Christian life and growth can happen. For serious congregants, adult education is not optional.
Adult formation is the gathering and strengthening place for learning to be a Christian, for
mentoring others in faith, and for practicing faith corporately. It is the heartbeat of churchgoing
in the twenty-first century. The community that understands adult formation in this way has
made giant strides toward understanding Christian community. In settings of exploration, we
learn to learn pursuing, no matter our age or spiritual maturity, the deeper life of faith in God.
Anyone who seriously engages this task knows that spirituality is life-long learning, a quest that
drives the entirety of life. And anyone who has spent time learning also knows that excellence in
learning comes through teaching. One never really learns something until one teaches it. Being a
learner means being a mentor, one who teaches and shapes the lives of those coming along the
path. Sometimes this means:
Formal teaching,
Convening a small group,
Mentoring a friend, spouse, or children, or
Helping a young clergy person become skilled at his or her calling.
Mentoring takes numerous forms. And a learning congregation is called into the task of
mentoring itself (and often its neighbors). Learning and mentoring lead to practice. Without
putting faith into practice, learning and teaching are empty acts. As the book of James reminds
us, "Faith without works is dead." Learning, mentoring, and practicing form a circle of spiritual
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 20
growth one leading seamlessly to the other. “The congregation who moves around that circle has
created a new kind of community” (Norton, 2008). No longer hierarchically or clerically based,
the church becomes a community of learners, mentors, and practitioner’s clergy and the baptized
linked through spiritual friendship, common purpose, and Christian vocation. Gifts, training,
expertise, and authority flow around the new communal vision and are no longer programs to
protect or budget priorities to guard. Without a new community to support process, any process
of adult formation will, ultimately, become just one more competitive program area. You are
shaping human lives, not building a program.
Questions to consider:
How does your congregation understand itself as "community"?
What role does Adult Formation play in that self-understanding?
How is the congregation organized?
What would your congregation think of the words, "learners, mentors, and practitioners"?
Conformity to the image of God means to be like Jesus, and Christ-likeness is the eternal
purpose of God for his Church. And in 2 Corinthians 3: 18, as we have just read, it says: “We, all
who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed (or changed) into
His image, with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” In 1 John
1: 6, it says, in what I find to be one of the most challenging scriptures for Christians: “Whoever
claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did.” In 1 John 3: 2, it says: “But we know that when
he appears, we shall be like him”. Jesus says to His disciples: “Follow me, follow me, and
imitate me, in my Power.” Past, present, future it is God’s eternal purpose, it is God’s historical
purpose we are being changed, transformed by His Holy Spirit. And God’s final eschatological
purpose we will be like him. These all combine towards the same end Christ-likeness, for Christ-
likeness is the purpose and will of God for the people of God. So, let is now turn to the passage I
would like us to reflect on today, 2 Corinthians 3: 12 – 18, and in particular v 16 – 18. In this
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 21
passage Paul contrasts the Old and New Covenants. Paul again takes up his exposition of Exodus
34: 33 – 35. Let us read this together. We are told here of how Moses removed his veil when he
went in before the Lord. In the Old Covenant only one-man Moses, gazed with an unveiled face
on the divine glory and it says in v. 35: “They saw that his face was radiant.” Now, what Paul is
saying in the New Covenant, in the gospel age, is this is the blessed privilege of all who belong
to Christ. To gaze by faith into the gospel, is to behold Christ. Like Moses then Paul and all
believers approach God in confidence, and freedom with an unveiled face.
“What was unobtainable in the Old Covenant the Holy of Holies, for normal people to
come into the presence of God, with an unveiled face can now be done because of Calvary”
(Petit, 2008). As we look at the communion elements before us this morning, the bread and wine
symbolizing the body and blood of Jesus, we can approach and behold/reflect upon/contemplate
on the Lord’s glory! If we were to ask Paul in what way believers behold the glory of God, his
answer would be that they do so as the “veils” are removed from their minds, so that the truth of
the gospel is no longer hidden from them. And when does this happen, we see in v. 16: “But
whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away, and we begin to behold the glory of
the Lord.” “Behold” can mean “reflect upon”, “contemplate on”, but is a definite practicing of
the presence of the glory of Christ, to look fall of man. In Christ mankind is allowed to see not
only the radiance of God’s glory but also the true image of man. Into that image God’s people,
are now, or should be, being transformed. As Wallace said; “That the image of God, which has
been defaced by sin, may be repaired within us” (2017). So practically, we must continually
reflect of the glory of Christ, His person and His work and seek to imitate Him, to walk as Jesus
did how might this work in practice?
