Spiritual Formation

The seven secrets of church re-vitalization

 

1. Understand the current situation and start where you are.

2. Be Positive and map your assets.

3. We must reclaim evangelism.

4. Reclaim our compelling Mission; "Why are we the church?"

5. Create small groups for spiritual formation.

6. Administration is Ministry: empower creative people and programs.

7. Transformational Worship.

 

#5 Spiritual formation in small groups

As a Christian we are always asking two questions; Who are you becoming? Where do you practice life? Relationships formed in small groups are essential.

Christianity is not a set of beliefs but a lifestyle...a "way". A disciple is a person who has a discipline.  We need to have a place where we can practice faith. There are individual practices and there are also communal communal practices.

NCLI sees the need to find more creative ways to name this process beyond "Sunday school"  or "Church School".

With so many of our institutions and families in crisis we need to find ways to support one another.  One helpful method to facilitate community support for individuals that was suggested is the circle process.  A good video to refer to is from the Just peace organization.

 

Chapter 5 – Designing Good Process: The Circle Process | JustPeace

 

 

Key areas of spiritual formation are spirituality and worship, discipleship, service and care groups

World cafe is a program where a public notice of a discussion about a timely topic is given to meet in a public space.  Recently the topic of racism has been discussed in our community as a form of sacred conversations.

Those interested in spiritual formation come with head and heart, embrace our incarnational natures

and expect transformation.

Formation must be real and it must also abandon church speak. 

In the Bible God calls us to "be still".  To listen for God's voice and allow God to become our

anchor in prayer.

It's hard to believe, but Southern Baptists started 49,000 churches last year!  This movement was largely a lay movement where small groups gathered in homes.  The majority of American Churches have under 100 members.  Spiritual formation and intimate relationships are fostered in small group settings.

 

Michael Piazza continued with a workshop on leading change in worship. 

 

We should begin to think about the concentric circles of a congregation in worship;

 

the community

visitors

attendees

members

leaders

council

staff

 

Consider how people can be moved along to grow closer to the center of the worshipping congregation.

 

Small growth groups are essential to worship. Michael began a renewal group within his congregation and they pledged to;

Pray twice a day

Worship Every Sunday

tithe in lent-just try it for 7 Sundays (some groups start out trying tithing for Just one Sunday a year)

Stewardship and giving is an antidote to consumerism.

Engage in hands on service projects

Study together and read a spiritual growth book together for discussion.

 

He suggested that Lent is a good time to begin this process.

 

 He also suggested that we use another adjective for "contemporary" worship  like "Lively" worship.

One church calls their alternative service "Indescribable".