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[Back to index of Special Issue articles] Spiritual formation is always under way By Martin Smith "Spiritual formation" is a new term to most Episcopalians, and if it suggests anything at all, it might be something rather specialized - perhaps the "training in prayer" that a seminarian might be expected to undergo, or some exotic process by which a novice is turned into a fully-fledged nun. What are we trying to achieve by putting this term into general currency at this time in our church? First, we need a term that expresses the most basic fact about the Christian gospel - it invites people into a process of continuous conversion and equips them for the ministry of transformation. Conversion so that each person can embrace in their own lives the ongoing changes made possible by being in relationship with the living Christ and in union with God through the indwelling of the spirit. And transformation so that we who belong to the community that fosters conversion, the church, can act in the world around us to heal its brokenness and do what we can to release its potential for goodness, maturity and creativity, as God's spirit inspires us. Spiritual formation, then, refers to the ways that the Christian community takes responsibility for equipping its members with the resources we need to sustain this ongoing process of personal conversion, and for our roles as God's "change agents" in our society and our world. The good thing about this traditional term which we are reactivating is that it implies a deliberate and purposeful approach to this collective responsibility. Our own conversion and our equipping as agents of change aren't going to happen by mere osmosis, or haphazardly. And important as liturgy is in shaping us, spiritual formation needs far more scope, and a wider variety of methods, than can possibly be accommodated in an hour on Sunday. "Formation" words are prominent in the New Testament, and a classic passage in Paul's letter to the Romans gives a valuable clue to the critical importance of the concept of spiritual formation. "Do not be conformed to this world (or age), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect." (12:2) Paul makes clear that we are always in a process of being shaped. Formation is always under way. Our attitudes, values, perceptions and feelings are being continually molded. And if we are passive, this means being subject to the influence of our environment, our culture, what the New Testament calls this "aeon." The Gospel is a summons to question and resist this process of being conformed to the prevailing culture. Conformity results in deformity. Our hearts and actions become malformed and stultified, only we don't realize it. Spiritual formation does not mean, as some talk about spirituality suggests, only the special cultivation of an inner life of prayer. It means formation "in the Spirit" - God the creative force of change and renewal - as a radical alternative to passive conformity. It is a deliberate and conscious process of differentiation in which we are trained to think, feel and act differently in response to the active presence of God in our lives and our communion with Christ. Another passage of Scripture that illuminates the concept of spiritual formation is the great fourth chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians which emphasizes transformation as a continuous process of maturation. Conversion is definitely not a single event, and our training to meet the challenges of a lifetime needs to be renewed throughout our lifecycle. The spiritual challenges a teenager faces as a disciple of Christ are different from those faced in midlife, and the formation we should get as Christian in our 20s can hardly be expected to see us through five more decades. The writer speaks of the process of coming to "the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. … But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." (13,15) So what should we expect from a church that takes spiritual formation seriously? Anything worthy of that name, whether presented through small group trainings, retreats, classes, pilgrimages, workshops or whatever, take seriously three essential stages of change. Formation begins with, in-formation, taking in and exploring Gospel teaching and the tested wisdom of Christian tradition. The second stage is re-formation. In this process we struggle personally with the tensions between the wisdom of the Gospel and those other attitudes and behaviors that conflict with it and have become second nature to us. And we consider how to realize latent possibilities for a more creative life and more effective service. The third stage is trans-formation, in which we actively practice the new values and skills of the gospel, both in terms of our own relationship with God and the ministries we exercise. [Back to index of Special Issue articles]
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