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 22
We are to be like Christ in His incarnation. in Philippians 2: 5 – 11, Paul starts by saying
“your attitude should be the same (not just like or similar) same as that of Christ Jesus who made
himself nothing and became obedient to death, even death upon a cross.” We are called to follow
the example of Christ in His great humility. As we go through this study on discipleship, I
believe the Spirit of God challenges us to say, “How am I doing?” Are we willing to set aside
what we want, to discover what God wants? We are to be like Christ in His service. In John 13: 1
– 16, we find Jesus; “Poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciple’s feet. Now that I,
your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you should also be one another’s feet... I have set
you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Are we Christ-like, are we willing to
serve our fellow brothers and sisters, in menial tasks as well as important ones?
We are to be Christ-like in His love. “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us.” Ephesian 5: 2 to love, in other words, with a Calvary love! Paul is urging us
to be transformed into Christ-likeness
• To become like the Christ of the incarnation.
• To become like the Christ of the foot washing.
• To become like the Christ of the cross!!
There are so many more, but in human terms, probably enough for today. But even in our
interactions with each other today, can we be more Christ like in His power. When we go next
door with the children in Sunday school, will it just be a rush for a cup of tea, or will we show
interest in the children, put an arm round a busy Sunday School Teacher and say, “I really
appreciate what you do in serving us” Will we show Christ?
Part 6: Spiritual Formation
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 23
Samra’s book puts a stake for growth in the ground by rehearsing the obvious and
necessary “preconditions” for an evangelical view of spiritual growth: a high view of Scripture,
with its authority and sufficiency as the revealed reality, and the promises of the gospel to shape
and undergird any practical application. His discussion of the Trinity is the most important part
of his article. He writes, The Trinity which serves as the ultimate reference point for all of
reality” (Samra, 2008); and is therefore the reference point for transformation. Spiritual
formation only makes sense in the context of understanding the Scripture’s Trinitarian teaching.
All the communicable attributes of God his holiness, his love, justice, humility in relationships
and the joy of mutual service have their roots in the Persons of the Trinity and their respective
works in the story of redemption. So important are each member of the Trinity, if any one of
them or their contributions to salvation and sanctification were missing, none would be in
heaven, no one would be saved let alone sanctified. It is the Trinitarian understanding of God that
informs our understanding and application of ministries to reflect the character of God in the
local church. The implication of this for church membership challenges contemporary lone-
ranger thinking: no one can claim hope in salvation apart from involvement with a local church.
If God is creating a people among whom he dwells, that part of the story of redemption results in
tangible evidence by commitment to a local body of the Church. So, for example, Jenkins writes,
“If you call yourself a Christian but you are not a member of the church you regularly attend, I
worry that you might be going to hell” (2018). I will leave you to read Jenkin’s apologetic, but
we know from the Scriptures that the Lord did not add people to the church without saving them
no nominal Christianity at the beginning, nor did he save them without adding them to the
church no solitary Christianity either. Salvation and church membership belonged together; they
still do.
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 24
Although Samra comes in chapter two, it is the first matter that governs the soul in
spiritual formation. The story of God and his people are one of exclusive devotion, exclusive
loyalty and the exclusive declaration of one God and one way to know God. What plagued Israel
also plagues the human heart even the redeemed heart namely, idolatry. Therefore, it seems fair
to say that the struggle for spiritual formation is a struggle to “turn from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan to God, that sinners may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among
those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18). The “turning from darkness to God” is a
continual turning. This is not to deny that there is an initial turning to God, but the progress of
spiritual formation hinges on the process of “turning and keep on turning” from the dark idols of
the heart to the light of God’s truth of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). Harley reminds us why the
worship of God is integral to spiritual formation by rehearsing for us the destruction of the
human soul in the fall and the only remedy for it: “to call on the name of the Lord” (Genesis
4:25-26). This passage is juxtaposed with the boast of Lamech, i.e., fallen humanity, who
proudly proclaims that he will handle life in his own way (Genesis 4:23, 24); without God’s help.
