Spiritual Formation

"We must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15).

For Christians, growing up means becoming more and more like Christ:

• Reading the Bible to learn how to live and grow closer to God.
• Praying to God and listening for God.
• Studying what other Christians have learned about how to live and listen.

Mature Christians are ready to lead, to teach others by the way they live and the things they say.

Resources to help Christians grow:

Christian Education and Discipleship Commission

• Spiritual Formation and Lifelong Learning with Study Guide (PDF)

Reading

• Lectio Divina--Spiritual Reading
• Growing Closer to God through Reading Scripture
• Suggestions for Engaging Scripture
• Two Ways of Reading

Praying

• Growing Closer to God through Praying
• Examen of Consciousness
• Suggestions for Praying

Leading

• Characteristics of a Christian Leader
• Two Ways of Leading: Shifting Paradigms of Pastoral Leadership
• The Pastor as Spiritual Guide
• Principles and Practices for Fostering Spirituality of Leadership

Studying

• Transformed by the Word (PDF), a study guide designed to assist in small group study of the booklet Listening to God through Scripture: Transformed by the Word.
• Bible Studies from Mission 2000

Bibliographies

• A Selective Bibliography on Lectio Divina
• A Selective Bibliography on Spiritual Direction and Discernment
• Resources for Spiritual Leadership
• Myers-Briggs Indicator Resource Suggestions