The Christian calendar has 6 major holidays. The first five–Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter—mark the coming and life and death of Jesus. The sixth–Pentecost–marks the coming of the Holy Spirit which marks the birth of the Church. The Church simply IS the ‘Body of Christ’—his presence uniquely fleshed out in our day in our world. It is the cradle and steward of the formation of the human spirit. — John
Why Showing Up—and Opening Up—Matter for Formation
Alma via Unsplash
The Church has a problem. People grow spiritually only if they share openly about their faith. But according to recent research, most Christians feel their spiritual life is entirely private. The result? Formation stagnation. Even worse, these close-mouthed friends consider spiritual progress less important than their non-private peers do. i
Could more church-going lead to increased openness? A recent study shows that regular church attendance helps people emotionally. Going to worship weekly boosts positive emotions (gratitude, joy, and satisfaction) and stifles negative ones (anxiety and depression). People who don’t consistently participate in services don’t receive this benefit.
Unfortunately, recent survey results indicate that only a third of U.S. adults attend religious services in person at least once a month. Even fewer (a quarter) report going weekly. The local church has enormous formative potential. But Christian fellowships can’t disciple people who either don’t fess up or don’t show up. ii
i. How ironic that for centuries the Church’s most powerful threat was exclusion–‘excommunication’. Now, in unprecedented numbers, people are ‘excommunicating’ themselves.
ii. Increasing numbers of folks (this is based purely on anecdotal data) are stopping involvement from church because they feel like they’re ‘not getting anything out of it.’ But it is a spiritual law–like dying in order to live, or being first by being last–that ‘we get out of it’ what we put into it. What I ‘get out of church’ is mostly a function of what I ‘put into church.’
I once asked Dallas: “What’s the main reason why we should go to church?” I thought he’d have some deep answer about corporate worship or the importance of biblical preaching. But no. He said the main reason to go to church was to find people to bless. We can worship on our own. We can learn on our own. But we cannot bless others on our own.
Though the Church faces challenges, help is available. Renovaré’s Churches in Renewal connects like-hearted churches to one another and provides practical guidance and resources for cultivating communities for Christlikeness. The churches in their network find strength in numbers—and strive to become “embodied ecosystems of renewal.”
The Transforming Center
The Transforming Center’s Transforming Church initiative has a similar vision. They believe transformation into the image of Christ is central to the gospel and to the Church’s mission. At a time when many church leaders have lost sight of this essential goal, they encourage bringing one’s transforming self to leadership.
Parish Collective
The church’s mission doesn’t stop with the renewal and transformation of church leaders and congregations. People become like Jesus to love like Jesus. And in the Gospels, Jesus loved those around him. The Parish Collective connects people to be the church in the neighborhood—to help realize God’s dreams for their neighbors. i
i. I love the parish model–the idea that the church is a deep part of its neighborhood. In academia there’s an old motto: “Publish or perish.” I am tempted to say that in church life our version should be “Parish or Perish.” But I won’t. Jesus was fully human, like us, but he never punned.
Data Point
Uncertainty About Next Step in Formation Journey
Source: Barna Group, n=1,003 U.S. churched adults, September 16–October 4, 2021 — https://www.barna.com/research/churchgoers-new-metrics/
This essay says churches without spiritual formation are like apple pies without apples. But strangely, many local churches have other goals instead. How can we bring formation into these churches? This question is important but ill-formed. Better: How can we join Jesus in the work he’s already doing in these congregations?
And the church really does matter for spiritual formation. According to this book, familial community in Christ is the essential context for Christian maturation. What’s most important isn’t better programs, but a culture of formation—a culture characterized by prayerful openness to the power of God’s grace to transform lives.
But what, more specifically, is the role of the local church in spiritual formation—and to what extent should spiritual formation be its focus? And why to that degree? This conversation features five Christian leaders who have thought deeply about these questions. Think about your church as you absorb this discussion. i
i. C. S. Lewis has tempter Screwtape comment on how we do not see the Church as God does–“spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners…–a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy.” We are still apt to think that as long as the person next to us sings out of tune or has odd clothes or a double chin their religion must be ridiculous. We are far too easily fooled.