Those who call on the name of the Lord determine to handle life God’s way. Spiritual formation
feeds on the worship of God in order to fulfill the promise of the gospel, namely to become
better worshippers of God (John 4:23). Spiritual formation then is about engaging with God,
walking in his presence day by day, moment by moment, in worship, prayer, obedience, and
witness” (Newman, 2018). Harley only mentions by name the disciplines, but they are the means
that puts a believer in the rays of the Son of God who rises with healing in his wings; his healing
cleanses, purifies and matures the soul. One of the immediate disciplines that come to mind is the
use of music in private and public worship. It is one of the ways believers are filled with the
Spirit. Ephesians 5:18, 19 tell us, “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 25
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Again, the
first and best thing the Holy Spirit works in us is worship in and from our human spirit. The Holy
Spirit’s goal is to overwhelm us with God. What sorts of songs should be occupying our time in
corporate worship? How should congregations be instructed to sing? These matters need careful
attention because they are a means of corporate discipleship and our people need to participate
intentionally.
Samra implies it is important for his explanation of the theological foundations of
Christian character. At one level, most of what we think about spiritual formation focuses on the
believer’s conformity to Christ’s character. How do we know a believer is maturing into the
image of Christ? Important and counter-cultural concepts need to be explored, taught and rubbed
into the pores of the soul by those charged with making disciples. Those concepts are suffering,
self-control, and the acquisition of heaven’s wisdom rather than the world’s wisdom. Samra’s
main concern here seems to be how character is understood and developed in Christian leaders.
Samra draws on a variety of contemporary disciplines to define character: business literature,
educational programs, psychology, and various leadership theories. He does not seem to
commend any one in particular, but formulates his own way through them, picking up ideas that
parallel biblical truth, and then applying them to the real point he wants to make: character
development requires community. You may find his walk through the countryside of theories
interesting or you may choose to ignore them but do not miss the obvious: Christian character
needs a community in which is can be shaped, sustained and reflected. Character development is
a church project according to Galatians 5:16, Philippians 2:12, 13 and Hebrews 3:13 and a host
of one others in the New Testament. Welch states, “The leader who leads out of a skewed sense
of identity may in fact be leading out of a presumed image of leadership” (2018). He may take
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 26
his definition of a leader falsely from social expectations, or from the corporate culture or from a
military motif. The problem here is twofold. First, the leader is not leading from his own
developed godly character but rather leading in a manipulative way that treats followers as
pawns thereby serving his own ego needs. Second, the followers are not really following the
leader but following an image of a leader. Contrast this unstable relationship with Jesus who
“knew his hour had come” and “knew that the Father had given all things into His hands” (John
13:1-5). Jesus’ secure sense of personal identity freed him from the tyranny of self-protection and
enabled him to serve selflessly for the good of others.
The first warning is to pastors who must be sure they are themselves saved. Then they
must first preach to themselves before preaching to others. A pastor cannot ignore the needs of
his own soul’s formation and expect others to be transformed. The second warning is to make
prayer a daily habit. Prayer includes praying for their work in study and preaching. Shields
mentions other important disciplines like meditation and journaling following the likes of The
Christian Ministry by Andrews (another proposed book). For Andrews, transformational
preaching means the discovery and identification of truth in a single sentence summary that tells
the listener what God is saying in any given biblical text that is being expounded. The definition
I have shared with you for Spiritual Formation is from Petit, “The process of being conformed to
the image of Christ for the sake of others” (2008). Most people would be comfortable with that
wording. Samara says, being conformed, “The difference is who is in control! If we get to choose
the how, when, why, and how much we are to be conformed then we usually will say ok to the
process” (2008). When it is God doing the conforming, that means we must let God be in
control. We fall into one or more of the following categories: Information graspers, Functionally
oriented people, or Performance-oriented persons. All of those types require the control being in
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 27
the hands of the person. Spiritual Formation is a reversal of any of these ways human beings use
to order their lives. Spiritual Formation is from acting to bring about the desired results in our
lives to being acted upon by God and responding in ways that allow God to bring about God’s
purposes. If we want to be spiritually formed, we must “lose one’s self” and give up the need we
have to be in control of every aspect of our lives. It takes open-ended yieldedness to the Spirit’s
movement in one’s life. Spiritual formation as “being conformed” brings its own spiritual work
into our objectivizing, informational-functional, instant-gratification modes of being and doing.
