Spiritual Formation
for Grown-Ups Discipleship is a lifelong process to be nurtured at every age BY PAM WEISS, DIRECTOR OF ADULT SPIRITUAL FORMATION
“Spiritual formation is the lifelong process by which the Holy Spirit transforms us as individuals and a community of faith more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ.”
—FPCA’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF
SPIRITUAL FORMATION “Jesus loves me! Tis I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
Tis familiar song lyric is perhaps one of the earliest lessons taught to children to set them on a path for lifelong learning about what it means to be a Christian. For centuries, those raised in the church received loads of information about Jesus, God, and biblical stories, along with a plethora of fun facts about the early years of our denominational traditions. By the time a child stood before a congregation to be confirmed as a member, he/she was expected to be able to recite from memory any number of key Bible passages, creeds, and doctrines.
As individuals entered into adulthood, often these elements of our belief system simply became rote liturgy on a Sunday morning and meaningless expressions of an unknown mystery. For many centuries, the purpose of Christian education was to impart as much information as possible about what we believe, and the expectation was that this was sufficient to nurture Christian discipleship. Because a priest or a pastor said it, we were to believe it, no questions asked. Trends in faith were molded according to those who had gone before.
In today’s world, however, many individuals find themselves frustrated. Tey do not comprehend handed-down church teachings as meaningful and life giving. Tey desire to be disciples of Jesus but do not really understand why they do what they do in the name of Jesus—except that somebody told them to do it. Consequently, many folks are leaving the church claiming, “I am spiritual, but I don’t believe in
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