This means that our spiritual journey is not our setting out by gathering information and applying
it correctly to find God as an object “out there” to be grasped and controlled by us. It is a journey
of learning to yield ourselves to God and discovering where God will take us. Are you willing to
give it a try? My hope is that we can help one another on the journey. If anyone would like to
talk to me about spiritual direction and being spiritually formed, feel free to call and we will
make a time for us to talk.
A common definition of spiritual formation holds this book together. The working
definition proposed by Pettit has its “spin offs” in the authors various definitions but they all
mention the same components. Spiritual formation involves faith in Christ, is grounded in the
promises of the gospel, is sustained by the Spirit, is intentional in its disciplines and largely
worked out in community. The biblical concept of community is the believer’s greatest asset in
spiritual formation. It is in community that we are challenged to leave behind our own self-
interest because it lacks a cohesive fabric and is more susceptible to class conflict as well as
racial and ethnic tensions. The loss of community was punishment for Cain (Genesis 4:9-16), but
covenant community is the promise of those united to Christ. The call of this book is really a call
to a kind of spiritual warfare, namely to see with fresh eyes of faith that we are not saved to “a
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 28
privatized, individualistic salvation but to rich community life that shares in the riches we have
together in Christ thus resulting in a true reflection of the gospel of Christ in this world.
Part 7: Spiritual Formation
People are going online for spiritual purposes in increasing numbers. Blevins states,
“Websites like BeliefNet and Patheos are growing rapidly in popularity” (2018). Abraham and
Lot, and later Jacob and Esau, dispersed their flocks and herds because "the land could not
support both of them living together" (Gen. 13:2-13; 36:6-8). They have information on many
topics related to spirituality and religion, opportunities to share with others, as well as devotional
resources. Gratefulness.org is a website for spiritual formation (Jenkins, 2018). On this website
you can watch an inspirational video, walk a virtual labyrinth, and send uplifting e-cards. You
can also light a virtual candle on the “Light a Candle” page of the website. The biblical writers
use various images and metaphors to describe and illustrate the relationship of the believer to
God. One of the images used by the New Testament writers is that of a slave. In fact, several of
the New Testament writers use this term to describe themselves. For example, James writes,
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1, ESV). The term translated
here as servant is doulos Christou in Greek (Campbell and Garner, 2016, p. 23). There are
directions to walk you through the process which includes time for reflection and the opportunity
to enter a prayer concern. After you virtually click on the wick of a candle to light it, it stays on
the website with other candles for 48 hours. You can also click on candles that others have lit to
pray for their concerns as well. It seems that the site is popular; over 18.5 million candles have
been ignited by people in over 243 countries.
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 29
Online faith formation is great for people with busy or irregular schedules who find it
difficult to attend regular weekly meetings at a set time in a specific place. “It is also great for
those who are homebound due to illness or disabilities, as well as parents of young children who
often need to be taking care of their children when studies and other events are offered” (Lake,
2016). Before Christ ascended into the heavens he does command his disciples to, “Go into all
the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15, NIV). Later the Apostle Paul
willingly submits himself to others for the gospel of Christ. Paul states “I have become all things
to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22, NIV). Paul
and the other apostles traveled long distances, were in constant threat of arrest, many if not all
were executed for preaching the gospel. In my mind, while the command of slavery to all people
may be up for exegetical debate I find it is not debatable that the early church did not enslave
themselves to all people to win some. Online resources can also be used to connect with college
students who are away from home. Online faith formation is often enjoyed more than in person
interaction by those who are quiet and shy. “In a face to face setting there are usually more
talkative people who may intimidate the quieter ones” (Lowe and Lowe, 2010). Online everyone
gets a chance to share their thoughts and opinions. Some people think there is little relationship
building when faith formation is done online. This is true in some cases, but there are many
options which can be utilized to increase interaction and relationship building. Many of those
who have shared online learning experiences together find that they continue the relationships
with others on social media sites like Facebook even though they have never met in person and
may live in different parts of the country or even the world! Taking faith formation online allows
participants to participate where they are and when they’re able instead of expecting then to be
where the church is at a time decided on by the church. John Roberto of Lifelong Faith
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 30
Associates in the article “Design an Online Faith Formation Center” states: We can now
reimagine where, when, and how faith formation & learning take place. It is now possible to
provide faith formation for everyone anytime, anywhere, 24 x 7 x 365. It is now possible to
customize and personalize faith formation around the life tasks and issues, interests, religious
and spiritual needs, and busy lives of people. Online faith formation can be created to meet the
needs of your congregation or other people you want to connect with. It can vary from a simple
list of suggested websites for people to visit to offering interactive long-terms courses.
In planning online faith formation, there are some things to consider and many of these
are the same considerations in planning any study or program. You’ll need to identify your target
audience. Will it be adults, children, youth, or an intergenerational audience? What is the
technical ability of your expected participants? This will probably vary greatly, but expect that
some people will need assistance. And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me
for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up
and build.” So, they strengthened their hands for the good work (Nehemiah 2:18).You might
want to offer a face to face initial meeting for these people; if possible participants can bring
their laptops or other devices and you’ll have some tech-savvy people available to assist them.
Ward suggest, “Ask participants if they will be participating by using a computer or with a tablet
or smartphone” (2018). If they’re using mobile devices you’ll have to make sure that the
technology you use works with those platforms. What’s your expected outcome? Do you want
participants to know more about the Bible, to be aware of spiritual practices, to learn how to live
their faith in everyday life, etc.? What material will you be using? In addition to the alignment of
one’s leadership decisions with a Christian worldview, the leader must work to make his
interactions carry the sweet aroma of either servitude (toward Christians), or evangelism (toward
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 31
those still outside the fold). If the leader is not exempt from esteeming others better than himself
(Phil 2:3), then this must be true in whatever venue he finds himself. The needs of fellow
believers must be attended to with grace and compassion, as to one’s co-laborers under a
common Master. This has the tripartite benefit of honoring the Master, building up the Body of
Christ, and identifying the Christian community they will know us by our love (John 13:35). The
follower, for his part, ought to be the first to honor their commitment to their leaders, as Christ
honored His commitment to the cross. For the one followed (believer or not) is in a position of
authority (so long as obedience does not entail disobedience to Christ), and our obedience ought
to reflect our obedience to our Ultimate Master. Christian followers ought to “regard their
masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God's name and our teaching will not be discredited” (1
Tim 6:1). In doing so, a powerful testimony is provided both to other Christians, and to their
unsaved counterparts.
Will you be creating your own material or using a purchased curriculum? You’ll want to consider
finances when planning online faith formation, although the good news is that there are plenty of
free resources out there. Often the basic version of a program is free but may contain advertising;
upgraded versions are available for a fee. You’ll want to make sure your participants’ privacy in
protected and that you are obeying copyright laws. The best way to do this is to have a secure
site where a password is required. Remember that online faith formation doesn’t have to be an all
or nothing proposition. You can combine in-person meetings with online follow-up or even offer
an online version of a regular Bible study; participants can choose to attend either in person,
online, or both. Now let’s look at some delivery options. You’ll need to decide if your online
offering will use broadcast or interactive activities and whether it will be synchronous or
asynchronous. Most online courses use a combination of all these options.
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 32
In considering what online faith formation resources you’ll offer, you’ll have to decide
whether to use a broadcast or interactive format. In the early days of the internet, static websites
were the norm. “We refer to today’s internet as Web 2.0 as it’s characterized by websites with
interaction and collaboration. Interaction can include postings on message boards, live chats,
collaborative projects, video and screen sharing, as well as online conference calls” (Welch,
2018). Interactive online faith formation can be done on many different platforms, from simple
ones to more complex ones. Closed or secret groups can be created on Facebook. For instance,
you could form a closed or secret group for the youth of your church where they share their
thoughts on a faith-based question each week. In a closed or secret group only those who are
approved by the group’s administrator can interact with the group. In a closed group anyone can
find the group and see who’s in it but only members can see posts. In a secret group only
members can find the group and see posts. Andrew states, “If you want to offer an online study
you can use a free forum site like ProBoards where you can hold online conversations in the
form of posted messages” (2018). There are three separate discussion boards for the course,
where messages can be posted. As believers, individuals are not forced to submit to the lordship
of Christ but do so on a voluntary basis for the glory of God. It is an honor to serve as one
recalls the words of Christ, as he said, “But whoever would be great among you must be your
servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44, ESV).The
first is a General Board where the course is explained and where a PDF document with the
course guidelines is available. The second board is called Weekly Reading and includes the
readings from Mark’s Gospel for each week along with links to read the passages online. There
are also links to online commentaries and YouTube videos based on the readings, as well as
images of paintings related to the passages. The third board is called Discussion Boards and
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 33
includes three questions for each of the eight sessions with opportunities for participants to also
comment on each other’s answers. If you want to have live chats, use webcams, or share
someone’s computer screen with a group, you can use more sophisticated online meeting
software such as GoToMeeting or Adobe Connect. There are some free online meeting software
options but usually these are very limited in the number of people who can participate. Free open
source software which is used by educational organizations includes Moodle and Blackboard, but
these are complicated and probably not a good choice for churches.
We live in a world rich with multimedia, so be sure to include it in your course. You can
use video and music clips either by including them in the course itself or by providing links to
the clips. Providing links is better in terms of copyright usage if you have not created the videos
and music yourself. Make sure your course includes plenty of opportunities for participants to
interact with the course leader as well as each other. Give people the opportunity to share
information about themselves, their family, and their interests. Provide activities that build
relationships. Harley recommends that “An online course can motivate participants to get
involved in a service project or start a new ministry” (2017). Offer opportunities for those who
have more time or want to dig deeper into the subject matter by providing extra activities for
those who want them.
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 34
References
Andrews, L. (2018). Spiritual formation in a post -modern context (Order No. 9968187).
Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304585311). Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/304585311?accountid=12085
Bart, J. P. (2017). Leadership from the inside out. Anglican Theological Review, 91(1), 81-92.
Barrett, M. S. (2016). Dimensions of Spirituality Fostered through the PULSE Program for
Service Learning. Journal of Catholic Education, 20(1), 114-135.
doi:10.15365/joce.2001052016
Blevins, D. G. (2017). Renovating Christian Education in the 21st Century: A Wesleyan
Contribution. Christian Education Journal, 2(1), 6-29.
Campbell, H. and Garner, S. (2016). Networked Theology: Negotiating Faith in Digital Culture.
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
Harley, A. (2017). A strategy for using spiritual formation to promote community renewal (Order
No. 3049524). Global Journeys. (305452408). Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/300028?accountid=12085
MY EMERGING MODEL OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION 35
Jenkins, D. (2018). The spiritual formation of the catholic teacher (Order No. 10270137).
Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1914676930). Retrieved from
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Lake, T. L. (2016). Assessing Spiritual Growth and Development at Belmont University.
Assessment Update, 28(1), 1-16. doi:10.1002/au.30043
Lowe, S. D., & Lowe, M. E. (2010). Spiritual Formation in Theological Distance Education: An
Ecosystems Model. Christian Education Journal, 7(1), 85-102.
Newman, R. (2018). Students' spiritual formation at a Christian university: A hermeneutic
phenomenological study. Theses Global. (1609375171). Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
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